'Coexistence of Korean and K Contents' 3rd Entech Forum

With the global popularity of Korean dramas on the rise, Netflix has come up with something meaningful for South Korea.

Netflix made an unprecedented move by dumping a spreadsheet of over 18,000 Netflix titles and how many hours they were each viewed in the first half of 2023. Among the thousands of titles, Korean entertainment was a major standout.

Korean-language series such as "The Glory" and "Physical: 100" were massive hits on the platform.

The Netflix revenge thriller series "The Glory" ranked No. 3 in the most-watched list globally in the first half of the year, Netflix said Wednesday. The Korean original series, released on Dec. 30 last year, was viewed for a total of 622.8 million hours in the first six months of this year,

After “The Glory," the first season of reality competition series "Physical: 100" clocked in at No. 15 with 235,000,000 hours watched. "Crash Course in Romance," a limited series, followed at No. 16 with 234,800,000 hours watched. And "Doctor Cha," another limited series, was at No. 25 with 197,700,000 hours. In fact, there were eight Korean-language series in the top 50 titles, and 16 within the top 100.

Netflix has announced its plans to invest $2.5 billion in South Korean content over the next four years.  The investment sum is double the amount Netflix has invested in the Korean market since its 2016 launch in South Korea, per the company's press release at April, 2023.

The announcement follows a meeting between Netflix's co-CEO Ted Sarandos and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Monday in Washington, DC on a six-day state visit, per South Korean outlet Yonhap.

The popularity of Korean content has led to a growing interest in Korean language after Korean food. We will discuss the connection between Korean language education and the proliferation of Korean content.

The 3rd Entertainment Technology Forum(Enter tech Forum) : Future of Korean Language Education and K-Content will be held December 15th, 2023 at 4 pm KST (December 14th, 9:00 pm HST)

The burgeoning popularity of K-Content in the global market has piqued the interest of many foreigners' in learning the Korean language. Despite the close interconnection between Korean language education and K-Content, there has been limited discourse on this relationship.

This forum will provide a platform for discussion on this topic, held in collaboration with the Korean Language Department of the University of Hawaii, a leading institution in Korean language and culture education among U.S. Universities.

The forum will showcase two distinguished speakers: Han-Byul Chung, a Professor of the East Asian Languages and Letters’ Korean Department at the University of Hawaii-Manoa, and Jung  Han, CEO of DirectMediaLab. It Is accessible via an exclusive zoom link provided to DirectMediaLab members(www.directmedialab.com)

Professor Chung will present on “Korean language Teaching in Higher Institutions.” The surge in students learning Korean in recent years has propelled it into the top 10 languages by enrollment in the US. Professor Chung will discuss this surge, highlighting Korean’s status as a challenging language to learn and exploring students’ motivations in learning it. He will also cover recent trends in graduate level Korean studies, where research topics have shifted from politics to more cultural and language-based topics.

Following this, Jung Han will present on “Global K Content Consumption Trends and Outlook for 2024.”  In particular, Mr. Han will discuss how interest in Korean content is shifting to the popularity of the Korean language. He will also talk about why language is important for the spread of content.
Dr. Chung will speak in English and Direct Media Lab will provide translation. The presentation will be followed by questions and answers and a brief discussion.

Meanwhile, DirectMediaLab is the only entertainment technology news media outlet & lab in Korea. It introduces technologies that increase the added value of the entertainment industry, such as streaming services, AI, and metaverse, both domestically and internationally. Through the Entertainment Technology Research Institute, we also operate specialized reports and training programs for students and professionals.

Meanwhile, DirectMediaLab is the only entertainment technology news media outlet & lab in Korea. It introduces technologies that increase the added value of the entertainment industry, such as streaming services, AI, and metaverse, both domestically and internationally. Through the Entertainment Technology Research Institute, we also operate specialized reports and training programs for students and professionals.