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Must Be a K-Thing

May6

In the K-dramas (Korean TV) I’ve been watching, I’ve noticed certain repeated idiosyncrasies and bits of business that show up over and over. All of these things seem odd to my American sensibilities, but I suppose they’re normal in Korea, or at least on Korean TV.

1. Nosebleeds. In a crisis or sometimes at the most inconvenient times, the lead actor or actress gets a nosebleed. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an American actor with a nosebleed. Koreans must have sensitive noses.

2. Sticking out the tongue. In the U.S., five year olds taunt each other by sticking out their tongues. Much older than that, and it just isn’t done. Kim Na Na (yes, that’s her name) sticks out her tongue at Lee Yoon Sung in City Hunter. The serious and mature Hang Ah sticks out her tongue at the very immature Prince Jae Ha in The King 2 Hearts. Korean girls poke fun by sticking out their tongues at the young man they’re flirting/sparring with? (Headmistress at THe Common Room: “Our experience in living in Japan and visiting Korea is that Asians really like cute a lot. It’s not just for kids.”) See #8 for more examples of the “cuteness” dealio.

3. Short skirts and high heels. All of the young ladies are quite chaste for the most part, no passionate kissing or PDA or cleavage, but they wear really, really short skirts and high heels all the time, even when a girl is running away from the bad guy. It looks uncomfortable to me–and bad policy if you’re trying to make a quick getaway. Sometimes the leading lady falls off her heels, or the shoe breaks, which may lead to:

4. The twisted or sprained ankle. This sort of accident, apparently very common in the course of a Korean romance, causes the hero, or sometimes the heroine, to come to the rescue with bandages and sympathy. If not a twisted ankle, some other bump or bruise can provide an opportunity for romantic first aid.

5. Romantic flashbacks: Lots of flashbacks with music to romantic moments between the couple who are fated to be together but can’t quite seem to get together. Sometimes it’s a montage of several near-miss and sentimental incidents. Sometimes they’re playing in a fountain or a park, or the girl falls asleep with the guy gently moving a strand of her hair away from her face. But these flashback moments all have in common that they are taken out of context. Usually, the interlude ended in a misunderstanding or a fight, but the reminiscing person never remembers that part.

6. Cellphones. Cellphones are ubiquitous in all the K-dramas I’ve watched. Yeah, I know they are pretty common here in the U.S., but the K-drama characters take it to another level. In Queen Inhyun’s Man, the cell phone becomes almost a central character or Hitchcockian MacGuffin.

7. Spunky girls and rude guys. I think the spunky girl with martial arts skilz would work in a U.S. romantic comedy or drama, but the rude guy who turns out to be sweet and honorable underneath would be outa there in a New York minute.

8. Piggyback rides. Really, grown-up guys are frequently giving their significant other lovely lady a piggyback ride. It seems . . . odd, but kind of cute. Other romantic situations in K-dramas: falling asleep on the guy’s couch (or shoulder), riding a two-seater bicycle together, running through a fountain, feeding each other (preferably feeding each other Ramen).

9. Actors as main characters and “play within a play”. Queen Inhyun’s Man is about an actress who is playing Queen Inhyun in an historical drama. In the series called The Greatest Love Doko Jin is an immensely popular actor, and his love interest is a singer/actress trying to make a comeback. I just started watching Full House, and the main guy is . . . an immensely popular actor.

10. Wrist-grabbing. The guy will grab the girl’s wrist to fend her off or express his displeasure. It doesn’t seem to be as rude and almost-abusive to the Korean girl in question as it looks to me.

11. Time travel and amnesia both show up frequently.

I’m not an expert on K-dramas, but I have become somewhat fascinated and maybe slightly addicted. I’m not sure what the draw is. My progeny certainly can’t fathom the attraction. Anyway, here are the ones I’ve watched with comments:

Queen Inhyun’s Man, aka The Queen and I. This one is an historical/time travel romance. A modern actress falls for a medieval (late 1600’s) hero who has a magic scroll that transports him back and forth in time.

King 2 Hearts. In an alternate history Korea, South Korea has a king with an irresponsible little brother, Prince Jae Ha. North Korea is still communist, but the two countries are trying to make peace by means of participating in a military contest together with a joint Korean team. Hang Ah is the star of the North Korean military contingent, and she and Jae Ha spar and eventually come together in an attempt to bridge the cultural gap between North and South.

City Hunter is a superhero drama, an Asian take-off on Batman with complications. Actor Lee Min-Ho is Yoon-sung, a young man who has been trained from birth to take revenge on the men who killed his father. Kim Nana is a complication who threatens to sidetrack Yoon-sung in his program of revenge, but he maintains his secret identity as City Hunter to protect Kim Nana from his sad, dangerous, and lonely mission.

The Greatest Love is a much lighter romantic comedy, a mash-up of Pride and Prejudice, A Star Is Born, and several soap opera plots. It was rather disconcerting to see actress Yoo In-na, who was the cute and perky leading lady in Queen Inhyun’s Man, playing the bad girl in this romcom. Doko Jin, the Darcy character, is way too proud for his own good, but he does eventually come down to earth, and the eventual resolution of the conflict is rewarding and fun to watch.

Full House. I just started this one and can’t tell you much about it, other than it’s rather implausible. In the first episode, the main character’s “friends” just sent her on a wild goose chase of a trip to China and sold her house while she was away. It looks as if the girl, Ji-eun, is fated to cross paths (repeatedly) with famous actor, Young-jae, who turns out to be the one who bought her house from the unscrupulous friends.

Actually, implausibility could be another Korean drama trope. North Koreans and South Koreans making nice with each other over joint military maneuvers? Doko Jin the famous actor mooning over a potato plant? A revenge-seeking superhero with mommy and daddy issues? Time travel via Buddhist scroll and cellphone?

However, I am addicted nonetheless, and I willingly suspend my disbelief and watch with bated breath to see what will happen next.

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman and King 2 Hearts

Mar17

War and peace is a recurring theme in literature, in movies and television, and in history. Seraphina, winner of the Cybil Award of 2012 in the Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy category, is about trust and mistrust between two different species, dragons and humans, in the kingdom of Goredd. My latest (second) K-drama, The King 2 Hearts, is about war and peace, trust and mistrust, between North and South Korea. Both the book and the TV series share some commonalities:

Tough-as-nails, but tender on the inside commoner girl meets insecure, but charming prince. Romance ensues.

Cultural differences create misunderstandings and lead two nations to the brink of war.

Evil villain tries to provoke war between the two groups.

Relationship between the girl and the prince mirrors the uneasy relationship between the two countries. Danger lurks everywhere, and almost all of the main characters come near to death multiple times in both Seraphina and King 2 Hearts.

There are also differences between the two stories. In the book, the dragons are emotionless, mathematical, and super-rational, unless they have taken on human form in which case they must be on guard against getting tripped up by human emotions. Yes, the dragons can transform into human bodies. (No, the humans can’t get dragon bodies–which doesn’t seem quite fair.) And Seraphina, our young protagonist, has a very special problem: she hides a secret that would, if revealed, turn everyone, both dragon and human against her and perhaps cost her life.

So, there’s a lot of interplay in Seraphina between the supposed opposite ways of viewing life: artistic and emotional or mathematical and rational. Unfortunately, Mr. Spock and Captain Kirk did it better. The idea of bridging cultural differences and making peace by bringing together two cultures is more interesting. Seraphina brings together the two cultures in the book because she has a unique identity, (POSSIBLE SPOILER) half dragon and half human. In King 2 Hearts the attempt to bridge two cultures is embodied in the proposed marriage of the South Korean prince to a North Korean bride. Of course, reconciling two disparate cultures is difficult, whether it’s an internal conflict or recurring discord and confrontation between two people who actually love each other.

It’s the conflict that keeps the story fresh and compelling. King 2 Hearts consists of 20 episodes, a length that I’m told is common for Korean dramas. It probably could have been improved by being shortened by about five episodes and tightened up. Some of the characters—the “psycho” super-villain, his stoned hired assassin, and the U.S. government official with the speech impediment, in particular–were rather unbelievable and cringe-worthy. But the series itself was addictive; I kept thinking I’d watch just one more episode, then one more, then one more . . .

If you want some (mostly clean) romance embedded in a story with Important Stuff to Say about war and peace I’d recommend Seraphina if you have a few hours to read a fantasy novel, and King 2 Hearts only if you have about twenty hours to invest in a roller-coaster of a TV show, with sub-titles and loads of Korean politics, mores and traditions. Consume both if you’re a glutton for political drama, fantasy, spy thrillers, romantic sparring, and a surprising but satisfactory resolution.

I hope to write more about King 2 Hearts and the other K-drama that I’ve watched, Queen In-hyun’s Man, soon. Suffice it to say I think I already have a K-drama problem, and I can’t, can’t, can’t start any more shows anytime soon or else I might be accused of family-neglect.

Related links:
Steph Su reviews Seraphina.
The Readventurer reviews Seraphina.
Charlotte’s Library on Seraphina.

With an Accent: The King 2 Hearts.
The Common Room: A Few of my Favorite Korean Dramas.

K-Dramas Recommended

Feb25

The following K-Dramas (Korean TV drama) have been recommended lately in various blog posts that I have seen. I’m making a list here for future reference. Why is the latest TV-watching fad (other than Downton Abbey) seemingly coming out of tiny Korea?

Queen in Hyuns Man aka Queen and I, recommended at Christ and Pop Culture. Time travel romance. Also recommended at With an Accent. I started watching this one, and so far it’s cute, but a little confusing.

King 2 Hearts, recommended at The Common Room.

Full House, with actors Song Hye-kyo, Rain, Han Eun-jeong and Kim Sung-soo, recommended at The Common Room. Romantic comedy.

City Hunter, recommended at The Common Room. Also recommended at Christ and Pop Culture. Crime/revenge story.

Jumong, recommended at The Common Room. Historical drama.

Secret Garden, recommended at The Common Room. Body-swapping romantic comedy.

Rooftop Prince, recommended at Something Out of the Ordinary.

Faith/The Great Doctor, recommended at The Common Room. Time travel historical drama.

Hello Miss, recommended at The Common Room.

Golden Bride, recommended in a comment by Harmonyl at The Common Room post on K-drama.

Tree With Deep Roots, recommended in a comment by Harmonyl at The Common Room post on K-drama. Combination mystery thriller, action, romance, and historical.

Dong-yi, recommended in a comment by Harmonyl at The Common Room post on K-drama. Historical drama.

Heartstrings, recommended at The Common Room.

Don’t Ask Me About the Past, recommended at The Common Room

Apparently, you can watch these on Hulu or sometimes on Netflix, and lots of people are enjoying them. The Headmistress at The Common Room says she’s addicted. I don’t have room in my life for any new addictions, but around the first of the year I may check one of these series/movies out.

Any other suggestions?

Reading Through Korea

Oct31

Tales of a Korean Grandmother by Frances Carpenter. This book is a collection of Korean folk tales framed by the story of Kim Ok Cha and Kim Yong Tu, sister and brother, and their grandmother Halmoni who tells them the stories they love to hear. The thirty two stories in the book are varied from a Korean Cinderella story to the story of The Ant Who Laughed Too Much, a kind of fable/why story. We’re still reading this book aloud during our afternoon reading time even though we’re supposed to have moved on to China. There’s also a book by the same author, called Tales of a Chinese Grandmother, that we may read next.

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park. Ms. Park has written several books for children set in Korea (The Kite Fighters, Seesaw Girl) in addition to this Newbery Award winning story of an orphan boy who wants to become a potter. Tree-Ear, named for a wild mushroom that grows without seed, lives under a bridge with his friend and mentor, Crane-man. His friend’s shriveled and twisted leg and foot makes him unable to work, and the two manage to eat and hold body and soul together by foraging among the garbage heaps. Then, Tree-Ear gets a job —and a dream of leaving the fringes of 12th century Korean society to become an artisan. This Newbery Award book is one that should capture the interest of adults and children alike. Apropriate for ages 8 to adult, the book could be read aloud to even younger children.

The Girl-Son by Anne Neuberger. Imduk Pahk, a seven year old Korean girl, becomes Induk Pahk, a boy, so that she can go to school with the boys. Only boys were allowed to go to school in 1896 in Korea, but Imduk’s widowed and illiterate mother wants her daughter to have an education to go with the pencil that she received as a Christmas gift from some missionaries. So Imduk/Induk begins her educational and spiritual journey by posing as a boy. This book, classified as fiction but based on a true story, takes Induk through her year at a boys’ school, elementary education at a mission school for girls, a quest for a secondary education in faraway Seoul, and finally imprisonment at the hands of the Japanese. Induk’s Christian faith is given minor emphasis in the book; perhaps she herself felt that Christianity was a minor influence in her life. However, when she is in prison and longs for a Bible and when she identifies her experiences with those of the apostle Paul, her faith in Christ is what sustains her and gives her hope in those dark days. Induk does indeedhave a “loud and clear voice” in the book, as the author promises, but it’s too bad if she was not allowed to speak as strongly and clearly as she might have wished about the hope that was within her. Appropriate for ages 11 to adult.

The Year of Impossible Goodbyes by Sook Nyul Choi. (This review is written by Brown Bear Daughter, age eleven.) The Year of Impossible Goodbyes was a interesting and yet depressing book. It is incredible that all the things in the book are true, but it is also very difficult to believe every bit. The author, who lived during the same time in Korea, probably spoke from experience.

It is set in Pyongyang, North Korea. The book is in first person and the narrator is named Sookan, a Korean girl who live in the time when the Japanese had taken over her country. She is ten years old, and she has four brothers, three older and one younger, named Hanchun, Jaechun, Hyunchun, and Inchun. The older three are no longer at home, taken by the Japanese to work, as their father had been also. The Japanese terrorize and kill many Korean people. Then the Russians come and create even more problems, though the Japanese left when World War Two ended. It is getting very difficult to get to South Korea, where there is no communism, but Sookan, Inchun, and their mother attempt to get past the Thirty-eight Parallel, which separates North Korea from South Korea.

I won’t give away any more of the book, but it was gripping and exciting and made me want to recommend it to everyone. (Mom NOTE: I did not read this book before giving it to my eleven year old daughter. It does have some mature content, although it’s discreetly handled.) North Korea is still corrupt with communism today. I liked this book because it made me feel sympathy for Sookan and her family.

Jama Rattigan recommends Korean (American) picture books at Jama’s Alphabet Soup.

Week 9 of World Geography: Korea

Oct9

Music:
Johannes Brahms

Mission Study:
1. Bold Bearers of His Name: Sohn Family
2. Window on the World: North Korea

Poems:
I’m trying something new for our poetry study this week. I’m copying Cindy at Dominion Family who wrote last week about her poetry colloquy. We’re reading poems from the book, One Hundred and One Famous Poems, published by Barnes and Noble.

Science:
Simple Machines

Nonfiction Read Alouds:
The Pageant of Chinese History–Seeger

Fiction Read Alouds:
Seesaw Girl–Park
Tales of a Korean Grandmother

Picture Books:
A Is for Asia—Chin-Lee
Be-Bim-Bop–Park

Elementary Readers:
The Kite Fighters—Park
A Single Shard–Park
Year of Impossible Goodbyes—Choi
The Girl-Son–Neuberger

Movies:
Korea video: This is a video produced by the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention that was in the library of my old church. I’m going to try to go by and see if we can borrow it.
Little Women Dancer Daughter is studying the Transcendentalists this week and next.