Disney Plus movin’ on up in Korea with hit K-drama series 'Moving'

Disney Plus, a global over-the-top (OTT) streaming service provider, is rapidly enhancing its presence in South Korea, with its latest original series "Moving" becoming the most-watched drama ever on its app.

According to Wiseapp / Wiseretail / Wisegoods, a Seoul-based data analysis company, Disney+ app use time in the fourth week of August reached an all-time high of 185 million minutes thanks to the original series.

Based on data collected from Korean smartphone users, Ideaware Inc., the operator of the user behavior analysis service, said the record-high weekly app use time is more than double the 80 million minutes recorded in the first week of August.

"Moving" was released on Disney+ on Aug. 9, in the second week of the month.

Since the launch of Moving, the Disney+ app use time has steadily increased to 112 million minutes in the second week of August, 163 million minutes in the third week and 185 million minutes in the fourth week.

STAR-STUDDED KOREAN SPY SERIES

"Moving" is a live-action adaptation of the eponymous hit webtoon by influential Korean writer Kang Full.

Set in modern-day Korea, the Disney+ original drama series tells the story of a group of superpowered spies who hide their true abilities from the world in order to protect their families from harm and exploitation at the hands of malicious government agencies.

Directed by Park In-je, the Disney+ original stars several famous Korean actors and actresses such as Ryu Seung-ryong, Han Hyo-joo, Zo In-sung, Cha Tae-hyun, Ryoo Seung-bum, Kim Sung-kyun, Lee Jung-ha, Go Youn-jung and Kim Do-hoon.

The series consists of 20 episodes. The first seven episodes were released on Aug. 9, with two episodes out each week for five weeks before a triple-episode finale.

“From the US to all across the Asia-Pacific, it is fast becoming a breakout hit with its captivating storyline, world-class cast and incredible postproduction effects — all coming together to deliver exceptional storytelling,” said Carol Choi, Disney’s executive vice president in charge of original content strategy for the Asia-Pacific.

'BIG BET,' ANOTHER DISNEY+ HIT

The success of "Moving" follows another Korean content Disney+ original hit "Big Bet," also known as "Casino" in Korea, which was released earlier this year.

Starring big stars such as veteran Choi Min-sik and rising star Son Suk-ku, who appeared in Netflix's hit drama "D.P.," "Big Bet" tells the story of a man, once dubbed the "King of Casinos," who lost everything he had in an unfortunate chain of events. The man returns to the gambling scene, this time betting his life.

Before hit drama series such as "Moving" and "Casino," Disney+ has been struggling in the Korean OTT market to catch up to market leader Netflix and homegrown OTT service providers, including Coupang Play and Wavve.

Disney+ launched in Korea in November 2021 and has steadily ramped up its local content output to tap into the surging global popularity of K-drama series.

Write to Ji-Eun Jeong at jeong@hankyung.com

In-Soo Nam edited this article.