SLL gained confidence with 'the youngest son of a chaebol' and laughed with 'Doctor Cha Jung-suk'

SLL regained confidence and chose 'popularity'. SLL showed a firm attitude that will not give in to the upcoming crisis and expressed their determination to move forward as a global studio.

On the 4th, at the Korea Press Center in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, a press conference was held for the first half of 2023 SLL (CEO Jung Kyung-moon), and moderator Lee Seung-guk, SLL Production Director Park Joon-seo, Park Seong-eun, Production Head 1, and Production 2 Head Geon-hong Kim attended.

SLL produced JTBC's 'The World of the Married', 'SKY Castle', 'Itaewon Class', 'The Youngest Son of a Chaebol House', Netflix's 'Now Our School', 'Hell', 'Suriname', and Disney Plus 'Casino'. it's a studio

Production manager Park Joon-seo said, "Starting from the second half of last year, we prepared to show viewers a new image. It was fortunate that the first half of the year produced positive results. I think I can grow my capabilities quickly because a process that can continue to be successful can come out.”

He continued, "Isn't OTT changing rapidly these days? It's burdensome to talk about plans, but our goal is to grow SLL into a global studio in a rapidly changing environment." There is no way. I found confidence internally, starting with the 'youngest son of a conglomerate family'."

In the past, JTBC mainly aired dramas with strong artistic quality. Therefore, poor grades could not have been avoided. In response, Park Joon-seo, the head of production, said, “When I made the decision on the drama before the conglomerate family, I thought that it would work for viewers only if the work quality was strong. However, it was rather a matter of reducing public entertainment. The element has become important, and I tried to select a drama that can show strong popularity, especially in Saturday and Sunday dramas.”

He continued, “Even in the case of ‘Doctor Cha Jeong-suk’, there were actually many reviews saying ‘It’s like a weekend soap opera’ internally. It seems that the change in a direction that can be enjoyed has resulted in a good result.”

As a factor that has changed from before, Park Joon-seo, the director of production, said that there were many talks about "Let's do a popular drama internally." He said, “I think the JTBC drama has good quality, but it has a dark and depressing image. I thought that a bright drama would be good for the JTBC drama produced by SLL, so I planned the work in a form that gave more weight to the popular part. When watching together, I thought of it as a drama with a fun concept, so 'Agency', 'Shinseong, Divorce', 'Doctor Cha Jeong-suk', and 'King the Land' could be born."

Compared to the past, platforms are becoming more diverse. In response to the question of whether it is more difficult to predict the success of works produced by the studio than before, Park Seong-eun, head of Production Division 1 at SLL, said, “It is still difficult in the past and now. Even if you gather the best writers, best directors, and best actors, you can't guarantee 100% success. On the contrary, I think the fact that you can succeed even if newcomers gather to make a work is the joy of this job."

Then, when asked about the most successful work in SLL in the first half of the year, Park Seong-eun, head of production division 1, said, "The biggest box office achievement in the first half is 'Doctor Cha Jeong-sook'. It was more than that," he said. "It is difficult to pick the most anticipated project for the second half of the year," he answered honestly.

Kim Geon-hong, head of production division 2, said, "I think the most successful work is 'Bad Mother.'

SLL plans to showcase outstanding works to the public in the second half of the year as well. On the TV platform, works such as 'This Love is Irresistible', 'Hip-hop', 'Strong Woman Gangnam-soon', and 'Welcome to Samdali' are scheduled, and on the OTT platform, 'Ballerina', 'DP Season 2', and 'Mental Ward' are scheduled. Morning is coming' etc.

In response, Park Joon-seo, the head of production, expressed his aspirations, saying, "The JTBC drama we are making is aimed at creating popular and interesting works.

While the world is paying attention to K-content, there are also concerns that viewers might feel bored with Korean works. Park Joon-seo, head of production, said, "Not only Korea, but any country will face such a problem. There were many similar things in the past. Korean content will definitely come to that point. We will have to take a stance to solve it based on the various cases so far.”

Reporter Kim Se-ah, Ten Asia haesmik@tenasia.co.kr