[Manbo Jeongdam] Setting the Stage for 'Ojingeo Game', Laying Silk on My Heart

Meeting Cho Hyun-rae, President of Korea Creative Content Agency, at Studio Cube
Balancing Life by Walking and Doing 108 Bows While Looking Down
"An Attitude Needed for Content Support... Must Provide Nourishment"
"Young People Need to Boost Self-Esteem to Grow as Experts"

Cho Hyun-rae, the president of the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), does two things before going to work: walking and performing Baekpalbae (108 bows). He wakes up early in the morning and puts on his shoes first. He climbs Baemesan Mountain, which offers a panoramic view of Naju Innovation City. He walks around the lake park and the mountain ridge for about an hour to awaken his mind. "After walking unconsciously for about 40 minutes, I start to feel a reaction in my head. Perhaps thanks to blood circulation, my mind suddenly clears up. It feels like I can start anything. If I drank the day before, the hangover disappears too. I can start the day feeling light and refreshed."

[Manbo Jeongdam] Setting the Stage for 'Ojingeo Game', Laying Silk on My Heart

Cho Hyun-rae, President of the Korea Creative Content Agency, is being interviewed by Asia Economy on the 23rd at Studio Cube of the Korea Creative Content Agency in Daejeon. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

When he returns, he performs Baekpalbae for 30 minutes. He is not a Buddhist. He started it while looking for an exercise he could easily do at home. The 108 bows represent the 108 sufferings that torment sentient beings across the past, present, and future. As he bows, all kinds of sufferings disappear. Recently, President Cho has truly felt its value. "Continuously bowing my head to the floor makes me let go of myself. It’s like emptying the mind. It approaches the state of no thought and no mind described in Buddhism. Many people only look up to high places. It’s necessary to look down together and balance life. This attitude is needed not only in my life but also in supporting content."

This perspective on work was formed by finding answers in the field of creation and production. On this day, he carefully inspected Studio Cube, where filming for 'Squid Game' Season 2 is in full swing. It is a public production infrastructure located in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon. To respond to the rapidly changing video content market, the studio and related facilities were built reflecting the opinions of film and drama professionals. 'Squid Game' Season 2 is being produced in Studio A, the largest studio in Korea (1,136 pyeong). After finishing filming next month, post-production will begin aiming for release within the year.

"Isn’t it the most successful series on Netflix? I hope it paves the way for various high-quality K-content to emerge. There is too much to see in the world. To survive in the fiercely competitive global market, we must ultimately raise the quality level. That is the power to sustain the Korean Wave. I will diligently supply the nutrients and support it."

- Did you do walking and Baekpalbae this morning as well?

"Of course. It’s the simplest exercise. You can do it anytime, even briefly before or after meals. It doesn’t cost money. I don’t set specific goals. But I have one rule: if I need to travel one or two bus stops, I always walk. By making it a habit, I average more than 15,000 steps a day."

- It must be good for both body and mind, and in spring like now, the scenery must be delightful.

"I feel the changes in nature by seeing buds sprouting on old trees. You can’t see that when riding in a car. I used to climb Inwangsan Mountain often to take it all in. I stared at trees growing in rock crevices for a long time. Their twisted shapes, as they pierced through stones and took root, are incredibly beautiful. They have no value as timber, but they are precious. The same goes for weeds. Some people belittle them as plants without competitiveness. But their ability to settle and survive in areas where no other plants grow is a valuable strength."

- Walking on mountain trails seems to help you recover a pure heart.

"People become kinder when they climb mountains. I don’t just pass by trees precariously standing in rock crevices. I fill the gaps near their roots with soil to help them grow well. When that warmth is conveyed, a complicated mind becomes calm."

Cho Hyun-rae, President of the Korea Creative Content Agency, is inspecting the facilities at Studio Cube of the Korea Creative Content Agency in Daejeon on the 23rd. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

- I heard you mostly walk alone.

"Because others might dislike it (laughs). To clear my mind, it’s better to walk alone. If you walk while talking, your thoughts multiply. The conclusions you reach that way don’t help solve problems. It’s like studying. Studying for 10 hours straight doesn’t improve grades. You need to rest 15 minutes after 45 minutes of study. You have to organize your mind bit by bit to memorize smoothly."

- Does it also greatly help maintain health?

"Of course. Humans were not born to run. Structurally, we are optimized for walking. We can walk longer than any other animal. We have spread roots all over the world. If it’s an ability inherited by nature, we should keep using it. That’s the law of nature."

- The meaning of Baekpalbae must be somewhat different.

"It’s a kind of preparatory posture to humble oneself. It started as exercise. I opened the east window and repeated it while listening to news or music. After a few tries, I sensed it could become meditation. I changed to a quiet atmosphere and started counting numbers quietly. My distracting thoughts disappeared and my mind became peaceful. I also sweat a lot. I gained confidence to look up to high places again."

- Do you relieve stress from work and other pressures through walking and Baekpalbae?

"Honestly, I don’t have much stress. Because I don’t have high expectations usually. Of course, when my mind is complicated, I walk alone to organize problems and put down mental burdens. When you let go of expectations and fixed ideas, answers often appear. You also become more open to understanding others’ opinions. You gain strength to accept situations."

- You are known for communicating well with your team members. I have even seen you personally take care of the youngest employees. You seem to value their ideas and thoughts quite a lot.

"A new employee once completely revamped the Edukoca system (an online education site operated by KOCCA). When the number of users suddenly increased, I asked them to present directly at a regular meeting. The team leader or director could have done it, but I wanted to hear the thoughts of the person who led the change. I wanted the whole organization to share how they understood young people’s behavior patterns and values and reflected them on the site. These days, young people don’t feel shy and present well when given such opportunities. Raising their self-esteem like that helps them become experts in their fields. It also increases their loyalty to the company."

- If you don’t communicate well with young employees, you’re likely to be called a 'kkondae' (old-fashioned authoritarian).

"Being a kkondae is unrelated to age. No matter how young you are, if you impose your way, you become one. Since I’m in a position where I can easily be perceived as a kkondae, I try not to impose and listen carefully. That also helps KOCCA’s operation. People who give unsolicited advice often don’t foresee the next move well. You need to distance yourself from your own thoughts to come up with new ideas and find solutions."

- KOCCA manages support for fields such as broadcasting, webtoons, characters, fashion, and games. It’s physically impossible to watch or experience all related content. There must be a method or principle for selecting them.

"I get content recommendations by talking and sharing empathy with employees and people around me. Recently, I downloaded a mobile game. Even though I’m not skilled, I challenge myself whenever I have time. My wife selects dramas. She’s an expert (laughs). We sit side by side on weekends and binge-watch them all at once."

- What drama impressed you the most?

"'Extraordinary Attorney Woo.' It well expressed 'difference' through the autism spectrum. There is always difference beside us. The way it handled that was very fresh. 'Juvenile Justice' also meaningfully portrayed the perspectives our society should have."

- You seem very interested in stories of growth.

"I think that is the strength of K-content. There is a joking comparison. In the West, dragons lay eggs. In the East, like the term 'dungyongmun' (a fish passing through a gate to become a dragon), fish go through a difficult process to climb a gorge and completely change their nature over hundreds of years to become dragons. The difference also appears in heroes. America’s Spider-Man becomes a superhuman after being bitten by a spider. Iron Man becomes special by borrowing the power of the latest machines. The East is different. One must pass through a harsh training process to establish martial arts and be reborn as a leader of an organization. Which side emotionally resonates more with viewers? The answer is already clear. Korean creators are excellent at making people empathize with that."

- Many contents with such elements have been produced at Studio Cube, a video production facility created by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and KOCCA, and have succeeded at the box office. These include 'Squid Game,' 'Sweet Home,' 'Mr. Sunshine,' 'Night Owl,' and 'Alchemy of Souls.'

"I’m proud that many creators have chosen this space to unleash their imagination. Even before coming to KOCCA, I hoped such a studio would be built. I had witnessed several times the poor conditions of shabby logistics warehouses behind the success of Hallyu dramas. Considering the advancement of high-definition broadcasting production and transmission technology, realistic sets like actual structures were necessary."

- I heard six medium-to-large studios are used every day without exception.

"The utilization rate has been 100% for the past three years. It seems to have gained a good reputation by satisfying the demands of film and drama professionals. From the beginning, we prioritized facilities needed by creators when designing the space. The multipurpose water studio, opened last September, is the same. With increasing special shoots like artificial rain and marine disasters, we judged the demand to be sufficient. I was confident that reducing the high cost burden demanded by the private sector would help the related industry grow. Next year, we will build a virtual studio equipped with LED walls and in-camera technology. I expect production companies will be able to reduce all costs and time spent on overseas filming and post-production."

- Do you have any other goals you want to achieve during your tenure?

"Since I first took office, I have wanted to be recognized as the head of an institution that works well. I have received much praise and support so far, but many tasks remain. To properly solve them one by one, the staff must listen to voices from the field and raise their insight. It’s not enough to just look at your own area. You must be able to see comprehensively across other fields. If we can demonstrate flexibility that induces new attempts like that, it would be perfect."