Korean dramas rise in popularity

Korean dramas, or K-Dramas, have caught fire around the globe, with many of their films and dramas revolving around a variety of genres. Hits such as “All of Us Are Dead,” “Business Proposal,” “Start-Up,” and “Little Women” are just a handful of Korean produced entertainment that have been able to allure a larger viewer audience nationwide. Over the years, the amount of popularity the industry has grown is unprecedented as their acceptance is now worldwide.

Sofia Bailey (’24) describes her disposition towards K-dramas/films, saying, “I do like to watch K-Dramas. I think the reason I like them is because of their dramatic structure.”

As the website Elle puts it, a majority of K-Dramas are known for consisting of “high production value, intense and often engrossing storylines, and quality acting that helps build an emotional connection between the characters and the audience.” Regarding the storylines within many romantic productions, they consist of very platonic relationships among the characters in a way that minimizes sexual content. 

Isabella Guzman (’25) was asked of ever watching a Korean drama, saying, “I mean I have seen a few of them without realizing they were. I’m really confused how I got to them. It just depends on the trope.”

Isabella admits she’s not a watcher but not a fan, saying,”They are pretty good, not my first choice, but I would watch them if I was bored.”

Many K-Dramas have been released on Netflix, with thousands of Netflix users able to observe many of the different cultural aspects, and social lives within the South Korean country. In a recent study from 2021, many respondents were asked of the popularity of K-Dramas within their country. Nearly 50% of the respondents had answered with K-Dramas as being “very popular,” and only 7% had claimed as the entertainment being “not many people consume it.”

I watched Because This is my First Life – it was really good – loved it. I think I will do her private life next or nevertheless, since 2 people recommended that! thank you guys!

— Pepegi Sushi (@SushiLov3Chan) April 19, 2022

What is it that K-Dramas have that many other productions may lack? According to a study from Daehan Drama, many of their respondents came from a general mass of women. Only 6.4% of males had responded to the survey, versus an 88.6% of women who had responded to the survey. Generally, women are more subject to view dramas than men are. This allows many of the Korean producers to be able to target the female population worldwide, with authentic endearing plots, and platonic relationships among the main characters. K-Dramas are not exclusively viewed by South Koreans, but also among many foreign populations.

The K-Drama audience is largely favored as well in India. With much viewership around the world, India has been one of the many countries with a portion of the population with a strong fascination with the Koran entertainment industry in general. With a large attraction to the industry coming from India, this could also be a reason for their large population. In 2022, India’s population is said to be 1.38 billion, the second highest country with the largest population.

K-Drama has caught the eyes of many around the entire world, including the population in India and many more. This entertainment seems to be quite unique from many other entertainments for other countries. Transforming the industry seems to have been a priority for the Korean entertainment production, as they have drawn in large crowds with a new liking towards new values and cultures shown in these dramas.