Disney+

Disney+ is the streaming arm of The Walt Disney Company that has quietly become one of the most important commissioners of Korean content on the planet. Launched in November 2019, the platform expanded aggressively into K-drama originals and webtoon adaptations as part of its strategy to compete with Netflix in Asian markets. The Korean content slate has been ambitious from the start. Moving (2023), a superpowered action drama starring Jo In-sung, Han Hyo-joo, and Ryu Seung-ryong, became one of the most expensive Korean series ever produced and drew critical acclaim for its cinematic scope. Big Bet (2022) brought Choi Min-sik to the small screen for the first time. Connect (2022) paired director Takashi Miike with Jung Hae-in. Each title signals Disney+'s willingness to take creative risks that differentiate its Korean offerings from the rom-com and thriller conventions that dominate the genre. The platform's upcoming slate includes The Remarried Empress (2026), adapted from the massively popular Naver Webtoon of the same name, and a growing pipeline of webtoon-to-screen adaptations that leverage Disney's January 2026 acquisition of a 2% equity stake in Webtoon Entertainment. That investment formalized a partnership with Korea's webtoon ecosystem that had been building for years through licensing deals with Naver Webtoon. Disney+ competes directly with Netflix, Tving (CJ ENM), and Coupang Play for premium Korean content, and its willingness to spend at the top of the market has reshaped the economics of K-drama production. The platform's Korean originals are distributed globally across Disney+'s 150+ million subscriber base, giving Korean creators access to a worldwide audience that was unimaginable a decade ago.