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K-drama makers take production local to foreign markets

Published: 22 May. 2025, 15:30

Poster for the Japanese drama series ″Mamono″ [SLL]

Korean content creators are no longer satisfied with just producing domestic works — they’re taking the director’s chair in overseas productions, adapting stories for local audiences and rewriting the rules of K-drama globalization.

Korean content producers are stepping up their involvement in the planning and direction of overseas television dramas. Going beyond simply selling remake rights or investing in production budgets, these companies are now producing content directly tailored to local cultures and languages.

Japanese broadcaster TV Asahi began airing the drama “Mamono” in April. It was co-planned and co-produced with Korean content studio SLL, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily, marking the first joint project between SLL and a Japanese broadcaster. The thriller follows a talented female lawyer who falls in love with a married man suspected of murder. The series is also available on the streaming platform Amazon Prime Video.

Studio Dragon, another Korean production powerhouse, is set to release three Japanese dramas between June and August.

Poster for the Japanese drama series “Marry My Husband″ [STUDIO DRAGON]

One of them, the Japanese drama “Marry My Husband,” will premiere on Amazon Prime Video in June. The title is familiar to Korean viewers — it originally aired on tvN in January 2024 and achieved an average viewership rating of 9.2 percent.

The Japanese adaptation is based on the same web novel as the Korean version but has been rewritten to suit Japanese sensibilities.

“We dispatched a production team to Japan in January to understand the local sentiment,” a Studio Dragon official said. “This is not a remake but a completely new adaptation.”

Planning for the Japanese version began in early 2023, even before the Korean drama aired, in collaboration with CJ ENM Japan. The project is being produced jointly with Korea’s Jayuro Pictures and Japan’s Shochiku.

In July, a romantic drama co-produced by TBS and Studio Dragon titled “Hatsukoi DOGs” will air on Japanese network television. The story follows a third-generation chaebol from Korea, a Japanese veterinarian and a lawyer as they navigate friendship and healing through conflict. Korean actor Na In-woo stars alongside Japanese actors Kaya Kiyohara and Ryo Narita.

Poster for the Japanese drama series ″Hatsukoi DOGs” [STUDIO DRAGON]

In August, “Soul Mate,” a co-production between Studio Dragon’s subsidiary GTist and Japan’s Robot Communications, will be released globally on Netflix. The series features singer-actor Ok Taec-yeon in a lead role alongside Japanese cast members.

“The Japanese broadcasting market is twice the size of Korea’s, but production costs are about half, making it an attractive business opportunity,” a GTist spokesperson said.

Korean production companies are also eying markets beyond Japan and the United States. Studio Dragon co-produced “The Big Door Prize” with U.S. studio Skydance, which aired on Apple TV+ in 2023. A second season was released last year.

“With the domestic economy in a slump, its effects are being felt in the drama industry,” culture critic Kim Kyo-seok said. “Production companies are recognizing the need to localize content overseas to enter international markets. As the Japanese market favors subtler storylines, Korean producers can diversify their genre-heavy offerings.”

SLL announced in its annual strategy briefing released in April that it is also exploring co-productions in Turkey and Thailand.

A scene from the musical ″The Great Gatsby″ [OD COMPANY]

Localization is also gaining ground in Korean musicals. “The Great Gatsby,” led by OD Company CEO Shin Chun-soo, has been staged on Broadway and London’s West End over the past two years. Unlike previous Korean musicals performed abroad with Korean casts, “The Great Gatsby” is performed in English by local actors to better align with foreign audiences’ preferences.

“Unlike ‘The Last Empress’ [1995], which was essentially exported in its original form, ‘The Great Gatsby’ was produced using local systems abroad by a Korean production company,” said Won Jong-won, a professor of performing arts at Soonchunhyang University. “While there may be debate over whether it qualifies as a K-musical, it is encouraging to see a diversity of approaches in taking Korean productions overseas.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY HA NAM-HYUN [[email protected]]