Despite being an American company, Netflix’s most-viewed film and TV show famously both hail from South Korea: “KPop Demon Hunters” and “Squid Game” Season 1, respectively.
And that’s not to mention other pop culture powerhouses like BTS and “Parasite,” all of which were highlighted at the 2026 K-Expo USA event at L.A. Live over the weekend in Downtown Los Angeles, where the top brands in South Korean beauty, food, style and entertainment convened to celebrate their shared culture.
“There are some statistics showing that more than 80% of Netflix’s total viewer consumers have experienced Korean content at least once,” director of Global Affairs and Public Policy at Netflix Korea Ye Jin-hae told reporters, via AI translation. “And more than 70% of them have a good image of Korea through various Korean content — and their intention to visit Korea.”
“It has become a more universal genre and a genre that everyone can enjoy,” he added, a decade after entering the global market. “Netflix Korea is once again preparing for the next 10 years and is considering sustainability.”
Saturday’s media preview panel also included commentary from Korea Creative Content Agency’s Content Export Headquarters director Park In-nam, actor and foodie Ryu Soo-young, Naver Webtoon executive director Cha Jung-yoon, Nongshim USA branch manager Kim Kyung-jo and Korea Cosmetics Industry director Park Sang-hoon, as well as a keynote from Sun Moon University professor Kim Yong-hee.
Plus, according to Prof. Kim, production jobs actually benefit the entire country: “Today, if one new job is created in the video broadcasting industry, in other words, if a lot of investment is made, about three jobs will be created in the entire economy of Korea.”
Meanwhile, other brands on the JW Marriott expo floor included Daniel’s Truth, the Korea Football Association, Line Friends, NC AI, Jung Saem Mool and bb.q Chicken, just to name a few. A Sunday K-Pop concert also featured performances from Jay Park, P1Harmony and LNGSHOT onstage.
This year’s K-Expo was co-hosted by South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.
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