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The Korea Times

By Pyo Kyung-min
South Korea has become a significant player in the global entertainment scene, and has also recently emerged as a popular filming destination for overseas production teams.
Foreign shows and films are increasingly choosing Korea as their backdrop – turning places into globally recognised settings.
Last month, season 2 of the Netflix original series XO, Kitty drew quite a buzz upon its release, dethroning Squid Game season 2 to claim the No 1 spot on Netflix’s global TV series rankings.

The protagonist, Kitty, a Korean-American high-school student, and her friends frequent Seoul’s hipster area Seongsu-dong, Han River Parks area and the bustling streets of Jongno district.
Scenes at the fictional school she attends, Korea International School of Seoul (KISS), were filmed on the Sangmyung University campus in Cheonan, South Chungcheong province.
XO, Kitty Season 2 isn’t the only recent drama from an American production team set in Korea. The second season of The Recruit, released on Netflix on January 30, also filmed most of its scenes in the country.
The action series follows protagonist Owen Hendricks (Noah Centineo) as he teams up with an agent from Korea for a secret mission.
The production used major Seoul landmarks, including Lotte Tower, the streets of Gangnam district and traditional markets to thrill audiences.

The Recruit also provides a platform for Korean actors to gain international recognition. In season 2 Korean-German actor Teo Yoo stars as a Korean secret service agent alongside Kim Eui-sung and Kim Young-ah. Shin Do-hyun also features as Hendricks’ first love.
According to a 2023 report by the Seoul city government, 632 film and TV productions from around the world applied to shoot in the city in 2022, with 268 projects receiving subsidies.
Among them, 11 were major international productions, including works from global streaming platforms.
Behind foreign-produced dramas, Korean production service companies play a key role in bringing these shows to life, assisting international crews with location scouting, logistics and much more.
Among them is Hwang Seon-kwon, head of production at Nine Tailed Fox. In an interview, Hwang said that foreign teams are now identifying and suggesting Korean hotspots even before locals catch on.

“There is growing interest in Korea, and international teams are passionate about creating content with a distinctly Korean feel,” Hwang said. “When selecting filming locations, they often request places that will resonate with audiences.”
According to Hwang, as production teams become more familiar with Korea, their location preferences shift.
“Initially, they want to capture a stylised version of Korea – either its traditional aesthetic or a futuristic cityscape dominated by skyscrapers,” he said. “But as they spend more time here, they start choosing locations that real Koreans frequent, particularly places popular among young people.”
Hwang attributed the international film and TV industry’s growing trust in Korea to two key factors – the success of Korean content and the country’s well-developed filming infrastructure.
“Korea is now seen as a compelling setting for global productions,” he said. “Previously, it was just an unfamiliar backdrop, but the success of films and series like Parasite (2019), Minari (2020) and Squid Game has demonstrated the country’s potential …
“Then there’s also strong production infrastructure and support systems reinforcing this perception.”

Indeed, various support programmes have been introduced to encourage filming in Korea, in line with the growing interest.
The Korean Film Council offers a location incentive programme that reimburses up to 25 per cent of expenses for projects that film in Korea for at least five days and spend a minimum of 400 million won (US$276,000) there.
Seoul supports international productions by offering aid such as aerial filming and traffic control, as well as promotional and marketing support and financial incentives for filming within the capital.
Other regional film commissions, including those in Daejeon, Jeonju and Busan, have also begun to provide rebates for productions that meet location and spending requirements.
However, Hwang said Korea’s incentives lag behind those of competing countries eager to attract foreign productions.
“Korea offers about a 25 per cent reimbursement on domestic spending, but neighbouring countries like Japan and Thailand provide significantly higher support,” he said.

Japan, for example, introduced a programme in March last year that offers reimbursement of up to 50 per cent of qualifying expenditures for certain TV and streaming productions, with a cap of a billion yen (US$6.48 million) per disbursement.
“Financial incentives are the most important factor in attracting production teams. The first thing foreign teams ask about is available rebates,” Hwang said. “But in Korea, with a cap on funding, too, it’s challenging to attract large-scale projects.”
While Korea continues to enjoy international attention, Hwang warned that without a sustainable support system, the country could lose its competitive edge.
“Culture is a trend. We are receiving inquiries and seeing script development happening, but if Korea fails to strengthen its support infrastructure, this wave of interest could simply pass us by.”
Read the full story at The Korea Times.


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Sang Heon Lee and Jocelyn Shelfo in a still from XO, Kitty, which used locations in South Korea for filming. Photo: courtesy of Netflix

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Sang Heon-lee (left) and Anna Cathcart in a still from Netflix series XO, Kitty. Photo: Park Young-Sol/Netflix

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Gia Kim (left) and Anna Cathcart in a still from season 2 of XO, Kitty, filmed in Seoul. Photo: courtesy of Netflix

Sang Heon Lee (left) and Jocelyn Shelfo in a still from XO, Kitty, filmed at various locations in Seoul and elsewhere in South Korea. Photo: courtesy of Netflix

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Entertainment

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Film & TV

K-Pop

South Korea draws many foreign TV and film productions, but risks losing out as Japan and Thailand offer bigger incentives, insiders say


South Korea draws many foreign TV and film productions, but risks losing out as Japan and Thailand offer bigger incentives, insiders say.


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South Korea

Netflix

Korea Times