MAY 2025 | Insights with Regina Kim: Squid Game, Netflix, BTS & More!

We’re back updating you on the latest happenings in K-drama, casting, and news since April. Plus we have special guest Regina Kim, a culture and entertainment writer, joining us to discuss the current K-drama landscape and her thoughts on Netflix's impact. In this episode, we're talking about the highs and lows of various K-dramas, noteworthy casting news, and the cultural phenomenon surrounding K-pop and K-dramas. 

Regina Kim

Instagram: @curious_idealist 

Threads: @curious_idealist

Bluesky: @reginakim.com

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/k-drama-netflix streamers_n_6632f4c0e4b0fc2b95283362

 https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2023-08-07/south-korea-actors-netflix-pay-dispute-union

00:00 Welcome to Our Podcast

00:41 Current K-Drama Obsessions

05:18 Exciting Casting News

16:47 Becking Awards Reactions

22:55 Hollywood Debuts and Military Enlistments

33:21 Special Guest: Regina Kim

38:55 Challenges of Being a Korean American Journalist

40:10 The Rise and Challenges of Korean Pop Culture

42:31 Factors Behind the Success of BTS, Squid Game, and Parasite

52:03 The Impact of Netflix on K-Dramas

01:07:53 Production Challenges in the Korean Entertainment Industry

01:16:08 Current K-Drama Recommendations and Final Thoughts

Transcript

[00:00:00] Hi there. I'm Jenn. I'm Marisa. We love TV and we love kdramas. Welcome back to our podcast. It is time to look at all the fun things that have happened since April. So as we do every month, we are keeping you updated on the latest happenings in kdrama casting and news. And this month we have a treat for our deep dive.

We're chatting with Regina Kim, who is a culture and entertainment writer. She writes on K-Pop, kdramas and Korean culture for Forbes, HuffPost Teen Vogue, grammy.com. Rolling Stone, Billboard, Elle and more. She's joining us today to talk to us about the current drama landscape and her thoughts on the Netflix of it all.

We're so excited to share it with you. I'm so jazzed about that, I cannot wait. First we're starting as usual with what everyone's currently obsessed with. Even though these days we're pretty much at a k drama slump. I thought I was obsessed with Heavenly Ever After.

But, uh, I've gone from obsessed to disappointed. And um, if you were at our live chat recently, you know, we have a [00:01:00] YouTube channel, right? And that every other Sunday we are live talking to you, talking to each other. I don't recall that anyone was really like over the moon about Heavenly Ever After. Yeah, I felt like the general value I got from everybody is that we're just kind of confused as to what the main theme of everything is.

Like we've all agreed that the stuff with the pets is unbelievably heart wrenching, and we are all sobbing every week with it, but that it also seems to be taking over a lot of the story. There's a lot of the pet stuff, which is great 'cause we all have, not all of us have pets, you and I both have pets, Marisa, so we understand the rainbow bridge and the pets and the crying and the whole thing, right?

But it's such a huge part of the story, but not actually connected to our main characters. Really, so it's, it, it's just, I'm very confused , what the through line of this story is. I know, I think I lost the focus. I [00:02:00] thought this was a, I just, I don't know where it's going. And the relationship between Son Sukku's character and.Kim Hae Ja' s character is not as in the forefront as I thought it would be. Like Han Ji Min is great. There's a lot of her in it. Um, so I don't, I don't know, and I'm really disappointed because I'm literally watching no other K dramas right now. I am in such a slump. Oh yeah, I'm at least watching The Haunted Palace, which if I had to say I was obsessed with anything, I would say it's that.

So I'm really enjoying that. It's got the fantasy, it's got the romance, it's got some quirkiness Yook Sung Jae is actually channeling his inner Imoogi quite well. I'm actually quite impressed and enjoying it quite a bit. It's a nice slow burn relationship. I like it. It's just there's a lot to really recommend it.

Again, it's we say it all time. It's execution. It's not a story that, it's a story we've seen a million times, but their execution of it is really good. It's really solid storytelling, [00:03:00] especially in the fantasy genre. So if you enjoy that and historical, um, I definitely recommend that. Um, but yeah, that's really my whole list.

And we're recording it today, Monday the 12th of May. And I mean, tonight we've got, Second Shot at Love and Tastefully yours. So fingers crossed that that's what we're talking about very soon. I will say the one thing I've kind of been obsessed with is all of the Lee Soo Hyuk videos. Oh, coming out of

the Cannes International Series Festival. Oh my God. You sent me like an Instagram reel of him, like I was, and I was just like, it was like first thing in the morning and I was like, I need a cup of coffee first, Marisa.

'cause that man is an international model doing international model things on my phone and I was not prepared. His swagger is unmatched. And I saw a lot of comments that said he's, he's so G Dragon, but I'm like, those two have been best friends forever. Yeah. And I don't, [00:04:00] Lee Soo Hyuk. Has his own thing going on.

Oh, for sure. And let's not forget Lee Soo Hyuk has got that voice. That I think takes him just to the whole next level. Like I cannot wait for this S-Line to come out. It's basically tells about the mysterious red line that appears above people's heads, connecting them to those that have, they've had sexual relationships with the trailers a little bit more.

Crimey than like , erotic thriller kind of thing. But it's, he's a police detective. And then, um, Lee Da Hee is also in it, but she's a school teacher and it's these, it's one pair of glasses that allows you to see everybody's S-Line. So I did not read the web toon, but people who have are super, super excited about it and, um, good lord.

Good lord. I'm ready. This is like an. An adult love alarm, I would be okay with that. I would be absolutely okay with that. Absolutely. Oh my [00:05:00] goodness. Um, but just real quick, but that the drama did win best music at the series festival, so I think we're in for some really good, at least we're going in for a good OST, so I'm super excited about that.

I mean, listen, if you know you don't have a drama to be obsessed with. Lee Soo Hyuk Is not a bad trade off. Marisa, I applaud you. Well, given that we're in a slump right now, is there any exciting casting news on the horizon? There actually is. I, uh, it's kind of fun because we just today, like we just said, we're gonna watch Tastefully Yours and that's, uh, Go Min Si and Kang Haneul, and I'm super excited about that.

But they've already announced that Netflix she's doing another drama with Lee Jae Wook, it's a horror K drama. And, you know, you like her in horror, so she's gonna be so good.

So good. It's called the Honey Jar Project. It's a mystery horror fantasy series set against the background of a strange agency that only offers so-called sweet gigs, starting at 50 times the unusual hourly rage. Okay. Interesting. Okay. Lee Jae [00:06:00] Wook plays the role of Hyuk Joon in order to pay off his debts. He takes on an extremely high paying part-time job after seeing an ad from the mysterious Spider Human Resource Center.

However, once he steps in, he begins witnessing bizarre and unexpected phenomena. Let's see, what else does it say about this? Oh, it looks like Go Min Si is gonna be playing an industrial accident investigator as one does from the Labor Division Disaster Protection Agency, who actively seeks to uncover the truth behind the secret surrounding the mysterious Spider Human Resource Center.

This seems like a very interesting script. Um, I'm not sure what that all means, but I what any of it means. They've both done so well on Netflix shows like Alchemy of Souls for Lee Jae Wook. And then Go Min Si she was in The Frog and she was in Sweet Home One and Two.

So they are definitely, I mean there seems to be this kind of, ensemble [00:07:00] company of like Netflix stars and so that you can kind of see them jump from one project to the next. And so, uh, these two, these two together, I'm hoping for major chemistry. Right. I'm excited about that. Yeah. So I have to just kinda, I have to kind of put that one aside and be ready for just her and Kang Haneul right now.

Otherwise it gets too jumbled. I get too confused. Ooh, this one I'm super excited about. Marisa Esom and Yoo Yeon Seok are confirmed for a project to be helmed by the guy who did $1 Lawyer.

Oh my gosh. Yeah, right. The, the gorgeous onscreen is going to be too much to behold. I, oh. And Esom always takes really interesting projects, like not your standard run of the mill k dramas. So this is, this should be good.

The last time we saw her was in, um, long time no sex. That's right. [00:08:00] LTNS. So she's really one of our favorites. Absolutely. Oh, it's literally they have, it's a one line synopsis right now, a story about a lawyer who can see ghosts done. So. Oh, okay. I'm in. I'm all in ghosts. Lawyers, done. Thank you all in

Because I think Yoo Yeon Seok gained a lot of new fans with When The Phone Rings. Oh yeah. He was smouldering in that one. Yeah, like yeah, yeah, yeah. He was, yeah. And that's really all there is to say, like, oof. Yeah, it was a lot, it was a lot to absorb for sure. Um, we also have Go Youn Jung, and.

Koo Kyo Hwan are gonna start together in a new K drama. And it looks like, according to various outlets, they're going to be leading a, uh, k drama that was created by the when the Camelia Blooms Director and my Liberation Notes writer, and it's gonna be titled, everyone is Fighting Against Their Own Worthlessness.

Okay. So he was [00:09:00] in DP, he was in, um, uh, Parasite The Gray. He's really such an incredible actor, like an actor's actor. And Go Youn Jung, uh, you know, she was so compelling and Moving and she's, I'm not really watching it, but she's apparently really delightful in, Resident Playbook. So the two of them together, I wanted to see her challenged, I think. I think her pairing with him is going to level her up to another, like to another, what do you call it? Another level. Level. Up to another level. Level. Level up to trying say Perfect. That's exactly what we're looking for. Who doesn't wanna level up to another level?

All of us do. Yeah. Yeah, I, he, he, like you said, he's such an actor's actor. He also has got this quirky like vibe that he always brings out, like the most, his characters are always, they could be played super straight, but he always brings some level of fun to almost everything he does. And so I [00:10:00] can't wait to see this one.

I'm super jazzed about it. Yeah. What is it called again? It's called, it's a really long title. Hold Please. It is called. Everyone Is Fighting Against Their Own Worthlessness I feel like it's like my Liberation Notes part two. Yeah.

Oh no. Okay. That's definitely coming from the My Liberation Notes writer. Absolutely. That's how, absolutely. A thousand percent. Thousand percent. Um, we also have a reunion of sorts, which I'm, this is this one. I'm like, it's, I feel like it's kind of juicy. It's Nam Ji Hyun and Kim Jae Young who are the confirmed leads of the upcoming drama.

The Analects. Yes, the two and they, but they worked together on a 100 Days My Prince and I believe that they played brother and sister in that one. Right, right, right, right, right. Oh my goodness. Okay. Nam Ji Hyun you really loved her in, what was it, 3, 6, 5? Repeat the year. [00:11:00] That is still my favorite one of hers.

Absolutely. Absolutely. And I think Suspicious Partner for a lot of people mm-hmm. Was their go-to romcom. Mm-hmm. With a little, mm-hmm. Law, right.

Romcom with a dash of legal. Yes. But she was also in Little Women and she's been acting since she was a teenager I believe. So Nam Ji Hyun I enjoy watching her. And then with Kim Jae Young, he is blown up since 100 Days My Prince. So Oh yeah. Did we just, didn't we just watch him in, um.

What was the, with, uh, Park Shin Hye and it was like she was a devil. A demon. What was that one? 

Jenn: Judge From Hell?

I really liked them in that. That was a lot of fun. Yeah. Yeah. Um, this one. Okay, so this one, the Ann, what are they calling it? Analects seems, that's not a word.

Odd. It's not a really a word. So it is Nyuneo is what the Korean word is. [00:12:00] Um, it depicts a story of Young Soo, a woman raised in a conservative household, and she meets a man who sells sex toys. What as their worlds collide. They challenge each, each other's belief and grow together in unexpected ways. Sign me up.

So I just looked up, I just Googled the, Googled the Annex and it's um, it's an ancient Chinese philosophical text attributed to Confucius. Okay. So maybe that, that's her side of the story because she's from a conservative family and then he, I guess so maybe let me show you the wild side. I'm in. I hope. I know right?

I hope she gets to be a little spicy. 'cause I have found that a lot of, not a lot, I shouldn't say that, but I find that I like her the most when they allow what seems to be her natural per like a little bit of her natural personality to come out, which is a little bit more [00:13:00] progressive and spicy and biting.

And so when she's able to kind of take control as an actor, I like that. Like sometimes I try to make her, this again, conservative makes me a little nervous, but maybe she comes out of her shell, it'll be different. Well, they try to make her like this doe-eyed you know, innocent. And I just don't think that that is her at her core at all.

So I'm sometimes challenged with some of those roles, but this pairing is super exciting to me, so I'm looking forward to checking it out for sure. Is it for a network or is it for cable? I, I mean, do we know? It does not say, let's see, do we have anything on it? TVING. TVING is who's producing it.

Okay. So I think it's gonna be a little, I mean, I think they're the ones who did a Long Time No Sex. So they do a little bit more on the racer, like more cutting edge or, you know, that, that side of things. So it's not like an SBS and it's gonna be like, you know, vanilla across the board. So it could be kind of spicy.

I'm kind of, Ooh, fingers crossed. I. Let's see, what else do we got? Oh, this one was the one you [00:14:00] were super excited about and it's confirmed now. Kang Tae Oh and Kim Se Jeong are confirmed for an upcoming MBC K drama. The Moon Flows Over The River. Is a total of 12 episodes and it's scheduled to release this year.

Is this a historical? I think so. Sounds like it, doesn't it? Right. Moon River.

So Kang Tae Oh came outta the military recently and did that potato drama, you know, that potato, potato, potato. I don't know. The potato, the Potato Lab. That potato drama. That potato drama though, surprisingly, gets really good press.

Like people who were like, I gave up on it, but I had nothing else to watch. So I decided to just binge it. Like it was really good. So I'm, I'm curious, uh, I wonder if we maybe just gave up too early. Maybe. Maybe. But I have to say, pairing him with Kim Se Jeong who we absolutely adored [00:15:00] in business proposal? Mm-hmm. Yes. She was adorable with Ahn Hyo Seop Oh my God. So she can conjure up any sort of chemistry with Kang Tae Oh, again, with the gorgeous people. Yes. Falling in love. Oh, I'm into this. Yeah. I, I'm here. I'm here for it. Absolutely. And we have discussed this before, 'cause I remember the synopsis, but I think that, I'm just excited to like tell you that it's confirmed.

But this is definitely historical. It tells a story of a soul exchange between a prince who has lost his smile and a saddle caring merchant who has lost her memory. Huzzah. I do remember talking about this with you, Jenn Uhhuh, because I was like, wait a second. His smile is like 80% of his currency.

So, uh, I'm kind of bummed if he's gonna be dour the whole time, but I don't know. I, I'll give him a chance. Well, it looks like he, he gave up his own happiness and only, and only thinks about revenge. So he's got, he's got revenge on his mind. Marisa, maybe he gives evil smiles. [00:16:00] Maybe that's the smile we'll get for a while.

Then he meets, he meets the saddle carrying merchant Park Dal, who looked exactly like the deceased crown princess and exchange bodies for unknown reasons, falling into a series of chaos. I have no idea how this is gonna work, but I like the pairing. I think, I think we haven't seen a body switch in a minute, so maybe this'll be the entertainment we need.

Right. And it looks like it is October is where it's tentatively slotted. Okay. So that's exciting. But yes, I was excited to just tell you that that one has been, that one has been confirmed, and that's the big casting news that we've got so far. So do you wanna take a look at a news roundup of things that have happened since the last time we chatted?

Yes. All right. I mean, first let's just chat about our Baeksang reactions. I mean there were some, there were some surprises. I think there were. I mean we all, yes, pretty much thought Tangerines [00:17:00] was gonna sweep, but they did not. I was impressed they took some big ones. They did, but uh, they took best drama, best screenplay. But we were surprised that Park Bo Gum did not take best actor and IU did not take best actress. But we're not disappointed with who did because listen, Kim TaeRi, please, she's always giving a masterclass in acting. So giving her an award is just a given. Right? If she doesn't win it, we're usually kind of surprised.

I'm actually impressed that they went with the show that did okay, but I don't think quite as well as tangerines. It was well received and people loved it, but it wasn't like a. Pop culture sort of, you know, got a huge response globally for it. Right. So it was really interesting to see that the people who did the voting, actually, it seems like they actually watched everything and actually voted for things that deserved the award.

It was very nice to see. Well, what I read is that as soon as she was done with [00:18:00] 25 21, she started training for this. It's, this has been three years in the making of her learning Pansori like learning an entire art form and training her voice and dance and movement and wrapping all of that into this really stellar performance.

So I think, you know, best actress makes total sense. Yeah. It's just I was, it was really, I was happy to see that so much. And then the other big one was Ju JiHoon taking best actor. Yeah. Well he was really almost that entire show. Yes. Yeah, he was, and if you look at it Park Bo Gum was only in like two episodes, Ju Ji Hoon carried Trauma Code on his back for like eight episodes.

So I was happy again to see that they actually looked at the body of work that was done, and not just the popularity or the, you know, the current favorite kind of a thing. Not saying Park Bo Gum did not do a great job. He was delightful and very appealing. Um, but it was nice to see. [00:19:00] The amount of work Ju Ji Hoon put into, uh, Trauma Code get rewarded.

So Tangerines also took home best supporting actor, for Choi Dae Hoon your guy so much. So I didn't even watch the drama and I was like, yes, I loved him so much. And also Yeom Hye Ran uh, took best supporting actors. She's one of our favorite character actors, so that was, seemed really well deserved. Um, but our sidekick in Trauma Code Heroes on Call also took home award.

He won for a film. See, we focus so much on the dramas, but then, um, a lot of our favorite actors also took, took film awards, um, this year. Right? I was very happy to see that Byeon Woo Seok and Kim Hye Yoon took home, as you predicted Marisa, the popularity award.

But I was still happy to see them get some recognition for how unbelievably popular and how it just kind of swept the globe. Lovely Runner was, so that [00:20:00] was nice to see. Yes. Yeah. So good to get that acknowledgement because really it was, it was, it came outta nowhere. Mm-hmm. But when a good, when a drama is good, people across the globe find it.

Mm-hmm. Yeah. No. So it was, I thought it was a really solid selection this year. I was really, I was like, well done. Baeksang Award peoples. Nice job. Good job voting, panel. And again, if you're new to K dramas and, um, aren't really familiar with the Baeksangs, a lot of people say, oh, it's like the Korean Emmys and Oscars rolled into one.

But it, it's really structured differently. Mm-hmm. Um, there's a small panel of like 10 or 14 people who are prominent in entertainment in some way, like they're. University professors in theater or film or, um, they're critics, I believe, and they're the ones that vote. It's not like the entire academy votes on best picture.

So it's a [00:21:00] really select group of people awarding these actors and, um, filmmakers and drama makers. And you know, and some years we've been like, I think that was a popularity award that was not best actor. Solid. Yes. But are we sure. But this year I was like, Hmm, I cannot complain with any of these. This is fantastic.

Yeah. Well done. Oh, this was really cool. I saw an article posted about Youn Yuh Jung and being in The Wedding Banquet, and it was such an amazing article because. She basically came out and said that this kind of mirrored my life because my son is gay and I hosted his gay wedding in New York.

And it was so, it was so amazing to hear her say that, especially with, you know, Korea and being very conservative and it was just, it got huge play, got all, it was all, and everyone was like applauding. It was, it was just a great article and a great moment and I was really happy to see that. Yeah, so The Wedding Banquet, um, the [00:22:00] original film was, a Taiwanese family. Original was an Ang Lee uh, produced and co-written project. And so it's really interesting to me that in the, this update that, um, it's Korean focused. And there's some really amazing actors in them. But to have someone with Youn Yuh Jung's uh, cache and super stardom, the woman has an Oscar for God's sake, like what she says, like resonates throughout, throughout the country.

Mm-hmm. She's so beloved on top of being so super talented. So yeah, it's, um, that's quite a coup that they cast her. And then for her to be so bold and honest and. Good for her. Yeah. Yeah. It was real. I, yeah, it was just such a great, like, feel, feel good story. And I was like, oh my God, we have to talk about this.

'cause it was just so great to see. So yeah. And we all have to go see The Wedding Banquet now. Speaking of Hollywood, it's looking like Choi Sooyoung will be [00:23:00] making her Hollywood debut in a John Wick spinoff called Ballerina, , this is amazing to me.

So, um, you probably know her from Run-on, or you know her from, you know, she's an idol, she's an SNSD or a Girl's Generation This is pretty big for her to be in a John Wick spinoff. Um. Wow. Yeah, it looks like kind of like with Park Seo Joon in the Marvels, I want to kind of temper your expectations just a little bit.

She's not, she has her own poster, which is fantastic, but she's in the first assignment at the top of the film, so. If you know the John Wick universe at all or any action film, I'm a little nervous. She does not survive. So I think it's amazing that she is in this and that she, this is her Hollywood debut.

It's fantastic, but I don't wanna see you disappointed if she's not in the whole film. So I just wanna like lay that out there. Oh wait. I kind of remember her posting from LA [00:24:00] months and months ago. Interesting. Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. It was a lot of fun. Like Park Seo Joon, like I knew he was only gonna have a very small role or a very small thing in Marvels, but even I was like, why'd you do him so dirty?

Like he was her husband. She destroyed his planet.. And you just, he just exited stage left like, what is happening? Marvel like, come on. And I even knew that he was only gonna have like two scenes and I still was like, that's, I mean, you probably could have found him a different role. Like that seemed like a very key, key role.

It was very, very strange. I know. Didn't someone clock it? It was like three and a half minutes on screen, or even less. It was short, I'm sure. Yeah. But I did what if you do get a chance, he did a bunch of vlogging from his time when he did it, and it was, he was pretty excited. It was, those were pretty fun if you get a chance to watch those.

Um, so hopefully we'll get the same [00:25:00] with, uh, uh, Choi Sooyoung, with her being in the John Wick universe, which is one of my favorite universes. So I'm very much looking forward to that. Um, okay. Let's see. Oh, Marisa, have you seen. Cha Eun Woo will be enlisting in the military this year. I did see that Cha Eun Woo

Who else? Lee Jae Wook and Rowoon. Oh God. Yeah. Yeah. Those are big ones. Those are heavy hitters. It's just makes me a little, not sad, but I kind of forget. Not you don't forget that it happens, but I don't know. Sometimes they appear older than they are, or like Lee Jae Wook is always younger than I think he is.

So. Always, why am I surprised? I al every time we talk about him, I'm always like, how old is he? Is he 32? Like, and he's like 27. I'm like, oh my God, I've been watching him for 10 years. Like, what's happening? Um, it does look like Cha Eun Woo has already applied to be in the [00:26:00] military band. So hopefully he gets that assignment because really, who wants to go to basic training?

No one. I think you still have to go to basic training, but I think you still have to do that. That's it. But that's it. I think you're just like, can I get a non, that'd be great. I love that. That would totally be me. Like, can I do anything else? I can alphabetize really well. How would we just do that?

That'd be awesome. Um, so yeah. Hwang Min Hyun enlisted for Mandatory Military Service on March 21st, 2024. But Study Group two has been confirmed for season two He'll be discharged this December, so my guess is that's only going to production. He shot it before, uh, Study Group came out. That's what it was. I'm like, that seems very quick, but it's not.

It's a year and a half. Yeah. So he probably get out, jump right into it. My recollection is you, you used to not be allowed to do that. Oh. Like when you went in into the military, there was no entertainment product with you that was allowed to come out while you were serving, [00:27:00] I believe. Oh, and then they changed that.

Yeah, I think so. I think so. Someone correct me. Oh, it says in this article, if, uh, Hwang Min Hyun returns to the new season of Study Group, this will be a comeback project after finishing his military service. He'll be getting out at the end of December, 2025. Yeah. So I mean, come on. You can't have Study Group and not have that little nugget leading the charge.

Come on now, . Just no there's so many bullying focused dramas. I think this is the only one I can deal with. Right. A, it's like a comic book, and B, there's like some weird, very satisfying, um, comeuppance that occurs. Right. And people get hurt, but they aren't like, like Weak Hero Class hurt, whether or not like it hospitalized it in a coma, you know, it's like it's comic books, which I can handle.

Any rom any more rom-coms on the horizon? Sounds like have you got But Marisa We do have a [00:28:00] confirmed Shop For Killers. Season two is happening. Lee Dong Wook is currently filming season two of Shop for Killers. I'm so happy. So that's was, I wish they had figured that out a few months ago because it's just these take too long to turn around.

I mean, sometimes I do appreciate the Hollywood system where they're like, season two hasn't even dropped. You get a season three. It's like, excellent. We know it's coming. Um mm-hmm. It looks like it's their, they're. Teasing a 2026 release and they unveiled the lineup. So thank God Lee Dong Wook is gonna be there because seriously, he has to be.

We have to find out what happened at the end there. We have to go, we do at least a small, a small visit into how he ended up, where he ended up at the end of the drama. Um, thank God. 'cause I know this was a big one that people were worried about, but Kim Hye Joon is also. Confirm that she's gonna be returning.

So great uncle and niece are together. Fantastic. It looks like we also are getting a Jo [00:29:00] Han Sun who's returning his Bale. The craziest villain we have ever seen. Like he was terrifying. Um, Geum Hae Na as Min Hye. So I'm super excited. Our little badass assassin lady is coming back. Super excited. Uh, Lee Tae Young as brother, the manager.

Is gonna be back and Kim Min as Pasin is also coming back. So all of our favorites will be returning. Excellent. And then also what is happening, it looks like there's gonna be another branch because also joining the cast is.

Okata Masaki. So there's gonna be a couple of Japanese actors in the season two as well, because there's another branch of, uh, the bad Guy compound. So, Ooh, this is gonna be good. So super, super excited about that one. Um, let's see what else we got. Um, we just, we did get the Squid Game Season three. Official teaser also landed in the last couple of weeks, so people are super excited [00:30:00] about that.

Did you get a chance to watch it, Marisa? Yes, I did. And I can't wait for this all to wrap up because I have so many questions from season two, but it's nice to not wait two years for something, right? Yes. I think that's my favorite part about it. I will say the only thing in the teaser that I was like, show, come on.

Like if you watch it all the way to the end, there's a baby crying. Oh gosh. I'm like, oh no. Oh no. Excuse me. I know I'm super nervous. I don't, I hope more than just one person is left standing at the end of this. I don't know if I can handle watching this crew get wiped out like they did in season one. Oh, I know, but oh my God.

We will wait and see. I'm sure there'll be a million surprises. Oh yes. I'm super jazzed. I'm actually, I'm, I'm actually surprised how excited I am for season three, to be honest. 'cause I was like, season one, I was like, that was enjoyable.

I enjoyed it, but I really enjoyed season two for some reason. Something about the character, uh, composition. This time I was really attached to many, many of the [00:31:00] characters in this one. Um, I did pull two very interesting articles about kdrama content and Netflix, but we're gonna be talking to Regina Kim, so I'm gonna save those for when we talk with her, and then we will dive into all of that in our deep dive.

Um, I did have one final piece that I thought was really interesting, but random for K drama content. They hired their first intimacy coordinator in Korea. I. And I was like, good on you, Korea Well done. Yeah. So this is an industry without an actor's union, without crew unions and intimate intimacy coordinators, especially if you've seen a lot of Korean films, you gotta wonder, a, and you've seen the.

Emotional effects on a lot of young actresses because they're put in very compromising positions, especially if they're, um, brand new to the industry. So anything to protect them mm-hmm. Is, is a good step forward. Yeah, [00:32:00] I was really excited to see that move because like you said, their union, they, I think they do have a union, but it's not very strong at at all,

so it's really good to see. They at least have maybe an ally on set, so hopefully that grows. It's definitely growing here in the States, in Hollywood for sure. So, all right. Whew. Well, that's kind of the news roundup from the, since April there's been a lot happening, so it's kind of exciting.

This kdrama community that we've built is everything to us at a time when things could be a little crazy out there in the real world. There is something about kdramas that just draws us to them and to each other, and so you can support the content that we create by becoming a member. Just go to ko-fi.com/theKThree and sign up.

You will get Jenn's calendar, you will get news from us. The special members only podcast where we give you our spicier thoughts because that's what you want from Jenn and Marisa, right? [00:33:00] Unfiltered thoughts. But your support, whether you are able to buy a cup of coffee or two, or

On our YouTube channel, whether you give us a super sticker or a super thanks, all of your donations, help us create content and keep going because this k drama crew is our favorite. Also, if you're listening on the podcast, can you give us a follow and just help us get to a thousand followers? That's our current goal right now, so we'd really appreciate it. Leave us a review. You can go ahead and text us any questions you have or any thoughts you have for any future shows, and we would really appreciate that.

Thanks so much.


[00:00:00] Jenn and I are so excited to bring you a special guest. Regina Kim is a freelance entertainment journalist and a Forbes contributor who covers everything from KDramas and K-pop to Korean culture and Asian American identity. You've seen her work in places like Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, and Billboard, and Jenn and I have long been fans of her kdrama articles.

We always learn from the insight and cultural context Regina brings to kdramas, and I first got to meet her at K Con LA last year. Thanks to my clubhouse. Friends from the K Dramatics, Sylvia and Carol of Kdramas Musings. And earlier this year, Regina was a South by Southwest moderating a panel called Sustaining Fandom.

Why K- Entertainment is here to stay. She knows this space inside and out, and we're so glad she's joining us today. Regina, welcome to our podcast. Thank you so much for having me That's super exciting.

It is AAPI heritage month, and if you are listening to this podcast and not seeing us, Regina is Korean [00:01:00] American and I am Filipino, Canadian and American. And the one of the reasons I'm so drawn to Regina's writings is, um, and her articles is because they illuminate Korean culture, because the shift towards, and the fascination with Korean culture is just, has just been seismic.

Um, and so I, I just wanted to talk a little bit about this moment where Korean culture is getting so much attention from people who maybe weren't paying attention before. And I'm wondering, for you and your articles and also as a Korean American woman, what is this, what is, has this shift been like for you both in the kinds of pieces you're writing and how it hits you personally?

Oh, wow. That's a very good question. That's also kind of a loaded question for me 'cause uh, oh my goodness. I, I could probably talk about this like all day, yeah, it's like, where do I even [00:02:00] begin? Well maybe like are you seeing a difference in what editors are assigning to you?

Okay, well if we're talking about journalism, which is what I happen to be doing at the moment, so actually, uh, and I don't know how many people know this, I never set out to become a journalist. Like I know like that I never, ever in my life like thought about being a journalist and it just kind of happened because, um, well I had written a few articles here and there, like starting in like 2012, but it was because like, you know, these opportunities came to me.

There was like a Korean cultural organization in New York City that was looking for people who could write articles about some of their events in English. So I would do some stuff like here and there. Right. But like, I never considered becoming a, like a, a journalist full-time. And then like, I think it happened in 2020. It was when the pandemic hit and I had more free time. And it was also like, around that, that time when I started noticing like so many [00:03:00] outlets, like starting to cover Korean culture, especially K-pop, there's just so many articles coming out about K-Pop. And I noticed like a lot of them were not very accurate.

You know, they were very misleading. Not, not all of them, but a lot of them were. And I noticed that like pretty much all these articles were written by. For lack of a better term, like non Korean journalists or like journalists who are not of Korean descent, like journalists who normally don't write about Korean culture, who probably just started, you know, listening to K-Pop in 2020 or like watching K dramas in 2020.

Right. Um, and I was thinking, I remember thinking, wow, if these people can get, you know, bylines in all these like mainstream media outlets, like why can't I? So I just pitched an essay to a few outlets. It was actually about how, you know, like K-Pop idol music, you know, like girl groups and boy bands are not the entirety of Korean pop [00:04:00] music.

It was as simple as that. Right. And Rolling Stone picked it up and they thought it was mind blowing and revolutionary. And I was like, okay, great. So you're gonna run my op-ed, right? Yeah. And it just kind of snowballed from there. And then, um, like af Yeah. After that Rolling Stone essay was published, um, I started getting, uh, emails from various, uh, editors who were like, oh, that's so cool.

Like, you know, you're, you wrote this really eye-opening essay and it seems like you're Korean American, right? Like, we're looking for a Korean American journalist. And I was like, okay, perfect. That's me. So I started getting assignments. This was like in 2020, 2021. And of course when Squid Game blew up, I got even more assignments.

So, so yeah. It's just because of this like, uh, growing interest in Korean pop culture, it's also really shaped my career. Yeah. It's, yeah. That's, that's fascinating. What were you pursuing before journalism uh, I was, I mean, I was doing a [00:05:00] variety of different things. Like, I was doing mostly like pr, communications, marketing, um, like some copy editing, but I was like working for, you know, nonprofits.

But, I was never actually like, you know, like writing about Korean pop culture until like, like 2020. And yeah, things just started happening. That's fantastic. It's so amazing that you said, wait, pick me. Because to have an authentic voice, like, and how about that?

An actual Korean American writing about Korean cultural things. It's mind blowing. I, I'll say though, that I, I think a lot of people just assume that because. You know, I'm Korean American because I'm of Korean descent. Um, I must have like so many advantages, you know, working in this space. Right? And I guess, yes, like I, I do have some advantages, but I would say like there are also a lot of disadvantages that I think people might not be aware about.

So, um, so yes, like, you know, in [00:06:00] 2020, 2021 um, I was getting a lot of assignments from different editors. Also like, I wanna say like maybe starting in like 2022 or like 2023, um, I realized like, you know, it was really hard for me to get editors to accept my pitches because I think by then, like in the whole Squid Game thing, was kind of like dying down.

Um, and also like, you know, people got, kind of got used to BTS because like for a while I was able to get any pitch accepted for, uh, find an editor. As long as I made a connection, even it was like the most random connection to BTS or Squid Game, right. Or even Parasite. Um, but then like, I think, you know, after a while that, that stopped working.

But, you know, um, there were, I would say like, you know. In some cases, yes. Like I still had editors who are always like, you know, very receptive. But also I think at the same time, because we just saw this like growing, uh, general interest in Korean pop culture, you also had a lot of like journalists from, you know, all [00:07:00] different ethnicities and all different countries, you know, like starting to write about Korean pop culture, which I mean, don't get me wrong, like I think it's great, right?

But like from an editor's perspective, or I should say, I mean this is speculation on my part, but the sense that I do get. As I'm pitching, a lot of editors who are based in the US is like, when I pitch them, they kind of expect me to just, you know, pitch something that's related to Korea. And even if I tell 'em like, oh, like, you know, you have to watch When Life Gives You Tangerines.

Like it's an amazing K drama. It's like, well of course you would say that you're Korean or like you're of Korean descent, right? Whereas like, if it were like someone who's not Korean, right? And they're like, oh, okay, well if it was like someone who's like white or even black or you know, just like anyone who is not of Korean descent, um, I, I wanna say in, in some cases, not all, but in some cases, like the editor might be more receptive to that.

And actually, actually, you know what, I do have proof of this. I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna mention any [00:08:00] specific outlets or editor's names, but like I've talked to a couple of other Korean American journalists and yeah, like there are definitely some. Uh, common themes, I should say, some patterns. Yikes. I mean, you'll notice like there are some outlets that will like, almost never or never, you know, uh, publish, uh, like Korean culture related articles that are written by someone of Korean descent.

And there, there is a reason for that. But whatever, you know, like there are other outlets that will allow me to, you know, tell stories and share my perspective and that are more open to, uh, like Korean American voices. Absolutely. Um, just kind of going back to the kind of explosion of, of Korean content becoming so popular in the Western.

Region. What do you think that was like? I mean, there was Parasite and there was BTS and then there was Squid Game, like I understand the Netflix of it, all of the explosion there because we were all trapped in our house and watching [00:09:00] Netflix all the time. But even before that, we had Parasite winning the Oscars and we had BTS.

What do you think, what would you think was the, the push for that I think for each of those cases, like I would say the reasons are a bit different. I mean, I think with BTS, like BTSI think is a very unique case because mm-hmm. You know, there are this group that, uh, got really popular outside of Korea first, right?

And then like once they started gaining all this international recognition, Koreans were like, oh, okay, maybe we should pay attention to this boy band. Um. But you know, like they, they were like, I would say like, uh, BTS and, you know, Bang Si Hyuk , who founded a Big Hit Entertainment, like, like they really knew how to leverage social media.

Mm-hmm. And they, uh, I think they, like, were smart about, you know, letting themselves be very open, authentic, and even vulnerable in front of their fans. Like, um, I heard, and you know, this is something that I, you know, just read about in articles and blog posts by [00:10:00] Armys and like, something that I heard directly from, uh, like members of the Army, like they were saying, like they just love, watching these boys like grow, you know, into these international superstars. Right? But like, when they started out, like, it was very hard for them in many ways, right? Um, and they were very open about it and like always like, you know, sharing, uh, their experience like, like talking about their experiences with their fans. And I think that really helped them build a huge and loyal global fan base.

Like they really knew how to leverage all these like, online platforms and social media to do that. Um, and, and so I, I would say like that's one of the big reasons why BTS like took off like that. Okay. Um, and then if you, if you're talking about like Squid Game, um, well, you know, obviously Netflix, netflix was already available in like, what? Like, I think like a hundred, at least 190 countries. Mm-hmm. And Netflix, all they had to do is just push that show on their platforms. You know, people saw it popping up on their [00:11:00] screens. Right. Um, I mean, I think it's, you know, various reasons why that particular show did so well.

I mean, obviously the storytelling is amazing. I think Director Hwang Dong Hyuk, who also wrote Squid Game, like he did a fantastic job, which was just very tight storytelling, very, uh, like, you know, well-crafted execution. The colors like the aesthetics I think were also very well done by the art director. Also like I heard like the, the title Squid Game itself, you know, could have actually helped because like, it just made people curious, like, what is Squid Game?

Um, and then also because, you know, Netflix was sharing its rankings, like people were saying that, oh, it's like number one in this, in, in our country. Hmm. Maybe I should go check it out. So yeah, so I would say like, those are some of the reasons why, uh, Squid Game, you know, blew up like that. Um, although like I heard that it was, it was unexpected.

Like even Netflix did not expect it. Don't think. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. They, yeah, they didn't think that it would [00:12:00] be that big. Right. Um, and then I know that in Parasite's case, like, you know, CJ like they really, uh, invested a lot of money into marketing that particular movie. And they, like, were really strategic about like making sure that it was, you know, going to, like, it was being shown at all the film festivals, like all the, you know, major film festivals.

And, um, I also know that it, uh, spread by word of mouth. Mm-hmm. That's actually how I ended up watching Parasite. 'cause like I was like, oh, okay, cool. Like, yeah, maybe I'll watch it. You know, I, I like, uh, director Bong Joon Ho, but then I. I remember going to like, was it a, was it a film festival where Parasite was shown?

But anyway, like the, there was this white guy who was just like, running around, like, just screaming, like, you guys should watch Parasite. You guys should watch Parasite. And we're just like, okay, yes, I guess we'll watch Parasite. But actually it worked because like, okay, maybe I really should watch it, like right now.

That's amazing. I don't know, I know that's like anecdotal, but I do [00:13:00] know that like CJ put a lot of effort into really marketing the film. Mm-hmm. And it's a, it's a very well put together film too. Right. A thousand percent. And also I like, I would say like, you know, in like, like generally speaking, um, I think also by then, like by the late, you know, uh, 2010s, like by 2019, 2020, and then also like 2021, um, I feel like by then there was just also

this like ever-growing, uh, interest in a Korean pop culture in, in the US as well. Um, because even, I mean there's, there's this statistic that oftentimes gets thrown around and I know I've used it in a couple of articles.

So in 2014, there was a study that was done by the Korea Creative Content Agency KOCCA, that found that already, like in 2014, there were 18 million Americans who were watching kdramas Which is a huge number. Right? And you're like, what? That can't be right. But I will say that in like the early 2010s, like 2011, 2012, I was actually [00:14:00] working at Drama Fever.

Um, I know, shout out you were Fever was actually, that was actually my first job, uh, when I moved to New York was, uh, working at Drama Fever. 'cause I wanted, well 'cause I wanted to do something related to Korean culture, but I wasn't really quite sure what, and I, for various reasons, I, I had to stay in, in the US and like, so at the time, you know, there weren't that many opportunities in New York and Drama Fever was like one of the very few opportunities available.

And so I was like, okay, yeah, I'll take it. And um, and I remember when I was working at Drama Fever This was like 2011, 2012. Even back then, like there, there were like millions of viewers who were watching, you know, kdramas on the drama fever platform. And in the US like the vast majority were not of Asian descent.

Most of them were women, but they were like, you know, white, black, Hispanic. There were, I mean obviously yes, like there were some Asian Americans too, but like Asian Americans were actually the minority. So that I remember that was [00:15:00] like very surprising, uh, for all of us. We were like, whoa. Like we had no idea.

Right. And, and I remember like even I. Like on our social media channels, like the people who were commenting were Yeah. They, like, they were not, most of them were not Asian. Right. So, so, yeah. And surprising back then like, I remember just kind of randomly meeting some people, you know, like white, black, you know, like, like non Asian people, um, who just told me like they, they love kdramas.

Mm-hmm. But you know, it, it's different from now where I feel like now. You know, people are a lot more open about talking about kdramas. Like, you know, they think it's, it's become a lot more normalized in conversations, I would say, whereas like, back then in like the, the early, uh, 2010s, like, I think a lot of us, and to be honest, you know, myself included, you know, we felt like if we were to just openly express our love for kdramas, like people might judge us, you know, they might [00:16:00] think that we're a bit weird or eccentric, right?

I mean, yeah. Like, you know how it was. Yeah. Um, and so like, it would take some time for me to, you know, get to know these people and realize, oh, they actually watch kdramas too. And then like, once we, you know, found that part out, we, you know, that would just help us like bond even closer together. Um, but I think people just were not as open about their interest in kdramas back then.

, That's my sense. Okay. So it's kind of sounds like as the internet got more and more global, the more like. People found kdramas and were able to watch them and in, in interact with K-Pop and that type of thing, and the social media, whatnot. Oh yeah. Has kind, has kind of helped build this wave.

Yeah, I mean like when it comes to K-Pop, like I would say like YouTube, you know, YouTube had like, it was probably like the biggest factor in my opinion, um, you know, in terms of how K-Pop was able to, you know, explode in global popularity because Yeah, like, you know, [00:17:00] starting, I would say especially like in the 2010s, like you saw all these entertainment, these K-pop agencies, you know, uploading K-pop music videos, and more and more people just started discovering, uh, these artists and they're like, wow, like these K-pop music videos are very, you know, colorful and they have high production value and it's just so easy to get sucked into a lot of these videos.

Right. But, you know, that's because all these K-pop agencies were, uh, uploading these videos to YouTube for free, you know. Whereas like if you take Japan for instance, I remember like back in the two thousands,. A lot of my classmates, so, okay. I know I'm dating myself, but in the late two thousands, um, I went to a college where like, for some reason so many of my classmates were really into Japanese pop culture.

Like they were into anime. They loved J-Pop. Like back then, like very few of my classmates actually liked Korean pop culture. Like they knew absolutely [00:18:00] nothing about Korea, but they loved Japan. Right. Um, and so I think that also kind of rubbed off on me. I remember thinking like, wow, like J-Pop is really awesome. And then like in the, you know, 2010s, like you saw like K-pop really taking off like this, it was like, huh? Like how come the same thing didn't really happen with J-Pop? And it's because a lot of these Japanese entertainment companies, like they were not willing to upload, uh, their music videos to YouTube for free.

They're like, no, like, we want money. You know? What about copyright issues? Right. And so like, they were not willing to upload their music videos to YouTube and look what happened. Right? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. So it's really, it's, yeah, it comes down to access. Yep. And so, and so now with this, I mean, we'd like to talk a little bit about this Netflix effect because, Netflix made Korean dramas accessible. And I think some people don't understand the difference between a Netflix original production or a show that they've licensed. But then as, [00:19:00] as important as Netflix has been in their investment in the Korean entertainment industry, they also become a lightning rod for whatever people think is wrong or different.

Or I think, actually Jenn you've got a good question my, my que it's kind of a very broad question, but I hear this all the time and I wanted you, Regina, to see if you can give us the answer to this. Uh, is Netflix ruining kdramas? Ruining kdramas i've definitely heard people say that before and that's, I, yes, that's right.

We're like, what, what does that even mean? But Jenn particularly on, uh, Bluesky sees it frequently, and we're like, what, what does that mean? And what are people really saying? People about, you know, Netflix's impact on kdramas and how they're like, quote unquote ruining kdramas. Yeah. Yeah. I kind of like, you know, wrote an article about this too, that kind of like touched on this topic.

It was in, uh, HuffPost. Mm-hmm. It was about like how streamers, [00:20:00] especially Netflix, have really changed kdramas in recent years. Um, and I have to admit that like my perspective on this has somewhat changed. Since, well, especially since Squid Game, because like, I remember when Squid Game like first came out and like so many people in the US were like talking about it, like Squid Game.

Squid game was like, you know, the only K drama that they wanted to talk about was like, why is it that this K drama where you see a bunch of Koreans getting killed, you know, like they're being like mass murdered or something. Like, why of all the really amazing kdramas out there, is this the one that grabs people's attention in the US Right?

And at the same time you had like, you know, this spike in anti-Asian hate crimes anyway, you know, I'm not saying that there's a, there's a direct connection there, but I remember thinking at the time, like with everything that was like going on around us, you know, with the pandemic, with all the anti-Asian hate and then like, you see Squid Game that's like, you know, taking off and I'm just like, what is going on?

[00:21:00] And I remember feeling like. I mean, I, I liked Squid game, like I thought it was a very well done kdrama but like the first time I saw it, you know, I had to look away a few times and I was like, this is, this is very violent. But then like I, I talked with, uh, you know, some industry insiders like, like people who work in the Korean entertainment industry and I've, you know, I've , written articles about like how K dramas have changed and.

You know, like if you look at Korean films, right? Like a lot of them have been violent, you know, like some of the most violent films out there were made by Koreans. Like, Old Boy, oh my goodness. I saw it once and it has permanently scarred me. This is like back in like, what, 2003, I think. Right?

I've only read the synopsis and it's permanently scarred me. I refuse to watch it. People are like, Jenn you have to see it. I'm like, no. It's like, yes. It's like one of the most, again, a very, like, very well crafted movie, but uh, yeah, its just like traumatized me to be [00:22:00] honest. You, you actually had a quote in your article mm-hmm. In HuffPost that I thought was really fascinating and it was, um. An award-winning veteran movie actor, Jonathan Kim said, we Koreans in the film industry, do not consider Netflix original series as a kdrama. And I thought that was the most telling thing about why Netflix.

Netflix is ruining K dramas because it's not really a kdrama a, you know what I'm saying? Like people, people in Korea don't see it as a K drama. They see it as like a, like a mini series of a movie, right? Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Where we, we in the west absorb it as a kdrama So those who are used to things being maybe a little bit more traditional kdrama fare.

are maybe not seeing it in the same light. Is that possible? , I, so now I would not say like, I would not use the word ruining anymore because I think, again, [00:23:00] like after talking to like a bunch of different industry insiders, like the sense that I get is that, I mean it's, it's very obvious too, like Netflix has really diversified the types of kdramas that we're able to watch, right?

In terms of genre. Like now there's so many thrillers out there. You even have sci-fi, right? Um, and also in terms of format, um, in terms of like the, the production quality has even gone up, right? Thanks to Netflix investing tons of money into its original productions. Um, but at the same time, like you said before, you know, Netflix is still licensing.

A bunch of kdramas. And so you still see a lot of K dramas that have the more traditional like, you know, 16 episode format. Right. Um, although now, like you see more and more that are getting very shorter, like 12 episodes. Yes. Um, there's one that came out, you know, uh, Dear Hongrang that had like 11 episodes. I'm like, I've never seen them before.

Which hilarious, that one came out with 11 and then Nine Puzzles over on Disney plus at 11. I'm like, what is this [00:24:00] 11 episode thing that started, they're but yeah, I think, I think these streamers are just like testing like different ways to like, um, I guess release these K dramas.

Yeah. Yeah. So like, how many episodes would be like considered an optimal, like what should the release schedule be like? You've also seen Netflix, you know, uh, divide one season into two parts. Right. So I feel like all of these streamers are kind of experimenting with different ways right now. 

Jenn: So people are really upset about Netflix for some reason. For some reason Netflix is the one thing that traditional, drama Watchers get upset about

but for some reason, Disney Plus is never in the conversation about. How they've affected the kdrama landscape, and I find that fascinating because if anything, I find the Disney plus lineup to be far more cinematic and more movie-like and more violent than the kdramas. Like I don't think there's been a rom-com or even a romantic anything on the Disney plus lineup and [00:25:00] the K drama lineup.

Yeah, that's a very interesting observation. I know a lot of people are kind of faulting Netflix for how they've transformed kdramas, but honestly, like, looking back, like I think what Netflix has done is just what Netflix has done for kdramas and for Korean pop culture in general has been amazing.

You know, do I think, do I think that Korean culture would be like this popular without Netflix? Hell no. Um, I just think like Netflix is really good about giving people different options in terms of what kinds of kdramas they wanna watch, because you still have like, you know, fluffy, like romantic, you know, kdramas on Netflix, like Love Next Door, right?

There're just so many of them. Um, but you also have like thrillers, right? Like Hellbound and like Parasite the Gray and um, and Gyeongseong creature. But, uh, but with Disney Plus, and I should mention in the US the kdramas. So, uh, usually the kdramas on Disney Plus are affiliated with Hulu, [00:26:00] or I should say like associated with Hulu.

So people watch them on Hulu, whether it's through the Hulu standalone platform or like through the Hulu feature. Mm-hmm. Uh, within Disney Plus. So when you said Disney Plus was like, oh wait, like Hulu? Yes. That's Hulu, sorry. Disney plus Hulu combo. The combo platter. Yes. Right. I get the sense that like Disney plus slash Hulu has not been as, uh, active in terms of promoting the kdramas that they have on their platform.

Okay. I don't know why that is. I will say I get, so as a journalist, I get very few, you know, pitches or like press releases from people at Hulu slash Disney plus, and sometimes, you know, like it's, it's through like third party PR agencies and I'm like, oh, okay. Whereas like with Netflix, I'm getting, you know, press releases about kdramas all the time.

Like, I can't keep up. Um, no, seriously. So, so I, I get the sense that like. Disney Plus and Hulu are just like more [00:27:00] cautious about promoting their kdramas. Maybe they're not sure if it will do very well in the US. i don't know. Like I don't even understand like what, like what's going on with their release schedules, right. We don't get any, we barely get any information in advance. So whereas like Netflix is always like very organized, interesting.

Like they have this whole, I mean they, 'cause they have publicity teams in the US and Korea, I'm sure like in other countries as well, that are all like, you know, making sure that they promote the heck out of some of these kdramas. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. I mean I follow on Instagram, I follow Disney plus Singapore, Disney Plus Philippines, Disney plus Hong Kong, because that's where I get my Disney plus Korean drama information.

It never comes across. The US based Disney, uh, promotion arm, so, right. Never. Never. Yeah. And I think is a, I believe it's the biggest kdrama [00:28:00] audience outside of Korea is actually in the Philippines. And it's funny, like talking to my dad, I think he was watching, um, what was the Lee Min Ho King King The Eternal Monarch. I remember talking to my dad because he was watching it and um, and he was like, you know, Marisa, Filipinos, we used to love telenovelas, but now we all watch kdramas. Really. Oh my gosh, that's funny. Yeah. Yeah. And speaking of that particular kdrama and like, yeah, I think I mentioned this in one of my articles as well, so that's a great example of a K drama where, you know, it wasn't very popular until like Netflix acquired it and then once it was available on the Netflix platform, it became super popular across the globe.

But it was, it was actually a K drama that didn't do well among Koreans. So there you go. Yeah. And, and Squid game, I mean, yes, like Squid Game, you know, it did hit number one in Korea shortly after it aired. Or after it premiered. But [00:29:00] you know, Koreans weren't really like excited or like really talking about it as much until, you know, like Koreans saw that Squid Game was doing really well overseas, especially in the West.

And like all these western media outlets were covering Squid game. And so, you know, Koreans were like, oh, well maybe we should talk about Squid Game more. So it's always like that effect, you know, like BTS Squid Game. Even Parasite when, you know, Koreans see that, you know, some like piece of K- content has taken off overseas, especially in the US you know, they, they will pay attention.

Interesting. So what is, what is the response with season two and three of Squid Game in Korea? Are they more excited for that or are they kind of in the same where they're like meh. Well, I mean, like, I'm pretty sure like a lot of them are excited, uh, for it. Like I know, like they've been, like they were doing all of these like, you know, press events in Korea.

So I do, I mean, I haven't like, been closely, uh, tracking all the Korean responses or like mm-hmm. I [00:30:00] guess like how, like how much Koreans have been anticipating seasons two and three, a Squid Game, but like, I'm pretty sure, yeah, there's a lot of anticipation mm-hmm. Across the globe is the sense that I'm getting.

That's exciting. I'm, I actually enjoyed season two more than I enjoyed season one of Squid Game. Which I was really, I, I was really surprised I was like, yeah, I'll watch season two. I mean, I enjoyed season one. I thought it was good. I thought it was a solid, a solid story and I enjoyed it, but it, I didn't, it wasn't like my favorite of the year, but, and so I was like, mm-hmm.

Yeah, I'll watch two. I mean, I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I wanna watch a bunch of people die again, but I was like, all I'll watch it. But I was so attached to this group of people now I'm just like, you cannot kill these people off. Like, for, for some reason, the first batch I was like, I mean, I like them.

I don't love them. Like I felt bad for some of them, but I'm like, I am viscerally attached to this group of Squid Game participants. Like which group, if you don't mind me asking, like, is there the season, the season two group, like anyone in season two or, pretty much, [00:31:00] I'm more emotionally attached to almost the entire cast of season two than I was to the season one cast.

You know what, that's so interesting that you say that because like. I, so I think I still liked season one better. Yeah. Only because everything was just very new and very fresh. Right. But like I was surprised, like personally I was pleasantly surprised by how good season two was. But I know like a lot of people actually like, did not like season two.

Like I know I got mixed reviews and actually like a lot of people I know said the opposite thing of you, of what you just said. Like how they just felt like they didn't really have any emotional connection to the characters like they did in season one. And I was like, I know. I was like, wait, what?

Whatcha talking about? Like, yeah. Yeah. It was really interesting. And just, and going back, you had mentioned the production design of season one. I thought the production design of season two was like, uh, took it like up against like three more notches that merry-go-round scene. Oh, interesting. Oh yeah. I thought.

Uh, it was gorgeous and [00:32:00] horrifying all at the same time. I'm, I'm actually very excited for season three, which I did not expect to be that person. Me too. So actually, I did get to see like the first three episodes of season three. Really? It's, um, it's good. Like, I, I can't share anything. Obviously, obviously people should get very excited for it.

Um, it has a lot of ups and downs it's very intense. I'll say that.

So, so one of the things that we've really loved about Netflix and also Disney Plus is that, is that they've invested heavily in single visionaries, should we say.

I think I wasn't the first Netflix original production. It was Kingdom right? Kim Eun Hee. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah. And now Kong full with Disney Plus. We don't understand how the Korean writers. Like system works. Like in Hollywood, there's a [00:33:00] writer's room on a television show.

And then that is so that you've got a number of voices creating a television show, creating the script. And that allows for mentorship, it allows for new voices that are up and coming. You know, there pipelines from film schools. There's, you know, nepotism, there's all sorts of ways to become like a Hollywood writer, but we're, we only understand Korean writers from what we've seen on a kdrama

Um, and so is it usually a single writer? You usually, you have like a single like, main writer who's credited. Right. But like, my understanding is that a lot, a lot of K dramas also, like, they will have maybe like one or two assistant writers. Yeah. But like, um. For example, like Squid Game.

Like, my understanding is that for season one, it was all like, he wrote and directed the entire thing, which is, which is like, you know, mind boggling, right? Yeah. Yes. Um, but I heard, for season two, it's still [00:34:00] like he's the only one who's credited at the, as a writer, I believe.

But like, I heard that like, he had like a small writer's room or something. Like, there were like people who were also like helping out with the script is what I heard. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Mm-hmm. , I'm sure that like, there's still a lot of K dramas where it would, you would have like just one writer, but like, also like oftentimes like that writer will have like one or two assistant writers and I, I think like they don't always get credited though. That's the thing. Mm. Okay. Oh man, that's too bad. Well, yeah, yeah. It's too bad. Kind of leaping off of that, I'm curious as to, because we hear a lot of things about, compensation in kdramas, whether it be the actor, their unions or owning the IP and that kind of thing. And it sounds very similar to what's going on here in Hollywood with the Netflix fight for sure.

But it sounds like we here in Hollywood might have stronger unions than they do in Korea. Mm-hmm. What is the situation with that in the, in the K drama landscape? Yeah, I mean, like, to my knowledge, you know, like Netflix does not [00:35:00] pay residuals Right.

To, um, its creators. And so that's been this huge, like, ongoing issue. Mm-hmm. I believe like there are like, you know, networks or like unions in Korea that are like trying to, um, you know, advocate for their own rights. But like Netflix has just, Netflix has like so much power in the market, right?

Yeah. And so there aren't like the enough, um, enough of an in infrastructure. Like there aren't enough systems in place where I think the people who actually do the work can, um, adequately advocate for their rights. Ah, okay. They're still, yeah. Yeah. There was at least like one or two, like really great, LA Times articles that were written about this issue, like, I think one or two years ago.

The reporters were trying to get answers from Netflix. And Netflix was, you know, they're like, oh no. Like, you know, we've been, you know, working. My answer to that is like, it's really hard to like understand like what is going on precisely.

Because like, you know, Netflix will say one thing, right? And then you have like people on the other side who are [00:36:00] like, well actually no, like, yeah. You know, like Netflix can definitely do a lot more for us and like, we're waiting to, to get answers from, from Netflix . What I remember reading in those articles is that it's just very hard to get Netflix to comply because a lot of it's really unclear as to how much of this can actually apply to a foreign company. Right? Ah, yeah. So Netflix doesn't always have to follow the same guidelines that, you know, otherwise a Korean company might have to follow.

Right. So that just, that complicates a lot of things. Yeah. Interesting. Because, yeah, even like with the strike here in LA and Hollywood, when everything got shut down for almost two years, it was kind of the same thing. Like Netflix was like not giving anybody any information and it was like, you know, we, how do we gauge how much people are watching?

And they're like, we just tell you. And they're like, that doesn't work. And so it sounds like it's, it's a lot of the same thing, but we might just have a better infrastructure union wise to be like, okay, so we're not gonna work for a year and a half. Good luck. Oh, one thing I, one other thing I [00:37:00] wanted to mention is that like, I mean also just.

You know, Korean productions like historically, have always been a lot cheaper, right? Mm-hmm. Like, labor has been so much cheaper in Korea. Like they, they honestly, like everyone, like everyone who works, um, on a show or a film in Korea, like, like all the members of the staff, I mean. I feel like they're just really efficient, even though they're not very, they're not paid very well by US standards.

Right. It's always been like that. That's, that's like one of the key reasons why, you know, Korean productions have been so much more cost effective. Right. And like Hollywood Productions, right. And Netflix saw that. They're like, wow. Like, 'cause, like Squid Game was just so cheap to make Right. In comparison to all these other Hollywood shows that didn't do half as well as Squid Game

Right. And so that's one of the main reasons why, you know, Netflix started investing more in Korean contents. Like they get more bang for their buck. But like, I, I would say, you know, from like, I guess Korea's perspective, I mean, it's always kind [00:38:00] of been like that. Like, you know, people just don't get paid as much, um, in the industry, like as people who work in Hollywood.

If anything, like, well, so another thing that I've heard from people who work in the Korean entertainment industry is that, so when Netflix came along, um, they really changed the way that, uh, kdramas are filmed, the way that kdramas are produced, because now almost all kdramas are like pre-produced, right?

They're filmed in advance. Mm-hmm. Whereas like before, I mean, as you guys probably know, like a lot of kdramas were shot the same week that they were aired. God, I remember there was even like, I know, it's, it's insane. Like I have an anxiety attack. Just hearing that, like you just, that's why I'm just like, how on earth can people work in this industry?

And there are like so many articles out there, like Korean articles that from, you know, from like the two thousands and 2010s that will tell you like stories, like these horror stories from, you know, people who were part of the production crew and they could barely [00:39:00] sleep. Like they couldn't even sleep. At night it's like, like the sleep that they got was like on set. Like they would sleep for like, you know, 20, 30 minutes at a time. And then like, they would have to go back to work because they were like literally filming an like every episode the week that it was aired. And so sometimes like they'll be, you know, editing the episode like the day of, like the same day that it was supposed to be aired.

And I remember like, at least there was this one famous incident. This was like, I think back in. I wanna say, was it like 2012 or 2013? Um, anyway, it was this, it was this K drama called Man From the Equator. And what happened was like, you might've heard about this incident where like they literally just could not finish editing the episode in time.

And so they couldn't show the full episode that day and they basically had to push it back to the next day or something. It was nuts. Like the production schedule was just absolutely nuts. Like I honestly don't know if any other country had such a [00:40:00] frantic production schedule and then like when Netflix came along, right?

More and more kdramas start to be, uh, made in advance. And so that's like another reason why you started seeing these, um, like directors who are traditionally film makers. You know, film directors, like start making kdramas. 'cause like, you know, they're not used to the frantic pace of, uh, TV production, right.

They have to make everything in advance so they can sort of, you know, take their time. And so like in, in that sense, like, my understanding is that Netflix has kind of eased this whole like, frantic production schedule to a certain degree. Yeah. I mean, it's still pretty hectic. It's still pretty frantic, right.

But like, I, I hear that like, you know, people are able to sleep more and they're less stressed. Thank goodness. Well, that's.

The story I love is Kim Nam Gil disappearing from Bad Guy because he had to start serving in the military and so they hadn't finished the [00:41:00] series yet, so he like, just disappears off the final episode. Bye. Just, yeah. It was just, yeah. That's wild. I remember reading , the drama VIP has scarred me for life, but, VIPI remember reading about that one because it was one of the first K dramas that was adhering to the new, I think it was an SBS show, and it was the first one to adhere to the new 50 hour work week.

Mm. And the actors were doing interviews and they were like. I don't know what to do with all my free time. Like I, it's weird, like what I'm used to being on set till five in the morning and getting an hour of sleep and being somewhere else, and I'm like, home at seven and like, I was like, oh my, I was happy for them, but I was also like, that sounds like one of the worst production schedules I've ever, I've ever read.

Yeah. Yeah. Oh, that's so, that's so funny. Um, I, I mean like, I guess like one of the, one of the good things about like how they, you know, uh. [00:42:00] Produced kdramas back then was, um, you know, that also a lot so they could watch the audience's reactions. Mm-hmm. Right. Like to a particular episode. And like if, you know, if audiences like started tuning out, if they started complaining, then they might change the plot Right.

For the next, for like, for next week's episodes. So they were able to incorporate a lot. Yeah. A lot of the audience feedback, like almost in real time, because again, like they were shooting every episode the same week that it was aired, whereas with these, um, kdramas that were released by Netflix and then later with other streamers, because everything had to be filmed in advance.

Like you couldn't incorporate a lot of the audience feedback. So if audiences just started, you know, hating the kdrama well, too bad

before we wrap up Regina, what are you currently watching? What are you currently loving ooh, I'm like watching like a variety of different K dramas, but like, I feel like I haven't gone very far.

So like, uh, well, I mean, okay, so I'm, I, I'm, I'm [00:43:00] really enjoying Heavenly Ever After, I mean, has it slow moments, right? Like, I also wrote a piece about this, um, I'm still kind of scarred by episode five, where they, I don't know if they're allowed to reveal spoilers,

is that the episode where the Just in Hell? Yes. Is that yes? Yes. This is even worse than like what I imagine hell to be like. Right. Um, I, that, that episode alone gave me nightmares. Oh. But it, like, I was like, wow, this is very interesting. This is very creative. So, um, apparently, yeah, it's like, based on the major hell's found in Buddhism, like Oh, interesting.

Yeah, it's a, it's a very unique kdrama Um, I love all the scenes that they have with pets in them, right? Yeah. I cry every time. I'm like, we need to stop with the Rainbow Bridge people. We need to stop. I know, right? It's like that, that scene from episode two where they show, can I say this?

Like, yeah, yeah. It's, it's all over the internet anyway. Like Netflix has like shared it on their social media, right. [00:44:00] Where, um, and dogs reunite with their owners in heaven. And like even people who didn't watch the kdrama right? Like they had no idea what was going on.

They're like, we're so confused, but oh my gosh, I'm crying. Yeah. That reunion scene, I fell apart and it took me forever to pull myself back together. Yes. Like, I, I don't know how many times I've like rewatched that scene alone every time, like when I need to like, you know, let out my stress or like, when I feel like I just need to like, you know, just cry for whatever reason, like I'll go back and watch that scene.

I know I'm very behind, but like a Dear Hongrang, which I mentioned before, I've like started watching that.

It's, um, I'm really like, I'm trying to get into it, but I hear it gets better, um, as you go on. I know it got very mixed reviews in Korea. Did it? Like I people, yeah. I think a lot of people just quit halfway. But, but then, like, I also read reviews where people were like, you just have to stick with it till the end.

It gets really good towards the end. So, yeah. I, I'm, I'm trying [00:45:00] to finish it. I did you finish it yet, Marisa? I'm only halfway. Oh, okay. Oh. Why do you like it so far? I did finish it. Okay. Does it get better towards the end? Please tell me. Yes. Y yes. It gets better towards the end. Yay. But like, more's reaction, it seems like you're not enjoying that kdrama very much.

You know what? I am just always so impressed with Lee Jae Wook Always. Who's the unhinged lady of the house? Um, she's so, oh my gosh. Yes. Like she's an amazing actress. Yeah. She was like a little woman and Yeah. .

She's always, she's always just out there and evil and, uh, you know, restrained, maniacal, you know, characters. Uhm Ji Won Uhm Ji Won Yes. So I'm enjoying it, but I'm not, I don't know. I'm not quite convinced, so I'm not sure. I dunno, [00:46:00] actually, I think that's like, based on what I've read, like that's, that's the same reaction that a lot of, uh, people in Korea had, so Oh, really?

But yeah. But I don't know. I'm gonna try to like stick with it. Yeah. Till the end. Only 11 episodes.

I'm also watching a Resident Playbook.

I know, I know it's already finished. Like I'm, I'm still behind, but like the first episode, oh, like, I don't know what you guys, I don't know if you guys are like watching that K drama or have watched it, but like the first episode of that show, I was like, I literally wanted to poke my eyes out.

I was like, this is so bad. Like, I went into it like expecting something like Hospital Playlist I get, which was like amazing, right? I was like, what is this? Like, I could have written a better kdrama than this. Um, but then like, you know, I saw, I saw people posting online. They're like, oh, it gets better with every episode.

I was like, okay. So like, after a very long. Delay. I went back and like started, you know, watching it with episode two and I'm like, yeah, it, it does get better. So I'm still like working my [00:47:00] way through it. It's not the best K drama, but you know, it has, it's uh, it's interesting, it's cool moments. Um, and then I can't wait to start watching Nine Puzzles.

'cause I love, yeah, I love, uh, I love the cast.

Thank you so much Regina, for joining us we'll link some of Regina's recent articles in our show notes, so definitely check those out. And Regina, where can people find you on the internet?

I do have a website, it's regina kim.com. But I do plan on updating the website soon. Um, you can also find me on Forbes. I'm a Forbes contributor, so, um, you can just probably Google like Forbes, Regina Kim, and you should see my page. I'm on Instagram at curious_idealist

I wish we could do a 12 hour podcast. It's just been delightful talking to you about kdramas and K culture. 

oh my gosh, like, this is so much fun. I was telling Marisa earlier, like, I could just, you know, talk with you guys all day. It feels like.