Kdrama - The Complete Guide To Korean Dramas

K-drama, which is short for Korean drama, has also become a dunia phenomenon of sorts. Thanks to the spread of different forms of Korean popular culture, the South Korean series Squid Game, and most importantly, K-pop.

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Are you ready to discover all you need to know about Kdramas? If so, grab your popcorn and let’s get into it!The History of Korean drama

The roots of television in South Korea go back to the mid-1950s, with the first Korean TV series broadcasting in 1962. It was broadcasted on KBS, Korean Broadcasting System, which has continued to exist as Korea’s big national channel.

However, it wasn’t until the 1970s that Korean households properly began buying television sets. Most of the South Korean television series depicted historical times, and historical figures only reached a small audience. After the surge of TVs in Korean homes, more diverse South Korean dramas began getting made, from national heroes such as King Sejong to tales of regular present-day people, especially their struggles and sufferings.

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When color TVs became available in the 1980s, the landscape of  Korean television changed, with terkini dramas becoming more prominent. And in the 1990s, it started getting more popular to format K-dramas into a single season of approximately 12 to 24 episodes. Today, it is also more widespread to produce web dramas.

How do you say “episode” in Korean when talking about dramasFilming processes

Only the first four episodes of Korean dramas will be shot before starting a broadcast. Otherwise, each drama is shot as close to the release date as possible to save on production expenses.

Scripts aren’t entirely finalized, and changes to them may be made based on viewer feedback during the course of a K-drama. These changes may come at just a few hours’ notice before filming. There have even been instances where scenes of the episode are still being filmed as it is being shown on TV! So filming a drama in South Korea is most certainly an intense process.

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However, thanks to the increased popularity of  Korean dramas globally, producers have been selling rights to broadcast or release the dramas ahead of time, before anything has been shot. This, in turn, has allowed them to film with more time and well before airing than the “live shooting” method.

The largest broadcasting companies in South Korea also have their own shooting locations for historical K-dramas, with readily built, detailed sets. And interestingly, in comparison to many other countries, the scriptwriters in Korean dramas are almost equally as famous as the stars and the director of the show. There is usually one writer or a small group of writers writing each K-drama.Music in Korean dramas

Music plays an integral part in most South Korean dramas. Whole original soundtracks are crafted for each one of them. Most of these songs are performed by popular Kpop singers. If you would like to know some popular Kpop groups and artists, we have a list of the best Kpop groups for you to read!

Popular Korean songs used as part of a soundtrack could also increase the popularity of a Korean drama. The popularity of a drama could also make an OST song a major hit. Each song should express the drama’s structure and mood, and a detailed process is taken to choose the right songs.

It’s also common to use the same artist for many different dramas due to their past successes. A notable example of such an artist is Baek Ji Young. She has recorded OST songs for approximately 20 different dramas.

Get “Kdrama” Free PDF GuideWhy are Korean dramas popular?

Korean dramas are undeniably popular nowadays. However, this wasn’t the case a few years back. Thanks to the growth of Korean pop culture worldwide, people outside of Asia have also gained interest in K-dramas and Korean movies.

K-dramas have become easily popular once viewers knew about them for several reasons.

K-dramas have been known to have great plots with scenes that will keep you on the edge of your seat, wanting to know what will happen next. This is why K-dramas are great for binge-watching. They avoid predictable storylines and constantly throw plot twists that will make the viewers’ jaws drop. If you’re very into it, you might finish the whole season in just a few days!

A Korean drama’s OST or original soundtrack goes hand in hand with the actual drama. People recognize a song and associate it with the drama they heard it from, and vice versa. These soundtracks vary depending on the scene, matching the emotions portrayed by the characters. Some Korean pop stars have also starred in K-dramas while they have also sung the OST.

K-dramas gives its viewers a glimpse of what it is like living in Korea. There are plenty of interesting things about Korea besides K-pop, such as Korean food, culture, fashion, and the places that you can visit. All these can be within reach through the K-dramas and Korean movies we could view online. Some dramas such as Crash Landing on You even show life in the North through their storyline.

Korean dramas give you the usual romance or action kind of scenes, but they also exhibit issues in Korean and dunia society that are relatable to many. These include topics on mental health, suicide, bullying, gender inequality, corruption, or racism. Genres on family and history are also common in K-dramas.

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Korean dramas can help you learn Korean

People are possibly introduced to the popular culture in Korea for various reasons, but they end up wanting to learn Korean most of the time. Watching Korean dramas can help you practice and learn Korean vocabulary and conversations.

People talk about it on social media

With the good quality story that K-dramas have, it’s normal for people to talk about them. This is especially easily done through social media. You can see good drama recommendations from viewers, and some even provide their reviews which make others want to begin watching already.

It’s not difficult to start watching a K-drama as it’s available for streaming on different sites globally. We’ll go through some apps and sites on our list below.What are the most popular Kdramas?

For our list of best Korean dramas, please refer to this article. Below is a list of some additional popular K-dramas you might want to watch. We’ve also included their title in the Korean language. Most dramas are shown over a 10-week period, which means we viewers are constantly getting new dramas to be excited about!

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Title in Korean: (하나뿐인 내편 ㅣ hanappunin naepyeon)

This story is about Kim Doran, whose life becomes complicated when her biological father returns after 28 years. If you’re fond of dramas revolving in the family and drama aliran, this is a must-watch. The lead actress for this drama, Uee, who plays the role of Kim Do Ran, was also part of the K-pop girl class yeokdoyojeong gimbokju)

Bok Joo (Lee Sung Kyung) is a 20-year old weightlifter whose life has revolved around lifting barbells and pelatihan. This was until she came across her childhood friend’s older brother who she develops a crush on. Her childhood friend, Jung Joon Hyung (Nam Joo Hyuk) started off by teasing her when he found out but eventually helped her anyway. Not long after, he also developed a crush on Bok Joo. This exciting yet light coming-of-age K-drama is one of the best romantic comedies on Korean TV series and will surely be entertaining! Check out this article for phrases mentioned in this fun K-drama!

Title in Korean: (배가본드)

A stunt man, dreaming of becoming a famous action star, finds himself in Morocco trying to investigate what actually happened to his nephew, who supposedly died in a plane crash. This action-filled drama with hints of romance is starred by actor Lee Seung Gi and actress Bae Suzy.

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