BUSAN -- SK Telecom CEO Park Jung-ho said Monday he envisioned a Thai version of “Dae Jang Geum,” also known as “Jewel in the Palace,” a hit Korean drama that drew fans across Asia, as one idea for cultural content investment in Southeast Asia.

When asked whether SKT planned to expand investment in Southeast Asia at a gala dinner hosted by President Moon Jae-in for ASEAN leaders on Monday evening, CEO Park said, “I think it would be entertaining to make new business in the areas of media, contents and games (in Southeast Asia).”

He picked Thailand as the likely target, suggesting the possibility of a local version of the Hallyu drama.

“Thailand has good food. It would be entertaining and meaningful to make a Thai version of Korea’s ‘Dae Jang Geum’ with their food,” he told The Korea Herald.

Park’s comments are in line with his earlier remarks at the Culture Innovation Summit during the ASEAN-Korea Summit on the day.

At the event, he proposed to build Asia Contents Studio, an entity that will support capital investments, technological collaborations and talent exchanges while nurturing production capabilities.

The forum was attended by Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and Big Hit Entertainment's CEO Bang Si-hyuk, who has helped the career of global K-pop sensation BTS.

“Among others, the most important thing in the media industry is cultural identity,” Park said. “Based on their own DNA, Asian countries could work together to create content that would be empathized with by the world.” (shinjh@heraldcorp.com)