Report Wire

Tag: korean dramas

  • Netflix publicizes 25 new Okay-dramas for 2022, Money Heist adaptation, Thirty Nine on the record

    Following the record-breaking reputation of Okay-dramas corresponding to Squid Game, Hellbound and Vincenzo, streamer Netflix’s Korean arm has introduced that they’re launching greater than 25 Korean reveals in 2022, its largest quantity up to now.
    According to a launch by the platform, Korean reveals dominated international widespread tradition in 2021 with Squid Game alone changing into the streamer’s largest present ever, most considered in 94 nations.
    The 95 per cent of Squid Game’s viewership got here from exterior Korea and led viewers to discover extra Okay-content on Netflix.
    The streamer stated the worldwide viewing hours of our Korean reveals grew six-fold final 12 months, in comparison with 2019.
    “Credit for this rising international curiosity goes to the gifted Korean creators we now have been working with for the previous few years. From 2016 to 2021, we launched greater than 130 Korean titles. As a consequence, Netflix has turn out to be a compelling vacation spot for followers of Korean content material, who know that that is the house of various and high-quality Korean storytelling.

    “As this fanbase increasingly includes viewers from all over the world, we are excited to continue collaborating with Korean storytellers to bring the K-wave to new heights,” Don Kang, VP, Content (Korea), shared within the launch.
    Some of the reveals that viewers can sit up for embrace All of Us Are Dead, wherein zombies invade a highschool; Money Heist: Korea Joint Economic Area, an adaptation of the favored Spanish collection; and the action-packed thrills of Seoul Vibe, a movie the place the adventures of a special-ops group happen towards the backdrop of the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games.
    The slate reintroduces among the well-known South Korean actors in new drama settings. For instance, Crash Landing on You star Son Ye-jin stars in Thirty Nine alongside Hospital Playlist fan-favourite star Jeon Mi-do and Justice actor Kim Ji-hyun. The drama explores the life and friendship of three ladies who’re about to show 40.

    Similarly, Forecasting Love and Weather options What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim star Park Min-young, Netflix favorite Song Kang and You Are My Spring actor Yoon Bak. The romantic drama revolves across the life and love tales of the folks working on the Korea Meteorological Administration.
    Fantasy drama The Sound of Magic stars widespread South Korean actor Ji Chang-wook, greatest identified to Okay-drama followers for reveals Healer, Suspicious Partner and Lovestruck within the City, as a mysterious magician alongside Beyond Evil star Choi Sung-eun and Hwang In-youp of True Beauty fame. The collection is directed by Kim Sung-youn of Itaewon Class fame. He is reuniting with author Kim Min-jeong after Love In The Moonlight.

    Black Knight, a dystopian drama, will mark the return of widespread Korean actor Kim Woo-bin following his restoration from nasopharyngeal most cancers. It additionally options Taxi Driver actor Esom and is ready in 2071 the place folks rely upon respirator masks to breathe. Woo-bin performs a supply driver within the drama.
    Other noteworthy titles within the record embrace Kim Hye-soo-starrer authorized drama Juvenile Justice, romance drama Twenty Five, Twenty with Kim Tae-ri and Nam Joo-hyuk, fantasy present Tomorrow, Business Proposal, Remarriage and Desires, Model Family, Glitch, The Fabulous, Love to Hate You and Somebody.

  • Gong Yoo: Extremely comfortable that the Ok-content is receiving a lot love globally

    They have been international stars even earlier than Hallyu 2.0, the second wave of South Korean tradition, swept the world amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Ahead of the premiere of their upcoming sci-fi sequence The Silent Sea on Netflix, South Korean powerhouse performers Bae Doona and Gong Yoo are hopeful that streamers will assist extra “stories and creators” from the nation to be found by the world.
    While Gong mentioned it’s an thrilling time to be “a working actor” when Korean exhibits and flicks are making a mark globally, Bae identified that the success of the nation’s leisure trade shouldn’t be a bolt out of the blue.
    “It is definitely something that I am very happy about as a Korean actor and I am really intrigued that I am able to experience this as it unfolds as a currently active actor in Korea,” Gong, who created fairly a stir along with his cameo in Netflix’s Squid Game, mentioned in response to a query by PTI in a global Zoom roundtable from Seoul.
    Best identified to drama followers for his romantic hero outings in Coffee Prince and Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, Gong attributed the recognition of Ok-content to the explosion of streamers.

    “As long as you have a television screen or a streamer, we are living in an era where we can connect and enjoy any content from any place around the world very easily,” the 42-year-old actor, who has a world fan following courtesy his roles within the 2016 zombie thriller Train to Busan and 2011’s gritty crime drama Silenced, added.
    “I am extremely happy that a lot of the K-content is receiving so much love globally, including Squid Game and Hellbound, and I dare say and hope that if we remain humble, we will be able to see the trend continue for quite some time,” Gong mentioned by the assistance of an interpreter.
    Bae, who’s already a Netflix favorite put up hit exhibits like Sense8 and Kingdom, mentioned South Korea is a cinema-loving nation receptive to many worldwide movies and now the tide is popping.
    “I wouldn’t say that it’s something that happened out of nowhere or out of the blue that Korean films and entertainment are loved by the world and are noticed by the world. Korea is a country that truly loves cinema,” she advised PTI as she commented on the rise of Korean content material all over the world.
    Bae, additionally 42, first grew to become a world sensation together with her function within the thriller Sympathy for Mr Vengeance in 2002, adopted by Bong Joon-ho’s monster movie The Host in 2006.
    The actor, who later collaborated with the Wachowskis on sci-fi drama motion pictures Cloud Atlas and Jupiter Ascending, is assured that the recognition of Korean exhibits and flicks is right here to remain.

    Citing the examples of broadly acclaimed and award-winning titles Parasite and Minari, she mentioned, “The method these are doing so effectively and are so liked by the worldwide audiences, one would possibly suppose that it’s a really sudden phenomenon.
    “But I would say that we have always had these amazing and talented creators and films. It’s just that the streamers, OTT services and the changing media environment have provided a platform for them to be showcased and found by the world more widely.”
    Bae hopes The Silent Sea, which premieres globally on Netflix on December 24, additionally turns into widespread just like the earlier exhibits from South Korea.
    “What we are seeing now is that the stories and creators that we have had for a long time are now being found out and being showcased to the world and I’m glad that many people can enjoy them,” she added.
    The Silent Sea, written by Park Eun-kyo and directed by Choi Hang-yong from his 2014 quick movie, follows a narrative of elite scientists who set off for the moon to retrieve some unknown samples from an deserted analysis station.
    Bae portrays the function of astrobiologist Doctor Song Ji-an who joins the group, decided to uncover the reality behind an accident on the now-abandoned Balhae Base analysis station on the moon.
    Describing her function within the present as a “layered” one, the actor mentioned her character is somebody who is hard from the skin however a comfortable individual in actuality who carries “a great deal of hurt within her”.

    “It is almost like she needs to wear a tough armour on the outside because she’s so vulnerable on the inside,” she added.
    Gong performs Han Yun-jae, the exploration group chief who should perform an important mission with restricted info. For Yun-jae, the security of his group members is paramount.
    Speaking about his expertise of engaged on the present, the actor mentioned the group leaned into numerous technical help to make sure a practical portrayal, be it making a set or the floor of the moon.
    The present additionally options Lee Joon, Kim Sun-young and Lee Mu-saeng. It is produced by actor Jung Woo-sung’s Artist Studio.
    During a digital press convention on Wednesday, actor Lee Joon quipped that capturing for the present was not difficult as there was numerous dancing concerned off digicam.

    “I don’t suppose I ever had this a lot enjoyable on set, we have been dancing loads. It was virtually like we have been in a Bollywood film even whereas sporting the very heavy spacesuit and the backpacks.
    “Unfortunately, we don’t show off any of our moves in the series. But when the cameras were not rolling, the whole crew.. we were really dancing a lot and we had such a blast,” he added.

  • Reality bites: Economic anxieties, work-life focus key to Okay-drama recognition

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: At first look, the enchantment of Korean dramas could lie primarily in never-before-seen areas with handsome actors giving life to mild romances and taut thrillers.

    But the addictive ‘Okay-drama’ capsule encases a centre of sobering actuality, that of job insecurities and unconventional careers in a world of financial disparities.

    Given that the recognition of Korean exhibits peaked through the lengthy months of the pandemic, when many companies large and small folded up or trimmed operations and plenty of 1000’s misplaced their jobs, it’s this mirroring of on a regular basis realities that appears to have actually hit dwelling.

    Bengaluru-based knowledge perception specialist Vaishnavi stated the follow of part-time jobs, as an example, proven in lots of exhibits displays the “widening gap” between the wealthy and poor.

    “It’s the same even in our country. Also, the way we have entrance exams and too many people vying for the same job. How cutthroat all this is,” the avid watcher of Korean exhibits instructed PTI whereas explaining why she is so drawn to them.

    Instead of previous household cash, the dramas, which present the best way to unconventional jobs and in addition forged a light-weight on on a regular basis difficulties, at the moment are specializing in hardworking individuals who do not inherit firms however rise via the ranks.

    “This is temporary, right?” the bold dentist from Seoul, performed by Shin Min-a, asks within the widespread present “Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha” that ended on Sunday night time, echoing because it had been the bewilderment of a whole technology.

    She is asking the query of an odd-jobs knowledgeable and graduate of Seoul National University, performed by Kim Seon-ho, who insists on incomes by the minimal wage fee.

    Much to her dismay, he would not plan to do something extra secure as he has come to respect cash that has been earned via arduous labour.

    In “Squid Game”, the blockbuster hit from Netflix impressed by the youngsters’s sport in Korea, 456 determined contestants compete for a forty five.6 billion Won (approx USD 38 million) prize cash in a “Hunger Games” like survival competitors.

    The present, with its themes of sophistication inequality, debt, desperation and uncooked greed, appears to have touched a chord amongst viewers already reeling from the pandemic-led financial divide that has resulted in lots of shedding their jobs and small companies getting ruined.

    Life in South Korea, particularly within the capital Seoul, could be very costly, stated Shruti Jargad, a scholar of China Studies from Peking University, Beijing.

    That’s why, she stated, unemployed individuals are working many part-time jobs, known as ‘arabaite’ in Korean, even in dramas.

    “There has been an increase in individualism within the final 40 years. Once that occurs, folks need to transfer out of their mother and father’ home and obtain monetary independence.

    There can also be an increase of the center class who already haven’t got a whole lot of household cash to go on to the subsequent technology,” the Jaipur-based Jargad instructed PTI.

    Saipriya, additionally a scholar, stated many dramas present that folks take up part-time jobs in espresso retailers and consuming joints to pay their faculty charges or assist their household.

    “They also do part-time work to earn some extra cash for expenses and to pursue their field of interest. It teaches us the importance of financial independence from a young age,” she instructed PTI. Okay-dramas, which discover new addicts on a regular basis, additionally problem gender stereotypes.

    A person is proven as knowledgeable caregiver in “It’s Okay Not To Be Okay”, the International Emmy nominated sequence, and “Navillera” has two males — a 70-year-old and a 23-year-old — doing ballet.

    “I don’t think we have seen a Korean show specifically on men who are ballet dancers or who want to pursue this form of dance,” Jargad stated.

    A worldwide chief in data expertise, South Korea is a market that takes to developments like fish to water and when the brand new wave of feminism surfaced within the 2010s, the nation’s patriarchal and conservative society began opening its doorways to progressiveness, she argued.

    This has additionally resulted in a change of the portrayal of the working lady on display — from the feisty poor lady getting assist from her wealthy love curiosity in “Coffee Prince” (2007) and an understated environment friendly employee battling sexism in “Misaeng” (2014) to calling out abuse at work in “Something in the Rain” (2018) and the trial and tribulations of girls in a search engine firm in “Search: WWW” (2019).

    Korean sequence have a tendency to maneuver with the instances whilst they take inventive liberties to create drama.

    So, there may be more and more extra emphasis on completely different professions, not simply medication, regulation and administration.

    “They additionally encourage us to decide on our ardour over society’s expectations.

    When we see the characters chase their goals, it provides us the braveness to do the identical,” stated Saipriya.

    “The Family Man” star Priyamani, additionally a Okay-drama fan, stated completely different roles carry selection to the actor enjoying the character.

    “It’s a superb factor they’re tapping into the completely different features of a personality given the love story or the principle premise of the present.

    There are different sides to the position than simply being the romantic curiosity,” she instructed PTI.

    According to Vaishnavi, folks in actual life do work as stunt artistes (“Secret Garden”), interpreters/subtitle writers (“Run On”), pharmacists and librarians (“One Spring Night”) exist however not often have these professions taken centre stage in dramas.

    “Watching ‘Prison Playbook’ made me think a lot about correctional officers in jails. There are guards in prisons but finding out what that job entails was really new. How challenging a job it is.”

    These exhibits additionally present a whole lot of variation in a career that may be area of interest, she added.

    “Like a chef in a restaurant in ‘Itaewon Class’ was different from a chef in an old-age home as shown in ‘Chocolate’. We don’t end up having a stereotypical idea of a profession. These details make the audience get more interested in the show.”

    Aakriti Narang, a French scholar at Institut Français de Slovaquie, stated unconventional professions add a layer of cultural richness to the exhibits.

    “The selection of unconventional professions for the protagonists provides an extra layer of cultural richness to a style of drama.

    It additionally provides an perception into the cultural values at a quicker tempo than any typical career would,” she stated.

  • Referred to Charlize Theron’s movies for motion sequences: South Korean star Han So-hee on her position in My Name

    South Korean star Han So-hee just isn’t new to taking part in gray roles courtesy hit dramas like The World of the Married and Abyss, however the actor says the duty of shouldering an motion noir like My Name got here with its personal set of challenges.
    Han underwent intense bodily coaching to painting her character as a revenge-driven girl convincingly within the sequence, which is being touted as an enormous turnaround for the actor.
    “I think the pressure of having to lead the show all alone was the most challenging part. And it was my first time doing heavy physical action scenes, so I felt some pressure and fear,” Han advised PTI in a Zoom interview with the assistance of an interpreter from Seoul.

    The Netflix sequence is directed by Kim Jin-Min of Extracurricular fame and written by Kim Ba-da.
    In the sequence, Han performs Yoon Ji-woo, a younger girl whose sole objective in life is to avenge her father’s homicide. To catch the killer, she places her belief in Choi Moo-jin, a strong crime boss performed by Park Hee-soon, below whose path she infiltrates the anti-drug police unit.
    The 26-year-old actor described the character of Ji-woo as “a woman of few words” whose persona is proven via her actions.
    “She throws herself entirely into revenge and gets all beaten up along the way, but she always stays determined to achieve her goal, all of which I found fascinating about her,” she added.
    My Name would be the actor’s second undertaking this yr following the huge reputation of her school romance sequence Nevertheless wherein she performed the soft-spoken and heartbroken sculpture pupil Yoo Na-bi who begins an unsure romance along with her junior Park Jae-eon (Song Kang), a philanderer who hides his true emotions.

    Han initially starred in reveals just like the slow-burn revenge drama Money Flower, the interval drama 100 Days My Prince and performed a con-woman who suffered baby abuse and is seeking her mom in Abyss.
    But it was her position because the younger mistress within the superhit sequence The World of the Married (2020) alongside Kim Hee-ae and Park Hae-joon that gained her prominence.
    The actor, who prepped rigorously for her stunts at an motion college for 2 three months and even gained 10kg for the position, stated My Name is a sequence with “the most realistic action”.
    In a world press convention not too long ago, she revealed that she referred to Charlize Theron’s movies Atomic Blonde and The Old Guard for the motion sequences in My Name.
    Her co-star Park stated the viewers should look ahead to the present as it’s an motion noir sequence “led solely by one of the most popular actresses in their 20s in Korea”.
    In My Name, the 51-year-old actor performs Choi Moo-jin, the chief of the nation’s greatest drug cartel Dongcheon who runs a resort as his reliable enterprise. After his friend-cartel colleague and Ji-woo”s father is killed, he takes her below his wing to assist her get revenge.

    Park stated the equation between Moo-jin and Ji-woo undergoes numerous adjustments, which he hopes the viewers will take pleasure in watching over the course of the eight-part sequence.
    “From Moo-jin’s point of view, Ji-woo is a daughter of his friend at first, and then, she becomes a member of his drug ring, and (finally when) she goes undercover as a cop. In each step of the way, his psychology and inner feelings for Ji-woo changes,” the actor, identified for movies like Seven Days, VIP, and sequence The Missing, stated.

    My Name additionally options Itaewon Class breakout star Ahn Bo-hyun, Kingdom actor Kim Sang-ho, The World of the Married actor Lee Hak-joo and Chang Yull. The Netflix sequence will premiere on October 15.
    My Name can even have its world premiere on the twenty sixth Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) within the inaugural ”On Screen” part on Thursday, the place three of the eight episodes of the sequence will probably be screened.

  • South Koreans decode the rising international recognition of Ok-dramas

    In the younger grownup Korean present Record of Youth, when an aspiring actor named Sa Hye-jun requested his girlfriend Ahn Jeong-ha, a make-up artist, the permission to kiss her, the minds of many followers had been blown. The male protagonist, performed by Park Bo-gum, had requested for consent from the feminine lead, essayed by Park So-dam, star of the a number of Oscar-winning movie Parasite.
    “Permission? In a K-drama?? I have tears of joy for K-dramas evolving so much,” famous a fan on the YouTube video of the scene.
    The high-school-ish but poisonous narrative of the opinionated woman falling for the unhealthy boy with a coronary heart of gold, like within the well-liked Boys Over Flowers, has given method to Ok-dramas like Run, that confirmed the romance between a retired athlete and his interpreter, and Hot Stove League the place there isn’t any romance between the lead protagonists.
    Ok-content has gone huge throughout the globe lately, together with in India, and Koreans imagine it has loads to do with the power of the nation to supply selection, monitor traits within the international market and revisit stereotypes.
    Boys Over Flowers has an enormous fan following in India.
    Visual results artist Hayoung Jo mentioned she tunes into Ok-dramas a few times a yr to “catch up with the trends and watch the most highlighted shows”.
    Jo, who moved from Siheung-si metropolis, Geonggi-do province in South Korea to Toronto round seven years in the past, likes these dramas due to the “cultural background”.
    “I feel more attached to the Korean culture than western culture and that makes me easily resonate with the characters in the drama scenes,” she added.
    According to Jo, Ok-dramas are present process some “good changes”.
    “For example, there was a prevailing idea that women should get married before their 30s in order to raise their kids, but now the female characters in K-dramas are mostly over 30 and more career-oriented compared to the woman in the ’90s-’00s, which is reflecting the idea of gender equality in Korean society,” the VFX artist, who has labored on the hit Disney Plus sequence The Mandalorian, mentioned.

    Ok-drama lovers agree that there are specific tropes which were accomplished to demise within the reveals and one sub-genre that should go away is the ‘Cinderella’ story. Many hit sequence together with Secret Garden, starring Ha Ji-won and Hyun Bin, and Coffee Prince, that includes Gong Yoo and Yoon Eun-hye, have used the fairytale because the define previously.
    “I am glad that K-dramas are trying new things other than Cinderella stories; they are too lame,” Jo added.
    Min Kim, a Toronto-based VFX artist who hails from Busan, mentioned the same old 12-or 16-episode format makes for a crisp plot.
    “We can watch two episodes weekly as they drop. It is relaxing to watch a K-drama after work with my family. (The limited series format) makes the storyline quite intense,” the VFX artist, who has labored on the survival motion drama Greenland and Amazon’s hit superhero sequence The Boys, mentioned.
    Ga-yeon Kim, who hails from Seoul’s Gangnam district, mentioned she was fed up with the robust feminine character stereotype in Ok-dramas the place the lady might seem “headstrong and outspoken” however the present would use these character traits to ultimately gasoline a romance.
    “I felt that K-dramas have rewarded females who are easily swayed and have punished or labelled the character as a bad person if they were confident in what is right for them. I think K-dramas should celebrate, humanise, and diversify the types of women by championing their success even if it exceeds the success of male characters without villainising them,” the Toronto-based elementary public college instructor advised PTI.

    She, nevertheless, had a change of coronary heart after her mom advised her that there are “improvements” within the new dramas, akin to It’s Ok To Not Be Okay and Kill Me Heal Me, reveals that handled psychological well being points and childhood trauma.
    “I find this to be great news because there are so many issues in Korea and around the world that need to be addressed such as mental health, equal rights, poverty, and etc.”
    With all issues Korean — drama, cinema, music, magnificence merchandise, and meals — going international, Ga-yeon Kim believes the rationale behind the content material gaining momentum is the competence of the Korean business in finding out and replicating what individuals have favored previously.
    She added, “Korea is also great at innovating and adding on to these dramas, movies, and music. For instance, I hear that K-dramas and K-pop are adhering to current relatable problems faced by the younger audience, such as anxiety, depression, work-home balance, etc.”
    Bands like BTS had synergy results on the rising curiosity in Korean content material all over the world.
    Jo mentioned Ok-pop, by way of bands like BTS and Blackpink, and dramas had synergy results on the rising curiosity in Korean content material all over the world.
    “If a K-drama gains popularity, people may also pay attention to K-pop and vice versa. As many people overseas noticed K-culture and its value, they are digging hidden gems too which never caught interest from people before,” she added.
    Asked what may very well be the contributing elements to the rising worldwide curiosity within the nation, BTS member Jung Kook advised PTI final yr, “We believe South Korean culture is very beautiful and attractive, which is portrayed through diverse contents such as movies, dramas, music, etc. As artists representing South Korea, we also want to share this with the rest of the world.”
    Beomgyu, a member of the Korean boy group TXT, mentioned South Korea narrates “relatable stories” which makes them resonate all over the world.
    “Wherever you may be or wherever you’re from, I think our shared experiences of living through these times together serve as the basis for stories that many people can relate to. I’d like to say that that’s the biggest reason why many people are resonating with our stories and culture now,” he advised PTI in June 2021.