KUALA LUMPUR, March 23 — Netflix is releasing its first Korean language original feature next month with a crime thriller set in a dystopian future titled Time to Hunt.
Time to Hunt which will stream from April 10 onwards tells the story of four criminals who are being pursued by an unknown man and stars Lee Je-hoon, Ahn Jae-hong, Choi Woo-shik, Park Jeong-min and Park Hae-soo.
The streaming giant first dipped its foot in the world of Korean storytelling in 2017 when it made Okja, a bilingual South Korea-US collaboration about a genetically modified superpig raised by a young girl, directed by Parasite’s Bong Joon-ho.
The announcement was made during an interview with Netflix Korea Content vice president Min-Young Kim who presented the streaming service’s growing list of Korean programmes for 2020.
“The value of Netflix content is being able to provide creative freedom and that creative freedom comes in many different ways.
“There are so many stories that are difficult to be told in the traditional system so by providing creative freedom, we are able to access a lot of great stories that couldn’t be told before which makes it unique,” Kim said.
Done binge-watching Crash Landing on You and not sure what to watch next?
There’s Rugal, a crime series that centres on a promising detective suspected of murdering his own wife which begins streaming on Saturday and in April, K-drama fans can look forward to two series, crime drama Extracurricular and romantic fantasy The King: Eternal Monarch.
Extracurricular, which was written by a newcomer Jin Han-sae, is a show audiences have never seen before which Kim described as “the biggest creative bet” Netflix had to take.
The plot follows an ambitious student who commits a crime to go to university.
In June, romance drama series It’s Okay to Not Be Okay marks My Love from the Star actor Kim Soo-hyun’s comeback after completing military service.
Additionally, three more Korean programmes are currently in production to add to the list of Netflix’s K-content.
How Netflix selects its Korean programmes
To bring the right shows that appeal to K-content fans, Netflix works with partners such as Studio Dragon, CJ Entertainment, JTBC and other free to air channels to pick and deliver the best shows they have on their roster and bring those programmes to audiences outside of Korea.
Crash Landing on You, Itaewon Class and Hi Bye, Mama! are some examples of licenced titles from the streaming service’s partners to meet its goal of creating a following outside Korea, especially in Asia.
These projects are mostly fully formed and packaged with completed scripts and a director as well as on-screen talents attached to the project when they reach Netflix.
“Lucky for us working on Korean content which already has a big fan base not only in Asia but outside of Asia as well,” said Kim.
“So we want to make sure that we want to build a home, as a best in class Korean content and make sure we have appealing content that’s going to appeal to the audiences of Korean content fans.
For its Korean originals, an area Netflix is rather new to, Kim said it was important to identify what is lacking for viewers.
“As a service, we want to make sure we figure out what that white space is — what are the shows that are already being made and what are the shows that audiences want to watch but couldn’t be made in the traditional system,” she said.
This also extends to the type of stories creators weren’t able to tell in the traditional system and looking for material that not only fans of Korean content would enjoy but prospective audiences too.
Kim further added that projects like Netflix’s period zombie series Kingdom, Love Alarm, My Holo Love and the upcoming Extracurricular are the type of shows in that white space.
These originals are created from either a pitch from a new creator or based on collaborations with a writer.
“When we find the right subject matter and project, we like to build it from scratch together from scripting to pre-production, attaching on-screen talent to delivering the show on-screen,” said Kim, adding that Netflix’s Korea Content is heavily invested in expanding that fan base.
Why Malaysians cannot get enough of Korean programmes
Kim attributes the huge following here due to the intense emotions in K-content, be it romance or family dramas, that resonate with Malaysian viewers.
As the popularity of K-drama increases, just like K-pop and Korean beauty and fashion, so does interest in Korean culture.
“The more authentic a show is in reflecting Korean culture, it becomes more popular in Malaysia because it sort of provides more empathy in other audiences.
“They can learn about Korean styles that they love by watching these shows and have that shared understanding,” Kim said.
How do Koreans feel about their pop culture and lifestyle trends taking the world by storm?
For the small homogenous nation that’s winning over the world with its pop culture, Kim said the fact that a lot of Korean shows are gaining interest and respect from a global audience makes many Koreans feel proud.
“As a Korean working on Korean content at a service like Netflix makes us even more proud and it empowers people like us to work harder and make sure we bring content that is going to contribute to Korean shows becoming bigger and more respected,” she said.
With films like Parasite winning the Oscars and series like Kingdom being warmly received, Kim believes this is just the beginning for Korean content.
“We are pretty excited and proud to be part of this zeitgeist,” Kim said.
