He might be under fire in the U.S., but Ted Sarandos was all smiles in Korea this weekend.
The Netflix co-CEO took to the stage at an event in Seoul marking the streamer’s tenth anniversary in Korea, from where the likes of Squid Game, Kpop Demon Hunters and Kingdom have come. Korea was one of Netflix’s biggest bets financially, and has proven one of its most important markets.
“Ten years ago, we dreamed big, but none of us could have imagined that Korean stories would move hearts around the world, and land right at the center of global culture,” said Sarandos.
“For Netflix, Korea is more than a market. It is where we discovered new possibilities, and where we learned how far a story can travel, and it is one of our most treasured partners for the future we are building together. To every creator, every actor, every crew member, and every fan in Korea: thank you, from the bottom of my heart.”
Sarandos was speaking after a difficult period for Netflix, during which its shares tumbled despite decent third quarter results. Wall Street remains spooked amid mass layoffs at the streamer and a share price that has fallen sharply throughout 2026.
Netflix countered criticism of its performance in the U.S. by pointing to international titles such as Plastic Beauty, The Secret Woman and The Perfect Lie, which are on track to become the most-watched titles ever in Japan, Denmark and the Netherlands, respectively.
The Korea event will have been a further tonic for Sarandos, with the likes of Lee Jung-lae, Lee Byung-hun and Park Hae-soo from Squid Game, Ahn Hyo-seop from Kpop Demon Hunters and stars from D.P., Physical 100, Hellbound, Mask Girl, Culinary Class Wars, The Devil’s Plan and Agent Kim Reactivated taking to stage at the Korea Fan Festival at the Sangnam Oil Tank Culture Park. The event ran October 24 and 25.
Stars from upcoming shows Possible Love, Tantara, Grand Galaxy Hotel, She, Wolf (fka Beauty in the Beast), All of Us Are Dead Season 2 and Solo Leveling also appeared at the event, where Netflix outlined a series of stas to highlights its local impact.
Top non-English content
Netflix said Korean content was the most-watched non-English language content on the app and that over 80% of subscribers watch it. The streamer launched in the country on January 6, 2016.
The streamer noted flagged that more than 200 Korean titles had hit its Global Top 10 chart in the past five years, with Squid Game Season 1 unsurprisingly staying there the longest (32 consecutive weeks). Teach You a Lesson was noted as the tenth most-watched non-English title in the streamer’ history, with all three seasons of Squid Game in the top ten.
Other stats thrown out include working with more than 80 Korean production companies, filming taking place in more than 100 towns and cities, and a third of its originals being led by first-time writers and/or directors.
