ktown konnection #11 | "Queen of Tears" premieres strong

This week’s Top Global Titles 🌎 “Queen of Tears” rose to #8 on Netflix yesterday, with “Doctor Slump” at #9 and “Marry My Husband” at #4 (Amazon Prime Video).

“My Name is Loh Ki-wan” is the top non-English film on Netflix’s Global Top 10 (March 4-10). KJD

“A Shop For Killers” is the best performing local original in the Asia-Pacific for Disney+ this year. Variety

Happy White Day (화이트데이) ! Considered an informal sequel of sorts to Valentine’s Day, March 14 marks White Day, a day of romance in Korea when men typically gift candy to women.

PREMIERES

• March 15 “Chicken Nugget” (Netflix)

• March 18 “Grabbed By The Collar” (KBS2)(tbc)

I must admit, of all the Kdramas of late, “Chicken Nugget” looks like the weirdest. Directed by Lee Byung-hun (“Twenty,” “Extreme Job”), the series premieres tomorrow.

Wednesday-Thursday Mar 13-14
“The Impossible Heir” (Disney+)

Friday-Saturday Mar 15-16
“Flex x Cop” (SBS) (Disney+,Hulu)
“Wonderful World” (MBC) (Disney+)
“Chicken Nugget” (Netflix)

Saturday-Sunday Mar 16-17
“Doctor Slump” (JTBC) (Netflix)
“Queen of Tears” (tvN) (Netflix)

Monday-Tuesday Mar 18-19
“Wedding Impossible” (tvN) (Viki)
“The Midnight Studio” (ENA)
“Grabbed By The Collar” (KBS2) (tbc)

(*Streaming platforms shown are for U.S. only; distributors vary by country.)

STREAMING NEWS

Tudum’s international spend Netflix is now spending more than half of its content budget outside of North America; South Korea is one of its key international markets. Studios like WB and Paramount, however, have been cutting back. Ampere Analysis

U.K. writers strike a deal 🤝 A new deal between the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB), Netflix, and the Personal Managers’ Association (PMA) has reportedly “improved terms and conditions,” as well as minimum script fees for series and one-hour specials. THR

And…STAY TUNED 📺 How have streamers affected Kdrama genres and formats? I’ll be doing a deeper dive into shifting trends in OTT and Korean content next week.

KDRAMA/FILM/TV

Disney+ picks up “The Tyrant” Adding to its Korean titles, Disney+ has picked up action spy Kdrama “The Tyrant,” starring Cha Seung-won, Kim Seon-ho. The series comes from writer-director Park Hoon-jung (“The Witch Part 1: The Subversion,” “Night in Paradise”). THR

“Concrete Utopia” spinoff “Pleasant Outcast,” a spinoff of feature film “Concrete Utopia,” is set for a 10-episode series. Variety

“Reply 1997” spinoff, too Time travel feature film “Once Again,“ starring Jo Byeong-kyu (“Uncanny Counter”) and iKON’s Koo Jun-hoe, is set for release next month. Screendaily

SOUTH KOREA NEWS 🇰🇷

Suspected espionage A suspected South Korean spy was arrested in Russia, during a time of deteriorating Korea-Russia relations. SCMP

Cyberbullying targets civil servants, celebs A recent suicide of a government employee spotlights the horrendous - and tragic - problem of cyberbullying. SCMP

South Korea’s booming luxury market Korea is the fastest-growing market for luxury cars; the first Maybach exclusive showroom is set to open in Seoul in June. (Good luck to those keeping up with the Joneses.) KED Global

$150k catfish A man posing as a Korean woman who scammed a Swiss man out of $150k was caught by authorities. KJD

Quality control 🛍 Korea is cracking down on Chinese online retailers in wake of consumer complaints and fake products. KED Global

Jumbo size me 🌭 Offering jumbo sized hot dogs and other foods has boosted sales at convenience stores - and the trend is going strong. The Korea Times

Young tourists 🛄 1 in 3 international travelers visiting Korea last year were under 30. The Korea Times

Study abroad hotspot 🎓 International students in Korea have steadily increased, diversifying student bodies and filling classrooms with roughly 180k students in 2023. The Korea Herald

Shaky start ⚾️ TVING was hit by critical backlash after streaming KBO games - with delays and poor quality. The streamer recently inked a new deal with the sports organization. The Korea Times

+ 🇰🇷 POP CULTURE

What Korea’s watching (on Netflix): #1 “Queen of Tears,” #2 “Doctor Slump,”
#3 “A Killer Paradox.” FlixPatrol

And on broadcast network TV? Audiences were watching “Flex x Cop,” “Queen of Tears,” and “Wonderful World.” dramabeans

IU kicks off tour 🎤 Singer/songwriter/actor IU (“Dream,” “My Mister”) started her 2024 world tour earlier this month in Seoul; her U.S. tour dates are sold out. TCD

K-pop up shop Boyband Seventeen is releasing a home collection at Shinsegae. KJD

LoL, interrupted 🎮 League of Legends matches have been plagued by cyber attacks - resulting in disconnections and game delays. KJD

Burger Please! snaps up gamers Burger Please!, a hyper-casual game by Korean company Supercent, was the third most downloaded app of 2023; it was downloaded roughly 84 million times. KED Global

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