Korea turns to short dramas as mobile viewing takes off

Set against the nostalgic backdrop of the 1980s Korean countryside, "Reply, Bok-hee!" centers on the warm yet chaotic bond between a rough-around-the-edges man who has never known family love and a young child, Bok-hee, who has never experienced it either.

As the two form an unconventional family, the series offers a softer alternative to the sensational storylines that have come to define short-form dramas.

The series is part of a rapidly expanding short-drama market in Korea. Unlike conventional television series and films, short dramas are typically shot vertically for smartphone viewing, with episodes running only one to three minutes. They are designed for mobile platforms rather than traditional television or cinema, encouraging viewers to watch episode after episode in quick succession.

Originating in China around 2018, short-form dramas typically consist of 50 to 80 serialized episodes lasting approximately two minutes each. Relying on intense, fast-moving tropes — secret lineages, extramarital affairs and relentless revenge arcs — the format was designed to quickly hook audiences into a binge-watching loop.

Korea entered the market later, and for years domestic viewers were largely exposed to imported short dramas. But growing demand is prompting Korean creators to develop their own works — and to experiment with stories that go beyond the genre's more sensational conventions.

Veteran filmmaker Lee Joon-ik, best known for “The King and the Clown” (2005), has entered the market with “My Father’s Table,” his first short-form project. Based on a Lezhin Comics webtoon, the family drama stars Jung Jin-young, Lee Jung-eun and Byun Yo-han.

"Today’s short dramas cap episodes at two minutes — the maximum attention span for modern audiences before focus drifts. Audiences now demand constant payoff without the setup," Lee explained during a recent interview with the Korean film magazine Cine 21, as to why he chose to make short-form drama.

Other established filmmakers, such as Kim Tae-gon, are also testing the waters.

The growth is part of a much larger global trend. Global short-drama revenue expanded from $5 billion in 2023 to $12 billion in 2024 and is forecast to hit $26 billion by 2030, according to Media Partners Asia. While China commands 70 to 80 percent of the global landscape, momentum is accelerating across the U.S., Japan, Southeast Asia and Korea — where the domestic market reached approximately 650 billion won ($467 million) last year.

The Korea Creative Content Agency’s 2025 Content Usage Behavior Survey revealed that nearly 6 in 10 respondents (58.6 percent) now regularly consume short-form video content.

Domestic platforms including Top Reels, Vigloo and ShortCha are competing with international services such as ReelShort, DramaBox and DramaWave.

High efficiency, storytelling evolution

One major driver behind the boom is the stark cost contrast with traditional broadcasting. While top-tier Korean TV actors now command upwards of 300 million won per episode on global streaming platforms, lead roles in short-form dramas generally range from 300,000 to 5 million won per episode.

Yun Suk-jin, a drama critic and professor of Korean language and literature at Chungnam National University, views this phenomenon as an industry response to traditional production slumps and changing consumer habits.

"With traditional film and television production severely shrinking overall, short-form drama is emerging as a viable alternative," Yun noted. "A new audience accustomed to short-form media has arrived, creating a broader market that is ultimately fueling a manufacturing boom."

He also highlighted how the format's narrative conventions are altering mainstream television grammar.

"Because platforms differ from traditional broadcasting, creators enjoy much higher freedom regarding taboo subjects and intensity levels. This storytelling is strictly tailored to ultra-short physical runtimes and dopamine stimulation — plausibility is disregarded in favor of instant shifts," Yun said.

"Unfathomable by traditional drama grammar, this approach is now influencing mainstream broadcast dramas like tvN's 'Marry My Husband,' where tropes like time travel, possession, and reincarnation are expanding from short-form into regular TV."

Domestic platforms, strategic partnerships

For Korean creators, the challenge is to distinguish domestic short dramas from the high-stimulation formulas that initially drove the format's growth.

A production-company insider specializing in idol-led short-form content said Korean producers are increasingly experimenting with genres beyond romance, revenge and melodrama.

“The biggest advantage of short-form is fast and convenient viewing,” she said. “While people expect highly provocative plots when hearing ‘short-form drama,’ we are experimenting with different genres, such as sports coming-of-age stories starring K-pop idols.”

The growing participation of established filmmakers is another sign that the format is gaining legitimacy.

Lee Joon-ik's projects, along with work by Kim Tae-gon, demonstrate that short-form drama is no longer limited to a new generation of digital-native creators. The trend was also reflected at this year's Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, which introduced a “Platform Special Screening: Short-form Cinema” section. The lineup included Lee Joon-ik's “My Father's Table,” as well as “Lovely Death” and “WIND UP: THE MOVIE,” among others.

By merging established webtoon IPs, cinematic direction, and K-pop star power, Korea's media ecosystem is transforming the ultra-short format from a transient mobile distraction into a robust, scalable storytelling medium.