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South Korean President Yoon Hee-yeol is on his first official visit to the United States this week, and his first meeting will not be with his opponent, Joe Biden.
Instead, he met with Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos.
After the meeting, the US streaming giant announced that it would invest in $2.5 billion The investment in South Korean content in the next four years is double the amount Netflix has invested in South Korea so far.
Sarandos said Korean stories are “now at the heart of the global cultural zeitgeist” because more than 60 percent of Netflix’s 233 million global subscribers are watching Korean movies, dramas and reality shows, according to company data.
Netflix isn’t the only streaming platform hoping to capitalize on the Korean wave. Disney+, Apple TV and Asia-based ViuTV are also investing more in South Korea and hosting more K content.
A standout figure is the hugely successful Netflix original series Squid Game. It is the streaming platform’s most-watched non-English series ever, with 1.65 billion hours watched. For comparison, Netflix’s highest-rated English-language series, “Stranger Things” (season 4), had 1.35 billion hours watched.
Besides Squid Game, the top 10 in the non-English category also includes three other Korean dramas: “We Are All Dead,” “Glory” (Season 1) and The Great Lawyer John Woo.
watch now
Here are our top Netflix recommendations for recent K content:
1. Glory (seasons 1 and 2)
“Glory” is a 16-episode Korean drama starring veteran actress Song Hye Kyo. It tells the story of a woman who suffered years of horrific abuse in high school and spent much of her adult life carrying out elaborate revenge plans to make the perpetrators pay for their crimes. It was released in two parts and was the most watched show on Netflix for two weeks in March, topping the charts in more than 90 countries.
It helped propel a crackdown on bullying in South Korea, where the show has had such an impact that the government announced strict new measures to combat such aggression in schools. Beginning in 2026, students with a record of bullying will be reflected in their college application process.
“We can no longer tolerate rampant school violence,” South Korean Prime Minister Han Duk-soo told reporters at a news conference earlier this month. In another statement, he cited “Glory” and said the heightened focus on the show “reflects harsh public voices”. Some of the most violent acts of bullying that take place on the show are also based on real events.
School bullying is a controversial issue in South Korea, and it is increasingly common for celebrities accused of bullying to face serious consequences. Just last year, K-pop company HYBE (which includes groups like BTS and ENHYPEN) fired then 16-year-old Kim Ga-ram, a former member of successful girl group Le Sserafim, after she was accused of abusing her classmates.
2. Stamina 100
It’s not just Korean dramas that are captivating audiences. Physical 100 is a nine-episode survival reality show that brings together 100 of South Korea’s best athletes (both men and women) from various disciplines as they compete for the title of most impressive body in a series of grueling challenges. Among the contestants are Olympians, fitness gurus, and even a firefighter and a prison guard.
Physical 100 is the first reality series to top Netflix’s non-English TV chart. The streaming platform has yet to announce plans for a second season.
3. Extraordinary Lawyer Wu
This courtroom drama featuring an unusually young autistic female lawyer at a top Seoul law firm is one of Netflix’s most popular non-English series of all time.
The 16-episode drama starring Park Eun-bin has sparked a debate, but some say it is far from the reality of autistic people in South Korea. Some viewers with family members with autism said the character’s portrayal was unrealistic and overly melodramatic.
However, others say it has raised awareness and brought attention to people on the autism spectrum, who they say often feel left out. In Korea, knowledge and awareness of autism is still rather limited, and people with high-functioning autism are often undiagnosed.
4. Soul Alchemy
The 30-episode fantasy epic from superstar writing duo Hong sisters behind such hits as “The Korean Odyssey,” “Hotel Del Luna,” and “Masters of the Sun” is released in two parts. It’s hard to summarize Soul Alchemy’s intricate plot, which revolves around a group of mages in the fictional land of Daeho — based on historical Korea — who protect the universe from the dark magic known as Soul Alchemy.
Those who have mastered this black magic can exchange their souls for another body, usually by force, for reasons such as greed, power, or immortality. Its cost is devastating: a “soul shifter” who “runs wild” must feed on the souls of others in order to survive.
The main character is a notorious assassin Nak-su (played by veteran actress Jung So-min in the first season and newcomer Go You Youn-jung in the second season) who accidentally transfers her soul into the body of a blind woman body, while Jang Woo (played by Lee Jae Wook) is an aspiring mage whose father suppressed his ability to cast spells. Their fates intertwine as Jang-woo recognizes Nak-su’s new body and makes a deal with her to train him to unleash his magical potential.
The fantasy romance became a hit on Netflix and attracted enough viewers to watch a second season. It is one of the highest-rated fantasy series on the platform, watched by millions of people around the world.
5. Single Hell
The hit reality dating show revolves around single men and women finding love on a deserted island. Contestants can escape the island only when two of them become a pair. Combining a survival show with the concept of participants fighting for what they love, the series became the first Korean reality show to break into Netflix’s top 10 TV shows. There are currently two seasons, and the third season has been confirmed.
6. Little Women
Loosely based on Louisa May Alcott’s novel of the same name, the show features strong, well-written female characters. The 12-episode series follows three sisters who grew up in poverty. Their lives are turned upside down when they are forced to battle South Korea’s richest family after a huge sum of money goes missing.
7. Queen
This female-led drama follows a powerful middleman who uses her skills to push a civil rights lawyer’s bid for mayor. It launches on Netflix on April 14 with 11 episodes.
8. We all die
After a failed science experiment, a local high school is infested with zombies. With communications cut off and supplies dwindling by government order, the stranded students are left to fend for themselves. One of Netflix’s highest-rated Korean dramas has been renewed for a second season.
global ambition
This year, Netflix unveiled its biggest South Korean content plans, as it faces growing competition from other streaming platforms and criticism for its plans to limit password sharing.Its new K content includes many Series, Movies, Reality Shows and Documentaries.
Netflix also added 1.4 million paid subscribers from the Asia-Pacific region in the third quarter of 2022, and its latest earnings report indicated that the region is the company’s fastest-growing region.
But both Netflix’s and South Korea’s ambitions are global. In 2021, South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism reported that South Korea’s cultural exports hit a record high of $12.4 billion.
South Korea’s content industry — which includes movies, serials, cartoons, music, games and advertisements — totaled $107 billion that year.
In fact, South Korea’s cultural exports have Exceed Exports of other products such as home appliances and electric vehicles make the content industry South Korea’s biggest export driver, according to Economy Ministry data.
This year, the government said it plans to double exports of K content to $25 billion by 2027 by expanding export markets to the Middle East, North America and Europe and injecting more investment into the industry.
It remains to be seen when South Korea’s cultural boom will peak, or if it has already, but for now, Sarandos said Netflix’s $2.5 billion investment underscores his confidence in South Korea’s soft power as the global Fans continue to enthusiastically consume K content.
upcoming title
Wondering what’s on Netflix this year? We’ve put together a list of the most anticipated Korean games to watch out for in 2023:
1. Jingcheng Biology
Starring Park Seo-joon, Han So-hee, and Wei Ha-joon, the show takes place in 1945, during the Japanese rule of Korea, when Seoul was still known as the capital. According to the show’s official description, the two young men will “face a strange creature born with greed and fight to survive.”
2. The Black Knight
The series is set in a dystopian future destroyed by air pollution. The story revolves around a group of delivery men known as the Black Knights as they use unconventional means to traverse the wasteland when the very survival of humanity is threatened.
3. Song of Thieves
While plot details for the show are currently limited, we do know that it takes place during the tumultuous period of Japanese occupation in the 1920s. It tells the story of a group of people from Joseon, the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, who gathered on Gan Island in present-day northeast China during Japanese colonial rule and united to protect their homeland.
4. Sweet Home (Season 2)
Netflix’s hit post-apocalyptic horror drama of 2020 is returning for a second season this year. Traditionally, Korean dramas rarely last more than one season, but Netflix has dramatically changed the industry. “Sweet Home” has built a huge fan base since its release, and the cliffhanger at the end of the first season could mean a record-breaking second season.
Based on the popular digital manga of the webtoon of the same name, the series tells the story of Cha Hyun-soo (Song Kang), a troubled high school student. Cha and the other residents of the Green Home apartment complex find themselves battling monsters who want to wipe out humanity.
5. 19/20 (Nineteen to Twenty)
The coming-of-age reality show will follow various members of Generation Z as they enjoy their last week at 19 and first week at 20.
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