Costa Rican president: His family K-drama fans, seeks joint production

Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado Quesada has praised South Korean movies such as the Oscar-winning Parasite and drama series such as Squid Game as “amazing” and is seeking to partner with Korean firms for joint production.

In a recent interview with Korea.net, the Korean government’s internet portal, the visiting Latin American president also expressed his hopes for strengthened bilateral ties in digital transition in the post-pandemic era and cooperation in the bio and green industries.

“I’ve seen the award-winning movie Parasite and Squid Game. The quality of production is amazing,” he said.

The president said he recently signed a new law in Costa Rica aimed at fostering national productions, and the country would “love to partner” with Korea.

“Can you imagine a film made both in Korea and Costa Rica, with the landscapes of both countries? That would be something unique for the world to watch,” he said. “This is what we need to cooperate on. We do admire the film and television industry of this country.”

President Alvarado arrived in Seoul on Nov. 21 on a four-day state visit to Korea at the invitation of President Moon Jae-in ahead of the 60th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations next year.

Interest in K-dramas has grown significantly across the globe through over-the-top (OTT) services such as Netflix in the past few years.

Most recently, Netflix Original's South Korean drama Squid Game made history for K-content, topping the platform’s global chart as the thriller series and becoming its most popular show ever.

KOREAN NIGHT CREAM AND SOJU

President Alvarado said he and his family are big fans of Korean culture, food and cosmetics.

“My parents watch many Korean dramas and films. When I told them about my visit to Korea, my mother asked me to buy her one of those nice night creams that she sees on Korean television. My father said he would like to have those nice green bottles (soju),” he said.

Earlier last month, he expressed his fondness for kimchi and soju, Korea’s traditional liquor, to President Moon when they met at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, in Glasgow, the UK.

He said the Korean New Deal, composed of the Green and Digital New Deals, is aligned with Costa Rica's 2050 decarbonization, adding that both countries can work together in areas such as technology, forest restoration and renewable energy.

On the Korean Peninsula peace process, the president said the efforts of President Moon and his administration have resulted in a "remarkable development.”

Born in 1980, President Alvarado is Costa Rica’s youngest leader in history, with his election in 2018 at age 38. His single four-year term ends in May of next year.

Write to Soo-Young Seong at syoung@hankyung.com
In-Soo Nam edited this article.