Korea's content production technology has risen to global standards during Netflix's first decade in the country, according to the streaming company. Productions with higher polish have drawn audiences worldwide, bringing changes to the broader industry ecosystem, including increases in restaurant reservations and book sales in Korea.
Netflix on the 23rd unveiled a website titled "Netflix and Korea: 10 Years," documenting the results of a decade of service in the country. From 2016 through last year, the company collaborated with more than 80 domestic production companies to produce and co-produce more than 200 titles. About 25,000 cast and crew members, along with roughly 70,000 extras and day-hire workers, took part in the process.
Crew members who worked on Netflix titles said on-set technical standards have moved up a level over the past 10 years. One representative change is high dynamic range (HDR) technology, which widens the gap between the brightest and darkest parts of an image to produce video closer to what the eye actually sees. Park Jin-young, a colorist, said, "The introduction of HDR broadened what is possible in visual expression."
The role of visual effects (VFX) has also changed. Previously treated as post-production work in which computer graphics were layered on after filming wrapped, VFX teams now join from the moment a director hands over the script to discuss which scenes to realize. Hong Jung-ho, a VFX supervisor, said, "We don't see VFX as post-production. We go along with the director from the moment the scenario is handed over all the way to the end."
Production methods for variety shows have changed as well. Instead of rolling out episodes to fit a broadcast schedule, producers now set the start and end of a season and the release episodes in advance. Set construction has also grown larger and more elaborate. Kim Seok-won, a sound supervisor, said, "As we followed Netflix's standards, the world's standards started to come into view, and that became our confidence."
As production quality rose to global levels, the worldwide audience for Korean content grew. According to Netflix, about 80% of its members globally have watched Korean content. More than 200 Korean titles have made the global Top 10 since the official ranking site Tudum introduced the tally in 2021.
The box-office success fed through to spending in related domestic industries. According to CatchTable data cited in a report by research firm Synthesis, reservations and waitlist registrations at restaurants featured on the second season of "Culinary Class Wars" rose about 303% in the five weeks after the show's release compared with the preceding five weeks. Sales of "Choi Kang-rok's Cooking Notes" on Yes24 also rose about 14-fold from the previous month following the first season.
Korea's creative ecosystem has changed too. Independent production companies that once handled outsourced work or segments of programs are increasingly releasing programs they developed themselves. Pathways for new creators to debut have also widened. More than one in three Netflix Korean originals released over the past three years was the work of a first-time director or writer. Park Yoon-seo, who made her debut with "Kirigo," said, "This was a challenge that was only possible because Netflix actively trusts new attempts rather than leaning on familiar names."