Commentary: Southeast Asia's romance with Korean drama shows

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Commentary: Southeast Asia's romance with Korean drama shows

Liew Kai Khuin examines why shows similar Descendants of the Sun are and then popular with Southeast Asian viewers, including some top government leaders.

xi Jul 2022 07:49AM (Updated: 03 Jul 2022 01:33AM)

SINGAPORE: Defusing a landmine from her foot while whispering sweet nothings, eating ramen together in darkness while wearing military nighttime-vision goggles, and sharing sudden, unannounced kisses.

Over 2016, fans across Asia of Korean dramas, or One thousand-dramas, were glued to the explosive Descendants of the Lord's day (DOTS), where army officer Captain Yoo Shi-jin, played past a boyish-looking Song Joon-ki, wooed an older female medico Kang Mo-yeon, played by Song Hye-kyo.

AN UNEXPECTED FAN

Song Joon-ki had a strong following among crowds of smitten young women all across Asia. But he besides caught the attention of Thailand Prime Government minister General Prayut Chan-O-cha, who urged Thais to lookout the K-drama, and had reportedly offered to sponsor the product of a similar prove if this could be done in Thai.

DOTs reverberate "a sense of patriotism, dedication to the nation and sacrifice", General Prayut had said in March 2016.

General Prayut was certainly tapping on the astounding popularity DOTS enjoyed in Thailand, a country that sees close to half-a-1000000 of its citizens travel to South Korea annually, in a K-drama pilgrimage of sorts.

Just as the memory of DOTS began to fade away, the drama's stars announced their wedding ceremony final week. Viewers who felt their onscreen chemistry too good to be true were ecstatic.

At almost the same fourth dimension every bit the hymeneals announcement, and reportedly endorsed by Full general Prayut, Thailand'southward television station Channel vii rolled out a military machine-themed romantic drama Dearest Missions, which had a storyline that diameter an uncanny resemblance to DOTS.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha suggested in March 2022 that Thai serial producers take inspiration from Descendants of the Sun, which told the story of an army captain sent on a peacekeeping mission and has an element of patriotism. (Photograph: AFP/Yoshikazu Tsuno) Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha (Photo: AFP/Yoshikazu Tsuno)

Such creative remakes of K-dramas are not new. For some years now, spurred by the loftier ratings of the 1000-drama shows they imported, Filipino television stations like GMA Network and ABS-CBN have been actively producing loose remakes of popular Northeast Asian television shows that cater to their local audiences.

Rise POPULARITY

Thousand-dramas accept become an intractable part of Asia'south popular culture landscape. Today, contemporary Korean telly dramas like Wintertime Sonata, Gem in the Palace, and The First Shop of the Coffee Prince are household names.

From nutrient to high way, K-dramas are also shaping popular aesthetics and influencing the idea of what makes for a modern, Asian lifestyle.

The popularity of K-dramas has also led to a boom in South Korea's tourism industry. Unabridged tour itineraries and travel guidebooks have been created for fans who want to visit sites of popular G-drama scenes.

S Korea has also seen a huge increase in the number of visitors from Southeast Asia in particular. A whopping 13 million visitors from Southeast Asia toured South korea in 2015, compared to most 3 1000000 in the 1990s, according to the Korea Tourism Organisation.

A guide directs tourists in Seoul, the majuscule of Republic of korea. (Photo: AFP/Ed Jones)

HUGE INVESTMENTS

Why are K-dramas so popular in Southeast Asia? Why is it that fans, who may not fifty-fifty understand the Korean linguistic communication, volition look for their favourite K-drama celebrities for hours at shopping malls, or take a plane to check out sites of their favourite G-drama scenes?

Some say it's the heavy investments, which have produced good scriptwriting, strong performances and well-oiled marketing campaigns, that explains K-dramas' success.

Capital investments from big Korean conglomerates like Samsung and LG have bolstered the sector, giving way to a wide selection of talent, genres and productions in K-dramas. Crime, romantic comedy, political drama and soap operas make up a rich buffet of options for viewers.

After all, there is expert money to be made. DOTS cost nearly The states$eleven million and took nine months to produce, but reportedly earned its tv set visitor KBS ambulation rights of near United states$250,000 per episode.

FOR THE FAIRER Sexual activity

Nevertheless, Thou-dramas do well because they play to their audition. G-dramas are largely women-centric, catering to an audience that is mostly female.

However clichéd, many genres of K-dramas centre on female protagonists and typify the struggles of the woman on the street, whether as a princess living on palace grounds in historical Korea or a barista in a 21st century café.

Fifty-fifty Singapore has fabricated spoofs of DOTS. Film-maker Royston Tan is seen hither directing a spoof of DOTS for a telemovie.

Many K-dramas are stories of a coming of historic period for female figures. The female protagonists very often accept to testify themselves to their male counterparts and those around them.

At the same time, viewers lap it all upwardly when female leads are swept off their feet, saved by heartthrobs in those occasional moments of vulnerability or distress. The hero of choice usually has an extraordinary background – whether a young corporate boss, a celebrity chief or even an immortal.

And in render for the men's knightly, the women bare it all – to reveal their truest and deepest emotions.

LIBERALISATION, CONTRADICTIONS AND TENSIONS

This is possibly the mastery in the popularity of K-dramas. They practise not grandstand against but highlight the daily negotiation women have to do with existing socio-cultural norms. They shine a spotlight on the challenges of living with unreasonable mother-in-laws or dealing with conniving colleagues in male person-dominated workplaces. They bespeak out the awkward contradictions and underlying tensions that women feel all besides strongly well-nigh but may not discuss openly.

South Korea's momentum of liberalisation in the early on 1990s has energised an entire generation, allowing for the release of previously repressed sentiments. K-dramas produced in this aftermath reverberate and allow South Koreans to talk virtually these sentiments. And many of such restrained feelings are keenly felt by the fairer sex, whether in Due south Korea or developing Southeast Asia.

Another popular K-drama in 2022 is My Love From The Stars, a romantic comedy nearly an alien who lands on earth and falls in love with an actress. Viewers will get to see more Korean dramas like My Love from the Star on the revamped Aqueduct U from Apr 13. (Photo: Channel U)

So it is not surprising that women in Southeast Asia find keen condolement in Thou-dramas and K-pop culture more than broadly. Simply look at the monthly arrival statistics terminal recorded in May 2022 – arrivals by women visitors outstrip men past a bang-up deal. The greatest difference comes from Thailand where 136,706 women visited South Korea compared to 72,175 men.

SOFT POWER

Ask an average television set viewer in Southeast Asia in the late 1990s about K-dramas, and you will probably draw blank stares.

Putting aside glamourous celebrities and out-of-this-world storylines, what has been phenomenal in One thousand-drama is its office played in the rise of Republic of korea's soft ability. Southward Korea has truly grown from a cultural backwater to get a significant player, specially in Southeast Asia, and K-drama has become 1 of Southward Korea's virtually popular exports.

At present that is a story to be told.

Dr Liew Kai Khiun is an assistant professor at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Data at the Nanyang Technological Academy, where he studies pop culture and its soft power applications.

Commentary: Southeast Asia's romance with Korean drama shows

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