Netflix expanding presence in Korea with two new studios

Streaming giant Netflix has signed leases for two new production facilities just outside Seoul in South Korea.

Netflix will lease six stages and supporting spaces of approximately 9,000 square meters at YCDSMC - Studio 139, and a further three stages covering 7,000 square meters at Samsung Studio. Both in the Gyeonggi Province. 

From 2015 to 2020, Netflix’s investment in Korean content reached US$700m, with more than 80 shows made in Korea and watched by audiences around the world. ​

The streamer is planning to support the production of upcoming Korean original series and films at the new spaces, including the Korean adaptation of La Casa de Papel.

“Netflix is thrilled to deepen its investment in Korea, as well as Korean films and series,” said Netflix VP studio operations Amy Reinhard. “With these new studios, Netflix is better positioned than ever to increase our production of great stories from Korea while also providing a wealth of production-related jobs for talented professionals in Korea’s creative community.”

Netflix stated subscribers from the US, Canada, France, Germany, Qatar, UAE, India and more fell in love with the recently released Netflix Korean Original Series Sweet Home; while Korean shows like Kingdom Season 2, The King: Eternal Monarch, Start-Up, and It’s Okay to Not Be Okay were amongst the most popular TV series in Hong Kong, Thailand, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan and beyond. 

Big new local Netflix productions include Move To Heaven, Kingdom: Ashin of the North, Silent Sea, Squid Game, Hellbound, All of Us are Dead and D.P. The company has a multi-year content partnership with Korean outfits CJ ENM/Studio Dragon and JTBC.