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A scene from “XO, Kitty” \/ Courtesy of Netflix<\/p>\n
A U.S.-produced teen drama set in Korea is once again making waves globally, highlighting a growing trend where Korean culture is repackaged overseas and then \u201cre-imported\u201d as global content.<\/p>\n
Netflix\u2019s \u201cXO, Kitty\u201d dropped its third season on Thursday, reigniting buzz among international fans and drawing renewed attention at home.<\/p>\n
The series is a spinoff of the hit film franchise \u201cTo All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.\u201d It follows Kitty, played by Anna Cathcart, who moves to Korea after falling for a boy she met during a previous visit, setting off a coming-of-age story centered on love, identity and life abroad.<\/p>\n
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A scene from “XO, Kitty” \/ Courtesy of Netflix<\/p>\n
Since its debut in May 2023, the show has proven its global appeal. Season 1 ranked No. 2 on Netflix\u2019s global English TV chart for two consecutive weeks and stayed in the Top 10 for four weeks, leading to a second season. Season 2 maintained momentum with similar rankings, staying in the Top 10 for three weeks.<\/p>\n
While the show portrays Korea through a teen drama lens, it has drawn praise for its relatively detailed depiction of Korean culture. Though some viewers said the school setting feels unrealistic, others noted the story takes place in an international school, offering a different \u2014 and intentional \u2014 perspective from typical Korean high school life.<\/p>\n
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Scenes from “XO, Kitty” \/ Courtesy of Netflix<\/p>\n
Scenes featuring traditional holidays like Chuseok, where characters prepare festive food, and cultural elements such as hanbok (traditional Korean clothing) and fan dances at school events have been particularly well received.<\/p>\n
Interestingly, the show\u2019s popularity first surged overseas before gaining traction in Korea, where it has built a dedicated \u2014 if more niche \u2014 fan base.<\/p>\n
Season 3 is expected to focus on the evolving relationship between Kitty and Min-ho, played by Lee Sang-heon, further fueling anticipation among fans. Some viewers have already begun calling for a fourth season, signaling the spinoff\u2019s growing popularity rivaling its original series.<\/p>\n
The success of \u201cXO, Kitty\u201d reflects a broader shift in the global entertainment landscape.<\/p>\n
Since launching its service in Korea in 2016, Netflix has steadily expanded its Korean content slate, starting with \u201cOkja\u201d and gaining momentum with series like \u201cKingdom.\u201d<\/p>\n
That growth exploded with the global phenomenon \u201cSquid Game\u201d in 2021, which became the platform\u2019s most-watched series and cemented the global power of Korean storytelling.<\/p>\n
Since then, hits such as \u201cAll of Us Are Dead,\u201d \u201cThe Glory\u201d and \u201cHellbound\u201d have continued to expand the reach of K-content.<\/p>\n
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Scenes from “KPop Demon Hunters” \/ Courtesy of Netflix<\/p>\n
Now, a new phase is emerging \u2014 content about Korea produced outside Korea.<\/p>\n
Netflix\u2019s animated film \u201cKPop Demon Hunters,\u201d created by a team of Korean and Korean diaspora talent, became a massive success, ranking among Netflix\u2019s biggest film hits and winning Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for “Golden” at the Academy Awards.<\/p>\n
Elsewhere, countries like Brazil have even launched original dating shows themed around Korean culture, such as programs centered on finding a \u201cKorean boyfriend,\u201d underscoring the global fascination with Korea.<\/p>\n
As Korean culture continues to resonate worldwide, the rise of foreign-produced, Korea-themed content suggests that the next wave of K-content may not just come from Seoul, but from the world.<\/p>\n
This article from Xportsnews is adapted by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A scene from “XO, Kitty” \/ Courtesy of Netflix A U.S.-produced teen drama set in Korea is once…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":362211,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[430,156,111,139,69],"class_list":{"0":"post-362210","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-celebrities","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-new-zealand","11":"tag-newzealand","12":"tag-nz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362210","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=362210"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362210\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/362211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=362210"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=362210"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=362210"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}