Korean Drama Addiction

I am currently in love with Korean dramas that I will always try to catch up with the latest ones. Sometimes I would become really absorbed into the storyline that I would fantasize myself as the actress in the story. For instance, as seen in the dramas, I wish can meet a rich and handsome guy someday or love at first sight will exist in my life. I was first introduced to Korean dramas back in 2004 when “Lovers in Paris” starring Park Shin Yang and Lee Dong Gun was broadcasted on my local Chinese channel. At first, I thought it was a Taiwanese drama because the voices were dubbed in Mandarin but after doing research on the drama online, I found out it was a Korean drama and so that was the moment when I was brought into the world of Korean dramas. Although the actors were not quite attractive in “ Lovers In Paris”, the storyline and characters were well developed.

The second Korean drama I watched through my local Chinese channel was the hit series, “Stairway to Heaven” starring Kwon Sang Woo and Choi Ji Woo. I remember my dad and I both were sitting on the couch watching this drama together; we were enjoying the story very much that we tuned in to watch every episode that airs only for an hour each day. The story was very heartbreaking but nevertheless, it was a very good drama. Because the storyline touched the hearts of many audiences, it became the most successful and well received Korean drama worldwide.

Another successful drama was “Winter Sonata” which I have never seen before and would like to watch it someday. As I started catching up on other Korean dramas, I realized that the storyline in almost every drama is always the same because there would always be someone passing away at he end. Due to these repetitive tragic ending, I got sick and tired of them that I decided to give up on them in 2006. However, in late 2010, I was pulled right back into the world of Korean drama after my friend recommended me to watch “Secret Garden” starring Hyun Bin and Ha Ji Won. She told me it was a must-watch drama so I decided to give it a try. At first, I thought it was boring because nothing seemed to be happening but then I find it to be interesting later on. Compared to those tragic dramas, ”Secret Garden” had a magical theme to it. It was about a man and woman who switched bodies whenever lightning struck.

Another drama with a magical theme is “49 days” , which is about a girl who became a ghost after she died from a car accident but then she met a grim reaper who was willing to give her another chance at life if she managed to gather genuine tears from 3 people unrelated to her. In order to perform this duty, she borrows the body of a woman she has never met before.

 Ever since “Secret Garden”, I have kept up with the latest Korean dramas and realized that the trend in the storyline have changed every year. Dramas before 2009 focused more on tragedies and dramas from 2009-2011 focused on the magical/mystical theme but this year, (2012), the trend focused on time traveling; I guess this is my favorite theme out of them all. A time traveling drama I have seen this year was “Rooftop Prince” starring Park Yoochun and Han Ji Min; it’s about a Prince from the Joseon Dynasty who travels forward many years to end up in modern time Korea.

 Another time traveling drama which is next on my list is “Time Slip Dr. Jin” starring Kim Jaejooing, my favorite Kpop singer. His acting has improved a lot from his first Korean drama “Protect the Boss” so I wanted to see how it will go for him in his 2^nd Korean drama. I don’t recall how many k-dramas I have seen but these ones are my personal favorites:

1. You’re Beautiful
2. My Girl
3. My Girlfriend is A Gumiho
4.Rooftop Prince
5. 49 Days
6. Secret Garden
7. Sungkyunkwan Scandal
8. Lovers In Paris
9. Stairway to Heaven
10. The Moon That Embraces the Sun
11. Dream High
12. Jewel In The Palace
13. Baker King, Kim Tak Gu
14. I Miss You 

Korean Dramas have became very popular around the world even in in Latin American due to the huge spread of the Korean or “Hallyu” wave. I realized that the Korean wave has become stronger over the years and I’m sure it will continue to do so now and into the future. Hwaiting, K-dramas!!