Netflix Korea and International Diversity

Benjamin Han, “Netflix Korea and International Diversity,” Association for Asian Studies

Conference, November March 14-17, Seattle, WA.

Abstract: In the platform era, diversification of representation has been a central concern for many streaming platforms, including Netflix, Disney+, and Apple+. For instance, in 2022, Netflix added a section titled “Representation Matters” to its internal corporate culture statement. The newly added section institutionalizes diversity as an essential layer of its distinctive corporate culture. For Netflix, international diversity also translates into cultural specificity, aiming to capitalize on a more authentic representation of different races, ethnicities, and cultures. More importantly, the discourse of cultural specificity speaks to questions of representation inflected in theories of hybridity and authenticity. Drawing on theories of representation, hybridity, and textual analysis of Netflix’s original Korean series, such as Narco-Saints and So Not Worth It, I argue how cultural specificity as a representational strategy interacts with the ethos of diversity to shape the production and reception of Korean media texts while simultaneously revealing how Netflix’s desire to strategically institutionalize what it characterizes as authentic representation contributes to the othering of different races, ethnicities, and cultures for the global audience. In doing so, the paper examines how the platformization of Korean media continues to reify Western hegemony, further illustrating diversity as a representational strategy rather than a meaningful change that can transform the Korean media industry.