LayarHijau – South Korea is taking a closer look at the booming short-drama business as China continues to dominate the rapidly growing market. The format is no longer being viewed simply as a passing trend in content consumption, but as a potential new business and export opportunity for the Korean entertainment industry.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) recently released the July 2026 edition of “Broadcasting Video & OTT Trends (Vol.2)”. Titled “숏드라마, 트렌드와 비즈니스 전략 사이에서” (Short Drama, Between Trends and Business Strategies), the report examines the rapid growth of the short-drama market and looks at how Korean content companies can compete in an increasingly globalized market.
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One of the report’s main sections, “Spotlight,” focuses on the challenges facing South Korea as it seeks to strengthen its position in a short-drama market currently led by China. KOCCA highlights several areas that could help Korean short dramas become more competitive, including the use of established intellectual property (IP), a more stable production system, the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), and the development of a sustainable industry ecosystem.
KOCCA also features interviews with five Korean companies involved in short-form content and their plans to expand overseas: WhyNot Media, Bamboo Network, Studio Shortnaps, Vigloo, and Lezhin Snack.
China Has Already Built a Massive Short-Drama Market
South Korea’s growing interest in short dramas comes as no surprise given China’s explosive growth in the sector.
Unlike traditional television and OTT series, short dramas are designed around quick, highly condensed storytelling, with episodes that can be watched in just a few minutes. Major conflicts are introduced almost immediately, the number of characters is often kept small, and each episode is structured to keep viewers moving straight into the next one.
The format is particularly well suited to smartphone viewing and the vertical screens that have become standard on social media platforms.
China has taken the concept much further, turning short dramas into a major commercial business with dedicated platforms and multiple monetization models, including subscriptions and pay-per-episode systems.
Some Chinese productions have also shown that the format can go beyond straightforward melodrama. “Escape from the British Museum” (《逃出大英博物馆》), for example, combines fantasy, romance, and cultural themes through the story of a Chinese artifact that comes to life after being displayed at the British Museum.
Another title, “Why I Returned to Being 17” (《我回到十七岁的理由》), mixes time travel with a coming-of-age romance.
Still, much of the Chinese short-drama market continues to rely on highly dramatic romances, wealthy heirs, marriage conflicts, revenge plots, infidelity, and fantasies about moving up the social ladder.
The storytelling is intentionally fast-paced, with heightened emotions and constant twists designed to keep viewers hooked from one episode to the next.
Why Is South Korea Taking Notice?
One of the biggest factors behind the growing interest in short dramas is the way people consume entertainment.
Audiences have become accustomed to short-form videos on TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and other digital platforms. That shift has also changed expectations for scripted content.
Instead of spending several episodes waiting for the central conflict to emerge, viewers are introduced to the main hook almost immediately in a short drama. Every scene has to move the story forward, because there is little room for slow buildup.
The economics of the format are just as important.
Traditional drama production requires substantial investment and can take months to complete. Short dramas can be produced on a much smaller scale and on a significantly faster schedule, while also offering flexible distribution and monetization options.
AI could further strengthen that advantage. The technology is increasingly being used in areas such as editing, translation, subtitling, dubbing, and visual production.
For a Korean drama industry dealing with rising production costs and intense competition among OTT platforms, short dramas therefore offer a potentially lower-risk way to experiment with new content and business models.
Korean Short Dramas Are Looking Beyond the Domestic Market
What makes KOCCA’s report particularly notable is that it does not treat short dramas merely as a domestic trend. A major focus is how Korean short-form content can find audiences overseas.
WhyNot Media, Bamboo Network, Studio Shortnaps, Vigloo, and Lezhin Snack are among the companies exploring ways to build international audiences and business models around the format.
Vigloo, in particular, has established itself as a platform focused on short-form drama and has been pursuing overseas expansion.
Their efforts suggest that Korean companies are not simply trying to replicate China’s success. They are also looking at how short dramas can become another exportable form of K-content.
KOCCA argues that simply copying China’s formula will not be enough. Strong IP, reliable production infrastructure, technological innovation, and a healthy industry ecosystem will all be crucial if Korean short dramas are to grow sustainably.
Short Dramas Aren’t Just for Gen Z
Another interesting aspect of the short-drama boom is its audience.
The format may look like a natural fit for Gen Z because of its connection to social media and smartphone culture. However, China’s experience suggests that adult women are also an important part of the audience.
That is significant for Korean companies, particularly those that initially positioned short dramas as youth-oriented content.
The Chinese market suggests that viewers with established drama-watching habits and greater purchasing power can be a valuable audience for paid short-drama services.
For Korean companies, the challenge will be finding stories and characters that appeal to a broader range of viewers rather than simply chasing the youngest demographic.
Old IP and Celebrity Power Could Help
KOCCA’s report also examines two related trends: the renewed interest in “old IP” and the expansion of “celebrity IP.”
Both could offer Korean entertainment companies a way to reduce the risks involved in creating completely new franchises.
One example is “My Lovely Sam Soon” (《내 이름은 김삼순》), which received renewed attention through Wavve’s “New Classic” project. The classic drama was restored and remastered in 4K, giving an older title a fresh look for today’s audience.
The strategy reflects a broader shift in how Korean companies are thinking about existing content. Established dramas already have recognizable characters, storylines, and fan bases, making them potentially valuable assets in an era when audiences increasingly consume content in shorter and more fragmented formats.
KOCCA also highlights the growing potential of celebrity IP. The report features Lee Jung-ho, a producer at Studio Episode who has worked on shows including “Cho Seung-yeon’s Exploration of Life” and “Today’s Joo Woo-jae,” discussing how celebrity brands can be expanded into different types of content.
Can South Korea Really Catch Up With China?
The growing interest in short dramas does not mean South Korea has already caught up with China.
China still has a major advantage in terms of market size, production experience, dedicated platforms, and established monetization models. That is precisely why KOCCA is focusing on ways for Korean companies to strengthen their competitiveness.
South Korea, however, has its own advantages: a powerful global K-content brand, extensive experience in scripted entertainment, internationally recognized actors and IP, and distribution networks built through the global success of Korean dramas and films.
The real challenge will be combining those strengths with the unique demands of short-form storytelling.
If Korean companies can develop more diverse stories, maintain strong production values, make smart use of existing IP, and use technology to lower production costs without sacrificing creativity, short dramas could become another major branch of the K-content industry.
For now, South Korea is better described as a rising challenger rather than a direct rival to China in the short-drama market. Whether it can eventually close the gap will depend on whether the Korean industry can develop a formula of its own instead of simply copying what has already worked in China.
Beyond short dramas, the KOCCA report also examines the revival of old IP, the expansion of celebrity-driven content, global OTT viewing habits and advertising competition in the second quarter of 2026, as well as industry trends across six global regions.
