1st Edition

Translating and Receiving Korean Media From Squid Game to Life on Mars

Edited By Jonathan Evans, Jinsil Choi, Kyung Hye Kim Copyright 2026
    160 Pages 1 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    In recent years, Korean culture has been incredibly successful internationally, from the films of auteur directors like Bong Joon-Ho (Parasite) to shows like Squid Game and K-pop music. At the same time, media from the UK has also been successful in South Korea, with popular shows such as Killing Eve and Life on Mars. Written by scholars working across translation studies, film and media studies, this volume examines the ways in which Korean media has been received and translated in the UK, as well as how British media has fared in South Korea. Case studies explore how Korean media is (re)packaged and categorised for a Western audience, and how paratextual material (trailers, adverts, fan reactions) mediates films and shows for international audiences. The book also examines how the Korean remake of Life on Mars localises the British show, how Squid Game has been audio-described, and how slower media models can suggest more sustainable forms of consumption and distribution. Demonstrating how interdisciplinary research can shed light on different aspects of global media culture, this volume will be essential reading for scholars and students working on the translation and international media circulation. It will especially appeal to readers interested in the interactions between British and Korean media.

    This work was supported by the Fund for International Collaboration and the Economic and Social Research Council [grant number ES/W01081X/1].

    1. Introduction. Jonathan Evans, Jinsil Choi and Kyung Hye Kim 2. Taste at the Interface: Streaming K-Dramas in the West. Zoë Shacklock. 3. “Video-streaming battle going global” or a “critical tool of soft power”?: The discursive construction of “Squid Game” in the South Korean and the UK media. Ji-Hae Kang 4. Paratextual formation and reception: the case of Killing Eve in Korea. Jinsil Choi. 5. Streaming age: temporality and fluidity of authorship, and paratextual repackaging in media translation. Kyung Hye Kim. 6. Localizing Content in Global Media Networks: The Korean Remake of BBC’s Life on Mars. Hye Jean Chung 7. A comparative analysis of the coherence between Korean and English audio description in Squid Game. Soo-Yeon Seo. 8. Decision to translate: translanguaging practices in Park Chan-wook’s film Decision to Leave. Jieun Kiaer and Louise Hossien. 9. Slow media, sustainability and the Korean Film Archive. Jonathan Evans

    Biography

    Jonathan Evans is Reader in Translation Studies at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK.

    Jinsil Choi is Assistant Professor, Tabula Rasa College, at Keimyung University, South Korea.

    Kyung Hye Kim is Assistant Professor at Dongguk University, South Korea.