Netflix and KOFIC Share Development and Production Insights With 120 Current and Aspiring Filmmakers in Korea

• The KAFA+ program "Understanding Netflix's Global Strategy and Production" brought together 120 film and screen industry professionals and aspiring filmmakers.

• Jungsu Ha, Director, Production - Korea at Netflix, shared how production teams build on Korea's strengths to deliver high-quality picture and sound across a range of viewing environments.

• Kijae Kim, Manager, Content (Korea) at Netflix, said, "Reaching a global audience is an outcome, not the goal," urging creators to keep exploring the stories they feel most passionate about telling.

Netflix continues to work with the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) and the Korean Academy of Film Arts (KAFA), two leading institutions in Korean film education, to support the next generation of Korean filmmakers.

On November 10, Netflix Korea's Jungsu Ha, Director of Production, and Kijae Kim, Content Manager, spoke at the Korean Film Archive Cinematheque as part of "Understanding Netflix's Global Strategy and Production," a session in KOFIC's KAFA+ Film Professionals Education program.

The 120 attendees ranged from film and media students and graduates of training programs to professionals with at least one credit on a feature film or streaming title or at least a year of industry experience. Drawing on their own work developing and producing Korean titles at Netflix, Ha and Kim offered practical advice participants could apply to their own projects, from the first spark of an initial idea to the screen. Where Korean Stories Begin: Rethinking the Creative Process

In his session, "Understanding Netflix's Global Strategy: Developing Stories in the 'Local for Local' Era," Kijae Kim explained that Korean titles resonate internationally when creators start from stories rooted in Korea, rather than writing with overseas markets already in mind. Citing D.P. as an example, Kim said the series showed him how a story grounded in the realities of Korean society and the lives of its characters could resonate across borders. "That's why 'local for local' matters. It means starting with the stories Korean creators tell best and Korean viewers love to watch," he said. He added that putting a new spin on familiar elements is what sparks viewers' curiosity and builds anticipation.

Kim pointed to a range of creative approaches Netflix has supported K-content with over the years. Since Yoo Byung Jae: Too Much Information in 2018, titles like Kingdom and Extracurricular have explored new subjects and bold genres. Squid Game and D.P. brought stories rooted in Korean society to audiences around the world, while unscripted titles including Physical: 100 , Culinary Class Wars and Single's Inferno have expanded the range of Korean unscripted shows on Netflix. Netflix continues to collaborate with creators across genres, including director Lee Chang-dong and screenwriters Kim Eun-sook and Im Sang-chun. Recent titles such as Possible Love , The Glory and When Life Gives You Tangerines reflect the breadth of those creative partnerships.

From 2016 through 2025, Netflix worked with more than 80 production companies in Korea and produced or co-produced more than 200 Korean titles. Those productions involved more than 25,000 cast and crew members and more than 70,000 background performers and background performers and workers hired by the day. Filming took place in more than 100 cities and towns across the country.

Bringing Creators' Visions to the Screen: Safe Production, Technology and Talent Development

Jungsu Ha spoke next, in a talk titled "Understanding Netflix Production for Korea's Screen Industry Professionals." He walked through how production expertise, technological innovation and collaboration with partners help bring creators' visions to the screen. Netflix works closely with partners from the earliest stages of production so that creators and crews can do their best work in an environment where they feel safe and respected. That starts with onboarding, when Netflix shares its production procedures and technical standards with partner companies, and continues through pre-shoot "Respect" sessions, where cast and crew get to know one another and align on how to work safely on set. On Physical: 100 , the production team consulted experts and ran simulations ahead of filming to identify and address potential risks. On Single's Inferno , participants go through health screenings, psychological assessments and background checks before filming, and are offered counseling once it wraps.

"It's important to approach new technologies with an open mind and put them to use," Ha said, describing how 4K HDR video and Dolby Atmos sound can elevate the viewing experience. He pointed to Okja , the first Netflix film to use both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, as an example of how rich color, detailed texture and immersive sound can carry a scene's emotion and sense of place exactly as its creators envisioned it. He used the tug-of-war scene from Season 1 of Squid Game to show how the team visualizes a sequence before filming even starts, deciding early which elements to build practically on set and which to create with visual effects (VFX). Decisions as small as how to create the view through a window - a printed backdrop versus an LED screen, for instance - can make the finished shot more convincing while helping teams use their budgets and schedules more efficiently. Making those calls early also cuts down on unnecessary post-production work and frees up time to refine the scenes that matter most.

He also spoke about the post-production supervisor's role in connecting these stages - coordinating between the crew on set and the post-production team, and working closely with producers and directors to track budget, schedule and the quality of the finished work. Netflix has trained 71 post-production supervisors to date.

Pop culture columnist Taehoon Kim then moderated a discussion, drawing on questions participants had submitted in advance, about how emerging creators can take on new challenges and how production professionals can grow in their own careers. Ha and Kim talked about working with new talent, passing on on-set experience through training and exchange programs, and the importance of giving creators real opportunities to bring finished work to audiences - closing with words of encouragement and confidence in the next generation of creators.

"Curiosity is the most important quality a creator can have," Ha said. "The drive to keep asking questions and exploring new possibilities is what makes great work possible." Kijae Kim emphasized the value of "continuing to think deeply about the stories you want to tell and staying passionate about them," and encouraged creators to keep taking on new challenges.

"I believe the creators in this room are the future of Korean culture," Taehoon Kim said in closing. "Ultimately, it's people who make films and shows, and they help shape the future of Korean culture when they pass their experience and passion on to the next generation. I look forward to seeing the range of work you'll create."

Turning Production Expertise into Talent Growth: Partnering with Korea's Creative Ecosystem Since 2024, Netflix has run Grow Creative , a training initiative that shares the experience and technical expertise it has built up over the years to help production professionals in Korea grow their own skills. Through its partnership with the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), Netflix also runs the KOCCA × Netflix Production Academy to share practical knowledge with industry professionals and aspiring creators at every stage of production, from development and filming to post-production. Specialized training has helped participants find real work in the industry. Between November 2022 and June 2025, around 330 people took part in five cohorts of a VFX training program run by Netflix and the Korea Radio Promotion Association - about 70% of graduates from the first four cohorts went on to jobs in related fields, including 32 who joined Netflix partner companies involved in the program. Those graduates have since contributed to 39 Netflix productions in Korea and abroad, including Seasons 2 and 3 of Squid Game and When Life Gives You Tangerines . "We started this training because we believed that if we shared our production experience and technical knowledge more widely, more creators could put it to use," Ha said. "As those skills spread across the industry, they can help creators in Korea make even better films and shows." "Working with Netflix has given us the opportunity to share experience in developing and producing titles for global audiences, along with practical knowledge Korean filmmakers can use in their own work," said a KOFIC representative. "We hope this program helps filmmakers broaden their creative horizons. We'll continue working with industry partners to expand training opportunities for the next generation of filmmakers." "It's the creators and the people working behind the scenes who bring Korean stories to audiences around the world," said a Netflix representative. "We hope the development and production experience we shared through this program with KOFIC will help Korean filmmakers try new things. We'll continue to expand opportunities for more people across Korea's creative community to learn and grow."