My Kind of K-pop Culture: A theory on the why's and how's of the widespread of K-Fever


 K-fever culture is taking Asia by storm thanks to their boy bands and  Korean dramas. Unique, fast paced and engaging story lines are some of the answers I get when I ask people  I know who watch k-dramas why. And there are a lot of them! Even if it means reading rapid fast English subtitles! I have seen a few dramas myself and I agree. They are not dragging, they seem loyal to the plot and its length do not depend on tv ratings.

Gyeongbuk Palace, Sept 2018

 I am more drawn to their period dramas though. Set in Joseon Dynasty, often based on historical events and about historical figures, I'm fascinated of how they depict their culture and heritage with pride and honor, at the same time expose the injustices and abuse of the victims from that era. Hence, it became a travel goal of mine to visit a palace in Korea and wear hanbok 🎎.

#travelgoal
Jaseondang Hall

The interior of the crown prince's pavilion
The king's robe, National Palace Museum of Korea
Typical library back in Joseon Era, also typically seen in period dramas.

Facade of the National Palace Museum of Korea 

My three favorite K-dramas are all period dramas. The first two are Jewel in the Palace and Dong Yi. I both watched them dubbed in Filipino. The former is about a court lady who, from being assigned in the kitchen, became a legendary royal palace nurse; while the latter is about a commoner who rose to being a royal consort.
No, that's not Dong Yi! 😊👭

My third and latest fave (not to mention, the one that I endured watching with subtitles!) is Mr. Sunshine, a big budgeted project comparable to a Hollywood movie. Also set during Joseon era, but pre-WWII, it follows the story of several characters, some fictitious,  as they live and struggle for freedom and identity during that transitional period.



One does not need to be an expert to know that its cinematography, production and story line were spectacular, which leads me to, again, ponder on my long standing question: why their tv industry dare invest a hefty amount of money to produce such high quality drama series?

A realization.

Changing of the guards.
No award-winning writer, social trend or anyone in power can rewrite history.
One basic high school economics topic came to mind: The law of demand and supply. Let's take Mr. Sunshine as an example. While this series was currently showing, I read that some people criticized it for being pro Japanese in reference to that yakuza group led by Yoo Yeon Seok, the second leading man in the drama - to which the writer responded with  an apology, and then changed the name of the group in respect to those who felt offended.
No award-winning writer, social trend or anyone in power can rewrite their history. More than the big tv networks, directors and producers, it is the audience that make it happen.
A group picture including The 5 Traitors of 1905 taken by Kim Hui Song, a fictitious character in the series. A romantic angle or funny characters may be added in the story, but historical facts remain accurate.

They produce high quality drama series because there is a target market, a huge intelligent audience that demands intelligent content.





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