Netflix Reports South Korea Profit Jump in Rare Public Disclosure

Oscars press room when a journalist asked what Brad Pitt smelled like. The 73-year-old South Korean actor, who won Best Supporting Actress for Minari, was given the trophy by Pitt.

Chloé Zhao’s history-making Oscars sweep, winning best director and best picture, is being met with a muted response in her country of birth, and even censorship.

Minari star Yuh-Jung Youn made history at the Oscars by becoming the first Korean to win an acting Academy Award and delivered another endearing acceptance speech. The 73-year-old actress from South Korea has a career in film and television that spans over five decades but only recently rose to prominence in the US thanks to her role in Minari.

Veteran actress Yuh-Jung Youn made history when she became the first South Korean actress ever to receive an Oscar nomination in the supporting actress category, and again made history tonight as the first Korean ever to win an acting Oscar for her portrayal as the feisty grandma in Lee Isaac Chung’s Minari.

on Sunday, making her the first Korean and second female Asian acting winner in the history of the Academy Awards.“Lee Isaac Chung, without him I wouldn’t be here tonight.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefNew release title “Recalled” injected a little excitement into the South Korean box office over the weekend, deposing last week’s winner “Seobok.” But the nationwide aggregate remained moribund.The indie film is a mystery thriller that features a woman suffering from disturbing visions of accidents, post traumatic stress and her fight to find the truth despite the partially-remembered images.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefKorean-American star Don Lee (aka Ma Dong-seok), star of upcoming Marvel film “The Eternals” will produce and star in “The Club,” an action series derived from South Korean scripted format “The Trap.”The production brings together B&C Contents, a company owned by Lee and Chris S. Lee, and U.S.-based Starlings Television.

Lawyer, chef and digital creator Joanne Molinaro has signed with UTA in all areas. Molinaro, who runs The Korean Vegan food blog, has close to 2.7 million followers across her TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook channels.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefHotly-anticipated thriller “Seobok” opened on top of the box office in South Korea over the weekend, despite also premiering on streaming video.

Netflix is so famously data-driven that understanding its growth strategy tends to be ruthlessly straightforward: "Follow the money." Recently, a growing share of the streamer's cash pile has been pouring into two key content categories in East Asia: South Korean drama and Japanese anime. In February, Netflix held a star-studded event in Seoul, where it pledged to spend $500 million on South Korean film and series in 2021 alone.

In Lee Isaac Chung’s Minari, actress Yuh-Jung Youn plays the grandmother who swoops in from South Korea to the small Arkansas town where her Korean-American family have made their home, delightfully disrupting their lives. With her abundant charm and unfiltered ways, she makes a significant impact in this heartwarming story of the American dream.

South Korean format producers taking part in this week's digital MIPTV will be Zooming into the international television trade show from a position of uncommon strength. Just as BTS and Bong Joon-ho have elevated K-pop and Korean cinema to the pinnacle of global pop culture in recent years, Korean format producers have been consistently punching above their weight in the international TV space.

Streaming platform Content Wavve has established itself as the leading local player in South Korea through a smart strategy of commissioning buzzy originals, programming a varied spread of content, including hit Korean web dramas and comedies as well as non-scripted shows and linear channels, and offering attractive, discounted subscription packages.

BTS, has issued an apology after intense backlash.The controversial sketch was part of a comedy programme titled Mi Barrio, where actors parodied the popular South Korean group.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefGlobal streaming giant Netflix is on course for profitability in South Korea, a market that it has identified as key.Local unit Netflix Services Korea revealed 2020 sales of $356 million (KRW416 billion) and operating profits of $7.54 million (KRW8.82 billion). Both figures are sharply up compared with 2019.

Janet W. Lee Yuh-Jung Youn is under some serious pressure.