The public's impression of Korean dramas has long been stuck on beautiful images and handsome actors. They were either fairy tales about princes and princesses, or soap operas about mother-in-laws and daughter-in-laws, or tear-jerking stories about terminal illnesses. However, since the new drama "The Wife's Temptation" starring Jang Soo-ji achieved a viewership rating exceeding 40% with elements like forbidden love and revenge, it seems that Korean dramas have been lured by this kind of success. Recently, there have been no shortage of scenes in Korean dramas that are somewhat pornographic and violate ethics: sexual violence between couples, kissing between half-siblings, hiring hitmen to kill... Some South Korean newspapers worry that this trend of being obsessed with savage drama competition may further expand in the future.
Bad Example 1: "Give Me My Meal"
Improper Means: Betrayal and sexual violence between couples
First Broadcast: May 25th
MBC's latest daily drama (Note: A special term for Korean dramas broadcast from Monday to Friday) "Give Me My Meal", starring Kim Seung-min, who played "Joo Wang" in "Mermaid Lady", is one of the hottest savage dramas recently. Playwright So Yong-myeong had previously explored the aftermath of divorce through "Cherish Now" and challenged the revenge genre with "That Woman is Scary". In his latest work "Give Me My Meal", there is a scene where the husband Xuan Yu (played by Kim Seung-min), who is having an affair, forcibly kisses his wife Young Ran (played by Ha Hee-ra) who wants to return to the bedroom, and then drags her into the bathroom; there is also a shot of Young Ran sitting alone in the bathtub, hugging her knees while taking a shower and crying. In response, viewers strongly condemned, saying, "It obviously evokes thoughts of sexual violence between couples." Despite viewer dissatisfaction with the plot, the "improper content" continues. An angry Young Ran nails shut the door of the study where her husband sleeps and damages his mobile phone; Young Ran dates other men at a villa, trying to cheat just like her husband. More ironically, the drama only had single-digit ratings on its premiere day, but as the conflicts intensified, more viewers watched despite criticizing the show. By June 19th, "Give Me My Meal" had become the top-rated daily drama.
Bad Example 2: "Triple"
Improper Means: Kissing between half-siblings leads to inappropriate romance
First Broadcast: June 11th
Taking advantage of the figure skating craze sparked by "national elf" Kim Yuna, MBC produced the sports-themed drama "Triple" (Wednesday and Thursday drama). The story sounds inspiring, telling the tale of 18-year-old skaters who achieve success despite difficult circumstances. However, in the episode aired on June 9th, there was a scene where Lee Ha-reu (played by Min Hyo-rin) kisses her stepfather's son, her non-blood-related brother Shin Gwak (played by Lee Jung-jae). Some netizens expressed dissatisfaction, criticizing on the TV station's viewer message board, "I watched the kissing scene with my elementary school-aged son and daughter, which was extremely awkward at the time. Even though I explained seriously that the two were not actually blood siblings, the children still showed expressions of incomprehension. Is it necessary for youth idol dramas to be so complicated?" In this TV series, Hyun-tae (played by Yoon Ki-sang), a good friend of Shin Gwak, actively professes his love to Su-in (played by Lee Ha-na), who is separated from Shin Gwak.
Bad Example 3: "Sun Swallowing" / "Friends, Our Legend"
Improper Means: Excessive violence depiction
First Broadcast: July 8th / June 27th
After collaborating with Kwwon Sang-woo and Song Seung-heon on the gangster film "Fate", Ji Sung seems to also want to shed his refined image and showcase his masculine side. SBS's new drama "Sun Swallowing" (Wednesday and Thursday drama) attracted viewers' attention from the start with excessive violent scenes. In the episode aired on July 15th, the young thug Jung Woo (played by Ji Sung) demonstrated defiance on a boat and poured oil on sleeping crew members; he chased after kidnappers alone on a motorcycle, only to be beaten up with iron pipes and wooden sticks, vividly displayed before the audience.
In a scene where Jung Woo drinks at a bar, the camera focuses on a female server wearing a miniskirt dancing on a table. In the episode aired on July 16th, Jung Woo says, "As long as the price is right, I can help you kill someone." His friend responds, "I should sign immediately. There's a woman who won't leave me alone, would you help me kill her?" The viewership ratings for those two episodes significantly increased compared to the premiere, securing "Sun Swallowing" the top spot among Wednesday and Thursday dramas.
MBC's weekend drama "Friends", adapted from Guo Jingze's classic namesake film, stars Hyun Bin playing the role originally portrayed by Jang Dong-gun. Similar violent scenes and foul language from the original work also appear in this version. Considering censorship issues, the production team applied mosaic effects to iron pipes, knives, cigarettes, and tattoos, which surprisingly drew criticism from viewers. Some complained that it hindered their immersion in the storyline.
"Savage" dramas will continue to have a market
Korean savage dramas may increase further in the second half of this year. Renowned "savage drama" screenwriters such as Im Sung-han ("Mermaid Lady") and Moon Yeong-nam ("Club Cinderella"), along with the screenwriter of "The Wife's Temptation", Kim Soon-ok, all plan to release new works this year.
"The Wife's Temptation" was awarded the Best Work Award for the first half of the year by SBS, despite facing viewer criticism. In response, SBS executives stated, "We fully considered the fact that 'The Wife's Temptation' was criticized as a savage drama. However, this drama revived what we originally thought was a 'dead' time slot (7:20 PM) in the advertising market, hence we awarded it this prize." A South Korean professor specializing in information broadcasting also pointed out, "Due to economic downturns, television stations feel that as long as they can attract viewers' attention, starting savage drama competitions is acceptable. The most serious issue is that an atmosphere is gradually forming where any absurd drama can be recognized as long as it achieves success in terms of viewership ratings."