[KS] Call for Papers: "Is Netflix Riding the Korean Wave or Vice Versa? II" Conference (Yonsei University)

[Sungjin Shin]

Dear Korean Studies List,

Please find below the Call for Papers for the "Is Netflix Riding the Korean
Wave or Vice Versa? II" conference. If you have been working on a related
topic, we warmly invite you to submit an abstract of your work.

Thank you for your interest!

Best regards,

Sungjin Shin

--

Is Netflix Riding the Korean Wave or Vice Versa? II:

Shifting Local and Global Relationships


July 18-19, 2025

Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea


In December 2024, Squid Game 2, which was produced in South Korea, one more
time, made a global sensation. Regardless of negative observations by some
media critics and media outlets, upon release, this brutal seven-part
survival drama quickly took the top spot in 93 countries. Squid Game 2 is
the latest example of Korean cultural content, which Netflix distributes
globally. Netflix had already invested in several Korean cultural products,
including Bong Joon-ho’s film Okja (2017) and the historical epic Mr.
Sunshine (2018). In 2019, Netflix released its first original Korean zombie
drama series, Kingdom, followed by D.P. (2021) and The Glory (2023).
Netflix has also circulated numerous K-dramas and films. Other global OTTs
are not left behind. Moving (2023), The Worst of Evil (2023), and Light
Shop (2024) in Disney+ show the increasing role of global OTTs in relation to
the Korean Wave. As Korea has talented content creators and cultural
products, Netflix and Disney+ are tactically riding the Korean Wave.


Netflix and Disney+ have undoubtedly shifted the ways in which people
consume visual narratives, ranging from television dramas to full-length
films tailored to global audiences. In so doing, these global OTTs have
influenced the Korean entertainment industry. Due to heavy impacts driven
by Netflix and Disney+, Korean cultural creators reorient their production
norms to greet the new world these global forces design. This rapidly
shifting media environment creates tensions between global and local
cultural industries, which are concerned about the decreasing role of the
local cultural industries as well as the loss of cultural identity.
However, Netflix’s strategic emphasis on producing local original content
has significantly contributed to creating culturally diverse, multilingual
international audiences.


The current development of the Korean Wave content on global OTTs, as can
be seen in Squid Game 1 and 2, Moving, The Glory, Physical: 100, Culinary
Class Wars (2023), and Light Shop (2024), asks scholars to advance new
theoretical and practical approaches in understanding the power relations
between local and global cultural actors in the Korean context, which is
becoming part of the global cultural sphere. The impact of these global OTTs
is expected to change the face of the Korean Wave, one of the most
powerful examples
of transnational cultural flows. It is crucial to create new perspectives
that drive the Korean Wave to the level of new grounds. In this conference,
we plan to analyze new horizons generated by global OTT platforms,
including Netflix, in tandem with the Korean Wave.


We welcome contributions that address the recent development,
triggering a fundamental
shift in our understanding of Hallyu and OTTs. As a group, we plan to
discuss the possibility of advancing non-Western theories and/or new
theoretical perspectives amid the continuation of the Korean Wave on global
OTT platforms. Throughout the discussions, we hope to shed light on current
debates and place them in perspectives relevant to future transnational
cultural studies.


This conference serves as a sequel to the international conference "Is
Netflix Riding the Korean Wave or Vice Versa?" that was held at Seoul
National University in April 2022. The event laid the foundation for
further scholarly exploration. As a direct outcome of that conference, the
organizers collaborated on editing a special issue for the
International Journal
of Communication, which was published in 2023. The revised and updated
papers, together with several new additions, were presented at the City
University of Hong Kong in

December 2024.


*Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:*


   - Cultural/critical analysis of Squid Game (including season 1, 2 and 3)
   - Transnational cultural flows from the Global South
   - Netflix's effects on Korean Wave content
   - Shifting cultural genres in the Netflix era
   - Netflix audience research: methods and perspectives
   - Comparative studies of Netflix’s original productions
   - Case studies of individual production companies and/or filmmakers before
   and after their cooperation with global OTTs
   - Historical perspectives on streaming technologies and services and Korean
   media
   - Shifting power relationships between global and local OTTs
   - Shifting media ecology surrounding the Korean Wave and OTTs
   - Effects of Netflix on storytelling and aesthetics of Korean cinema and
   TV
   - Critical Understanding of OTT platforms in the Korean cultural scene


*Conference Details:*


1. Conference Schedule: date and place

Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea. July 18-19, 2025


2. Deadline

To apply, please send an abstract (300 words max.), a short biography (150
words max.), and a 2-page CV to Dr. Jungju Shin (bk21eng-intl at yonsei.ac.kr).
The deadline for applications is 28 February 2025. We will notify the
accepted abstracts at the end of March 2025.


3. Outcomes

There will be two potential projects based on the conference, as we did with
the first conference held in 2022. One will be a journal special issue. The
other will be an edited volume. Since we plan to develop these two different
academic publications in English, we only accept original materials not
published or scheduled elsewhere.


4. Conference support

We may provide some benefits to the presenters, including registration fees
and meals. However, we do not support travel and accommodation. Though, we
may support, even partially, a few graduate students. If you have any
questions, please contact Miseong Woo (mswoo at yonsei.ac.kr) or Dal Yong Jin (
yongjin23 at gmail.com).


-- 
Sungjin Shin, Ph.D.
Instructor and Postdoctoral Researcher
Department of English Language and Literature
Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea
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