Netflix’s ‘Squid Game’ success sparks debate in South Korea over IP rights

Since the survival drama ‘Squid Game’ gained larger-than-expected popularity throughout the world on Netflix, the world’s big-name platform operators such as Disney+ and Apple TV+ have been competing to spend big money to secure content made in South Korea.

But critics have raised questions on whether it is right for local productions to allow such platform operators to monopolise content rights to their shows at a time when the Korean entertainment market has emerged as a content hub for its globally popular cultural content such as K-pop, TV series and films, reports Yonhap news agency. These critics say local productions should seek ways to reduce their financial dependence on global content titans.