Most fans of Korean drama, no matter their culture or background, would all agree about one thing. This is not the medium one turns to for realism, variety and representation. Korean series and the romance genre in particular are riddled with overused and limited tropes, making it possible to predict how most plots and characters will evolve based on that cookie-cutter method the industry is clawing onto.
And with those tropes come some character stereotypes that often feel anything but realistic or respectful. Let's face it; drama does not particularly love all kinds of people, men or women. If it does, its refusal to represent them is quite the weird way of showing it. So we end up with the same arrogant, but traumatized rich men and bubbly, but persistent poor women living on rooftops and destined to serve their mothers in law. We end up with rich parents/grandparents who have nothing better to do than meddle in their kids' romantic lives. We end up with a ton of clichés we all know and could each comfortably form a list of.
But since this is a type of entertainment which mainly produced and enjoyed by female audiences, it is imperative that the real wants, needs and nature of those women, as well as their representation are taken into account.
Full Article: [HanCinema's Column] Strong Drama Women - The Norm.
