Korean Wave 1: Global Cinema Impact

Week 10: Korean Wave 1

• Korean cinema has achieved global acclaim with directors like Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho.
• Domestic Korean films hold a 60% market share, making Korea one of the largest non-Hollywood box office markets globally.
• In 2013, Korean movie admissions reached 212 million, resulting in the highest per capita movie-going rate globally.
• Despite a small population of 48 million, South Korea produces around 200 film titles annually, competing with top global film-producing nations.

2. Korean Movie Hallyu

• Korean movie exports reached a record high in 2022 in the Asian movie market, traditionally led by Japan.

• Increased supply of delayed movies and rising K-movie brand value contributed to this record.

• 2018: Total sum of 41,607,247 USD, Sum of Contract 37,436,403 USD, Local increase 2.2%

• 2019: Total sum of 37,877,316 USD, Sum of Contract 36,276,567 USD, Local decrease -9.0%

• 2020: Total sum of 54,156,980 USD, Sum of Contract 51,290,400 USD, Local increase 43%

• 2021: Total sum of 43,033,018 USD, Sum of Contract 69,927,595 USD, Local decrease -20.5%

• 2022: Total sum of 71,440,380 USD, Sum of Contract 69,927,595 USD, Local increase 66.0%

• Average Price: 2018 - 62,084 USD, 2019 - 63,200 USD, 2022 - 90,113 USD

• Number of Movies: 2018 - 603, 2020 - 975, 2022 - 776

3. Global Influence on Korean Movies

• Korean directors explore themes in post-war poverty and industrialization, their works resonating with post-war European art cinema styles, similar to Italian Neorealism and the French Nouvelle Vague.
• Korean Cinema aligns with "Third Cinema" by critiquing neoliberal capitalism and Hollywood dominance.
• Directors like Im Kwon-Taek emphasizing traditional Korean themes exemplify Korean cinema as a form of cultural resistance.
• Korean cinema resists and imitates Hollywood, often outperforming it locally.
• Its ability to attract Hollywood interest for remakes shows its dual influence and adaptability.

4. The Transformation of Cinema in the Digital Era

• The rise of digital platforms like Google, YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon has reshaped cinema, relegating secondary platforms like TV, cable, and DVDs to a secondary role.
• Consumers are favoring streaming services over cinema tickets, influencing film production, distribution, and consumption.
• This new digital infrastructure allows Korean cinema to thrive without conflict with internet technologies.
• New theories, like 'post-media aesthetics' and 'afterimages,' have emerged to accommodate new visual experiences, shifting beyond traditional cinephilia..
• Digital technology is changing the cinematic experience, reducing reliance on photorealism and photographic credibility.

5. Korean Cinema's Adaptation to Digital Trends

• The rise of the internet and social media has transformed global cinema, allowing viewers to access films from home and circumventing traditional theaters.
• Consumers have become producers, editing and sharing content on social media.
• Unlike other cinemas, Korean cinema has flourished in the digital age.
• Fans of Korean cinema create blogs and mash-ups to boost viewership and support local productions, strengthening rather than diminishing its popularity.

6. Unique Features of Korean Movie

• Western audiences may find Korean movies like Oldboy intense, but Korean cinema encompasses diverse genres and appeals broadly across Asia with a unique global appeal.
• Films distinguish themselves with realism, depictions of violence and tragedy, and a deep melancholy rooted in 'han' (sorrow).
• Post-dictatorship era directors like Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho have emerged, free from overpowering influences, allowing unique styles to flourish, shaping Korean cinema's acclaimed diversity.
• Showing psychological realism and emotional intensity, films delving deeply into characters' psychological aspects, emotional and psychological realism, focusing on character's internal lives, struggles, motivations, traumas, and fears.
• Directors use narrative and visual techniques immerse audiences in characters' minds, making psychological journeys central to the story.
• Melodramas are a traditional genre deeply rooted in Korean culture, featuring intense emotions and heart wrenching themes.
• Korean filmmakers continue to experiment with genres, supported by audiences.
• Korean cinema will likely continue evolving, embracing and redefining genre conventions.

6. Korean Cinema's Globalization Strategy and Challenges

• Korean cinema adapts films for specific markets through language and cultural changes to expand internationally.
• For instance, "A Wedding Invitation" (a Korean-directed film with Chinese language and actors) became hugely successful in China in spite of limited initial success in Korea.
• Korean cinema increasingly targets the Chinese market; films produced in Chinese language, with local actors, and financial products are adapted.
• Adapting locally risks diluting cultural identity for foreign audiences.
• This creates concerns about losing Korean cultural elements in the process of appealing to the Chinese market.

6. OTT Market and Korean Movies

• The blurring of boundaries between movies and dramas, with integration to OTT.
• The inclusion of OTT contents in international film festivals and awards.
• Korean movies in the OTT market are strongly represented by different genre films, such as Yaksha: Ruthless Operations, Carter, Seoul Vibe, The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure, Love and Leashes, 20th Century Girl.

7. Korean Movies in International Film Festivals

• Award-winning Korean movies in international film festivals in 2022 like Berlin Film Festival, Cannes International Film Festival, and Sundance Film Festival.

8. Remake and IP Export of K-Movies

• A Hard Day as a remake based on Korean webtoon adapted in France, Philippines, and Japan.
• Miss Granny, the first movie produced in eight languages (China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, etc) was remade in several countries.
• Moon Man, a movie based on a Korean webtoon, was a box office hit in China.

1. Korean TV Show

• Global OTT (Over-the-top media service): TV shows produced in the U.S. for global distribution, contrasting with locally-produced globally distributed shows like Squid Game ,Hell Bound,All of Us are Dead, Casino, and Pachinko (based on a novel by a Korean American and produced by an American company; features Korean actors).
• Variations in distribution: Challenges to prevent content IP leakage, such as the release of the web novel "Business Proposal" on a Korean OTT platform beforehand.
• Extraordinary Attorney Woo on Netflix, based on a webtoon (intellectual property) by a Korean independent company.
• Reborn Rich, releasing in Rakuten Viki, sold by an Asian OTT platform, VIU, to other platforms.

2. Korean TV Show Remake

• The Masked Singer has been remade in 27 countries and exported to 54 countries.

3. What's the Secret Behind the K-Drama Wave?

• K-dramas resonate globally due to high-quality storytelling and universal themes like inequality, power dynamics, and human resilience, and include shows like Squid Game and Parasite.
• K-dramas often portray stories from a female perspective, which has drawn international female audiences, contrasting with Hollywood's typical male-centric approach.
• K-dramas emphasize visual aesthetics with meticulous attention to costume and set design.
• Streaming platforms like Netflix boost production quality further.

3. Challenges of K-Drama

• Netflix plays a major role in promoting K-dramas internationally, funding productions and ensuring global access.
• The industry faces the rising production cost, reliance on foreign investments, and pressure to feature diverse and inclusive narratives.
• Concerns that over dependence on foreign audiences may dilute unique cultural identity.
• K-dramas must address issues like inclusivity and mental health in the entertainment industry and better represent social minorities.