Since its launch, Disney+ has been making great original content, and more recently, Disney+ has been throwing its hat in the ring and producing tons of shows from countries outside the United States. Some content Disney+ has commissioned and released that was made outside the US includes “Weekend Family”, “Parallels”, “Intertwined”, but more importantly, a duo of Korean shows those being “Snowdrop”, “Rookie Cop”, “The Grid” and  “Outrun By The Running Man”, so let’s discuss why Korean shows are essential to the growth of Disney+ across the globe.

It’s Working For Netflix:

Let’s start with the most obvious point, and that’s the success that Disney+’s biggest rival, Netflix, has had with shows from Korea. Some of the most notable content that Netflix has made and acquired from Korea include: “All Of Us Are Dead”, “Business Proposal”, “Extraordinary Attorney Woo”, and most notably “Squid Game”, which became a hugely successful series for Netflix. If it’s working for Netflix, then it could very well work for Disney+ as Disney looks to grow the content offering across their streaming service.

Telling Different Stories:

One big problem some people had with the first slate of originals from Disney+ and a problem I personally had with Disney+ is the service felt very “American Focused”, meaning it mainly focused on telling American stories, with the occasionally British story like “The Sword In The Stone” among the mix.

With Disney being a “global entertainment powerhouse”, it is important they make content in many different regions and countries to expose those stories to a broader, global audience. The beauty of telling a story is that it can intertwine personal experiences and ideas into the world; leaving those stories stuck in their country of origin instead of exposing them to a wider audience is a mistake.

Making Disney+ More Appealing In Asia:

The final reason I feel that Korean shows are important to Disney+ is the potential for growth across the region of Asia. Now Disney+ would greatly benefit from having more anime and Bollywood content on the service to increase its offerings, especially within the Asian markets, but Korean shows have also been growing rapidly in popularity, and Disney+ is clearly interested in capturing some of that attention for themselves. Korean content has also become wildly enjoyed across pop culture, with bands like “Blackpink” and “BTS” exploding in popularity and Korean series like “Squid Game” becoming worldwide phenomena.

Final Thoughts:

Disney+ has grown massively since the service first began its rollout in November 2019, and so has its slate of original productions, with Disney now working on content in countries and territories outside the United States. Korean dramas have seen a massive spike in popularity due to a series of factors, including Netflix distribution of some high-demand titles from Korea and Korean pop groups like “BTS” and “Blackpink” becoming mainstays in music culture (plus both groups are working with Disney or has worked with them on several productions for Disney+).

If Disney+ wants to capture the market in South Korea and increase demand for the service in other territories, adding more Korean shows and films to the Disney+ catalogue is one of several ways Disney+ can continue its explosive growth.

What Do You Think? Are Korean Shows Important To Disney+’s Growth?

Ethan Holloway

Ethan is an autistic, type one diabetic, Disney fan who grew up with properties like Iron Man, The Lion King, Aladdin and Toy Story. Ethan wants to someday get his own books/films/TV shows made to inspire those with disabilities to be themselves, but for now, Ethan covers his opinions on Disney, their content and how Disney+ can improve.

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