High school baseball pitcher Woo-jin is finding it difficult even to throw a single strike these days. Suddenly, he was struck by the “yips” — extreme anxiety and psychological pressure that left his body stiff. The time when he was once called a promising player is fading away. Then, transfer student Tae-hee appears before Woo-jin and says, “I will become your manager.” The two boys grow while saving each other.
This is not a TV drama or OTT series. It is the content of the short drama “Wind Up”, starring NCT idols Jeno (playing Woo-jin) and Jae-min (playing Tae-hee), released on the 16th. Shot for smartphone vertical screens, it consists of multiple episodes, each 2-3 minutes long. The work surpassed 3 million cumulative views within two days of its release on the global K-pop short-form platform KITZ, reaching the top of the app’s popularity rankings.
Short dramas, where viewers “watch briefly and move on to the next episode,” are rapidly spreading, similar to TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. Vertical dramas where a single scroll leads to the next story. They have evolved in line with mobile viewing patterns and established themselves as a new way to consume content.
Starring NCT members Jeno and Jae-min (left), the sports growth drama 'Wind Up' depicts the friendship between a high school baseball prospect and a friend who acts as a manager. /Kits
Film Directors Join, Idol Groups and Established Actors… “The Game Has Expanded”
Short dramas are no longer content created solely by rookie celebrities or unknown directors. Director Lee Joon-ik, known for the films “The Throne” and “Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet”, recently announced plans to create the short drama “Father’s Home Cooking”. The project, initiated by distributor Kidari ENT, tells the story of a husband who takes over cooking at home after his wife suffers from “culinary blankness” following an accident. It is reported that discussions are underway for appearances by established actors such as Jung Jin-young, Lee Jung-eun, and Byun Yo-han. In a phone call with this newspaper on the 21st, Director Lee stated, “I want to contribute to the expansion of the short drama market” and added, “We will start filming in March.”
Director Lee Byeong-heon, known for the film “Extreme Job” and the drama “Be Melodramatic”, also participated in directing and writing for a work on the Lezhin Snack platform. Singer Solbi wrote the short drama “Ex-Boyfriend is a Top Star”. Actors Park Han-byul and Kim Hyang-gi are also successively joining the short drama lineup.
Graphics by Baek Hyeong-seon
1-5 Minute Vertical Dramas… “Short but You Keep Watching Until the End”
Short dramas are ultra-short episodes of 1-5 minutes each, often spanning 30 to 100 episodes in total. Vertical screens and fast pacing are key. Since they must capture viewers’ attention in a short time, they often feature stimulating material such as romance, melodrama, or revenge plots. Rather than delving deeply into characters’ psychology, they compress events and emotions to increase speed.
According to the short drama platform “Vigloo”, the core user base is over 50% women aged 35 and above. The most binge-watched work in Korea was “The Bedmate Game: Sharehouse Season 2″, followed by “Obsessive Marriage”, “Romantic Island”, and “Law Firm Ace Lawyer and Secretary”. The average completion time for the top 10 works was 1 hour and 50 minutes, with an average completion rate of 95%. An industry insider said, “Viewers are no longer watching briefly and ending; once they start, they are changing to a ‘binge-watching’ format.”
Domestic Market Estimated at 650 Billion Korean Won… Platform Competition Intensifies
According to global market research firm Media Partners Asia (MPA), the global short drama market revenue increased significantly from $5 billion (approximately 7.34 trillion Korean won) in 2023 to $12 billion (approximately 17.62 trillion Korean won) in 2024. It is projected to grow to $26 billion (approximately 38.17 trillion Korean won) by 2030. While 70-80% of the global market is led by China, expansion is also accelerating in the U.S., Japan, Southeast Asia, and South Korea. The domestic market size is estimated at approximately 650 billion Korean won as of last year.
Platforms specializing exclusively in short dramas are also emerging. In South Korea, NeoOrigin’s Top Reels, Spoonlabs’ Vigloo, and Watcha’s ShortCha have been released, while Chinese platforms such as Drama Box, Reelshort, and Drama Wave are also expanding their market presence.
“1.5 Billion vs. 50 Million per Episode”… Low Cost and Short Production Period Are Strengths
The strength of short dramas is the low barrier to production. While traditional dramas cost around 1.5 billion Korean won per episode, the industry explains that short dramas can be produced for as little as 50 million Korean won. Unlike regular dramas, which take at least a year, short dramas can be completed in as little as two weeks or up to two to three months, reducing the burden. As production costs and time decrease, experimenting with material and formats becomes easier, and there is a trend of bold settings attempted on OTT platforms moving to short dramas.
However, due to their short length, narratives can become shallow, and there is a high risk of over-reliance on stimulating material such as melodrama, jealousy, and violence. Professor Hwang Geun from Sun Moon University’s Media and Communication Department said, “The short-form drama market is an opportunity for Korean content to evolve,” adding, “Content quality and market stability must keep pace with the speed of growth.”