British TV presenter views 'brutal' netizens as challenge to Korean entertainment

James Hooper, second from left, answers a question from British Chamber of Commerce in Korea Executive Director Lucinda Walker, left, during the Business+ Forum on the Korean entertainment industry at Lotte Hotel in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency

Experts from Korea, UK share opinions on entertainment industry

By Park Jae-hyuk

A British adventurer, who has also worked as a television presenter in Korea, mentioned "criticism from netizens" as one of the difficulties actors face in the Korean television industry.

Sharing his personal experiences of working in the Korean entertainment industry, James Hooper, who summited Mount Everest at age 19 and has appeared on numerous Korean television shows including JTBC's "Non-Summit" and MBCevery1's "Welcome to Korea," made the remarks during a forum in Seoul on Thursday hosted by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and the British Chamber of Commerce in Korea (BCCK).

"Online commentators can be pretty brutal in their appraisal of a show," Hooper said. "Sometimes they are not also entirely factual in what they choose to pick up on."

He said Korea should find out how to create a positive environment online, while maintaining interactions between content consumers and content.

However, Hooper acknowledged that other countries are also facing difficulties in dealing with negative online comments, recognizing the Korean entertainment industry for constantly creating new content with very high production value.

In addition, he suggested that foreign businesspeople in Korea should hire figures with "authentic connections" to their brands as their ambassadors, even if they are not famous, considering the fact that only a small number of celebrities without scandals have been dominating advertising here.

Other experts from Korea and the U.K. also shared their opinions on the entertainment industry.

Saying that Korea is emerging as a "cultural superpower" in the wake of the global popularity of BTS, "Parasite," "Squid Game" and zombie horror movies, the U.K. Parliament's Chair of the Department of Culture, Media & Sport Select Committee Julian Knight talked about success stories of the British entertainment industry that could serve as examples for the Korean entertainment industry.

Yulchon Partner Lee Yong-min and a foreign legal counsel of the law firm, Son Jin, gave an in-depth presentation on Korea's contemporary entertainment industry, focusing on its business models, success stories and future opportunities.

Son pointed to webtoons as infinite and promising sources of ideas, saying that many famous Korean dramas were actually inspired by webtoons.

Lyu Jae-won, executive vice president of trade-investment data at the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), speaks during the Business+ Forum on the Korean entertainment industry at Lotte Hotel in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of KOTRA

Lyu Jae-won, executive vice president of trade-investment data at KOTRA, said he hopes the forum gives participants the opportunity to understand the unique characteristics of the Korean entertainment industry and help them find factors that could contribute to success.

"There are definitely some factors that can hinder the development of the industry," he said. "It needs to be dealt with together by companies, consumers and the government in the midst of a new paradigm in the entertainment industry."

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