Ted Sarandos previews Tantara, which premieres Dec. 11, as Netflix says more than 80 percent of its members have watched a Korean title.
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos went to Seoul over the weekend for a two-day fan event marking ten years of the streamer in Korea. Dubbed Netflix Janchi, the festival ran Oct. 24 and 25 at Sangam Oil Tank Culture Park, a former petroleum storage depot turned cultural complex in western Seoul.
More than 10,000 fans turned up for themed booths, games, merchandise and live music. Stars of Netflix's best-known Korean titles came out too. Squid Game lead Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun and Park Hae-soo took the stage to look back on the show, and Ahn Hyo-seop, a voice star in KPop Demon Hunters, had his own moment in the spotlight.
Lee Jung-jae said the moment that moved him most was when fans overseas told him they were proud to be Asian and Korean. Lee Byung-hun recalled the reaction abroad. "What surprised me most was that people from all cultures and countries around the world sympathized with and loved our story, told in our own language."
Sarandos took the stage on Saturday to thank the Korean creative community and preview the slate. He reflected on how far Korean stories have travelled in the past decade:
"Ten years ago, we dreamed big, but none of us could have imagined that Korean stories would move hearts around the world, and land right at the center of global culture."
The showcase previewed Possible Love, Lee Chang-dong's movie, which took the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize in Venice and is due to arrive worldwide on Netflix on November 6. Jeon Do-yeon and Sul Kyung-gu were on stage for it. Sul admitted that he took part in the project without having read the screenplay, relying entirely on his trust in director Lee.
Tantara is a period drama set against the Korean entertainment industry from the 1960s to the 1980s, and it premieres Dec. 11. Its stars Song Hye-kyo, Gong Yoo and Kim Seol-hyun opened the showcase. Kim described the story as one where "reality is brutal and violent, but the dream of success and mutual devotion shine through the mud." Song added: "Though set in a different era, global viewers will deeply relate to characters living passionately every moment to achieve their dreams."
Byeon Woo-seok, who plays Sung Jin-woo in the live-action Solo Leveling, spoke on stage. The series adapts a web novel and webtoon that has accumulated 14.3 billion views worldwide. "It is an honor to greet you with a project that has received so much global love," Byeon said.
Lomon, Park Ji-hu, Cho Yi-hyun and Yoon Chan-young, who star in the second season of All of Us Are Dead, also said hello to fans. Yoon, whose character's fate was left uncertain in the first season, drew cheers by declaring: "You might have thought I was dead, but Cheong-san is still alive."
Netflix also released figures. According to the streamer, Korean programming is now its most-watched non-English content category, and more than 80 percent of members worldwide have watched at least one Korean title. More than 200 Korean titles have appeared on its global Top 10 since June 2021. The three Squid Game seasons hold the top three spots on its all-time most-watched non-English TV list, and Teach You a Lesson recently joined at No. 10. From April 2025 through March 2026, shows made in Korea accounted for over 12 billion hours watched on Netflix, trailing just American productions by country of origin.
Over a third of Netflix's Korean titles from 2024 through 2026 were the work of first-time directors or writers. This year Park Yoon-seo, who earlier worked as an assistant director for the second season of Kingdom, made his directing debut with the young-adult horror series If Wishes Could Kill. "Netflix gave me an opportunity when I was an assistant director on 'Kingdom: Season 2.' I'm glad I was able to give new actors that same opportunity," Park said.
Netflix has yet to set release dates for Grand Galaxy Hotel, She, Wolf, All of Us Are Dead Season 2 and the live-action Solo Leveling.
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