CJ ENM Senior VP Seo Jang Ho on Bringing K-Dramas to India: ‘Not Easy to Get Into Indian Market Because Local Content is Strong’

Korean dramas are all the rage in India. For years now, fans have enjoyed watching subtitled content. While that is the case, there's little fan involvement in on-ground activities. That may soon change, believe executives at Prime Video and Korean production company CJ ENM, whose new collaboration brings about an opportunity for old, new and upcoming titles to make their way to fans in India. 

Getting to this stage wasn't easy, says Seo Jang Ho, a Senior VP at the overseas company. Answering a question from Variety India, he says, "India is a really dynamic market and it's not easy to get into it because, for India, the local content is so strong. So we have been trying to get into the local market for many years, but it wasn't really easy. But for a couple of years now, we have been witnessing growing popularity of Korean content. So I consider that a start. We want first to understand the local market of India, what you like, what you're trying to understand, and what appeals to you."

The team has previously brought forth shows like "Marry My Husband" and "Spring Fever" to the country. 

On being asked what kind of shows would work best here, he shares, "Generally speaking, what I feel is that possibly more appealing to India is that we share some values like family, friendship and love. So the stories about this kind of principle of universal value will work for India as well as it works for [South] Korea. Personally, I think it's not only romantic comedies that Korean titles are popular for, but we are also creating other genres as well. Action, thriller, and all other different kinds of things. We want to make it really well and hope that it will be loved by you, India, not only romantic, rom-com, but other genres as well.”

The new deal aims to bring over 100 titles across a couple of years to the platform, out of which 26 are expected to be unseen shows. "The Legend of Kitchen Soldier," "Yumi's Cells Season Three," and "My Bias, My Boss" are some of the already announced ones. Alongside these, the shows will feature subtitles in English and dubbing in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu, targeting regional audiences.