Netflix says viewer engagement matters more than ad exposure SEOUL, July 8 (AJP) - Global streaming giant Netflix told roughly 600 advertisers and marketing officials in Seoul that viewer engagement matters more than simple ad exposure, as it seeks to attract more advertising spending to its platform. The company laid out the case Tuesday at "Behind The Streams," an event held at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas. Citing its own 2025 survey, Netflix said 74 percent of viewers who saw ads on the platform later took a related July 8, 2026

Nam Joo-hyuk set to return with Netflix series after completing military service SEOUL, July 8 (AJP) - Actor Nam Joo-hyuk was still serving in the military when the script for The East Palace landed in his hands. Reading it inside the barracks, he found himself drawn to an unusual idea: a swordsman who hunts ghosts by crossing between the worlds of the living and the dead. That script has now become his first project since completing military service. Set for release on July 17, Netflix's eight-episode series "The East Palace" blends palace intrigu July 8, 2026

Korean titles crowd Netflix charts as 'Agent Kim Reactivated' joins SEOUL, July 08 (AJP) - Korean titles filled several top spots on Netflix's global charts last week, led by action drama "Mr. Kim," which climbed to No. 1 on the platform's non-English TV chart in its second week of release. "Agent Kim Reactivated" logged 10.5 million views for the week of June 29 to July 5, according to Netflix's official Top 10 data. Netflix calculates views by dividing total viewing hours by a title's running time. The se July 8, 2026

Annual film fest in Bucheon set to kick off in celebration of its 30th anniversary SEOUL, July 2 (AJP) - The annual Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) is set to kick off with a red carpet event in Gyeonggi Province on Thursday. South Korea's largest genre film festival, now in its 30th year, will showcase a record 321 films from about 50 countries, with an expanded lineup and a greater focus on artificial intelligence. Among them, about 93 films will have their world premieres during the festival, which runs until July 12. The curtain July 2, 2026

'Teach You a Lesson' Holds No. 1 on Netflix's Non-English Chart for 4th week SEOUL, July 01 (AJP) - "Teach You a Lesson" remained the No. 1 non-English TV show on Netflix's global charts this week, marking its fourth consecutive week atop the ranking as Korean titles continued to dominate the platform's non-English lists. The series, which follows a fictional agency that intervenes in schools to protect teachers' rights and restore order, made the Top 10 in 75 countries, including markets in Asia and Europe. Several other Korean ti July 1, 2026

Netflix viewers are becoming Korea's newest tourists, data shows SEOUL, June 30 (AJP) - South Korea's tourism boom in 2026 is increasingly being linked to something outside the traditional travel industry, what foreign viewers are watching at home. Foreign visitor arrivals surpassed 10 million by the third week of June, about a month earlier than 2025, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Arrivals from January through May totaled 8.72 million, up 21 percent from the same period in 2025. May alone brought 1.95 million visi June 30, 2026

Netflix to stream entire Korea's Mise-en-scène festival films SEOUL, June 24 (AJP) - Netflix will stream all 44 competition films from the 22nd Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival in South Korea for two weeks beginning Wednesday. The films will be available through July 7, following the festival's six-day theatrical run at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Seoul, which ended Tuesday. Selected award winners will remain on the platform longer, with availability varying by title. The festival received 1,667 submissions this year before June 24, 2026

Yeon Sang-ho's latest zombie film draws 5 million in about a month SEOUL, June 15 (AJP) - Director Yeon Sang-ho's film "Colony" has attracted more than 5 million since it hit local theaters last month. According to data from the Korean Film Council on Monday, the zombie film drew about 301,000 moviegoers over the weekend, bringing its cumulative theater attendance to 5.21 million after topping the box office for the fourth consecutive week since its release on May 21. It became this year's second film to reach the milestone, fo June 15, 2026

Netflix rolls out mobile-first updates to make content discovery easier SEOUL, June 11 (AJP) - Streaming giant Netflix on Tuesday showcased new product and technology updates designed to help users find content more easily, with a focus on mobile viewing, personalized curation and gaming. The company unveiled the updates at an online Product and Technology Innovation Showcase for media in the Asia-Pacific region. Elizabeth Stone, Netflix's chief product and technology officer, said the company's mission is "to entertain the world" June 11, 2026

K-zombies are fast, vivid — and in "Colony," finally thinking SEOUL, May 27 (AJP) - Summer heat in Korea brings horror season, and this year's bar-raiser is "Colony," Yeon Sang-ho's latest zombie thriller, which drew more than 2.1 million admissions in its first six days. The film claimed 39.9 percent of advance reservations across 1,858 screens nationwide, prompting inevitable comparisons to Yeon's 2016 breakout "Train to Busan," which sold 11.5 million tickets and pushed Korean zombie cinema onto the global May 27, 2026