South Korea is striving to support another global hit drama comparable to Squid Game. Photo courtesy of Netflix

KOCCA chief Jo promises to back content creation

The South Korean government strives to support the content industry so that the country will be able to create another global hit comparable to Squid Game.

The state-run Korea Creative Content Agency held a press conference on Dec. 15 to come up with such an idea.

“If we were dominated by terrestrial broadcasters, we would never have a chance to see the Squid Game,” the agency’s chief Jo Hyun-rae said. “It was made to suit the over-the-top platform era.”

“The KOCCA will keep an eye on the global market. We will strive to help our content makers secure sufficient funds,” he said.

Toward that ends, Jo said that the KOCCA increased its annual budget to $462 million for 2022, up 5 percent from this year.

Squid Game is an eight-episode dystopian series, which shows hundreds of cash-strapped contestants playing six rounds of deadly childhood games.

The eventual winner is supposed to receive $39 million, but losers have to risk their lives in the battle royale game.

The Korean juggernaut premiered this September to hit No. 1 in the global charts. Thereafter, it has become the most-watched show on Netflix to date.

The series is still ranked at No. 6 among Netflix dramas as of Dec. 18, according to Flixpatrol that tracks streaming data.

Earlier this week, the series was nominated for three Golden Globes, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced.

The main actors of Lee Jung-jae and Oh Young-soo were nominated for awards for their roles. The drama itself was also nominated for Best Television Series. The award ceremony will take place early next month.

Its director Hwang Dong-hyuk promised to make a sequel to the global smash hit.

The KOCCA was established in 2009 by integrating five related organizations to oversee and coordinate the promotion of the country’s content industry.
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