Crash landing for K-dramas? Waning output threatens genre’s future

South Korean industry groups have urged the government to invest in and support the production of Korean television dramas, known as K-dramas, warning that the industry's production base is at risk of collapsing. According to the Korea Drama Production Association, the number of K-dramas produced has dropped by about 30 percent from 141 titles in 2022 to 78 titles in 2023.

Three domestic broadcast networks have cut their drama output from 91 titles in 2012 to just 32 in 2023, with some channels even stopping the airing of weekday dramas altogether, the groups representing industry workers including producers, directors, writers, actors, cinematographers, and crew stated.

The groups attribute the decline in production to rising production costs, which they blame on competition from well-funded global streaming platforms, broadcasters' reduced capacity to invest, and difficulty securing intellectual property rights. They also noted that advertising income alone is no longer sufficient to recoup production costs, leading broadcasters to the rational choice of cutting output.

The groups criticized the government's 2027 draft budget, which would see a 4.5 billion won (US$3.35 million) reduction in culture ministry's broadcast-video funding.