Creativity in the Korean Studio System

Abstract

This study examines how the establishment of the “Korean-style studio system,” driven by the expansion of global OTT platforms, has reconfigured the creative environment for South Korean content creators. Through in depth interviews with veteran writers, directors, and producers, this research analyzes the paradoxical effects of this new industrial structure. While the studio system offers unprecedented financial opportunities and improved production conditions, it simultaneously constrains creative autonomy by shifting power from creators to platforms and capital. The study finds that creative decision-making is increasingly subordinated to the demands of the global market, particularly in casting, leading to the marginalization of writers and directors in the creative process. Despite these systemic pressures, creators maintain a core ethical commitment to telling universally resonant stories of ordinary people, identifying this as the essential value of their work. The paper concludes that this new system presents a structural dilemma where industrial success is achieved at the potential cost of creative control, threatening the long-term sustainability of the Korean content ecosystem´s unique strengths.