Why We Are So In Love with Korean drama shows?
Tuesday, October 05, 2021
But it is the quality and the diversity of the stories that impress me the most. They can range in genre and subject matter — from opposites-attract romantic comedies like Crash Landing On You and Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha to military-themed dramas such as Descendants of the Sun and D.P.
And they can have wildly innovative storylines, like Move To Heaven, which is about trauma cleaners — incidentally, its star Tang Joon-sang is half-Malaysian — and the upcoming The Silent Sea (main picture), which sees Bae Doo-na and Gong Yoo heading to the moon on a perilous mission. This creative imagination, coupled with top quality acting and production values, has made hallyu — or the “Korean wave” — a phenomenon, not only in Southeast Asia, but across the world.
There will be even more surprising and creative stories in the next few months with Hellbound, a mystery thriller with supernatural elements and the first Korean series to be invited to screen at the Toronto International Film Festival; as well as My Name, a female-centred action noir adventure starring Nevertheless’ Han So-hee as you’ve never seen her before.
For Malobika Banerji, Content Director, Southeast Asia, however, the most rewarding Korean shows are those that provoke her to think deeper about societal issues. This is why she's looking forward to Squid Game even before the release, which addresses social and economic inequality, a topic that is top of mind in many countries in the world, including Southeast Asia.
Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter why we love these shows. What matters is there will be more, with Netflix’s $500M investment in Korean content this year. This means, no matter where you are — in Bangkok, Hanoi, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila or Singapore — you will continue to get the best of Korea, whether it’s on-the-go on your mobile device or sitting comfortably in your living room. All you need to do is sit back, relax and press “play”.
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