K-Dramas: An Introduction

K-Dramas, or Korean Dramas, are televised mini-series, usually 16 or 20 episodes long, produced in Korea. They are shown domestically and shipped abroad (you can see them in the U.S. through Netflix, Hulu, and on-line) and usually each episode is about an hour long and will end with some sort of cliff-hanger. They normally either focus on life in modern South Korea or fictionalizations of events from Korean history.

Like US television, modern Korean stories usually are set in some sort of eating establishment (Pasta, Coffee Prince, My Name is Kim Sam Soon, Shining Inheritance), business situation (Protect the Boss, Secret Garden, Lie to Me), high school (Boys Over Flowers, Dream High, Playful Kiss), government building like the Blue House (the Korean equivalent of the White House) (City Hall, City Hunter), or hospital (Big, Creating Destiny, Golden Time). But there are also a number which center on music or movie stars (Full House, Shut Up and Go, You're Beautiful) or the monarchy (My Princess, King2Hearts, Goong), topics which aren't typically covered in the world of American television.

The historical dramas (called Sageuk) typically are set in Korea's dynastic period and feature sword-fighting, martial arts, and the monarchy. They may or may not feature historical people. They have intricate story lines, elaborate costumes and sets, and large casts. Examples are Faith, Queen Seon Deok, The Moon Embracing the Sun, and the Great Seer.

A small number of dramas also involve supernatural events, such as time travel. In 49 Days, the heroine dies before her time and her ghost is able to possess someone and continue to live. In Faith, characters possess supernatural abilities, and time travel is a major plot point. In Rooftop Prince, characters travel through time and encounter reincarnated versions of people they know.

In more recent years, k-pop stars have crossed over from singing to acting: Kim Hyun Joong (leader of the group SS501), Kim Joon (pop group T-Max) Park Yoochun and Kim Jae Joong (pop group JYJ), Yoon Eun Hye (pop group Baby V.O.X.), Eugene (pop group S.E.S.), Suzy, Rain/Bi, Lee Seung Ki. K-drama stars have released albums: Lee Min Ho, Jang Geun Suk, Kim Bum, and Hyun Bin.

Typically, the drama features some sort of love triangle (or quadrangle) and the hero starts out as a complete jerk, Mr. Darcy-style. Often, the hero has money, so there's some sort of makeover scene. And they have preoccupation with showing food preparation. They can deal with class distinctions, sexual mores, and family relationships. More often than not, they will feature many of the cliches listed in my posts starting with Things that Will Probably Happen When Watching a Korean Drama. Some may call them a little melodramatic or soap-opera-y, but I just call it good television :)