Join us for a guest lecture by UGA Grady Professor Dr. Benjamin Min Han:

Beyond Squid Game: Korean Media and the Netflix Paradigm

 Since the launch of Netflix in South Korea in 2016, the global streaming platform has transformed the Korean media industry in terms of financing, content, and production culture. Netflix has also been celebrated as a patron of creativity, further contributing to the diversification of genres and the globalization of Korean media. This talk examines the complex interplay of global and local forces shaping Netflix Korea and addresses four core areas that constitute the “Netflix Paradigm”: 1) creativity, 2) diversity, 3) infrastructure, and 4) seriality. Specifically, it analyzes how Netflix conceives of global-local entanglements through the lens of cultural authenticity, while also focusing on Korean creative laborers’ imaginaries of the narratives surrounding the international success of Korean media in light of the streaming service’s growing cultural power. Drawing on interviews with scriptwriters, directors, and producers, this presentation explores the ambivalent relationship between Netflix and the Korean media industry in order to illuminate the intricate dynamics of transnational media and cultural flows. 

Free and open to the public.

Refreshments.

Presented by the Center for Asian Studies.