Netflix will release 25 new Korean films and series this year, the streaming service said this week, following the monumental success of Hwang Dong-hyuk’s “Squid Game.”
Global viewing hours of Korean shows on Netflix rose six-fold last year compared to 2019, Don Kang, Netflix’s vice president of content for Korea, wrote Wednesday in a blog post.
To date, “Squid Game” is the streaming giant’s most successful original series, and, at its peak, was the most viewed Netflix show in 94 countries, Kang wrote. About 95 percent of Netflix users who watched “Squid Game” were located somewhere outside Korea and many of those viewers went on to explore other Korean content on Netflix.
“As this fanbase increasingly includes viewers from all over the world, we are excited to continue collaborating with Korean storytellers to bring the K-wave to new heights,” Kang wrote.
America is changing faster than ever! Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news.
Just two months after the release of “Squid Game,” Netflix began streaming “Hellbound,” another Korean-language series whose premiere logged 43.48 million viewing hours, according to Kang. “Hellhound” was among the top 10 Netflix shows in 93 counties, and ranked number one in 34 countries.
The sci-fi series “The Silent Sea” was also widely viewed, and shot to the number one spot on Netflix’s weekly non-English top ten list following its release in late December.
Netflix in 2021 spent $500 million on Korean content – a figure it is sure to easily surpass this year, though an actual estimate has not yet been released, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Kang wrote that the streaming giant’s slew of upcoming Korean content showcases “more of the inventive and gripping Korean storytelling that the world has come to love.”
“We will continue to invest in Korea’s creative ecosystem and, together, we will keep on showing the world that “Made in Korea” means “Well-Made,” he wrote. “This year, we look forward to the new conversations that will be sparked by a new wave of stories, as we help Korean content find homes in the hearts and minds of our global audience.”
Netflix’s full 2022 Korean slate can be viewed here.
READ MORE STORIES FROM CHANGING AMERICA
NEW STUDY SAYS AIR KNOCKS DOWN COVID-19 INFECTION RATE BY 90 PERCENT
ROBIN WILLIAMS’ DAUGHTER HAS WARNING FOR FANS MOURNING BOB SAGET
YALE, GEORGETOWN, 14 OTHER TOP COLLEGES SUED FOR ALLEGED COLLUSION
34 RESCUED FROM FLOATING CHUNK OF ICE OFF GREEN BAY SHORE
SOUTH AFRICAN SCIENTIST THINKS SHE MAY HAVE SOLVED THE MYSTERY OF LONG COVID-19
