A media event on Netflix and Korean content on June 22 is held at Four Seasons Hotel Seoul in the city's Jongno-gu District, with Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos (second from left) and other figures in attendance. (Lee Kyoung Mi)

By Lee Kyoung Mi

"Korea is a country of great storytelling power."

Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos on June 22 said this when asked about the strength of Korean content. A country's storytelling reflects its history and other elements such as fashion, music and food in its beautiful stories, he said, with no other country where these things are felt more than Korea.

He was speaking at a media event on Netflix and Korean content at Four Seasons Hotel Seoul in the capital's Jongno-gu District. Attending were 10 figures including Sarandos and other Netflix staff and the heads of domestic content producers receiving positive responses overseas through works like the series "Squid Game," "All of Us Are Dead" and "Single's Inferno."

Sarandos said Netflix and Korean creators share "a passion for entertainment -- a belief in the power of a great film or TV show to connect people to one another and have an impact in the world."

Many stories can be embraced beyond language, so Netflix will allow Korean creators to make diverse and outstanding content as originally intended, he added.

In April, Sarandos in a meeting with visiting President Yoon Suk Yeol in Washington pledged to invest USD 2.5 billion in Korea over the next four years, double the streaming giant's investment from 2016 to last year, Netflix said.

A visual effects demonstration on June 22 shows a creature from the Netflix series "Sweet Home" at a media event hosted at the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul in the city's Jongno-gu District. (Netflix)

On the explosive growth of Korean content, Sarandos said, "A staggering 60% of our members have now watched one Korean title -- with viewing of K-Content up six-fold globally in the last four years," adding, "(Ninety percent) of K-Romance viewing now comes from outside Korea."

"And last year, our Korean movie 'Carter' and two TV shows -- 'All of Us Are Dead' and 'The Glory' -- hit the Netflix Top 10 in over 90 countries," he said. "Of course, nothing quite beats 'Squid Game' -- the biggest TV show in history on any metric we've ever seen."

Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos (center) on June 21 attends a talk with award-winning director Park Chan-wook (right) and 100 film students at Park Chan-wook Hall of CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Seoul's Yongsan-gu District, with movie critic Lee Dong-jin (left) acting as host. (Netflix)

The day before, Sarandos expressed his affection for Korean content in a talk with award-winning director Park Chan-wook and 100 film students.

Saying he was a big fan of Park with a deep respect for his cinematic world, Sarandos said he was honored to work with the director and had big expectations for work created by a master like Park. 

For Netflix, the director is working on the historical martial arts film "War and Revolt."

 

"The characteristic of Korean content is its ability to capture emotions in a wide and complex manner," Park said. "Korean content is internationally recognized because it touches universal human emotions." 

Sarandos responded by saying he believed that the more challenging and curious a culture is, the more its film industry booms, with Koreans taking national pride in making good movies.

Netflix's Korean releases in the second half of the year include "Celebrity," Season 2 of "D.P.," "Mask Girl," "Ballerina," "Daily Dose of Sunshine" and "Sweet Home 2." 

The second season of "Squid Game" will also begin shooting in the second half.

km137426@korea.kr