SEOUL (ANN/KOREA HERALD) – Ted Sarandos, the co-chief executive officer of Netflix, expressed enthusiasm on Friday for the return of several popular Netflix originals scheduled for this year.
“We’re very excited about the return of ‘Physical: 100’ and ‘Sweet Home,’ and, of course, ‘Squid Game’ this year,” Sarandos shared during a brief meeting with reporters at Netflix headquarters in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on Friday.
Sarandos, currently on his second visit to the country since June 2023, mentioned his particular excitement about visiting the set of “Squid Game Season 2” during this trip. He looks forward to firsthand experience of the setting and the storyline that director Hwang Dong-hyuk, who also directed the first season, will present in the new season.
During his visit, Sarandos is reportedly scheduled to tour the production site of Netflix’s Korean original series and visit the Korean office of Scanline VFX, a global visual effects and animation company acquired by Netflix in 2021.
Details about potential meetings with Korean government officials or content creators during the visit have not been disclosed.
In June 2023, Sarandos met with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to discuss methods to invigorate the online streaming service market and cooperation strategies for the Korea and US media and content industries. He also engaged with auteur Park Chan-wook and film major students in Korea, exchanging ideas about the digital content market’s future.
In April 2023, Sarandos announced Netflix’s commitment to invest USD2.5 billion in Korean content over the next four years during a meeting with President Yoon Suk Yeol in Washington for a US state visit.
“Over the next four years, we will invest USD2.5 billion in Korea. That’s roughly twice as much as we’ve invested since we first launched our service here in 2016. And it includes funding for training programs for the next generation of creators in front of and behind the camera,” said Sarandos during a press conference held for his visit to Korea at Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul on June 22, 2023.
“It’s been an amazing partnership between the Korean creative community and Netflix. But I believe we’re just scratching the surface of what’s possible. It’s why Netflix is investing for the long term,” he emphasised.
