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K-dramas meet Thai podcasts: Korean TV shows have taken off in Thailand thanks to Netflix, YouTube and Viu – now local podcasts are doing deep dives into Sweet Home, Start-Up, Itaewon Class and more

STORYThe Korea Times
Stills from K-dramas Start-Up, Mr Queen and True Beauty, three favourite shows discussed in Thai podcasts about Korea. Photo: TVN
Stills from K-dramas Start-Up, Mr Queen and True Beauty, three favourite shows discussed in Thai podcasts about Korea. Photo: TVN
Fame and celebrity

  • Korseries Podcast uses popular K-series as jumping off points to discuss Korean culture in depth, from K-beauty and cosmetic surgery to food and webtoons
  • Meanwhile, local online news agency The Standard’s Watch Series to be Serious podcast already has 100,000 subscribers to its YouTube channel

Thanks to the global streaming services Netflix, YouTube and Viu – a Hong Kong-based media provider popular in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa – the popularity of Korean entertainment, especially K-dramas, continues to soar in Thailand.

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K-dramas have become trendy, everyday conversation starters for many people in the Southeast Asian country. Their content has also gradually moved in on the local podcast scene, according to a recent report by Bang Ji-hyun, a correspondent in Thailand for the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE).
The logo for Thailand’s Korseries podcast. Photo: Korseries Podcast
The logo for Thailand’s Korseries podcast. Photo: Korseries Podcast
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One such is Korseries Podcast launched in December last year by Thailand’s popular Korean entertainment news website Korseries.com.

By looking at a number of South Korea’s hit series, including True Beauty, Gangnam Beauty, Sweet Home and Start-Up, the weekly programme explores a range of topics from the country’s creative industry to its culture, food and economy.

An ad for Korseries. Photo: Korseries Podcast
An ad for Korseries. Photo: Korseries Podcast

Presented by hosts Soft – founder of the Korseries website – Lookwa and Air, the podcast offers more than just a casual review of K-dramas as it aims to analyse each show from a wider sociocultural context.

A still from the Korean TV drama Start-Up. Photo: TVN
A still from the Korean TV drama Start-Up. Photo: TVN
As a result, True Beauty becomes a catalyst for a discussion on Korea’s beauty standards and the development of cosmetic surgery, while Start-Up, starring Nam Joo-hyuk, paves the way for a conversation about the country’s top start-ups, including Coupang and Woowa Brothers Corp. The programme also investigates a series of webtoons adapted for the small screen – The Uncanny Counter and Itaewon Class among others – to cover Korea’s web comic industry.

The Standard, a local online news agency, has also rolled out a new podcast called Watch Series to be Serious dedicated to Korean dramas on its YouTube channel, attracting 100,000 subscribers.
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Under the theme of introducing Korean series worth watching for the first half of 2021, two hosts – The Standard reporter Jermsiri Lueangsupaporn, whose articles focus on analysing the general Korean entertainment scene, and freelance editor Eddie Sophon – examine the historical and social matters woven into dramatic narratives that may be unfamiliar to those outside Korea.