Jung Duk-hyun
The author is a cultural critic.
An elderly man in his 80s recently remarked, “I heard BTS performed in Gwanghwamun, but I couldn’t find it on TV no matter how hard I looked.” He was referring to BTS’s comeback live show held on Saturday at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul. He may not have been familiar with BTS itself, but he clearly knew the city had opened one of its most symbolic spaces for the performance. Naturally, that raised his curiosity. Yet he could not watch the show. He had assumed it would be broadcast live on broadcast networks such as KBS or MBC, not streamed globally on Netflix.
In the past, an event staged at Gwanghwamun would have been organized at a national level and aired on public broadcasters. But the sight of an idol group performing at the heart of Seoul while Netflix streamed the event live to 190 countries was strikingly different. It reflects how K-culture has already entered a global ecosystem that differs fundamentally from the past. It also raises questions about Netflix’s ambitions and how they are reshaping K-culture.
BTS performs at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul on March 21 to mark the release of “BTS Comeback Live: Arirang.” [BIGHIT MUSIC/NETFLIX]
A day before the performance, Netflix held a media briefing. Brandon Riegg, vice president of nonfiction series and sports, outlined the company’s vision for global live broadcasting: “to create moments that everyone on Earth can share together.” He explained that in a world saturated with content, opportunities for global audiences to connect simultaneously are diminishing. A recent example was “Sky Scraper Live,” in which climber Alex Honnold scaled a building in Taipei, streamed globally under the same vision.
In the era of terrestrial television, such shared viewing experiences were described as “appointment viewing,” when ratings were determined by how many people tuned in at the same time. Netflix itself disrupted that model through video-on-demand services that enabled selective viewing. Yet now it is attempting to revive real-time viewing on a global scale. If terrestrial broadcasting once united national audiences, Netflix seeks to connect viewers across 190 countries at once, positioning itself as a kind of global broadcaster.
Within this ambition, K-culture plays a key role. The BTS comeback live event effectively served as a global showcase of that strategy. While the broadcast did not fully meet expectations in terms of production quality, its opening sequence was particularly revealing. It offered insight into how global audiences perceive K-culture and how Netflix intends to frame it.
The opening aerial shot moved from Geunjeongjeon Hall at Gyeongbokgung Palace to Gwanghwamun Square, blending tradition and modernity. This fusion is a defining feature of K-culture. Works such as “Squid Game” (2021-25) combine survival genres with Korean games, while “Kingdom” (2019) presents a Joseon-era zombie narrative. “Culinary Class Wars” (2024-) mixes Korean cuisine with fine dining elements. In K-culture, East and West intersect spatially, while past and present merge temporally.
This dynamic creates a sense of a “portal” that transcends time and space. The large rectangular structure on the stage during BTS’s performance appeared to symbolize such a portal. Through it, tradition and modernity overlapped as BTS emerged wearing outfits that reinterpreted traditional clothing in contemporary styles. Fans from around the world gathered in one place to witness the moment.
If the structure evoked Netflix’s signature “ta-dum” logo, it was no coincidence. By connecting a peak moment of K-culture to a global live broadcast, Netflix signaled its ambition to become a portal for content that transcends boundaries. For a platform with such a vision, K-culture is an ideal partner.
Global platforms such as Netflix and YouTube entered Korea in earnest around 2016. Since then, K-culture has become a global culture. BTS topped Billboard charts, “Parasite” (2019) won the Academy Awards and “Squid Game” became a worldwide phenomenon. Behind these achievements were platforms that enabled global distribution and visibility.
Initially, these successes were often framed as “enhancing national prestige,” a phrase that resonated with many Koreans. But more recent developments suggest that this framework is no longer sufficient. The global success of “KPop Demon Hunters” (2025) illustrates this shift. The animation features K-pop elements and aspects of Korean culture, yet it was produced by Sony Pictures with investment from Netflix.
This raises a question: Why was such a project not produced within Korea? Some observers argue that domestic creators may struggle to maintain a balanced perspective, often leaning toward excessive nationalism or skepticism. Global collaboration, by contrast, allows for a more measured portrayal.
Maggie Kang(center), Chris Appelhans and Michelle L.M. Wong win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film for ″KPop Demon Hunters″ during the Oscars show at the 98th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 15, 2026. [REUTERS/YONHAP]
Director Maggie Kang, a Korean Canadian, embodies this global collaboration. At the Academy Awards, she remarked, “This is for Korea and Koreans everywhere.” Her statement suggested that being Korean is no longer defined solely by geography but includes those who identify with Korean culture worldwide.
As K-culture continues to grow alongside global platforms like Netflix, it faces a turning point. It is no longer confined to a national framework, nor produced solely by and for Koreans. It is a shared cultural space shaped through global collaboration.
Even Gwanghwamun Square reflects this shift. Once associated with the 1987 democratization movement and the 2002 World Cup, it is now a gathering place for global audiences drawn by K-culture. It is no longer just a national space.
The partnership between global platforms and K-culture has created a new cultural portal. While K-culture has gained visibility on the global stage, it still appears to rely on outdated national frameworks. In this new era, the central actors are global audiences united by shared tastes.
K-culture’s future vision may therefore lie not in promoting national prestige, but in understanding and engaging global audiences. The portal connecting Gwanghwamun to the world has already opened.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
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