Hooked on K-Dramas

My introduction to K-Dramas was decades ago, but I wasn’t interested in them too much. As new immigrants to the United States, my parents used to relax after work by renting a few VHS videotapes from their favorite Korean grocery store. For a dollar or two, customers could check out the latest popular Korean variety show or drama. Because they were most likely bootlegged videos, the quality was often poor. But that didn’t stop my parents from laughing along with the characters’ antics or being exasperated by their stupidity.

Back then, there was no KOCOWA. Actually, the internet didn’t exist then, either. But even in the modern era of streaming technology, it took me a while to start watching K-Dramas. Why? Because everyone I knew who watched them was sucked in and I didn’t want to get hooked.

Flash forward to a few years ago when I was home sick with bronchitis. Even the prescription cough medicine my doctor gave me couldn’t help me sleep through the night. I figured if nothing else, a K-Drama might help make me drowsy.

Au contraire.

I got hooked on a So Ji-Sub series where he had insane chemistry with Shin Min-Ah. (Can you guess which series I’m talking about? ㅋㅋ) I was hooked. I fell in love with both the leading man and leading lady. I fell in love with the plot. I fell in love with how all things led to their childhood past. I fell in love with how the show tackled real-life issues that people don’t want to talk about (child abandonment, adoption, broken families, body shaming) in a dramatic way that made sense. Essentially, I fell in love with everything about K-Dramas and wanted to watch more.

Of course, there are some K-Dramas that are better than others. But K-Dramas to me are like pizza. Even a bad one is still better than most other shows.

Case in point: 2004’s “I’m Sorry, I Love You,” another So Ji-Sub series that also starred the film actress Im Soo-Jung. (Im wouldn’t return to episodic television until 2017’s “Chicago Typewriter” and this year’s “Search: WWW.”) The series meandered on and on, but I kept returning to see what would happen next. 

Once I find an actor and actress that I like, I tend to binge on their other dramas. And that’s how I found “Master’s Sun.” So’s co-star is one of my all-time favorite actresses, Gong Hyo-Jin. The series also introduced me to Kim Myung-soo (aka L from the K-Pop group Infinite) as an actor. (He played So’s character as a teenager.) I didn’t particularly care for So’s role here, but still, he and Gong were highly enjoyable to watch.

When I see that Gong Hyo-Jin is in a series, I consider that to be a seal of approval. And even though I disliked the way “It’s Okay, That’s Love” was promoted, I eventually watched it because she was in it. It ranks as my favorite K-Drama to date. The cast — which also included Jo In-Sung, Lee Kwang-Soo and EXO‘s Do Kyung-Soo (also known as D.O.) — was spectacular. I was blown away at how this series tackled not only complicated relationships, but how it handled the nuances of mental illness.

Like many viewers, I enjoy losing myself in K-Dramas populated with ridiculously attractive people in fun roles. But Korean dramas have a way of addressing serious issues in a palatable way. Korean pop culture has been embraced worldwide, but it’s just as important to remember that this country has a complicated history filled with war, separation of families and extreme poverty. And, for better or worse, since foreign schools offer so little history on what South Korea went through to get where it is today, K-Dramas fill in some of the blanks.

I’m so grateful that part of my job requires me to keep up to date on Korean Dramas. But given the choice these days of watching must-see western television or a new K-Drama, I will always opt for the latter.

How about you all: How did you fall down the K-Drama rabbit hole? Let me know in the comments below.

Be sure to follow @GoAwayWithJae, where I tweet about all things Korean.🇰🇷