Find Korea's 'Harry Potter' [The Driving Force is Story①]

Joanne Rowling and Bloomsbury-led Supporters
KOCCA Discovers Writers Through Korea Story Contest
225 K-Content Commercializations...243 Writers Produced
'Descendants of the Sun', 'Owl', 'Red Shoes' etc.

The richest author in the world is Joanne Rowling. With 'Harry Potter,' she achieved unprecedented success not only in literature but also in movies, theme parks, and various other fields. The seven-volume series has sold over 500 million copies worldwide. Rowling receives about 15% in royalties. 'Harry Potter' was also made into eight films. Rowling's stake is reported to be around 10%. She amassed enormous wealth through income from theme parks, the internet, and more. The UK's Sunday Times estimated Rowling's fortune in 2021 at ?820 million (approximately 1.4876 trillion KRW).

Movie still cut from 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'

It was unimaginable when she was writing manuscripts using a secondhand typewriter in a shabby house. 'Harry Potter' barely saw the light of day when the Christopher Little Literary Agency, which did not handle children's literature, reached out. Initially, the manuscript was classified to be returned, but Briony Evens, Christopher Little's secretary, was drawn to the black cover and began reading it carefully. Finding it interesting, she requested the full manuscript and offered a contract under standard terms.

Rowling also struggled to find a publisher. Prestigious companies like Penguin, Transworld, and HarperCollins rejected the manuscript. She overcame twelve rejections and signed with Bloomsbury. Receiving a modest advance (?6,500 / approximately 9.25 million KRW), she approached the public under the pen name J.K. Rowling. Bloomsbury advised this because they thought boys would be reluctant to read a book written by a female author.

After writing the fantasy novel 'Harry Potter,' single mom Joanne Rowling, who had been barely surviving on government welfare in a shabby apartment, turned her life around like magic (Photo by Bloomberg News).

No matter how good a story is, it is useless if it is not discovered. A good partner is necessary. Support is needed for advertising, marketing, promotions, contests, sponsorship contracts, merchandising, exhibitions, and more. However, reality is not easy. Unreasonable conditions are often proposed, or support is poor. Sometimes, due to a lack of foresight by those in charge, works are shelved without ever seeing the light of day.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency have held the 'Korea Story Contest' annually since 2009 to prevent such problems. They discover competitive stories in the content industry and support commercialization. The judging target is a treatment, a document summarizing the format, theme, content, and development of the work. Originality, completeness, and marketability are judged in preliminary and final rounds. In the final review, the potential for commercialization in various fields is examined to select winners.

This year, the number of submissions was a record high of 2,500. This is double the 1,398 submissions in 2020 and 432 more than last year. A KCCA official explained, "This is the result of discovering 225 stories that became the raw material for K-content and nurturing 243 writers with brilliant ideas and writing skills." In fact, seventy-nine winning works have been reborn as various content. Twenty titles have also entered markets in the U.S., Japan, China, and Europe.

The most successful work is 'Doctors Without Borders' by writer Kim Won-seok, which won the Excellence Award in 2011. It was made into the 2016 drama 'Descendants of the Sun,' which recorded a peak viewership rating of 38.8%. It was simultaneously broadcast on China's iQIYI and surpassed 2 billion views. It was also remade in Taiwan, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Based on this, Kim wrote various scripts such as the dramas 'Man to Man' (2017) and 'Law School' (2023).

'Owl Boy' by writer Kim Bo-hyun, the 2013 Excellence Award winner, is also considered a successful commercialization. It was made into the 2022 film 'Owl,' which attracted 3.32 million theatergoers. It won three awards from the Korean Association of Film Critics (Best Actor, Best New Director, Best Cinematography) and six Golden Cinematography Awards (Best Film, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Lighting), recognizing its artistic merit. It overcame the Hallyu ban and signed remake rights contracts with Chinese production companies. Kim actively works at the production company Glen & Grim Media, publishing works such as 'The Worst Thing' (2022) and 'If Someone Calls Your Name' (2017).

'The Seven Dwarfs' by Locus (CEO Kim Hyung-soon), which won the Grand Prize in 2010, was developed into an animated film, mobile games, and an animation artbook, achieving meaningful results. In particular, the animated film 'Red Shoes' (2019) was so popular worldwide that it ranked first at the box office in Spain for two consecutive weeks. It also demonstrated the strength of Korean animation by being the most played in the Apple TV Family & Kids category. Its quality was recognized as it was shortlisted in the first round for the Academy Awards' Best Animated Feature category.

A KCCA official explained, "42.3% of the awarded works have been commercialized or are in progress," adding, "By category, publishing (including web novels and e-books), drama, and film are the most common." He continued, "In the early years of the contest, results were poor, but from 2013 to 2017, about five works per year were commercialized, and since 2018, about eight works per year have been commercialized."

Seventy-four percent (180 people) of the winners are currently active as writers. More than half, 53%, work in the video field. Next are publishing (33%), animation and comics (both 6%), and performance (2%).

With vigorous activity and commercialization in various fields, applicants' goals are changing. Until 2018, 'prize money' was the most common goal at 32%. 'Matching opportunities' accounted for 19%, and 'contest prestige' was 17%. The results from the past five years are different. 'Matching opportunities' are the most common at 27%, followed by 'contest prestige' (22%), 'prize money' (21%), and 'various follow-up support' (12%).

A KCCA official said, "Since 2019, business meetings for winning works have been intensified, and it seems the purpose of applying has changed," adding, "'Doctors Without Borders,' 'The Seven Dwarfs,' and 'Owl Boy,' as well as 'The Ultimate Child' (novel and webtoon of the same name), 'Joseon Psychiatrist Yoo Se-poong' (drama 'Joseon Psychiatrist Yoo Se-poong'), 'Doctor Stranger' (novel and drama of the same name), and 'The Stolen Book' (webtoon, performance, novel of the same name) are gaining momentum as they are commercialized in various fields." He added, "As the only government award contest covering various fields and genres, we will strive to achieve more commercialization."