It’s no secret that K-drama fever has taken over the world by storm, and the Philippines is no exception. In fact, in response to the growing demand for more Korean content, Netflix has taken it upon themselves to scale up their K-drama library by allotting $500 million just for the production of original Korean shows and movies. The best part is, fans won’t have to wait any longer because the streaming giant’s already got a fresh lineup cued for 2021.
Ranging from a zombie apocalypse, to a romance drama, to a futuristic thriller, Netflix’s upcoming Korean originals for this year are just as diverse as their current library, and it’s exactly these vast array of genres and options that contribute to the success of K-dramas all over the globe. “Korean shows are good at helping our audiences relate to the show by being able to describe emotions in a very detailed way,” explains Min Young Kim, Netflix Korea’s Vice President for Content. “Whatever the genre is, you’ll have at least a couple of shows that you can relate to.”
That said, if the genre that resonates the most with viewers says a lot about their personality, then it’s safe to say that most young Filipinos as of the moment are big hopeless romantics. Why so? Well, according to VP Min Young, the Philippine Netflix audience in particular has quite the penchant for watching Young Adult Romance K-dramas.
"An authentic story travels really well, but I do think there are certain types of stories that our Philippine audiences really love,” says Min Young. “The demographic of the Philippine audience being so young, I think they really love YA romance titles. I don’t think of it as something that works in Korea, or something that works outside of Korea, but I do see subtle differences in the preference of our audiences.”
Think Boys Over Flowers, Love Alarm, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo, or the recently successful 18 Again which sat on Netflix Philippines’ Top 10 list for weeks! Another show that fits the bill is Park Bo Gum and Park So Dam’s Record of Youth. The show, which trailed the lives of three young hopefuls looking to make a name for themselves in the acting world, was officially listed under the five most popular K-dramas on Netflix last 2020, further illustrating the streaming site’s findings.
Do you agree? What other K-drama genres do you love watching? Sound off in the comments section!
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