Who helped bring star-studded K-drama series 'The Trunk' to life?

"The Trunk," starring Gong Yoo (left) and Seo Hyun-jin (Netflix)

The highly anticipated Netflix Korean original series "The Trunk," released on Friday, has quickly soared to eighth place on Netflix's global trending series chart Sunday, according to Flixpatrol.

The series marks the return of one of Korea's top actors, Gong Yoo, to the small screen — but its success isn't solely due to its star-studded cast and gripping storyline.

So, who played a key role in bringing "The Trunk" to life for non-Korean speaking audiences?

Netflix revealed Monday that the subtitles for "The Trunk" were created as part of its pilot training program for video subtitle translators.

The pilot program was conducted in partnership with the Literature Translation Institute of Korea, according to the global streaming giant.

Aimed at language experts with translation experience but no subtitling background, it offered an opportunity to learn the video translation process through Netflix’s tools and content.

The program was conducted in collaboration with TVT Media, Netflix's official partner for subtitle translation, which has been involved in global content localization for over 20 years.

As part of the pilot program, Netflix selected four language experts to translate works from diverse areas of Korean culture, such as web novels, poetry and video content.

Two of the selected experts were assigned to Netflix's Korean-English translation projects, including translating for the mystery series "The Trunk," as well as other upcoming Netflix productions.

"We are making long-term investments in nurturing talent across various creative fields to support the sustainable growth and globalization of K-content," said a Netflix official via a press statement.

"We are exploring the possibility of making this training program a regular initiative in collaboration with LTI Korea to continue investing in localization, which is crucial for K-content to reach a broader global audience."

Logos of Netflix, Literature Translation Institute of Korea (Netflix)