Research on the Development Path of Korean Drama Overseas

Market and Its Enlightenment on the Development of Chinese Film

and Television Drama

Qiaoqi Wu

School of Communication, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China

Keywords: Chinese Television Plays, Overseas Market, Korean Dramas, Cultural Discount, Transnational Development.

Abstract: As a visual expression of national soft power, the development of domestic plays is crucial. However, the

expansion of the overseas market of domestic dramas has encountered various obstacles. This paper analyzes

the development path of the overseas market of Korean dramas, uses a questionnaire to study the specific

feedback of its audience in China, and explores the Enlightenment of the foreign development of domestic

dramas. This paper analyzes that the "cultural discount" of overseas productions has a far-reaching impact on

market acceptance. In addition, there are limitations in content homogeneity and narrative skills. Based on

this, this paper proposes that China's film and television plays should upgrade the relevant industrial chain,

use the short video platform to set up a "domestic drama zone" and create a strong IP to break the development

dilemma of domestic plays and help the transnational development of China's film and television plays.

1 INTRODUCTION

Against the backdrop of globalization, the TV drama

industry is inclusive, not only presenting production

technology, but also undertaking cultural

communication functions. Throughout the

performance of Korean drama in the global market, it

has mature and outstanding performance in

international influence and broadcast data, the depth

and breadth of cultural output, international awards

and industry recognition, production and marketing.

Since the new century, the acceleration of

globalization has led to the cross-border integration

of multiple cultures. With the wind of Korean popular

culture, Korean TV series successfully promoted to

the global market, especially in the Chinese market.

The performance and achievements of Korean

dramas in the Chinese market are not only the

epitome of the globalization strategy of cultural

output in the Korean film and television industry, but

also provide a more appropriate successful case and

multi-dimensional reference framework for the

export of domestic dramas. According to statistics, in

2022 alone, Korean dramas created an outstanding

performance of more than 10 billion broadcasts on

China's video platform. The Ministry of Culture,

sports, and Tourism of South Korea even regards film

and television export as the backbone of the country's

overall economic growth (KOCIS, 2023). The cross-

cultural communication mechanism of Korean TV

series provides an important reference for domestic

TV series to enter the overseas market. After

integrating this year's research, it can be found that

most of the literature focuses on digital research,

preferring streaming media platforms, and the huge

impact of social media in Korean drama promotion.

The Trinity marketing of Korean drama "content +

platform + community" has a profound influence

(Liu, 2023). In addition, scholars also have sufficient

research in the field of interdisciplinary integration.

They combined culture, audience psychology, and

other aspects to emphasize the coordinated

development of multiple fields. Through the

localization strategy to reduce cultural discounts, to

achieve emotional resonance (Li, 2021), and more in-

depth research on the development of policy support

for Korean dramas at the government level, the South

Korean government has systematically improved the

global competitiveness and Industrial Synergy of

Korean dramas through tax preferences, export

subsidies and other policy tools (Wang & Zhang,

2022). But throughout the existing research, there are

Wu, Q.

Research on the Development Path of Korean Drama Overseas Market and Its Enlightenment on the Development of Chinese Film and Television Drama.

DOI: 10.5220/0013988700004916

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Public Relations and Media Communication (PRMC 2025), pages 213-218

ISBN: 978-989-758-778-8

213

few audience opinion analyses based on data.

Based on empirical research, according to the

method of questionnaire survey (N=161) and

literature research, this study collects the subjective

feelings of Chinese audiences on Korean TV dramas,

and conducts data analysis and summary. Compared

with the Korean TV drama market in other countries,

China's TV drama market has more potential. The

audience base is large, covering different genders,

ages, educational backgrounds, and regions. Its

evaluation is extensive and diverse, with far-reaching

reference value.

Taking the Korean drama in the Chinese market

as an example, this paper systematically deconstructs

the logic of the success factors and market expansion

of Korean drama in China, reveals the parallel road of

Korean drama and Korean culture complementing

each other, studies the reference significance of

Korean drama in the overseas market to domestic

drama, and then puts forward targeted strategies for

the internationalization of domestic TV drama. This

exploration not only enriches the comprehensive

comparative study of Chinese and South Korean TV

dramas, but also provides theoretical support for the

cross-border communication practice of the cultural

industry in the context of globalization. Based on the

framework of "cross-cultural communication theory"

and "global localization", combined with the

questionnaire survey data (N=161), this paper

analyzes the current situation of Korean TV series in

China's cultural communication, and summarizes the

core obstacles of domestic TV series to foreign

communication; The way of Korean TV series to

achieve cross-cultural penetration through

technology, narrative and marketing; There are three

core issues for domestic TV series: how to combine

their situation, learn from the experience of Korean

TV series to optimize the export strategy, and win

market recognition. For the development of China's

film and television industry, it puts forward the

methodology consistent with the trend of the times,

and provides ideas and Countermeasures for the

promotion of cross-cultural development of China's

soft power.

2 ANALYSIS OF THE

DEVELOPMENT OF

DOMESTIC FILM AND

TELEVISION DRAMA AND ITS

OBSTACLES

2.1 Overall Analysis of the Current

Situation of Cross-Cultural

Development of Domestic Dramas

At present, China's TV drama industry has completed

the transformation from the early exploratory output

stage to the systematic industrial output stage, and its

international communication strategy is gradually

incorporated into the national cultural output strategy

system. Data shows that in 2022, there was an export

volume of about 500 million US dollars, and in 2024,

the export volume of China's TV dramas increased by

45.6% year-on-year. With the state's attention to the

industry, the policy of supporting domestic TV

dramas to go to sea has been constantly improved in

recent years. With the core of "government guidance

+ market operation", it provides comprehensive

support for domestic dramas to sea through financial

support, channel expansion, and international

cooperation. The review system is constantly

optimized, moving towards a more scientific and

reasonable direction, balancing regulatory and

creative vitality, and promoting the creation level and

international influence of China's TV drama industry

in line with the mainstream values. Script support

plan, select excellent historical original scripts or

adapted scripts, and give key support to projects with

international communication potential. Industry

cooperation bodies and alliances, the establishment of

"China Film and television cultural import and export

cooperation body" and "China TV drama export

alliance" and other organizations, integration of small

and medium-sized enterprise resources, and joint

development of overseas markets. Expand

international communication channels through the

cooperation between streaming media and platforms,

cooperate with Netflix, Amazon, and other

international mainstream streaming media platforms

to open a "historical drama special district", and use

algorithm recommendations to reach overseas

audiences accurately. For example, Minning Town

and A Lifelong Journey are broadcast synchronously

through Disney, Netflix, and other platforms.

International exhibitions and exchange activities such

as "China joint exhibition stand" were held to

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promote excellent plays in batches. The

implementation of the "Silk Road audiovisual

project" and market research, localization,

translation, and matching in many African countries.

The influence of domestic TV plays in overseas

markets is continuing to rise.

2.2 Obstacles Faced by Domestic

Dramas

The cultural discount phenomenon in the process of

domestic TV drama communication is the primary

obstacle to expanding its overseas market. Although

the state has gradually attached importance to

overseas market research, actively docking overseas

demand, and wants to improve the level of

customization. However, the industrialization of the

production system needs to be improved, and it is still

facing the challenge of "cultural discount" and

insufficient market acceptance (Zhang & Zhou,

2021). Analyzing the global coverage of domestic

dramas, the core market is Southeast Asia's Thailand,

Vietnam and Malaysia (Li & Wang, 2023), the

advantages of cultural proximity, and the huge

audience of Chinese Americans in Southeast Asia,

reducing the obstacles of cultural discount for the

development of domestic film and television drama

culture. The export volume of this region accounts for

more than 60% of the total export share of domestic

dramas. In the European and American markets, this

obstacle is more obvious. From the perspective of

audience portraits, the audiences of domestic dramas

are mainly Asian groups and oriental culture. The

high viewing threshold leads to the solidification of

audiences in European and American markets. It can

only attract groups interested in Chinese culture, and

it is difficult to expand to other more diverse

audiences.

Although the export of Chinese film and

television culture has begun to take off by works such

as Empresses in the Palace and The Untamed, there

are limitations in the homogenization of themes and

narrative skills. According to this survey, 20.5% of

the audience thought that the domestic drama was

"old-fashioned". In 2022, according to the data of the

State Administration of radio and television,

historical dramas and Xianxia dramas account for

more than 60%, a lack of global themes such as

science fiction and suspense, and excessive

dependence on local cultural symbols such as palace

struggle. It is difficult to attract international

audiences by intensifying the "cultural discount". In

addition, 6.58% of the audience thought that its "high

production quality" was the core competitiveness of

the TV drama, 57.76% of the respondents raised the

issue of lighting effect, and 41.61% thought that there

were flaws in the ability of the drama and the director.

The details, such as scene design should also reflect

the "technical aesthetics" (Kim, 2021). In the process

of film and television industrialization, some Chinese

works were concerned about the imbalance between

technical investment and artistic expression. In the

communication and publicity level, Netflix and other

platforms are mainly used to attract subcultural

circles, but the Korean TV series represented by

Squid Game seriously squeezed the market share of

domestic TV series. The lack of recognition of

domestic drama brands and the lack of international

exposure led to the lag in international marketing and

brand building. In the competition between China and

South Korea, the audience perspective analysis is of

great significance. In addition, China's IP has not yet

formed a group cognition, relying on a single work to

break through. It is necessary to steadily output high-

quality content and establish a label of "Chinese film

and television = quality assurance" in the

international market (Zhang, 2025).

3 CROSS-CULTURAL

DEVELOPMENT AND

INFLUENCE OF KOREAN

DRAMAS

3.1 Overview of the Current Situation

of Korean Dramas in the Global

Market

Korean dramas actively respond to the saturation of

the local market and the competition in the global

market. Breaking down cultural barriers by means of

regional industrialized production strategy is not

limited to "Asian pop culture". With the joint support

of the "Korean wave strategy", streaming media

platform, industrial production system and precise

market strategy, its development has achieved a

strong global influence. According to the kocca report

in 2022, the export value of Korean dramas accounted

for more than 35% of the total content export,

reaching 455million US dollars. The two-way

integration of "cultural industrialization" and

"industrial culture" has laid a solid foundation for the

popularity of Korean dramas around the world. It is

Research on the Development Path of Korean Drama Overseas Market and Its Enlightenment on the Development of Chinese Film and

Television Drama

215

mainly reflected in the dual improvement of

production efficiency and work quality through

technological innovation, such as virtual production

technology; Adopt the global localization strategy of

"type integration+universal theme". For example,

Reply 1988 set in Seoul in the 1980s, triggered

collective memory in East Asia through

"neighborhood warmth", confirming the theory of

"cultural proximity". Science fiction, costume and

other themes in Korean dramas arouse emotional

resonance through universal issues such as family

ethics and growth dilemma. Through the cross

platform matrix, they go deep into the local platform

of the target market, accurately reach the young

groups, and well realize the transformation of fan

economy and cultural practice. "Participatory

culture" has spread through social media to form a

"Korean wave ecosystem", which promotes fans to

shift from entertainment consumption to cultural

practice (Jenkins, 2006). The "Korean wave" has also

formed a group cognition and successfully

established the international image of Korean culture.

3.2 Zoning Strategy -- Practice of

Intercultural Communication

Theory

3.2.1 Asian Market Performance of Korean

Dramas

The market of Korean dramas in Asia is relatively

mature, mainly in Southeast Asia, China and Japan.

Audiences in Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and

other places in Southeast Asia have high acceptance

of Korean dramas due to cultural similarities.

According to the data of VIU platform, South East

Asian users watch 60% of the total traffic of South

Korean dramas on the platform (VIU, 2023). Family

ethics plays and romantic comedies are particularly

prominent. In addition to its excellent cultural

acceptance and vast audience, the Southeast Asian

market also has strong localization potential. For

example, under the upsurge of remake, the Thai

version of Full House and the Philippine version of

Reply 1988 etc. In the Japanese market, Crash

Landing On You broke through the barrier of

Japanese audiences' preference for local dramas

through Netflix, and the idol group's Itaewon Class

also received a large number of young audiences.

The performance of Korean dramas in the

Chinese market can be divided into three periods. The

golden period from 2000 to 2016. The TV stations

represented by Dae Jang Geum and Full House have

introduced dramas, setting off a Korean style craze in

China. With the full penetration of Korean dramas

into the Chinese market, there are also industries such

as clothing, catering and tourism. From 2016 to 2022,

despite the changes in the regulatory environment and

the suspension of the introduction of Korean wave

content on domestic mainstream platforms, private

communication channels remained active. Goblin and

Crash Landing On You triggered a lot of discussion.

In 2020, Penthouse set off an upsurge of "slicing

communication", making it the mainstream. Its

dramatic clips are on the short video platform, with a

single playback volume of more than 10 million.

Korean dramas in this period immediately ushered in

a recovery period in the Chinese market. Since 2021,

some Korean dramas have been launched on video

platforms. In 2021, Now, We Are Breaking Up

invested by CAFA was broadcast in South Korea and

then entered the Chinese market in reverse. The

questionnaire data shows that the social network is

the core position of the spread of Korean dramas, and

more than 60% of the audience get information

through social platforms. Phenomenal dramas can

often trigger phenomenal communication on social

platforms. For example, the social topics of The

Glory have been exposed more than 4billion times,

and the audience's comprehensive score is nearly 9

points. The continuous high popularity among the

people also shows the excellent publicity effect of

Korean dramas on the Chinese platform.

The audience structure of Korean dramas is

clearly differentiated. According to the questionnaire

data, in the Chinese market, female audience accounts

for about 85%, and the audience aged 15-30 reaches

about 70%, and the core audience is post-90s and

Post-00 women. With its unique narrative style or the

superb acting skills of the leading actors, the head

series has attracted more than half of the audience.

Some works achieved a breakthrough in

communication through the actors' cross-cultural

influence, and the fan base of the relevant starring

actors contributed significantly to the audience

support for the series. Among the Chinese audiences

surveyed by the questionnaire, 52.17% said they

would like to learn Korean by themselves after

watching Korean dramas, 59.63% would like to learn

Korean because they like Korean dramas, 63.98%

would like to learn Korean related history, 34.78%

would be interested in other Korean popular culture,

and 9.94% would travel to Korea because of Korean

dramas. Korean dramas have successfully exported

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Korean culture in China, and achieved the

coordinated development of Korean pop culture,

tourism and other industries.

3.2.2 Zoning Strategy of Korean Dramas in

Europe and America

As a new growth area of Korean dramas, the North

American market has a strong preference for suspense

and thriller Korean dramas with strong plot and visual

impact due to cultural differences. Squid Game,

Sweet Home and other Korean dramas have

successfully entered this part of the market.

According to parrot analytics, Korean dramas

accounted for 30% of the consumption of non English

content in streaming media in the United States in

2022. In addition, it is using Netflix's algorithm

recommendation and English dubbing to accelerate

the popularity of its TV series.

4 THE ENLIGHTENMENT OF

KOREAN TV SERIES ON THE

DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

OF DOMESTIC TV SERIES

Domestic dramas can learn from the export strategy

of Korean dramas from three aspects. First of all,

domestic dramas can learn from Korean dramas to

promote the cross-border integration of "film and

television + science and technology + culture and

tourism", and enhance the added value of the whole

industrial chain. Develop a composite theme of

"Chinese elements + universal value". Korean drama

focuses on mining traditional cultural symbols such

as traditional clothing and diet. Its Dae Jang Geum

promotes the export of Korean cuisine and traditional

clothing. Endless Love promotes the shooting site to

become a tourist punch point. Secondly, the Korean

drama "platform coordination and global channel

layout" can also be used for reference.

In addition to the deep cooperation between the

local platform and international streaming media to

achieve the global distribution of content, the two

creations of social media, such as mixed cutting and

plot analysis, form a low-cost communication matrix,

which also brings practical benefits for the overseas

communication of TV dramas. The "China theater"

special district can be opened and the recommended

content can be customized. The short video platform

can be used for "fragmented grass planting", and the

voice volume can be expanded through user

generated content.

Finally, the Korean brokerage company adopts

the industrial star making mode to form the "Korean

star = fashion trend". The operation of its brand

awareness is also worth learning from domestic

dramas. China's film and television industry can

strengthen the whole life cycle management of IP,

develop derivative forms such as games, animation

and peripheral goods, cultivate the brand cluster of

"China's film and television", and establish the

international label of "quality assurance". To achieve

the needs of cultural exports, build a complete

ecology of "policy guidance content innovation

channel collaboration brand building".

In addition, it combines colleges and universities

to cultivate talents, innovate narrative and theme

strategies, expand science fiction, suspense and other

low cultural discount themes and integrate

characteristic elements, implement zoning strategies,

take different propaganda means for different

regional markets, use social media to locate overseas

audiences and strengthen international co production

and other initiatives are also applicable to the current

domestic drama development background.

5 CONCLUSION

As a film and television presentation of national soft

power, the film and television industry is a means to

establish cultural confidence, and it is also a core area

to enhance the international influence of national

culture. Promoting the overseas communication of

domestic TV plays has become the top priority in the

contemporary context. Domestic TV plays should be

committed to improving the recognition of Chinese

cultural elements in the international market,

gathering Chinese popular culture and traditional

culture, deploying propaganda methods, and forming

a "national style" to sweep overseas markets. In this

way, it can enhance the soft power of the country, tell

the story of China, spread the voice of China, and

provide media contribution. In the future, the research

can focus on regional market preference differences

and optimize content production and communication

with AI technology, to further promote the

international development of China's film and

television industry.

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Television Drama

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