Inside Kyool: French startup brings short-form Korean dramas to Europe
Jeanne Dubresson, left, and Christophe Diez / Courtesy of Kyool
A contestant has just three seconds to decide.
In “Real DM,” a short-form dating show available on Kyool, participants must rely on first impressions alone before pressing a heart-shaped button to signal interest in the person standing behind a curtain. If there is a match, the pair moves on to a 30-minute speed date to see whether the initial spark can develop into something more.
The format is quick, mobile-friendly and built for short attention spans. But Kyool’s catalog goes beyond bingeable relationship content, also offering Korean cultural programming, interviews and other material aimed at viewers looking for a deeper introduction to the country’s entertainment industry.
That mix reflects the ambitions of Kyool’s French founders, who see the platform not simply as a place to watch short videos, but as a gateway for European audiences to engage more broadly with Korean content.
Founders Christophe Diez and Jeanne Dubresson work with a small team to develop Kyool from Pangyo Techno Valley in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, while navigating Korea’s fast-moving creative and startup industries.
For both founders, their connection to Korea developed gradually through creative work and personal curiosity.
Smartphones display the Kyool app. Courtesy of Kyool
Dubresson first visited the country while studying photography at Gobelins Paris, a visual arts school. As part of an internship, she spent three months working with a Korean fashion photographer.
“I had always been fascinated by Asia and wanted to travel there since I was young,” Dubresson said.
During that stay, she began teaching herself Korean — often by watching television shows — and later returned several times to participate in art residencies and exhibitions.
Diez’s path to Korea began through the audiovisual industry. Since the late 1990s, he has worked in television and video production, including projects distributed internationally and collaborations with major French broadcasters such as TF1, Canal+ and Eurosport.
His interest in Korea began while researching new television concepts for a French network. While exploring digital platforms, he discovered Korean dramas and began closely studying their acting styles, cinematography and storytelling techniques.
Although an early series idea was never picked up, the project eventually led to his first visit to Korea in 2016 after he presented the concept to a Korean agency.
Over time, his interest in Korean media expanded to documentary projects and the creation of KFTV, a web platform dedicated to introducing Korean television content to French audiences.
Kyool represents the next stage of that idea.
The mobile-first platform focuses on short-form Korean dramas, a format that has grown rapidly in Asia as viewers increasingly watch video through vertical clips and mobile apps.
Diez and Dubresson say Kyool grew out of the earlier KFTV website but aims to adapt the concept for a new generation of viewers accustomed to consuming content through quick, mobile-friendly formats.
While short-form video is often associated with social media platforms such as YouTube and TikTok, the founders say Kyool aims to offer a different viewing experience.
“Those platforms are largely driven by algorithms and endless scrolling,” Diez said. “Kyool focuses on storytelling. Even though the episodes are short, they are part of structured narratives with characters and emotional arcs.”
The founders say the platform is aimed at European viewers who have already discovered Korean entertainment through global streaming services such as Netflix or Disney. The growing international popularity of Korean films, television series and music in recent years has introduced new audiences to the country’s creative industries.
Kyool, they say, is intended as a space where those audiences can explore Korean content more deeply through curated selections, interviews and behind-the-scenes material.
To develop the platform, the team partnered with the Korean company Code Crayon, which operates the short-form drama service Shortime and develops streaming technologies.
The collaboration also coincides with the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and Korea, reflecting the founders’ broader goal of building creative exchanges between the two countries.
“Our company focuses on exporting Korean content to Europe and explaining Korean media and production culture to audiences who are interested in Korea,” Diez said.
Launching the app took longer than the founders had expected, creating technical and financial pressure for the small team. However, they hope Kyool will expand beyond Europe to other regions, including Africa and the Americas. They also plan to produce original projects that combine Korean and European creative perspectives.
“Our vision is for Kyool to become more than just a streaming platform,” Diez said. “We want it to be a place where people who love Korean culture can exchange ideas and even create their own stories.”
The Kyool app is available through Google Play and the Apple App Store.
Alice Hong is a freelance writer and comedian based in Seoul. Follow @hippohong on Instagram.