Transnational panorama on Netflix
From a Korean Indie documentary to the Netflix original series My Love: Six Stories of True Love
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20210344 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Hee-Seung Irene Lee (0000-0002-5016-8253, University of Auckland, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Pages | 1-17 |
| Publication date | 2025-08-28 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Asian Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1479-5914 • E-ISSN: 1479-5922 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s1479591425100296 |
| OpenAlex | W4413799628 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 20 |
Hallyu has expanded significantly through digital platforms since the 2010s. While Netflix has played a crucial role in distributing Korean content worldwide, its platform-driven strategies typically favour commercially optimised and formulaic narratives. This article examines an alternative dynamic through the 2021 Netflix docuseries My Love: Six Stories of True Love , which builds upon South Korean director Moyoung Jin’s earlier independent documentary My Love, Don’t Cross That River . Produced with local teams across six countries under Jin’s executive oversight, the series preserves an aesthetic and political sensibility rooted in Korea’s minjung documentary tradition. Its sustained focus on marginalised elderly couples and the intimate relationship between camera and subject represents a significant departure from Netflix’s standard original docuseries, which often centre on scandalous crimes, sensational narratives, or planetary issues such as climate crisis. The article investigates how culturally specific narratives can achieve global resonance without diminishing local contexts. The analysis traces the culturally sensitive translation of a local independent documentary to a transnational Netflix series, arguing that such cross-cultural initiatives signal a multidirectional and inclusive reimagining of Hallyu that challenges its predominantly market-driven circulation patterns
Art · Indie film · Literature · Media studies · Narrative · Panorama · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Visual arts · Asian Culture and Media Studies · Cinema and Media Studies · Comparative and World Literature · Gender Studies · Law
Netflix Nations
Sincerity and Authenticity
Why Voice Matters
Introduction to Documentary, Third Edition
Colonising Egypt
Cosmopolitanism
Carnal Thoughts
The Netflix Original documentary, explained
Netflix in South Korea
Hallyu 2.0
Love Must be Reinvented
Netflix’s effects on the Korean Wave
Cosmopolitan Patriots
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |