Apple TV+ to launch service in Korea on Nov. 4

Upcoming Apple TV+ series “Dr. Brain” (Apple TV+)

The global content service provider under Apple, Apple TV+ is to begin service in Korea from Nov. 4, further heating up competition in the local streaming service market.

Tech giant Apple announced Monday that it will begin service for Apple TV+, Apple TV 4K and the Apple TV app service in Korea starting in November, in partnership with local internet service provider SK Broadband.

Apple TV+ is the only subscription streaming service that offers only original content, according to Apple.

The monthly subscription fee for Apple TV+ in Korea is priced at 6,500 won ($5.50) and allows up to six users to simultaneously use the service. It also offers a free seven-day trial period.

Celebrating the launch, the service will release its first Korean original series, “Dr. Brain,” produced by star director Kim Jee-woon. The sci-fi thriller starring actor Lee Sun-kyun from “Parasite” is based on the widely popular Korean web comic series of the same name.

Another highly anticipated show from the platform is “Pachinko,” a Korean, Japanese and English-language drama based on the eponymous novel by Korean American author Lee Min-jin. Telling the story of a Korean immigrant family in 20th-century Japan, it stars the Oscar-winning Youn Yuh-jung. It will be released this year.

The subscription video service offers Emmy-winning comedy “Ted Lasso,” “The Morning Show,” starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, and more.

Meanwhile, also in November another global streaming service will enter the Korean market that has so far been dominated by Netflix and other local over-the-top platforms such as Watcha, Tving and Wavv.

Disney+, the streaming service under the Walt Disney Company, will launch its service in Korea on Nov. 12, releasing seven new Korean shows.　

By Im Eun-byel(silverstar@heraldcorp.com)