Song Hye-kyo and Gong Yoo Lead Netflix Korea's 10th Anniversary Slate Reveal

Netflix Korea marked its 10th anniversary on the 24th with a fan event called Netflix Janchi at the Culture Depot in Sangam, Seoul, where the leads of its upcoming titles, including Song Hye-kyo, Gong Yoo, Sol Kyung-gu, Jeon Do-yeon and Byeon Woo-seok, appeared on one stage. The two-day event is a decade-long retrospective, but its first session, "What Next?", was about what the service will release from here.

For years, Netflix's Korean pitch rested on a few global hits. This lineup, covering a Noh Hee-kyung drama, a Lee Chang-dong film and a live-action webtoon adaptation, suggests a wider bet on prestige writers and directors alongside franchise material.

The slate: Song Hye-kyo, Lee Chang-dong and Solo Leveling

Song Hye-kyo, Gong Yoo and Kim Seol-hyun presented Slowly and Intensely, a new series from writer Noh Hee-kyung set in the Korean entertainment world of the 1960s to 1980s. It follows Min-ja (Song) and Dong-gu (Gong), two people who throw themselves at success. Kim described the show's reality as "barbaric and violent," yet one where the drive toward a dream and the care for one another shine through the mud.

Gong Yoo said the characters shouted boldly when others laughed, cleared or rerouted around anyone who blocked them, and held on fiercely even when pulled down after reaching their dream. Song Hye-kyo said viewers would relate to characters who were intensely committed to their dreams at every moment, even in a different era.

Byeon Woo-seok appeared for Solo Leveling, a live-action adaptation of a novel-comic franchise that has recorded 14.3 billion cumulative views worldwide. He plays the lead, Sung Jin-woo, and called it an honor to introduce the project first at Netflix's 10th anniversary. He added that the cast, director and staff are working hard on the shoot.

The film Possible Love, by director Lee Chang-dong, whose work won the Silver Lion (Grand Jury Prize) at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, brought Sol Kyung-gu, Jeon Do-yeon, Jo In-sung and Jo Yeo-jeong. Sol said he agreed to the project without reading the script, simply because it was a Lee Chang-dong film. Jeon recalled that the script left her with the lingering feeling of reading literature, and that the director told her not to act to show but to express only what she feels. Jo In-sung spoke of touring festivals in Venice, Toronto and New York, and Jo Yeo-jeong said the film asks what kind of love is possible and how it can be protected.

The cast of All of Us Are Dead season 2, including Park Ji-hu, Yoon Chan-young, Cho Yi-hyun and Lomon, also appeared. Yoon, whose character's fate was left unclear last season, drew cheers by telling fans that Cheong-san is still alive. Lee Do-hyun and Shin Si-ah (Grand Galaxy Hotel) and Kim Min-ju, Lomon and Moon Sang-min (Wolf, Girl) presented their projects too.

Looking back at the hits

A second session, hosted by Kim Shin-young, gathered casts of the past decade's biggest titles. Lee Jung-jae, who played Seong Gi-hun in Squid Game, said the moment that moved him most was hearing from fans abroad that they felt proud to be Asian and Korean. He said people overseas told him the series comforted them, and that it was the most gratifying feeling for someone who had simply made one series.

On the bold ending of season 3, he said he was surprised as a viewer that such a successful series would end rather than continue to seasons 4 and 5, but called it director Hwang Dong-hyuk's decisive and courageous choice to put a firm full stop on the message. Lee Byung-hun, who plays the Front Man, said what surprised him most was that a story made in Korean was embraced across every culture and country. Park Hae-soo said many people found comfort in the series during the isolation of COVID-19.

Jung Hae-in and Koo Kyo-hwan of D.P. also took part. Jung joked that Ahn Jun-ho's time is still frozen, and that his small personal wish is for the character to be discharged from the military someday. Ahn Hyo-seop, voice of Jinu in KPop Demon Hunters, called it a proud work full of Korean culture. Chefs Hu Deok-jjuk and Napoli Matfia of Culinary Class Wars appeared, with Napoli Matfia saying he lives off Netflix and would like to compete once more. Casts of Hellbound and Mask Girl also joined, including Kim Hyun-joo, Kim Sung-cheol, Kim Shin-rok, Yum Hye-ran and Lee Han-byul.

A message from Netflix leadership

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos sent a congratulatory message. He said none of them imagined Korean stories would move hearts around the world and sit at the center of global culture, and that Korea is more than a market for Netflix: a valued partner that revealed new possibilities.

The event runs through the 25th. The second day features a prize giveaway hosted by Yoo Byung-jae and Jonathan, followed by a finale celebration of the decade's best-loved titles.