The Walt Disney Company APAC Unveils New Disney+ Korean Originals

The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific unveiled a wave of announcements surrounding its upcoming slate of Disney+ APAC Originals, featuring the region’s top talent and storytellers. Revealed on day two of the star-studded APAC Content Showcase, today’s announcements captivated the audience with major reveals, first looks, and appearances from some of Korea’s biggest stars, demonstrating the unparalleled strength and appeal of Disney’s creative excellence.

Today’s presentation included breaking news about upcoming Korean series The Murky Stream starring Rowoon and Shin Yeeun; The Manipulated starring Ji Changwook and Doh Kyungsoo; Tempest starring Jun Gianna, Gang Dongwon and John Cho, and Made In Korea starring Hyun Bin and Jung Woosung.

The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific also confirmed that Moving Season Two is in development, following the company’s successful collaboration with Moving and Light Shop creator Kangfull. First launched in 2023, Moving went on to become a smash global hit on Disney+ and Hulu, ranking as the number one local original title globally on Disney+ last year, with over 10 industry awards to date. In 2021, the company embarked on original content production for Disney+ in the APAC region and has since launched over 130 APAC Originals on Disney+ to date, several of which have attained critical and commercial success.

Last year, among the top 15 best performing international original titles released on Disney+, nine of them were Korean titles (based on views). This year, Korean action drama A Shop For Killers has become the most viewed series on Disney+ in APAC. This year, travel reality show Are You Sure?!, starring BTS stars Jimin and Jung Kook, has also become the most viewed unscripted title on Disney+ in APAC, and a strong performer internationally.

“Stories produced in Asia Pacific have become a staple in general entertainment consumption – they are world-class productions, with growing global resonance and deep passionate fandoms worldwide,” said Carol Choi, Executive Vice President of Original Content Strategy, The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific. “Our content strategy remains focused on curating premium, talent-driven Originals from the region — quality, best-in-class tentpole titles with some of the very top names in entertainment.”

Continued Choi: “As we’ve learnt from the global success of Shōgun, the most compelling stories can come from new and unknown worlds, they can be in different languages and in new formats. But at the core if it, they have to be stories rooted in a fearless authenticity in storytelling with exceptional production quality. It’s truly exciting to see APAC becoming a hotbed of creative inspiration for the world’s best storytellers, with the region’s deep heritage of stories, rich culture and diverse tapestry of original content.”

Nine Puzzles

New Worlds, New Stories: APAC Content Titles Unveiled at the Showcase

Exclusive announcements regarding the following APAC titles were unveiled at the showcase today as part of the company’s late 2024, and 2025-2026 content slate:

KOREA

  • The Murky Stream – Starring Rowoon and Shin Yeeun, and Park Seoham, this upcoming historical drama is directed by Choo Changmin, the mind behind Masquerade, and is written by All Of Us Are Dead’s Cheon Sungil.
     
  • The Manipulated – Wrongfully imprisoned for a heinous crime, mild-mannered Taejung (Ji Changwook) discovers that a mysterious figure named Yohan (Doh Kyungsoo) orchestrated his downfall. Fueled by vengeance, Taejung sets out to make Yohan pay.
     
  • Light Shop – Starring Ju Jihoon and Park Boyoung and set to premiere December 4, this upcoming story from Moving creator Kangfull sees six strangers trapped in a void between life and death with no memory of how they got there.
     
  • Unmasked <br> – A team of investigative journalists (Kim Hyesoo, Jung Sungil and Joo Jonghyuk) who have made a name for themselves by exposing some of society’s worst crimes get stuck into their latest story – a 20-year-old cold case involving a famous actor who disappeared without a trace.
     
  • Hyper Knife – A tortured neurosurgeon Seok (Park Eunbin), used to operating on the bleeding-edge of her field, finds herself cast aside by her mentor (Sul Kyunggu). Seok continues to carry out back-alley operations until her mentor comes back into her life again.
Knock-Off

  • Knock-Off – Starring Kim Soohyun and Cho Boah, Knock-Off follows a broke man who turns to the shadowy world of counterfeiting in an attempt to rebuild his life.
     
  • Nine Puzzles – Kim Dami and Son Sukku star in this upcoming series about a criminal profiler with a troubled past who gets pulled into an eerily familiar game with a serial killer.
     
  • Low Life – Starring Ryu Seungryong, Yang Sejong and Lim Soojung, Low Life follows an uncle and a nephew who rush to salvage a recently discovered priceless treasure before other treasure hunters arrive. Desperate to change their lives, the two will do whatever it takes to win.
     
  • Tempest – Featuring an impressive combination of top Korean and Hollywood talent, this series tells the unmissable story of an international special agent and a brilliant career diplomat who join forces to uncover the truth behind an attack that threatens the future stability of the Korean peninsula. The cast includes Jun Gianna and Gang Dongwon alongside John Cho, Michael Gaston, Spencer Garrett, Jacob Bertrand, Alicia Hannah Kim and Christopher Gorham.
     
  • Made In Korea – Hyun Bin and Jung Woosung star in this ‘70s-set drama about a man consumed by a desire for wealth and power, and a stalwart prosecutor who stands in his way. Constantly at loggerheads, the pair find themselves involved in an era-defining incident that will forever change their futures.

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