Chinese market draws Korean producers, screenwriters

“Running Man” is a famous TV entertainment show.

By Kwon Ji-youn

Shin Woo-chul

In the past China was satisfied with imports of “finished” hallyu content such as dramas, reality shows, music and other forms of entertainment.

Now, however, it wants to make its own versions, using Korean producers, screenwriters and the whole nine yards.

This was emphasized late last year when China’s Juna International bought Chorokbaem Media ― Korea’s largest drama production company.

The purchase comes as part of a strong pull of top talent by the Chinese market, which has an immediate advantage due to its sheer size.

Those who have jumped on the Chinese bandwagon include star producers such as Jang Tae-yoo, who produced “My Love from the Star,” which had a viewership of 3 billion on iQiyi, a Chinese video platform, Shin Woo-chul of “Secret Garden” and the Hong Sisters, screenwriters of “The Greatest Love.”

“Dad! Where Are We Going?” is a reality TV program.

Chinese companies have also bought the rights to the popular Korean reality TV program, “Dad! Where Are We Going?” with its producers hired as consultants, according to Lee Kyo-wook, president of production company Broadstorm.

“The production crew of Runningman, a TV entertainment show, participated in the making of a Chinese version, helping it to be a success,” Lee said.

The reasons for the shift toward China by producers all comes down to the scale of its economy.

“We are relying on the influx of capital from China,” said an official at a local production company under the condition of anonymity. “Heated competition among Chinese video platforms to attract traffic has spurred the country’s demand for Korean content.”

This has led to concerns that China’s active pursuit of Korean content and talent may affect its development domestically.

In many cases, production talent goes to China to look for opportunities.

About 150 to 200 producers are estimated to be in China currently looking for work.

“It would be wiser for them to return, and create wholly new content more attuned to Chinese culture, and then try again,” the official added.

According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, China’s investment in the services sector has increased by 940 percent from 2010 to 2014. Alibaba said last August that it would invest 100 billion won in Korean films.

Chinese media company Huace said it would invest $52.7 million for a 15-percent stake in Next Entertainment World (NEW), Korea’s top film distributor, to become its second-largest shareholder.

These Korean companies have boasted productions that include some of the country’s most successful drama and film imports ― Chorokbaem produced “hallyu” (Korean wave) dramas “All In,” “Jumong” and the “Highkick” series, while NEW was the distributor of the 2013 film “The Attorney.”