SANO CHIE editer (Japan)

韓国のエンターテイメントはKpopだけにとどまらず、NETFLIX 韓国オリジナルドラマも世界で爆発的な人気を得ています。2021年9月に NETFLIXで配信された韓国オリジナルドラマ“イカゲーム”は世界９０カ国で視聴ランキング一位を記録し、他にも韓国オリジナルドラマ“地獄が呼んでいる”は世界人気ランキングで初登場１位を記録。ドラマはその国の風土や文化が反映されるため似ている文化圏以外の国の視聴者からすれば文化的な壁があるといえます。実際にイカゲーム劇中では韓国の伝統的な遊びが登場します。そんな文化の壁を越えてNETFLIX の韓国オリジナルコンテンツが世界中で受け入れられ人気を得る理由とは一体なんでしょうか?

Kira Hermansen(Denmark)

One of the reasons Korean dramas became popular worldwide, is due to the spread of Korean culture also called the “Korean Wave”, and their availability on different streaming sites which often offers subtitles in multiple languages. Korean dramas also got popular because of the fashion, culture and style, which led to a great boost to fashion lines. Korea also have a tendency to make movies and series out of the usual and think outside the box. Not a long time ago the movie parasite became a huge hit internationally and won a few Oscars. With all these popular series and movies, it has become a part of the Korean wave and made tourism go up in Korea. The “Korean Wave” began in the late 90’s when South Korea was forced by the Asian financial crisis to limit their cultural imports from Japan. South Korea then began to make its own cultural-based creations, where some of the most well-known is K-pop, skincare and plastic surgery. 

Thao My　editor（vietnam)

456 PLAYERS. 6 GAMES. 45,600,000,000 WON. 1 STANDING.Director Hwang Dong-Hyuk’s Squid Game stands strong in its anti-capitalist message, and its stark display of the real implications of South Korea’s techno-capitalist successes strike a cord to the hearts of people across the world. In its first 28 days of release on Netflix, Squid Game had been seen in 111 million households. This propelled Squid Game to become Netflix’s most-watched series to date, surpassing other in-house titles such as Bridgerton and Stranger Things.

To see Squid Game’s cultural impact, one does not need to look beyond their phone. On every social media, streams of Squid Game inspired content are flowing. From Halloween costumes of hot pink and green to sweat-inducing video game replications of “Red Light, Green Light”, the survival drama show has graduated from the ranks of a mere show to cultural phenomenon. Squid Game’s very own Player 067 gained so much popularity, HoYeon Jung, the actress playing Kang Saebyeok, became the most followed South Korean actress on Instagram despite this being her first foray into acting. Mr. Beast, one of Youtube’s most popular content creators known for money-incentives challenge videos has recently announced and shown a look into a real-life recreation of the show. This 2-million dollar investment into constructing a scale replication of the sets pales in comparison to the economic boost that Squid Game has inadvertently given South Korea.