At D23, Disney’s largest fan event, which officially opened Thursday in Anaheim, California, the trailer for the Korean drama “The Remarried Empress” was unveiled for the first time during a media session, drawing enthusiastic applause from more than 200 media professionals and influencers from around the world.

During the session, Disney executives unveiled upcoming Disney+ titles and major global content lineups for international media. The repeated mention of Korean content underscored the strong position Korean productions have established in the global content market.

Disney executives highlighted Korean original titles including “Battle of Fates,” “House of Fates,” “The Remarried Empress,” “Perfect Crown” and “A Shop for Killers” as key examples of the platform’s global achievements.

“The Remarried Empress,” a series based on the popular webtoon of the same name with a powerful global fan base, drew particular attention. Its trailer was unveiled for the first time at the event, putting the series in the international media spotlight.

A central theme of the session was “cross-pollination” — a phenomenon in which locally produced content crosses borders through algorithms and word of mouth to become a global megahit.

Disney said original productions developed under its “Local for Local” strategy are driving growth across the streaming ecosystem.

Eric Schrier, president of Original Programming and Strategic Programming at Disney’s Direct-to-Consumer International division, said that highly localized productions such as Korea’s “Moving” and “A Shop for Killers,” as well as Colombia’s “Dear Killer Nannies,” which was created specifically for the Latin American market, have achieved unexpected success beyond their target regions.

Local content that delves deeply into the unique emotions and cultural sensibilities of a particular region can, paradoxically, attract a broad international audience through global streaming platforms.

These programming successes are also leading to the active export of local formats. Schrier said the format of the Korean variety show “Battle of Fates” will be remade in other countries, including the United Kingdom, with adaptations reflecting local characteristics.

Disney’s next-generation content cycle is taking shape through locally conceived stories designed for domestic audiences that become global hits and are subsequently transformed into localized originals for new markets.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.