Once Again 'Park Saeroyi Syndrome' in Japan... 'Itaewon Class' Produced as Local Remake Drama

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Kakao Entertainment's intellectual property (IP) 'Itaewon Class' has been confirmed for a local remake drama production with a Japanese broadcaster. Having already proven its hot popularity in Japan through the webtoon, 'Itaewon Class' is set to gain popularity once again with the remake drama tentatively titled 'Roppongi Class.'

Kakao Entertainment announced on the 24th that it has completed a licensing agreement with a major Japanese broadcaster for the 'Itaewon Class' webtoon and drama. The casting of top Japanese actors has been finalized, and filming will begin next month, with nationwide broadcasting in Japan scheduled for this summer.

'Itaewon Class' achieved a cumulative 400 million views and 20 million subscribers for its webtoon in Korea. The drama also ranked third in average viewership ratings among all JTBC dramas to date.

In Japan, the webtoon first entered the market on Piccoma as 'Roppongi Class,' gaining high popularity, followed by the drama 'Itaewon Class' ranking number one on Japanese Netflix. As a result, at the time of the drama's broadcast, the transaction amount for the webtoon 'Roppongi Class' on Piccoma increased by 454% compared to the same period last year, showing explosive success.

The remake drama 'Roppongi Class' (tentative title), scheduled to air this summer, will be produced through a collaboration between Kakao Entertainment, Kakao Entertainment's subsidiary Cross Pictures, and JTBC Studios, which produced the Korean version of the drama.

Cross Pictures is a production company with expertise in successfully producing remakes in India, China, Vietnam, and other countries. It remade the film 'Miss Granny' in India, which topped the Indian box office, and recently gained attention by successfully producing the drama 'Business Proposal.' Currently, Cross Pictures plays a key role in leading Kakao Entertainment's global business, helping premium IPs to grow into global content.

A Kakao Entertainment official stated, "Due to the high impact and potential of the 'Itaewon Class' IP itself, we are in various discussions to bring versions of 'Park Saeroyi' not only in Japan but also in other countries." They added, "Kakao Entertainment will continue to make successful cases like 'Itaewon Class' by actively investing and striving to enable many of its excellent IPs to expand globally and into various genres."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.