by Meghna Francis, III BA English

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past couple of years, you’d probably be familiar with the concept of K-dramas or Korean Dramas. These extremely addictive series are popular all around the globe especially with the rise of online streaming services and the Hallyu wave instigated by the South Korean Government which was using their soft power to gain a position in the global market. The Korean pop scene also has grown rapidly over the years. 

What is it about these K-dramas that makes them so addictive? Well, a simple sentence cannot answer this loaded question.

My personal interaction with this category was back in 2014 when my friends had convinced me to watch a series called Boys Over Flowers which in their own words were “the best series to ever exist to date”. Succumbing to peer pressure, I too gave it a try only to be utterly turned off to the prospect of K-dramas for the next four years. The plot was very simple, a rich boy bullying a scholarship girl who stood up to him into liking him. In this series he has a) humiliated the girl in front of her peers b) asked his minions to sexually assault her (thankfully she was rescued by our chivalrous second male lead who was later rejected by our female lead for being too nice) c) kidnapped her and promptly gave her a makeover and so so many more intolerable actions. Quite frankly, I had promised myself never to watch another drama again as I (unlike my friends and the female lead) was not blinded by Goo Jun Pyo’s extremely good looks to overlook the red flags he had displayed all throughout the series.

Boys Over Flowers

It was later in 2018 that I watched Hello Monster, which was a really good crime thriller with an extraordinary cast that I had started tolerating K-dramas again. But a wrong step watching “The Heirs” and I found myself in a k-drama hiatus all over again. 

Hello Monster

2019 marked the end of Game of Thrones, a series that had let me down after delivering 7 iconic seasons and I decided to go on an English series hiatus (You see a pattern now right?) and I stumbled upon While You Were Sleeping. Something about this really clicked with me. I loved the plot, the cast was brilliant, the soundtrack (OST) was unforgettable and it started my current K-drama obsession. And by the same time next year, I had watched nearly eighty K-dramas, if not more. 

While You Were Sleeping

The biggest appeal of K-dramas to me was the fact that most of them had 16-20 episodes. Their plots are good, there’s always that element of comedy and unforgettable moments and it’s something you can enjoy with your whole family. There is something very innocent and sweet about this category of series, a certain je ne sais quoi that makes it a breath of fresh air from the usual dramas we are used to. And there’s always the plus point of learning a new culture and language. Three dramas in, I had already picked up certain Korean words and expressions, my favorites beings “Aighoo” (an exclamation similar to “oh my”), “Hajima” (don’t) and “Michyeosso” (are you out of your mind?). 

K-dramas prove that you can fall in love with whomever, whenever you want. Till now they have established that one can fall in love with an alien (My Love from the Star), a mermaid (Legend of the Blue Sea), a goblin (Guardian: The Lonely and Great God), a grim reaper (Guardian: The Lonely and Great God), a cat that can turn into a human (Meow: The Secret Boy), a comic book character (W: Two Worlds), a Ghost (Bring It On Ghost), Two Princes from a different era (Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo), a freakishly strong girl (Strong Woman Do Bong Soon), a king who can travel across parallel universes (The King: Eternal Monarch), an angel who accidentally save your life (Angel’s Last Mission: Love), a thirty-year-old woman who thinks she is still seventeen (Still 17), a woman who transforms into someone else every week (Beauty Inside) and a man with an inability to recognise faces (The Secret life of my secretary). These are only a few examples amongst the vast ocean of K-dramas. 

The writers go above and beyond to make sure these unlikely couples have a chance with their over the top scenarios. One of these cooked up unlikely scenarios is explored in the highly-rated “Crash Landing On You“. How does one portray a love story across uncrossable borders? Simple, have our South Korean female lead’s parachute get stuck in a hurricane which causes her to get stuck in North Korea where our valorous hero, a North Korean Soldier, rescues her from the rest of the North Korean army and her cunning family. Our female lead’s luck is so off the charts that she may as well win the lottery three times. These rom-coms usually appeal more to the international audience rather than the domestic ones. The Male Lead and Female Lead have to go through several trials and tribulations before they can finally be united. Extraordinary You, Her Private Life, What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim, Uncontrollably fond, The Beauty Inside, Touch Your Heart, Radio Romance, Devilish Joy are some of the most talked-about rom-com series. 

Crash Landing On You

Extraordinary You

The appeal of K-dramas lies in their ability to appeal to one’s heart, we care about the characters and their world. They are lighthearted, when compared to their Hollywood counterparts, yet have a good storyline which makes you stay. Especially in the current scenario, where our reality looks so bleak, these dramas are a welcome distraction. Chances are that you’ve heard of some of these dramas or at least seen their remakes or dubbed editions. They can be categorized as the classic ones, the must-watch, so if you are new to K-dramas start with these ones. Guardian: The Lonely and Great God: A 900-year-old Goblin who is cursed with immortality searches for his Bride who can release him from his curse. The plot is good, the casting is great and the OST is phenomenal. It’s hilarious but heartbreaking. It took me a long time to get over the hangover of this series. Descendants Of The Sun is that one series that’s constantly referenced in Korean pop culture. It’s basically a love story between an army general and a doctor in a war-torn nation and the real-life drama surrounding this drama just boosted its ratings. (RIP to the Song-Song couple fandom.) Other such classic ones are Hotel Del Luna which tells the story of a young man who falls in love with an immortal woman whose punishment is to look after a hotel where souls can come to rest before they ascend to the spiritual plane, While You Were Sleeping which is a fantastical story of a man and woman who can see snippets of the future, My Love from the Star where a shunned actress meets an alien stuck on Earth and Legend of the Blue Sea in which a con-man meets a mermaid.

Guardian The Lonely and Great God

Descendants of the Sun

There are a lot of K-dramas that belong to the action/thriller genre with the most recent being Vagabond which has quite an enthralling plot with stunning visuals of Morocco and Portugal, then there’s Healer and Signal which are cult classics among k-drama viewers. Other popular crime thrillers are Tunnel, Defendant, Investigation Couple, Memorist, K2, Cruel City, Hyena, Voice, Mad Dog, and the recently added Rugal (I’m gonna ask you to sit this one out, popularity isn’t always an indicator of how good something is). One of my all-time favourite thrillers has to be Memories of the Alhambra which combines action with futuristic tech. As South Korea is one of the world leaders in cutting edge technology, they do not shy away from introducing technological aspects to their storytelling. A Piece of Your Mind which is a man’s journey in moving on from his ex-lover introduces an AI device, very similar to Alexa or Google Assistant which can recreate the emotions and feelings of another person. Are You Human Too? Is basically the Korean version of Rajnikanth’s blockbuster hit “Robot”. Then there’s the absolutely hilarious I’m Not A Robot with a cute plot filled with too many plot holes. My Absolute Boyfriend, Bong Soon – A Cyborg in Love and My Holo Love have all introduced AI characters that the audience are absolutely fond of. Love Alarm showed how an app that could pre-determine love could destroy the happiness of several. 

Memories of the Alhambra

Are You Human Too

Vagabond

Historical dramas are also quite popular in South Korea. Mr Sunshine and Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo are bound to leave you crying for days. Love in the Moonlight, 100 Days My Prince, Rooftop Prince, Hwarang, Empress Ki, The Crowned Clown, Tale of Nokdu, Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung are some of the most popular ones. Kingdom uses a historical setting and incorporates zombies into the mix. Chicago Typewriter mixes historical and modern elements for the storytelling. 

Chicago Typewriter

Fantasy is by far the single most popular genre in K-dramas. Be it a ghost, goblin, mermaid, gumiho, witch, or anything supernatural, is bound to be a hit. Mystic Pop-Up Bar, Hi Bye Mama (keep tissues nearby, you will definitely be a crying mess at the end of it), The King: Eternal Monarch, A Korean Odyssey, Abyss, Secret Garden, Arthdal Chronicles, 49 Days, My Girlfriend is a Gumiho, Bring it on Ghost, Strong Girl Bong Soon are some of the popular ones in this genre.

Strong Girl Bong Soon

K-dramas have no problems diving into darker themes. One of the most top-rated series, Sky Castle has more twists and turns than the Thamarassery Churam. It tells the story of some affluent families who are trying their best to get their children to go to one of the SKY colleges  (Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University) and the various tactics they employ to do so. The most recent and highest rated k-drama of all time, The World Of The Married tells the story of a doctor who discovers her husband is cheating on her. Hence begins the psychological warfare that had both the Koreans and the international fans hooked. K-drama twitter was shaken by the absolute craziness that ensued in this drama. The recent addition to this genre was Netflix’s Extracurricular which tells the story of a high school student who is trying to run a prostitution chain. I Remember You or Hello Monster as if it is popularly known is a worthy addition to this list. Dark comedies like Prison Playbook and satires like Misaeng and The Producers have also found a place in the hearts of K-drama lovers.

Sky Castle

K-dramas don’t shy away from talking about serious issues in Korean society. They have often been praised for dissolving myths and raising public awareness on certain issues.  It’s Okay That’s Love discusses Tourette syndrome, genophobia, and schizophrenia, Hyde, Jekyll and Me and Kill Me, Heal Me discusses Dissociative Identity Disorder, The Girl Who Sees Scents discusses synesthesia and congenital analgesia, My Mister discusses PTSD and depression, Find Me In Your Memory tells the story of a woman who forgets the death of her friend as a psychological defence mechanism and Fix You deals with anger management issues. The recent cult favourite Itaewon Class discuses issues like racism and LGBT rights. Cheese In The Trap introduces a male lead who is considered to be a sociopath. Women’s rights have been discussed in series like Search WWW,  Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, Mother, Avengers Social Club, Woman of Dignity, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo, and Be Melodramatic.  The 2018 hit series My ID Is Gangnam Beauty tells the story of a girl who was bullied because of her looks which causes her to undergo plastic surgery and how she still faces harassment because of that. Korean beauty standards have been criticized for being too unrealistic and this series illustrates exactly why it’s so harmful. Such dramas are quite lacking in other languages and hopefully, we get to see more of these. 

My ID is Gangnam Beauty

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo

Then there’s the slice of life/coming of age dramas which is yet another favourite amongst both domestic and international K-drama viewers alike. The relatability factor of these dramas are the best examples of collective experiences. Because this is my first life, Itaewon Class, Search WWW, Be Melodramatic, Moment at Eighteen, Hospital Playlist, Fight For My Way, When The Weather Is Fine, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo, Something In The Rain, and Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim are some of the cult classics. The crown jewels of this genre has to be the ever so popular Reply series (and also the School series, but the Reply series- Reply 1988 specifically wins hands down). 

Reply 1988

Itaewon Class

One of the most defining factors of K-drama is how it can cause an existential crisis the moment it’s over. You’ve been invested in the lives of these characters for almost 8 weeks (if you’re watching it while it airs) or 16+ hours, and their sudden absence makes you clueless as to what to do next. God forbid if it’s one with a sad ending, you’re gonna be in mourning for the next couple of days. There’s a vacuum created in your heart which can only be filled with more K-dramas.

If you’re into K-Pop (which you most likely will be if you’re into K-dramas; these two come hand-in-hand) you’re gonna be overjoyed as many K-pop idols have delved into the field of acting. From cameos to main roles, you can definitely spot a few of your favs on the silver screen. Park Hyung Sik of ZE:A, most EXO members, V from BTS, Bae Suzy from Miss A, IU, Super Junior’s Choi Siwon, SF9’s Rowoon and Chani, GOT7’s Jinyoung and BTOB’s Yook Sunjae are just some of them.

One of the biggest gifts K-dramas have gifted fans with is their OST. The best of the music world are employed with the task of creating a befitting soundtrack. No matter how bad a drama is, the OST is the saving grace. If done right, they can even make you relive the drama every time you listen to it. Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, Descendants of the Sun, While You Were Sleeping, Crash Landing On You and Hotel Del Luna are known for their amazing soundtracks.

There has never been a better time to watch K-dramas than right now. You have plenty of free time and need something to take your mind off from everything that’s going on. At the end of the day, that’s what K-dramas are – an escape from the mundane everyday life, a world that’s similar to the one that we live but better. So take a break from scrolling through your social media feeds and watch some K-drama!