India’s media market, grounded in a strong cinematic tradition long represented by Bollywood, is undergoing a period of profound transformation in multiple respects. At the same time, India has drawn renewed attention in Korea as a country known for its strong interest in the Korean Wave. This lecture offers an opportunity to examine how the media landscape is changing from the perspective of producers working at the forefront of media production in India, and to explore the questions and possibilities that creators are considering as they look toward the future.

Participants will have the opportunity to hear directly from Hyun Woo Kim, CEO of Cross Pictures, a Korean production company that has established itself in the Indian market and has been producing films and dramas there. Through his firsthand insights, the event will address a range of questions concerning the realities, challenges, and prospects of media production in India.

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Review

This lecture provided an opportunity to understand the Indian content industry, long represented by Bollywood, not simply as a single film market, but as a complex media ecosystem being reshaped by digital transformation, the growth of OTT platforms, and the rise of regional-language content. In particular, the discussion highlighted how India’s young demographic profile, widespread smartphone adoption, and mobile-centered patterns of content consumption are driving a rapid shift in the Indian media market from a traditional theater- and television-centered structure toward a digital-first model. The expansion of the Korean Wave in India beyond fandom to include dramas, K-beauty, food, and tourism also demonstrated how the circulation of cultural content can generate both industrial and sociocultural effects.

Drawing on his experience working in India, Hyun Woo Kim further explained that the global content industry operates through continuous negotiation with local languages, regional specificities, and consumer preferences. By examining not only the growth potential of the Indian content industry but also its practical constraints, including insufficient infrastructure, limited purchasing power, and challenges related to intellectual property protection, the event offered a valuable occasion to consider the opportunities and conditions for cultural industry cooperation between Korea and India from a multidimensional perspective.