Kdrama: An Intro to Korean TV


Kdrama. In case you didn’t know, Korean TV is currently translated into a plethora of languages and is viewed around the world. And secret’s out: I’m hooked. I barely watch any American TV, just an episode or so of whatever my family or friends have on. But Korean? I can’t stop. In under a year I’ve watched 8.5 kdramas (and re-watched 3), each about 16 winsome, exciting, heart wrenching, blissful episodes long. (And yes, I am currently in the middle of one.)

There are some definite reasons why kdrama is taking over the world. Here are my theories:

1. Kdrama is plot driven. Story is king. It’s not about the wit or comedy, though that’s there. It’s not about sex. It’s not about shallow, stereotypical selfish-people-backstabbing-each-other drama. This is Kdrama, in which good, old-fashioned “What’s going to happen next???” keeps me clicking the next episode – and analyzing every twist and turn in the plot, every moment of character development.

2. Kdrama does romance right. Compared to American TV, most of the kdrama I’ve seen is PG. Maybe two kisses between the romantic leads in the entire season. And those aren’t even making-out kisses. They’re usually pretty awkward, with eyes open and holding very still and looking rather terrified. That’s what I call “high school kdrama.” There’s also “adult kdrama”… though that really isn’t a good term for it, as adult kdrama in my book just means there are real kisses and maybe implied-but-never-shown something more.

So how does kdrama do romance right when there are no sex scenes? The genre has simply mastered the subtle art of romantic tension and emotional development. American TV throws sex in the first episode of a show – it’s cheap, it’s free, the characters just met each other and now they’re hooking up. Will they make it as a couple? Who cares?

Kdrama builds a romance slowly, one hilarious, cute, interesting encounter at a time. Emotional investment, episode after episode, finally pays off in a hug – or maybe, eventually, a kiss. And by that point it doesn’t even matter that the kiss was quick or a little awkward, because you’ve been waiting for that kiss for half a season, and you care about the characters so much, and like, “IT’S SO REWARDING THAT THEY ARE FINALLY TOGETHER OH MY WORD I’M SO HAPPY THEY HUGGED/KISSED! I want the characters to be happy foreverrrr!!” You care.

3. Korean humor translates easily. Korean is not the most widely spoken language in the world, thus a lot of viewers are reading subtitles as they watch. There’s only so much cultural explanation subtitles can give. Yet kdrama is funny! Korean humor is a bit slapstick, definitely over the top, and usually downright ridiculous. Sometimes the humor is in the witty lines, but it’s mostly in the facial expressions and the silly situations, easily seen and understood.

Another aspect of kdrama that cracks me up is the use of English. Randomly a character will exclaim something in English like “Jackpot!” or “You really bug me!” and I can’t help myself. I die laughing.

So those are my three main ideas on why kdrama is skyrocketing. There are probably a bunch of other factors, like the dedication of Korean media fans who tirelessly translate and blog and promote, the link between kdrama and kpop music (which is also globally exploding), the general power of the Internet, etc.

Interested? Want to try out a kdrama? Alright, here are three quick recommendations and where you can view them:


“Secret Garden” (2010) is the best of the best. Witty, rich, arrogant CEO meets headstrong, poor, proud stuntwoman, and hilarity and romance ensue. Oh, and their souls switch bodies. This show gets the award for the most satisfying ending in kdrama. Rated adult kdrama for real kisses… real good kisses.


“City Hunter” (2011) is a mix of romance, action and political drama. Lead Guy infiltrates the Blue House (aka Korean White House) to expose murderous politicians, kind of a modern day Robin Hood. Romantic interest Lead Girl is in the President’s bodyguard. Starring one of the biggest actors in kdrama: Lee Min Ho. (Or, as his fangirls call him, LMH.)


“Dream High” (2011) is an irresistible blend of kdrama and kpop. A classical singer, a dancer/gangster, a talented fat girl, and a musical-genius country bumpkin all enroll at a music high school famous for producing tomorrow’s pop stars. Starring a lot of real life kpop idols, unexpected plot twists, and amazing performances.


My favorite site to watch on is http://www.viki.com/ . Their subtitles are the best. Simply type in the title of desired kdrama in the search bar.  There are lots of other sites, but the one I use second if I can’t access Viki is http://www.gooddrama.net/ . If you can’t get that one to work on your side of the planet either, Google search. English subtitles are everywhere. Popular dramas are often on YouTube, too.

You’re welcome.

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