The Korean content boom, including the rise of K-dramas and K-pop, was in focus during a panel at the Red Sea Souk, the market of the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Sunday. But the chaotic political situation in South Korea in recent days, including a failed attempt by its president to introduce martial law and a failed attempt to impeach him, didnt come up.

A curious crowd came to the market in Jeddah Old Town Al-Balad to listen to the panelists, namely disaster-thriller Concrete Utopia director and screenwriter Um Tae-Hwa, mystery-thriller Somebody director Yeo-Jung Kim, Hyoun-soo Kim, director of funding and support at KOFIC, the Korean Film Council, and the founder and CEO of Barunson CC, Woo-sik Seo, the veteran producer behind Bong Joon-hos Mother and Okja. Masha Magonova, director strategy, finance, and operations at Library Pictures International, served as the moderator for the session, which featured comments translated from Korean into English, Arabic, and other languages.

The Jeddah session with a spotlight on South Korea came ahead of the much-anticipated debut of season 2 of Netflix hit Squid Game and just days after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law, a move quickly overturned by lawmakers.On Saturday, Yoon apologized and vowed not to try and impose it again. But protesters and political opponents have called for his resignation. An impeachment vote in parliament later on Saturday fell just a few votes short as most members of the countrys ruling party left parliament to boycott the vote.

Seo explained differences between Hollywood and Korean content. I think a lot of Korean directors have this instinct of finding that commercial and artistic balance, and were kind of forced to because we dont make Hollywood movies, he shared. We dont have the funding. And we have different themes. Were not making heroes. Were making individuals who have their inner struggles when theyre faced with a problem. And so we have to be focusing on the individual as a human being. And I think thats what makes Korean movies resonate with the audience around the world.

The panelists highlighted that they focus on making good films for Koreans rather than aiming for content that can travel the globe, arguing that exactly this specificity along with universal themes makes K-content such a success in many parts of the world.

For example, Seo noted that the differences between haves and have-nots, depicted in such Korean hits as Parasite and Squid Game, are universally understood themes.

Director Kim said her film Somebody similarly deals with a universal topic: mother love. Asked if she would want to make a Hollywood movie, she responded: Its not something that I dont want. But holding fast to what is truly Korean for the Korean audience I think will lead to other opportunities.

Um Tae-Hwa similarly shared: I was able to go to Hollywood, and it just felt like a dream. . These experiences made me think Hollywood is closer than I thought. But it didnt make me think that Hollywood was my target. I am Korean. I my primary objective is to make movies that the Korean audience will love, and that is my passion and drive.

He continued that this might actually lead to opportunities and proposals, but just because I am asked to do an American movie, I wont just accept it because its an American movie, the director emphasized. I would see whether I can add value to it as a Korean filmmaker and base my decision on that.