Actress Park Eun-bin plays attorney Woo Young-woo who has autism, in the drama "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" made by KT Studio Genie, an affiliate of KT. Courtesy of ENA

By Baek Byung-yeul

KT is accelerating its transition into a digital platform company, demonstrated by a series of dramas made by its media content affiliate having entered the top 10 of video streaming giant Netflix, a company official said, Monday.

Citing KT CEO Ku Hyeon-mo's recent meeting with Netflix CEO Reed Hastings to discuss cooperation measures, the spokesman said KT is stepping up as a digital media platform company.

"'Extraordinary Attorney Woo,' an original drama made by KT's affiliate KT Studio Genie ranked second in Netflix Korea's top 10 on July 2, after the drama was first released on June 29," he said.

The drama revolves around Woo Young-woo, a lawyer played by actress Park Eun-bin who remembers all the books she has ever read in her life and wins a lawsuit as a new lawyer for a top law firm even though she has autism.

This captured image shows dramas ― "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" and "Never Give Up" made by KT affiliate KT Studio Genie ― ranked second and third on Netflix's daily top 10 ranking in Korea, July 2. Captured from Netflix

The official added that "Never Give Up," another drama made by KT, also ranked third in the Netflix ranking on July 2, following "Money Heist: Korea ― Joint Economic Area" and "Extraordinary Attorney Woo."

The drama, which premiered on May 4, revolves around a Korean martial artist turned restaurant owner named Goo Pil-soo, played by actor Kwak Do-won.

As the two shows produced by KT hit back-to-back home runs, Netflix, the world's largest video streaming service platform, is paying attention to what the company is producing, the company said.

"The recent meeting between Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and KT CEO Ku Hyeon-mo seems to be proof of the former's interest and expectations for KT's content," the KT official said.

KT already announced it would expand sales of its media content business by investing over 500 billion won ($385 million) over the next three years. By doing so, the company expects it can generate sales of around 5 trillion won, up 30 percent from 3.6 trillion won in 2021, to become the country's top media content provider.