8:15 PM PST 2/24/2021
by
Patrick Brzeski
The streamer shared his plans at an event in Seoul, where he released premium footage of his current slate and unveiled a few original film projects, BDSM drama ‘Moral Sense’ and action thriller ‘Carter’.
Netflix reaffirmed its commitment to South Korea’s globally compelling entertainment industry on Thursday, unveiling plans to spend nearly $ 500 million on films and television series produced in the country by 2021.
The plans were revealed at Netflix’s smashing “See What’s Next Korea” event in Seoul, where Korean directors and stars came together with Netflix creative executives to promote current and future originals in the local language. Amid the flurry of promotional activity, Netflix also revealed that it currently has more than 3.8 million subscribers in South Korea.
However, the worldwide popularity of Korean television and movies has proved even more valuable to Netflix than the relatively modest financial contribution of South Korean subscribers. To date, Netflix has produced more than 80 original Korean shows and movies, building on the early success of the country’s very first original, Kim Eun-Hee’s period zombie thriller Kingdom“Audiences around the world are falling in love with Korean stories, artists and culture,” said Minyoung Kim, Netflix vp content for Korea, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
She added, “The K-Wave, or Hallyu as we call it here in Korea, is a huge moment of national pride and we are proud to be a part of it. Great Korean stories are nothing new, the telling In fact, stories are deeply rooted in Korean culture, but today we live in a world where Parasite is an Academy Award winner for Best Picture, BlackPink plays Coachella and over 22 million households tune in to a horror TV series, Sweet home
More than a dozen Korean actors and directors joined Netflix to promote previously announced Korean originals that will premiere on the service this year. Among them were stars Bae Doo-na and Lee Joon van The silent sea, a science fiction series about a team sent to an abandoned research facility on the moon; A-list Korean director Yeon Sang-ho (Train to Busan) and the cast of his supernatural thriller series Hell boundincluding Yoo Ah-in, Park Jung-min, Kim Hyun-joo, Won Jin-ah and Yang Ik-june; and the cast of Squid game, a thriller about the participants in a secret survival game with a prize of $ 40 million.
Netflix also unveiled two previously unannounced original Korean films at the event, both with an edgy premise: BDSM drama Moral sense and action thriller Carter
Directed by Park Hyun-jin (As for Likes Moral sense follows a seemingly tight office worker who keeps his BDSM taste to himself, until his female colleague accidentally opens his mail and finds a belt. Once his secret is out, the two develop into a male-sub and female-dominant relationship.
Carter is described as an ‘action movie in one scene’. Directed by Jung Byung-gil, it follows a man after waking up in a motel room with no memory of who he is, except for a voice in his ear calling him ‘Carter’. Carter follows the voice’s orders and embarks on a thrilling mission to rescue a kidnapped girl.
“We’re partnering with top talent and filmmakers and exciting emerging voices from all over Korea to create the best stories in every genre,” Kim said, adding, “This year we’ve got Korean dramas like The silent sea Squid game, and Kingdom: Ashin of the North, bold movies such as Carter and Moral sense, new reality series such as Good’s Spirit, documentaries such as My darling, and our first Korean sitcom, So not worth itWe can’t wait for our members around the world to fall in love with these Korean stories. “