K-Drama School
A Pop Culture Inquiry into Why We Love Korean Television
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
From the Emmy Award-winning Squid Game to streaming sensations like The Glory and Crash Landing on You, Korean television has emerged onto the global pop culture scene as compelling television—but what exactly makes these shows so irresistibly bingeable? And what can we learn about our societies and ourselves from watching them?
From stand-up comedian and media studies PhD Grace Jung comes a rollicking deep dive into the cultural significance of Korean television. K-Drama School analyzes everything from common tropes like amnesia and slapping to conspicuous product placements of Subway sandwiches and coffee; to representations of disability, race and gender; to what Korea's war-torn history says about South Korea’s media output and the stories being told on screen.
With chapters organized by "lessons," each one inquiring into a different theme of Korean television, K-Drama School offers a groundbreaking exploration into this singular form of entertainment, from an author who writes with humor and heart about shows that spur tears and laughter, keeping us glued to the TV while making fans of us all.
Shows discussed include: Squid Game, SKY Castle, Crash Course in Romance, Extraordinary Attorney Woo, My Mister, Something in the Rain, One Spring Night, DP, Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, Autumn in My Heart, Winter Sonata, Our Blues, and more.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Comedian Jung (Deli Ideology) adapts her podcast of the same name into an astute examination of the themes and appeal of Korean television shows. Many such programs "use extreme forms of storytelling to moralize the importance of self-care," Jung contends, noting that the series Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022) and Crash Course in Romance (2023) revolve around protagonists who strain under the intense demands of their jobs and the loved ones "who rescue them from their dogged routines and habits." Jung offers a whistle-stop survey of Korean history through television, discussing how Eyes of Dawn (1991–1992) dramatizes Japan's colonization of the peninsula during the first half of the 20th century, and how military dictators Park Chung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan sought to control and distract the public with propagandistic programs in the 1960s and '80s, respectively. Elsewhere, Jung expounds on Something in the Rain's critique of the sexualization of women in the workplace and When the Camelia Blooms's exploration of South Korean and American adoption agencies' unethical practices. Jung's penetrating commentary showcases the variety of the K-drama format while assisting foreign readers in understanding the cultural context. It's an essential companion for anyone who has binged Crash Landing on You or Squid Game.
Customer Reviews
Heavy at times, but a good read
Dr. Jung knows how to tell a good story, and she does a good job weaving her personal history in with larger Korean cultural history, especially Korean television. Recommend this to anyone with a passing interest.