[Report] From 'Kingdom' Meeting Room to 'Yeonghui' Sculpture... A Visit to Netflix Seoul Office

First Office Reveal Since COVID-19
Leading the K-Content Craze with 21 Works... Expanding 2023 Lineup

Netflix Seoul Office.

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Su-yeon] Netflix has revealed its Seoul office to the public for the first time in three years. This year, Netflix contributed to the K-content boom by showcasing 21 Korean original contents to 223 million viewers across 190 countries worldwide. Next year, it plans to further expand its Korean content lineup to accelerate the spread of the Korean content craze.

On the 16th, Netflix opened the 'Netflix Seoul Sarangbang' and held a tour event at its Seoul office located in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

Netflix opened its Seoul office in 2019 but had not disclosed it to the public due to the spread of COVID-19. With the recent transition to an endemic phase, it is now being unveiled for the first time.

Upon entering the 20th-floor office, the first thing you see is a large screen. It introduces Netflix’s new releases every month through short videos.

Next, visitors toured the meeting rooms. At first glance, they look like typical office meeting rooms, but their unique names catch the eye. They are named after popular Netflix Korean productions such as 'Ojingeo Geim' (Squid Game), 'Kingdom', and 'Beom-in-eun Baro Neo' (Busted!).

Netflix Seoul Office 'Squid Game' Meeting Room.

A Netflix representative explained, "In the past, meeting rooms were named after overseas productions like 'The Crown.' However, as Korean productions started gaining popularity recently, there was a suggestion to rename them after Korean content, so we named them accordingly." This reflected the affection for Korean content and the changed status it holds.

Passing the Ojingeo Geim meeting room and moving inward, there is a corridor adorned with artwork that reinterprets Netflix content posters. Netflix shows various posters tailored to users’ preferences even for a single title. For example, for 'D.P.', fans of Jung Hae-in see posters featuring his face, while those who prefer action genres see action-themed posters.

Next, visitors went to the canteen. Upon entering, the first thing that catches the eye is 'Young-hee' from Ojingeo Geim wearing a Santa hat. The canteen is a space where employees eat and hold informal meetings, creating a comfortable atmosphere.

As an entertainment company, Netflix also prepared dedicated spaces within the office for content viewing. These are the 'Jongno' room and the 'Seoul' room. The Jongno room is optimized for home entertainment. Netflix users can experience watching content on a TV from a living room sofa, just like at home. It is equipped with Dolby Atmos speakers, Blu-ray Xbox, and various other devices to create an optimal environment for content viewing.

A Netflix representative said, "Employees also use it for test screenings, and creators such as directors and producers often visit to see how their content appears."

The Seoul room is larger than the Jongno room and resembles a small movie theater with about 20 seats. Lee Sung-gyu, Netflix’s Head of Production, said, "The Jongno and Seoul rooms are symbolic spaces as an entertainment company. When producing works, there are many processes such as post-production, production, subtitles, dubbing, and CGI. Although these rooms are not used constantly, directors and staff use them for final technical checks. We implemented technologies like 4K LED and Dolby Atmos."

Netflix Seoul Office 'Jongno' Room.

This year, Korean content on Netflix continued to perform well, capturing the attention of global users. Among the 21 Korean titles released, Ojingeo Geim set a global viewing record of 1.65045 billion hours and won six Emmy Awards. 'Jigeum Uri Hakgyoneun' (All of Us Are Dead) ranked 4th in cumulative viewing hours in the non-English TV category since its release, and 'Isanghan Byeonhosa Woo Young-woo' (Extraordinary Attorney Woo) stayed in the global top 10 for 21 weeks.

Kang Dong-han, Netflix Korea Content Head VP, reflected on 2022, saying, "'Jigeum Uri Hakgyoneun' entered the top 10 in 93 countries, sparking a zombie genre boom, and Ojingeo Geim was the first Korean Netflix content to receive such significant awards. Suriname recorded 20 million viewing hours in just three days. It was a year of firmly establishing variety shows and films by releasing 21 Korean original contents."

Go Hyun-joo, Netflix PR Director, said, "In 2023, we will strengthen the lineup so that viewers can watch not only series but also variety shows and films every month. We ask for more interest."