Jump to content

Korean drama: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Line 22: Line 22:


==Popularity in the Philippines==
==Popularity in the Philippines==
After the successful entries of Mexican [[Telenovela]] and Taiwanese drama, [[GMA Network]] became the pioneer TV network to release Korean drama in the Philippines. The first drama to be aired is ''Endless Love: Autumn in My Heart''. After the said drama, they aired other Endless Love series which started the boom in the said country. [[GMA Network]] acquired the most successful and popular dramas of Korea; [[Full House (2004 TV series)|Full House]], [[My Lovely Samsoon]], [[Stairway to Heaven (Philippines TV series)|Stairway To Heaven]], [[Dae Jang Geum]], [[Coffee Prince]] and more. [[ABS CBN]] also aired dramas such as [[My Girl (2005 TV series)|My Girl]], [[Only You (TV series)|Only You]], [[Princess Hours]], [[Boys Over Flowers]], [[Lovers in Paris]], The Truth, and a lot more. [[Lovers in Paris]] became really popular among Filipinos and has surpassed the popularity of other Korean dramas aired during the time. Korean themesongs were also adapted for the said dramas. The boom of koreanovelas continued as major TV networks continued to invest a timeslot for the said series. Korean celebrities also became popular in the Philippines. [[Song Hye Kyo]] is the most popular one for her series [[Full House]] marked as the highest rated Asianovela or Asian drama.
After the successful entries of Mexican [[Telenovela]] and Taiwanese drama, [[GMA Network]] became the pioneer TV network to release Korean drama in the Philippines. The first drama to be aired is ''Endless Love: Autumn in My Heart''. After the said drama, they aired other Endless Love series which started the boom in the said country. [[GMA Network]] acquired the most successful and popular dramas of Korea; [[Full House (2004 TV series)|Full House]], [[My Lovely Samsoon]], [[Stairway to Heaven (Philippines TV series)|Stairway To Heaven]], [[Dae Jang Geum]], [[Coffee Prince]], [[Shining Inheritance]] and more. [[ABS CBN]] also aired dramas such as [[My Girl (2005 TV series)|My Girl]], [[Only You (TV series)|Only You]], [[Princess Hours]], [[Boys Over Flowers]], [[Lovers in Paris]], The Truth, and a lot more. [[Lovers in Paris]] became really popular among Filipinos and has surpassed the popularity of other Korean dramas aired during the time. Korean themesongs were also adapted for the said dramas. The boom of koreanovelas continued as major TV networks continued to invest a timeslot for the said series. Korean celebrities also became popular in the Philippines. [[Song Hye Kyo]] is the most popular one for her series [[Full House]] marked as the highest rated Asianovela or Asian drama.


==Popularity in the USA==
==Popularity in the USA==

Revision as of 04:47, 25 December 2009

Korean drama (Korean: 한국드라마) refers to televised dramas, similar to Western miniseries, produced in the Korean language for Korean audiences. Many of these dramas have become popular throughout Asia and have contributed to the general phenomenon of the Korean wave, known as "Hallyu", and also "Drama Fever" in some countries. Most popular Korean dramas have also become popular in other parts of the world such as Latin America, the Middle East, and elsewhere. Some of the most internationally popular Korean dramas are Winter Sonata, Dae Jang Geum, Full House, Stairway to Heaven, My Girl, My Lovely Sam Soon, Love Story in Harvard, Shining Inheritance, Autumn in My Heart, Princess Hours, 1st Shop of Coffee Prince, Yi San and Boys Over Flowers.

Plot

There are two main genres of Korean dramas. The first genre is similar to soap operas but without the never ending plot and frank sexual content. These dramas typically involve conflicts such as marital relationships, money bargaining, relationships between in-laws (usually between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law), and often complicated love triangles. These dramas last anywhere from 16 episodes to over 100 (most often not exceeding 200). Most plots of korean soap operas are similar where a love triangle is always present. The other main genre is Korean historical dramas (also known as sa geuk), which are dramatizations of Korean history. Korean historical dramas typically involve very complex story lines with elaborate costumes, sets and special effects. Martial arts, sword fighting and horsemanship are frequently a big component of Korean historical dramas as well.

Popularity in Japan

The first Korean drama to wide popularity in Japan was Winter Sonata which was broadcasted on the NHK satellite channel NHK BS2 in 2003. The program was aired twice in the same year due to high demand from viewers.[1] NHK even hosted a classical concert featuring Winter Sonata's melodic tunes performed by Korean musicians. Actor Bae Yong Joon who played the male lead in Winter Sonata is and is known as "Yonsama" or "Sir Yon".http://uniorb.com/ATREND/Japanwatch/wsdramafever.htm

Some have claimed that Korean drama has improved relations between the two countries as more Japanese people have become interested in Korean culture. Heightened appreciation of all things Korean, including Korean language, cuisine, and history has not only changed the perception among Japanese about Korea, but also relieved some of the antagonism many Koreans have felt towards Japan. The increased interest in Korean culture has promoted Japanese tourism to South Korea and many tours geared towards fans of Winter Sonata and other Korean drama programs have attracted thousands of visitors to the country.

Former Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi has been known to be a big fan of Choi Ji Woo known as "Jiwoo-hime" or "Princess Ji-woo" in Japan. And the current Japanese first lady Miyuki Hatoyama, wife of prime minister Yukio Hatoyama, has often proclaimed her love of Korean drama even claiming that it is the secret to her youthful appearance. [2]

Popularity in China

In 2006, South Korean programs on Chinese government TV networks accounted for more than all other foreign programs combined.[3] The government of the People's Republic of China has tried to limit the number of South Korean entertainment content in the country.

Popularity in Thailand

When the popular drama of Dae Jang Geum was on the air in Thailand, Korean food started gaining wide popularity in Thailand. Due to lop-sided nature of entertainment exports favoring South Korea, the Thai government requested increased introduction of popular Thai films to South Korean media outlets. This led to the signing of an Agreement of Cultural Cooperation between the two countries in August 2004.[4]

Popularity in the Philippines

After the successful entries of Mexican Telenovela and Taiwanese drama, GMA Network became the pioneer TV network to release Korean drama in the Philippines. The first drama to be aired is Endless Love: Autumn in My Heart. After the said drama, they aired other Endless Love series which started the boom in the said country. GMA Network acquired the most successful and popular dramas of Korea; Full House, My Lovely Samsoon, Stairway To Heaven, Dae Jang Geum, Coffee Prince, Shining Inheritance and more. ABS CBN also aired dramas such as My Girl, Only You, Princess Hours, Boys Over Flowers, Lovers in Paris, The Truth, and a lot more. Lovers in Paris became really popular among Filipinos and has surpassed the popularity of other Korean dramas aired during the time. Korean themesongs were also adapted for the said dramas. The boom of koreanovelas continued as major TV networks continued to invest a timeslot for the said series. Korean celebrities also became popular in the Philippines. Song Hye Kyo is the most popular one for her series Full House marked as the highest rated Asianovela or Asian drama.

Popularity in the USA

Korean dramas have recently become popular in the United States particularly in regions with populations of ethnic Koreans. The spread of the popularity of Korean dramas typically centers around these regions because Korean drama programming is publicly available. Korean drama fan clubs have appeared in Hawaii[5], California[6] and the metropolitan areas of Chicago[7] and Philadelphia[8], Pennsylvania. Cable channels in the U.S. (such as AZN, KBS World, MBC America) have featured several Korean dramas during primetime, in addition to offering daytime and late-night Korean programming. The dramas are subtitled in English rather than dubbed.

Blockbuster currently sells Korean drama DVDs in limited locations across the United States. In November 2008, Netflix began offering several Korean dramas as part of their video selection. In August 2009, DramaFever began offering free subtitled video streaming service in the United States [9].

Popularity in Latin America

Recently some Korean dramas have gained modest popularity in Latin American countries such as Mexico[10], Peru, Chile, and Brazil.[11][12][13]

Similarities with other Asian dramas

Korean television (comic programs, dramas, news, and other genres) shares some similarity with Japanese, Chinese, and Taiwanese television as opposed to American (Western) television. Some popular Korean dramas such as Dae Jang Geum ("The Jewel in the Palace") the highest rating and very successful historical drama and Jumong ("The Book of Three Han") have also showcased traditional Korean ways of life, and often depict Confucian values.

Korean dramas often have various clips from the next episode played during the ending credits in order to keep viewers interested.

Korean stars have now become familiar faces throughout Asia - for example:

The format was parodied in MADtv with Bobby Lee and Korean American guest-stars Sung Kang and Cathy Shim. Korean drama clichés also appear in a comedic way, including the camera set-up style, constant replayed clips, melodramatic music, and the tragic love triangle. The MADtv parody also features exaggerated English "subtitles" which are relevant to the plot, but do not actually translate the Korean words spoken that are actually irrelevant to the plot, satirizing the incorrect and exaggerated subtitles found on some foreign-language films and TV shows.

See also

References

  1. ^ http://uniorb.com/ATREND/Japanwatch/wsdramafever.htm
  2. ^ http://news.msn.co.kr/article/read.html?cate_code=1400&article_id=200912160355121022&pos=right_many
  3. ^ Japanese Women Catch the 'Korean Wave'
  4. ^ http://www.thaiembassy.or.kr/en/about/thai_rok_relations.htm
  5. ^ http://808dramafans.proboards21.com/index.cgi Hawaii K-Drama Fans
  6. ^ http://www.runboard.com/bcjkdramasincalifornia CJK Dramas
  7. ^ http://deiner.proboards48.com/ Chicago Korean Drama Fan Club
  8. ^ http://www.koreandramas.net Korean Drama Group
  9. ^ Knock it off: Global treaty against media piracy won't work in Asia Jeff Yang, SFGate, November 11, 2009.
  10. ^ http://www.korea.net/News/news/NewsView.asp?serial_no=20061116016&part=110&SearchDay=&source=
  11. ^ http://hellohallyu.blogspot.com/2008_01_01_archive.html
  12. ^ http://www.seoulstyle.com/cultural.htm
  13. ^ http://kimsamsoon.blogsome.com/2005/11/30/hawaii-hallyu/
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Korean_drama&oldid=333919099"