Nine times. I’ve watched the hit 2015 K-drama series Reply 1988 nine times.
The story picks up in a lone, quiet street in Seoul. The year is 1988, and the neighborhood, Ssangmundong—where five childhood friends living in the same block exist in an unhurried world of their own making—bears witness to stories of friendship, family and long forgotten youth.
It is pure, warm and raw—attributes that, when coupled with relatable protagonists, masterful acting and a wistful original soundtrack, allows shows to successfully create emotional connections with its viewers.
In line with the continuous growth of the Korean wave spurred by the proliferation of K-dramas in the country, The Embassy of the Republic of Korea and the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines (KCC) recently organized a two-day webinar held earlier this month. Titled “The Role of K-Dramas in Sharing and Shaping Culture Beyond Borders,” the webinar explored the surge of audiences for Korean television across Asia.
Creativity with global appeal
Kim Hee-yeol, vice president and head of drama production of top Korean drama company Pan Entertainment, said that many K-dramas offer chaste storytelling that gets more complex and original over time.
“We have created an environment where one single drama has been enjoyed by many different people living in different countries,” said Kim, who was also the producer of the 2002 global hit drama Winter Sonata.
“I think one of the biggest competitiveness of Korean dramas is excellent writers,” she added. “Thanks to them, Korea has produced many dramas in different genres through various platforms that blur boundaries between traditional and new media channels.”
This investment toward creative effort is what makes K-drama storylines deeply absorbing. As Kim Hee-yeol puts it, these shows reflect familiar situations that people can relate to.
“I think our creativity appeals to the global citizens,” he said. “Specifically, the cultural similarities between Korea and the Philippines works best to attract world attention from your country. Asian cultures and values respecting elderlies, promoting good and punishing evil, I think that is a basic fundamental to attract attention from many other Asians.”
Korean writers also often shed light on pressing issues: class divides, the power dynamics between men and women, attitudes toward work and success, frustrations about love, workplace politics, and other complexities of social life.
No cookie-cutter
Filipino TV and theater director and actress Laurice Guillen believes that Korean writing integrates narrative, things and subject matter in a seamless way. She said that the plot of these shows do not concentrate on one genre alone, that they are unafraid to make innovations.
“That is something that is different from our situation in the Philippines where we usually produce the same kind of dramas that have rated very well previously in the ratings,” she said.
“Always the stories are character-based. There is always the moral of the story,” Guillen added. “In Korean dramas, it is not only the lead character who shines but also the support. They are strong and necessary and the audience loves them.”
Recognizing these cultural differences and relating to even the most unrelatable stories are all part of what makes watching Korean dramas a satisfying experience.
Korean dramas offer more than a breath of fresh air—they’re a full, deep, cleansing breath of unbridled humanity, the kind where you can find solace in nostalgic lilts, pop culture antics, and the relatability of the otherwise mundane lives of the characters.