City University of Hong Kong – Seoul National University Joint Media Studies Conference: Netflix and South Korean Media in a Globalizing World

asiancinemalab

Hosted by the School of Creative Media at City University of Hong Kong and co-organised by the Center for Hallyu Studies at Seoul National University and Asian Cinema Research Lab (ACR Lab), Netflix and South Korean Media in a Globalizing World examines the impact of Netflix, the leading online streaming platform, on the production, distribution, and consumption of South Korean cultural industries in the expanding global media market. This conference, with scholars from both East and West, will provide a deeper understanding of the transformations of regional and transnational cultural industry practices, creative labor, artistic challenges, and transnational reception juxtaposed with and in response to the Korean cultural industries’ quantum leap in the (post-)age of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Netflix and South Korean Media in a Globalizing World conference will pose two overarching questions throughout the conference. Firstly, this conference examines the impact of the SVOD service, particularly Netflix, on the South Korean film and TV industries since its inception in 2016. Netflix’s significant influence as a worldwide digital platform has prompted South Korean cultural creators to adapt their production practices in order to align with the new environment shaped by Netflix. The rapid growth of Netflix has also dismantled the long-standing division system between TV and film production in South Korea. The dynamic media landscape gives rise to conflicts between global and local SVOD platforms, as they worry about the diminishing influence of the local culture sector and the erosion of cultural heritage. We will thoroughly analyze all the concerns brought up in the initial overarching questioning. Secondly, this conference asks how Hallyu, the Korean Wave, is shifting the global content industries through Netflix. The widespread global appeal of various Korean TV dramas and films on Netflix has radically transformed the role of mediators in today’s media landscape. Digital platforms, especially SVOD platforms, generate many ways of circulating media. Contrary to earlier stages, the transnationalization of local cultural content is now not only global but also simultaneous. By engaging with the Korean Wave’s digital mediascape, global audiences who otherwise would not have been exposed or attracted to such non-Western media are integrated into transnational cultural flows. With this academic endeavour, we hope to shed light on current debates and place them in contexts relevant to future work in transnational cultural studies.

Conference Convenors

Sangjoon Lee
Associate Professor
School of Creative Media, City University of Hong Kong

Seok-Kyeong Hong
Professor
Department of Communication, Seoul National University

Conference Speakers, Chairs, and Discussants

Younghan Cho (Hankuk University of Foreign Studies)
Pei Sze Chow (Nanyang Technological University)
Hye Jean Chung (Kyung Hee University)
Hye Seung Chung (University at Buffalo)
Vincenzo Cicchelli (Universite Paris Cite)
Claire Gullander-Drolet (City University of Hong Kong)
Seok-Kyeong Hong (Seoul National University)
Wesley Aason Jacks (Lingnan University)
Joseph Jonghyun Jeon (University of California, Irvine)
Seung-hoon Jeong (California State University, Long Beach)
Dal Yong Jin (Simon Fraser University)
Liew Kai Khiun (Hong Kong Metropolitan University)
Jihoon Kim (Chung Ang University)
So-Hye Kim (University of Hong Kong)
Fen Jennifer Lin (City University of Hong Kong)
Lisa Y.M. Leung (Lingnan University)
Hyun Jung Stephany Noh (Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi)
Sojeong Park (Hanyang University)
Jinhee Park (Lingnan University)
Jiyoung Suh (Seoul National University)
S. Louisa Wei (City University of Hong Kong)
Yin Yuan (Saint Mary’s College of California)

Roundtable Discussants

Anthony Y.H. Fung (Chinese University of Hong Kong)
Dal Yong Jin (Simon Fraser University)
Daya Thussu (Hong Kong Baptist University)

Presented By

School of Creative Media
City University of Hong Kong

Center for Hallyu Studies
Seoul National University

Asian Cinema Research Lab