The booming Korean wave

Clues can be gleaned from popular Korean dramas

The isolation and city closures caused by the epidemic in 2020 and 2021 have forced all industries to decline, but they have also made streaming media (streaming) stand out. Under stay-at-home orders, people have turned to entertainment platforms for outlets, with Netflix among the biggest winners. Korean dramas are a major contributor to Netflix's booming business. "Squidward", which premiered in September 2021, became the most popular series in the world in just a few weeks and the most successful investment in Netflix history.

Since the 21st century, romantic Korean dramas such as "Blue Life", "Love Hotel" and "Winter Sonata" have first set off a trend in East Asia, and then spread throughout Asia, becoming an unstoppable "Korean Wave" "Dae Jang Geum" in 2003 was welcomed globally, allowing audiences from different countries to experience Korean culture.

In the past 20 years, Hallyu has delivered more than just Korean dramas, pop music (K-Pop), beauty (K-Beauty), food (such as chili sauce, "Shin" ramen)... It is comparable to Samsung electronics and Hyundai Motors. Brand familiarity compared.

How can this country with an area of 100,000 square kilometers and a population of more than 50 million, located in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula, occupy a place in the global cultural market? What kind of trend is this booming Korean Wave bringing? Perhaps we can get some clues from popular Korean dramas.

▲Since the romantic drama "Winter Sonata" and the court drama "Dae Jang Geum" were aired in 2002 and 2003, the booming Korean Wave has spread to the global cultural market. Why are Korean dramas so good? What kind of reflection can it cause?

It’s good-looking because the crew is willing to put in the hard work

A big factor in making Korean dramas good-looking lies in the visual effects; not only the good looks of the actors, but also the deliberate management of the details.

Let’s look at the storyboard first. Almost every scene, especially the affectionate dialogue between the male and female protagonists, will be shot from different angles: front, side, depression angle, elevation angle, long shot, close shot; plus close-ups of hand positions and facial expressions, as well as actions such as pacing and making fists . After editing, the story lines and emotions presented are like a slow-flowing river, without the turbulence of thousands of waves, but with many layers, attracting the viewer's eyes and touching the heart.

In "Descendants of the Sun" in 2010, the male protagonist appeared in front of the heroine during a catastrophe and squatted down to tie her shoelaces. The close-ups of his facial expressions and finger movements made the love between children in troubled times even more touching.

To achieve these effects, the director needs to know very well how to use various lenses and guide the entire team of actors, photographers, editors, etc., like a general strategizing. Actors must maintain the same emotion in the same scene. Even if they are taking close-ups of their faces, they are often facing the camera and the photographer, and they still need to be highly focused, just like generals at all levels executing orders. The little-known scene notes, props, costumes, makeup, and lighting... are the key to making the play go smoothly from preparation to filming to post-production; only by relying on the little soldiers who are willing to work behind the scenes and focus on details can the work be beautifully presented to the audience. .

Although South Korea is not vast in territory, its mountains, rivers, seasides, countryside, and cities all have their own unique features, and the four seasons are distinctive, which serve as the background to highlight the momentum of Korean dramas. In "Winter Sonata" in 2002, the male and female protagonists played in the snow in the woods with pink makeup and silver ornaments. In "Dae Jang Geum" in 2003, Jang Geum scattered Jung Sang Gong's ashes on the top of a mountain. The beautiful scenery created a classic scene and gave the audience another visual shock.

The carefully designed and matched clothing is very different from the fast fashion in Dongdaemun Garment Market in Seoul. The long black coats of the two male protagonists in 2016's "The Lonely and Brilliant God-Goblin" set off their figures, creating a splendid handsomeness in a gloomy atmosphere.

The costumes in period dramas range from high-quality silk fabrics, meticulous tailoring and tailoring, color matching that matches the actor's temperament, to the details of accessories, such as the change of hats and tassels of the noble yangban, the collar and cuffs of the noble lady. The embroidery is the pinnacle of ancient couture and high-end custom fashion. In the 2010 "Sungkyunkwan Scandal", several protagonists who are scholars, ladies and courtesans of different classes have their own distinctive costumes, and great attention to detail has been paid to them.

If you are willing to put thought and effort into it, the finished product will be deep and naturally intriguing. This attitude should not be limited to artistic creation; for any work at hand, shouldn’t it be done “from the heart, as for the Lord”?

It looks good because the actors have done enough homework.

Perhaps many people were attracted by handsome men and beautiful actresses when they first watched Korean dramas. However, if you want to gain a foothold in the highly competitive Korean entertainment industry, your looks alone will not last long. Korean dramas are good-looking and watchable, and the important element lies in the seriousness of the actors.

Let’s start with self-management. Regardless of actors or actresses, if they want to have an eye-catching appearance, they need to take strict maintenance and exercise. Korean skin care products such as facial masks should be part of daily life! A-list male actors are all muscular, and this cannot be achieved by just going to the gym one or two months before the show. In addition to exercising and exercising, you also need to be absolutely self-controlled in your diet and daily life, so that you can show off your chiseled figure in front of the camera and afford all kinds of clothing.

Many actors graduated from performing arts departments, and many have background in stage plays and musicals. I often heard that I was criticized for my poor acting skills when I first debuted, so I seriously sought advice from my seniors and directors. In order to make the performance more convincing, it is common to spend more than half a year preparing after deciding to perform. The result will of course greatly enhance the performance.

Many Japanese characters in "Mr. Sunshine" in 2018 made Japanese audiences think that they were really Japanese. Among the five protagonists in the 2020 and 2021 seasons of "The Life of a Smart Doctor", except for Cao Zhengxi, who plays Li Yijun, who can play and sing, the other four basically cannot play instruments. They each learned their skills from their masters half a year before the filming started. During the filming, they also practiced as a team once a week to make the OST (original sound track) of each episode sound good and watchable, so as not to upset the audience.

Oh Jung-se, who played an autistic character in 2020's "It's Okay to be Mentally Ill", did enough homework in advance to escape stereotypes and interpret it appropriately with his eyes and body language. Therefore, he won the Best Actor at the 2021 Baeksang Arts Awards. supporting role.

In 2021, the young and old protagonists of "Like a Butterfly" studied ballet for six months before filming began. Park In-hwan, who is known as the "national grandfather", insists on practicing twice a week at the age of 76. Although it is strenuous, he still perseveres in order to fit the character's character of "dreams without age restrictions".

These popular and well-paid actors always humbly credit the crew when they are interviewed, address the director and screenwriter respectfully, and thank the audience for their support. In Korean society, which values the order of seniority, actors call each other brother and sister, and the one who debuted earlier is the senior. It is common for senior actors with decades of acting experience to learn from each other with the new generation during rehearsals and recordings. The shining stars are not competing for brilliance, but competing for brilliance.

In order to play a good role in life, have you and I done enough homework? Does the effort we put into it also reflect the importance we place on the character?

Good-looking lies in the careful selection of materials

With a rigorous crew and dedicated and professional actors, Korean dramas can resonate with audiences around the world, and I have to mention the screenwriters' intentions in selecting materials.

The first wave of Korean pop took a romantic and poignant route, with most plots turning around every two episodes, such as illness, amnesia, brother-sister relationship, etc. In recent years, we have begun to see different backbones of the story.

The "Reply" (1997, 1994, 1988) series, which were broadcast in 2012, 2013, and 2015 respectively, although they followed the main axis of the growth of close friends, integrated into the social and cultural issues of the time, and also thought about the development of the country while feeling nostalgic.

"My Dear Friends" in 2016 is a rare drama that features the elderly as the protagonists. Several senior actors superbly interpret the daily life and challenges of the elderly people, shining the spotlight on the issues of the aging society.

In 2018, "Castle in the Sky" echoed the American college admissions bribery scandal, and also reflected the high pressure to enter college and the common mentality that academic qualifications mean everything. In 2018, "Live" allowed the audience to see the humanity of the people's nanny under the appearance of strength and justice from the various cases faced by the police.

The two seasons of "The Life of a Smart Doctor" touched on organ donation many times. During the broadcast of the second season, the number of registered organ donors in South Korea surged, and many people said they were affected by the show.

In 2021, "I Am the Organizer of Relics" treats the end of life with tenderness, humanity, and respect, and also makes people reflect more deeply on the meaning of life.

The truth remains unchanged, but the way it is presented can be updated. Are Christians willing to diligently continue to find applications of truth in all aspects of life?

▲The seriousness of the crew, the hard work of the actors, and the careful selection of materials reflect the high quality of Korean dramas. Can you and I also lead the cultural trend with a life of heavenly quality?

Good-looking lies in giving up the stereotypes

Even if the characters in Korean dramas are not famous, they are neatly dressed, which reflects the importance Koreans place on appearance. From the plot, you can also feel that South Korea has a similar community culture to other East Asian countries. It does not want to highlight individuals and acts according to traditions and rules. Since the Korean War in 1953, it has been under a military dictatorship for 34 years. In addition, it is very strict about seniority, so it respects authority very much.

However, I saw a breakthrough from Korean dramas.

Mental illnesses have emerged in recent years, including depression in 2019's "The Romantic Physique", autism and antisocial personality in "It's Okay, It's Okay", and Asperger's Syndrome in "I Am the Organizer of Relics". The Korean Wave, which has always been beautiful, began to discover these shortcomings and imperfections that would disappear if they were ignored, and then built a network of maintenance and support from the family and community relationships that Korean society valued.

The two seasons of "Secret Forest" in 2017 and 2020 and "The Supreme Law" in 2021 exposed the judicial system that is hijacked by politics and corporations. In 2021, "Model Taxi" will replace the victims who cannot get justice from the law, punish the perpetrators, and become an underground messenger of justice.

South Korea has always been a patriarchal society. In the past, most Korean dramas had a "Cinderella" plot - a girl from a humble background meets a rich and handsome man. In recent years, it is common for heroines to be given high academic qualifications and abilities in majors, such as doctors and lawyers, and their status has been elevated to a partner who is on par with the male protagonist, such as "Itaewon Class" in 2020 and "Vincenzo" in 2021 .

Plots based on family relationships are everywhere. It is common to see amiable parents who sacrifice for their families, siblings who are noisy but love each other at critical moments, and couples who have been together for decades still treat each other with words of respect. However, in recent years, we can see that traditional values and ethics have changed.

In 2017's "Dad Is Strange", a couple who have always been at odds consider "post-marriage" - graduation from the marriage; the couple lives separately, but not divorced. In 2020's "Married Once", parents face the distress of their children's marriages being on the rocks one after another. In 2020, "The World of the Married" challenges the most important loyalty, trust, and keeping promises in marriage to the limit.

Does the plot reflect social phenomena? Or does drama lead cultural trends? This may be an issue that viewers need to think about.

Popular Korean dramas drive the booming Korean Wave. What do you and I see from it? How can Christians carefully observe the times and at the same time carefully uphold and practice the truth with creativity? I pray that you and I will not only not follow the trend, but also ride on the waves and lead the cultural trend of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Qinmu, loves reading and watching videos, and thinking about life issues presented in words and images.