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. While Netflix has been celebrated as a patron of creativity, contributing to the diversification of genres and the globalization of Korean media, this talk examines the global-local entanglements shaping the development and production of original Korean content on Netflix. Specifically, it explores how Netflix conceives of the global-local nexus through the lens of cultural authenticity, while also addressing Korean creative laborers’ imaginaries of the narratives of the global success of Korean media in light of the streaming service’s growing cultural power. Drawing on interviews with Korean creative laborers, including scriptwriters, directors, and producers, this talk examines the complex yet ambivalent relationship between Netflix and the Korean media industry.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Benjamin M. Han is an associate professor in the Department of Entertainment and Media Studies at the University of Georgia. His research focuses on global media, race and ethnicity, and the cultural intersections between Korea and Latin America. He is the author of "Beyond the Black and White TV: Asian and Latin American Spectacle in Cold War America" (Rutgers University Press, 2020) and the co-editor of "Korean Pop Culture
beyond Asia: Race and Reception" (University of Washington Press, 2024). His forthcoming books include "Reckoning with the World: South Korean Television and the Latin American Imaginary" and "Netflix Korea and Global Television."