Author Archives: Lisa Wu

Fight For My Way: The Collapse of the Cinderella Theme and the Rise of “Sassy Girl” in South Korea Drama

Posted on December 2, 2017 | Leave a comment

Introduction

In recent years, there is a cultural diffusion known as the “Hallyu” that the popular culture of South Korea (e.g., television drama, pop music, movies, fashion, and celebrities) has become increasingly popular in worldwide, especially in East, South, and Southeast Asia (Shim 2008). As one of the significant components in “Hallyu,” Korean drama (K-drama) had been studied by many scholars over issues like gender stereotypes, politics, marriage, education, employment, etc (Chan and Wang 2011, Cho 2017, Lee and Park 2015, Lee 2013, Prieler, Ivanov, Hagiwara 2015, Yang 2008, Wall 2016). However, romantic comedy seemed to be neglected by scholarly discourse, and the types of love stories that have always broadcasted on national television networks like KBS, MBC, and SBS, along with the reason why people both inside and outside of Korea are so attracted to those love stories were rarely examined (Wall 2016: 74). K-drama typically present a scenario that both leading characters express strong (sometimes even unrealistic) mutual love and desire toward each other by overcoming difficulties such as social status (e.g., Boys over Flower), time (e.g., My Love From the Star), horrible accident (e.g., Winter Sonata), and so on (Miyose 2015, Wall 2016). There is a genre which commonly represents in K-drama, that is, the “Cinderella” theme. I use the example of Fight for My Way(2017) to argue that K-drama viewers are no longer eager to watch unrealistic romance about “Cinderella” who represent women as feminine subjects by placing them in the domestic role, are abused by jealous women and require their ultimate rescue by male figures. Rather, K-drama viewers are more willing to watch a “sassy girl” who is independent and hard-working to pursuing her dream (usually professional job) and sometimes adapt protective role for the male leading character. However, I claim that “sassy girl” is another product of male design which assimilates women to accept a role that seemingly empowers women but again perpetuate narrow role of women as a proper “lady” or wife and mother. Thus, I compare the portrayal of the romance comedy from 2004 to 2017 to explain why “sassy girl” is just another way to acculturate women to an acceptable role in patriarchal society by explicitly examining two K-drama: My Name Is Kim Sam-soon (2004) and Fight for My Way (2017). Finally, I further explain the gender stereotype by examining the interpersonal relationship between female main characters and female peripheral characters in Fight for My Way.

The current study is critical because the gender representation in television can potentially affect society and limit women’s opportunities. Previous research provides two theories to explain the significance of media effect, that is, social cognitive theory and cultivation theory (Prieler, Ivanov, Hagiwara 2015). The social cognitive theory (Bandura 2009) explained that people learn social behaviour through direct and vicarious observation, such as watching television. Gender-specific behaviours can be acquired through a model in both real life and television (fiction world). Cultivation theory (Gerbner 1988) claims that the longer people watch television, the heavier the ideological message transmitted from television influences how people perceive the real world. Romantic comedy among every other genre of K-drama needs much more attention than it acquired. Because such drama targeted to the population from 10s to 30s, the young generation will be unconsciously influenced by the standards of female role and potentially limited their choices to be an independent soul other than somebody’s wife and mother in the future (Lee and Park 2015). Moreover, with the popularity of the romantic comedy, the range of influential widespread to most countries in Asia, and few countries in other continents. The similarity of cultural background not only attract more audiences from other countries in Asia but also has a more profound impact on them, primarily female viewers (Chan and Wang 2011, Yang 2008).

 

The Collapse of Cinderella Theme

The tale of Cinderella is one of the most popular bedtime stories that has been spread from centuries ago till now, yet its highly recognizable plot continues to be a popular contemporary: a girl who was suffered and treated maliciously by her stepmother and stepsisters (women) but eventually reverse her fate into a regal existence by marrying a prince charming (men) (Lutz 1999: 1-2). The tale can be divided into five elements: 1) a girl who suffered from the negative influence due to her lowly status, 2) the occurrence of magic which alters the position of the girl briefly, 3) the Prince Charming who is wealthy and successful with high social status, 4) the “Prince Charming” who fall in love with the girl in the first sight, 5) the glass shoes which symbolized the cosmically predestined love between the girl and the Prince Charming, and 6) marriage, which represent “happily ever after”. Such tale subversively represents and impart a sclerotic patriarchal message that not only meets the criteria of sociocultural value but also correspond to gender stereotype in South Korea. For example, Boys over Flower is a typical Cinderella story that Geum Jan-di, the female leading character who suffered undeserved discrimination or neglect due to her lowly social status suddenly lifted fortuitously by making the “Prince Charming” Gu Jun-pyo fell in love with her and has been protected by him ever since. However, such Cinderella-themed romance was not appealing to audiences both inside and outside Korea anymore, and many K-drama viewers and feminists began to criticize it because of its patriarchal message (Chan and Wang 2011).

In Fight for My Way, a romantic comedy premiered in the spring of 2017, and soon was praised for its realistic plot. The first few episodes of Fight for My Way portrayed the “loser” image of four main characters: Ko Dong-man, Choi Ae-ra, Kim Joo-man, and Baek Seol-hee. Their life used to be full of sparks and possibilities when they were young. But at the current time in the drama, their life was considered as “three level,” and none of them fulfilled their dream. The scriptwriter and director openly criticize the unrealistic and deception of Cinderella theme and acclaim independent women who work hard and succeed on their own. Although Ae-ra can be considered as the “Cinderella” who broke up with her boyfriend because he had cheated on her by having a sexual relationship with a wealthy, middle-aged woman, her childhood friend Dong-man can hardly considered as a “Prince Charming” due to his marginal career and slender income. As the same as Ae-ra, Dong-man was a “loser,” who had negligible occupations, painful and unsuccessful romantic relationship experiences, lack of belongingness in Seoul, and was stagnant in the crossroad of his life. To further illustrate their point, scriptwriter and director shape the character called Park Moo-bin, a successful doctor who fell in love with Ae-ra. The story of Moo-bin and Ae-ra have all of the elements to form Cinderella theme:

1) Ae-ra as the “Cinderella.”

2) the magical moment when she was invited to pretend to be a famous announcer from Hong Kong for her friend’s wedding. There is also the BGM of Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo, originally from the cartoon Cinderella, showing the change of Ae-ra from a poor department store employee to a famous and professional announcer.

3) Moo-bin, as the “Prince Charming” and also the standard male character who is supposed to compete for the female leading character with the male leading character, he presented as innocent, gentle, and highly positioned as a wealthy doctor.

4) Moo-bin seemingly fell in love with Ae-ra. He courted her by buying her many luxury gifts, and planning date events involved spending money.

And 5) Moo-bin also bought a pair of expensive shoes that stand for glass shoes for Ae-ra, although those are not her size, which foreshadowing that Cinderella love story is not suitable for Ae-ra.

However, with Moo-bin’s confession, the scriptwriter and director tear the veil of prince charming and reveal the chauvinist pigs characteristic underneath. Not only he already had a Japanese fiancee, but also he wanted to keep Ae-ra around as his mistress even after he married with his fiancee. The monologue of Ae-ra says that compared to Cinderella, the brat who sell lies to little girls, the Zhangfei of Three Kingdom (i.e., a military general in the late Eastern Han dynasty and early Three Kingdom period) is much sexier. Such plot design overturn the stereotype of romantic K-drama, such as female leading character as the Cinderella-type girl who is kind and carry the financial burden of family and herself with millions of part-time jobs, and also the prince-like male character (whether leading or not; such as the Yoo Min-hyuk in Full House) who is not only handsome but also rich and smart. Moreover, the scriptwriter and director also wanted to portray an image of “sassy girl”, that is, an independent and hard-working modern female who is responsible for herself. The interlude of Ae-ra and Moo-bin is a turning point of Ae-ra and Dong-man’s relationship, but it’s also an appealing plot for K-drama viewers because many viewers from Korea and other countries began to question domestic role and showed an increasing preference for strong female role that defy social norm. Furthermore, with the emergence of Western culture, K-drama viewers can no longer identify themselves with the female role portrayed in K-drama. For example, some viewers in Singapore who are ethnic Chinese described that even though the values that shaped in the K-drama were not alien to them, they do not adapt some traditional values (e.g., a female should marry a male in an early adulthood, place domestic responsibility as wife and mother in priority, and in deference to elderly and husband, etc.) in the real life anymore (Chan and Wang 2011: 296-297). The transformation of gender role and the impact of Western value led K-drama viewers expect new portrayals of women along with the new types of romantic comedy recently, that is, the “sassy girl.”

 

The Rise of “Sassy Girl”

The term “sassy girl” originally comes from the My Sassy Girl (2001), a movie sweep from Asia to North America, and received a great success in both Eastern and Western society (Park 2010:5). The film brought a popular trend in Korea as well as other East Asian countries, for example, although male viewers still appreciate conservative girlfriend in real life, young people in contemporary China generally welcome female’s aggressive behaviour as a new kind of flirting styles or a mode of communication in a dating relationship (Wang and Ho 2007: 628). Despite the general acceptance of both female and male viewers, researchers criticize the female’s aggressive behaviour as either an inappropriate product of extreme feminism or a way to promote the traditional value of masculinity and femininity (林 2013: 59, 刘 2015: 113, Wang and Ho 2007: 628-629). The (re)construction of traditional masculinity and femininity involved three aspects (Park 2010: 6-9). Firstly, feminizing male leading character (Gyeon-woo) as a “mama’s boy” aspect of Korean masculinity which foreshadowing his emasculating relationship with the female leading character (the Girl) at the beginning of the film. Second, emphasizing the Girl’s aggressive, unfeminine behaviour and alcoholism. The chronic drinking behaviour is essential here because drinking is regarded as a “male activity” in Korea. Although Korean society is experiencing a rapid increase in alcohol consumption among women, the factors (e.g., marital status) that reduce the quantity or frequency of drinking for females are not affecting males (Chung and Yoon 2013: 389). Finally, through love, both Gyeon-woo and the Girl reconstruct their masculinity and femininity to be a proper “gentleman” and “lady.” The “sassy girl” image and the pattern of romance also happened in My Name is Kim Sam-soon and Fight for My Way, which I will compare and explain why the pattern of the romantic story evolved over time but the gender stereotype immobilized during this period.

My Name Is Kim Sam-soon (2004) is a romantic comedy about a chubby girl called Kim Sam-soon, who worked as a pastry chef. Regardless her plump appearance which not fit into beauty standard in Korean society, she still won the heart of the male leading character (Hyun Jin-hyeon) by expressing her “sassy” personality. My Name Is Kim Nam-soon received good reputation for promoting gender equality since Sam-soon was a strong female character who represent independent women who have their own career rather than domestic women after marriage (Chan and Wang 2011: 301). However, the pattern of plot and the characteristics of female leading characters may change, the messages it delivered are still similar to traditional gender roles. For example, Sam-soon’s boyfriend broke up with Sam-soon because Sam-soon discovered his infidelity, she begged him to stay rather than confronted him bravely or leave him resolutely. She even thought about committed suicide, so turning a ghost may help her revenge her ex-boyfriend. Moreover, her “sassy” personality is an expression of self-defense mechanism that is only triggered by Jin-hyeon, her ex, and her female rivals. However, when she encountered gender inequality or discrimination in the workplace, she often displays compliance and obedience, particularly toward male elderly. Although it is reasonable if considering the traditional value of Korean society, such inconsistency in personality raise questions toward the scriptwriter and director’s purpose of shaping Sam-soon’s characteristics. Furthermore, Sam-soon’s career is a pastry chef, which may link to female’s domestic role: a woman’s responsibility to cook food for her husband and children. Finally, when Sam-soon failed her job interview, the turning point for her was throwing her homemade cake on boss’s face (Jin-hyeon). Apparently, Sam-soon had special talents on pastry which good enough to won the boss’s heart, who just got punched by the cake in front of every employee. With Jin-hyeon help, Sam-soon got her job as a pastry chef in Jin-hyeon’s restaurant. And she constantly caused trouble but all sorted out by Jin-hyeon. Then he married her in the end of the drama. My Name Is Kim Sam-soon can be considered as a classic Cinderella themed romance, include Jin-hyeon as the “Prince Charming” lifted “Cinderella” Sam-soon’s position by helping her career and marrying her.

Compare to My Name Is Kim Sam-soon, Fight for My Way (2017) has a different male role and a distinct pattern of romantic comedy, but the portrayals of female leading characters are similar to each other. Choi Ae-ra, a “sassy girl” that is akin to Sam-soon, she had a dream that is to be a television announcer. In spite of the elimination of Cinderella theme, gender stereotype exists in this drama as well. For example, although she bravely broke up with her ex-boyfriend who had a sexual relationship with a wealthy middle-aged woman and also dumped Moo-bin who lied her about his intention of courting her, her aggressive behaviours in most of the time only acted as a self-defense mechanism that protecting her pride instead of showing her “woman power.” Besides, although the leading male character (Ko Dong-man) was initially as poor as Ae-ra, he eventually achieved success in his MMA career and inspired Ae-ra to build her own career. It is a typical gender stereotype that male has to be more successful and dominant than female (Miyose 2015: 12). Dong-man was, like Gyeon-woo, in an “abused” relationship with Ae-ra who, like the Girl, forced Dong-man to do what she wanted him to do and act aggressively toward him in both verbal and nonverbal way. But as long as they confirmed their romantic relationship, their position reversed involved Dong-man act dominantly such as forcing Ae-ra to change her dress because her slender legs are attracting to other men on the street. Ae-ra, on the other hand, became obedience and compliance (inwardly) toward Dong-man. In addition, Ae-ra’s dream job was an announcer, but she always got discriminated from female job interviewer because of her lack of experience and poor education. In the end, she got her job from MMA arena by male job interviewer which again indicate the savior or heroic role of male characters compared to evil and snobbish female characters. Finally, the drama is about how male and female leading characters tried to pursue their dream, but the drama focuses on Dong-man’s journey to be an MMA fighter more than Ae-ra’s journey to be an announcer. The drama put more effort on Ae-ra’s romantic relationship with different kinds of men and her complex familial connection.

Both My Name Is Kim Sam-soon and Fight for My Way include the career-focused female role, but the seemingly independent female leading characters all raise the same problem: it seems that both scriptwriters and directors currently try to express different kinds of female characters in contrast to stereotypes of female characters in the past, but they failed to maintain the balance between stereotypes and anti-stereotypes of female characters. Such problems not only exist in leading characters but also in peripheral characters.

 

Stereotypes vs. Anti-stereotypes of Female Characters

Choi Ae-ra vs. Park Hye-ran. Lee (2013: 172-173) demonstrates that the structure of gender relations and the culture of confucianism acts as constraints that limited female’s opportunities and specific experiences in higher education (e.g., Bachelor Degree, M.D, Ph.D) and labor market. Also, Lee and Park (2015: 394) state that gender inequality index (GII) announced in 2011 that women in South Korea scored relatively high in reproductive health (maternal mortality and adolescent fertility) and educational attainment of empowerment, but fair in labor market and particularly low in parliamentary representation of empowerment. Even though the rate of women’s labor market participation (50%) is relatively low compared to men’s labor market participation (73%), the women’s labor market participation rate is generally increasing in recent years. According to the fact that women in 20s have higher employment rate (63%) than women in 30s (56%), the major obstacles in women’s continued professional career development from women in 20s to 30s are marriage and potential child-rearing responsibilities (Lee and Park 2015: 395). In response to the above information, a few women who were shown with paid work in the drama were mostly young singles in low-paying job. Moreover, Lee and Park claim that dramas sometimes portraying women who worked in professional careers usually are occupations that were consistent with the traditional notion of femininity such as television show host or “depicting women as protagonists who pursued their dream by overcoming obstacles placed by their personal circumstances and social traditions” (2015: 396). Furthermore, Lee and Park also discover that the rate of women in managerial positions were lower than men in dramas broadcasted during 2002-2004, and women in managerial positions were more likely to be major road blockers and (tried to) harm the kind and innocent female leading character than men in managerial positions. Furthermore, the findings of Lee and Park’s study present that females are more valued if they are highly attractive and still in youth rather than their social and professional accomplishments. Park Hye-ran, an famous announcer who divorced from a wealthy family, again represent an example of Cinderella theme’s failure. She was not only the Ae-ra’s rival in love but also her rival in workplace. The drama presented that Hye-ran was constantly in Ae-ra’s way toward her dream job and love from college to current time in the drama. Moreover, her successful career as an announcer caused numerous inconveniences for Ae-ra. Furthermore, the job interviewers who criticize Ae-ra were all women. It is problematic for the drama to emphasis on such women-verses-women gender stereotype. Because in real life, the conflict and difficulties in competition in labor market also exist between women and men and usually discrimination came from men (Gress and Paek 2014, Jung, Kim, and Ahn 2014, Kim and William 2012). However, in the end of the movie, Hye-ran seemed suddenly moved by Ae-ra’s kindness, started to build friendship with Ae-ra. On the contrary to the previous idea that bad people would always be bad, the change of Hye-ran indicate the anti-stereotypes of female characters. But such change is too rigid to accept by viewers.

Choi Ae-ra vs. Baek Seol-hee. It is interesting that many K-drama viewers in China favoured Baek Seol-hee1, the female second-leading character who dreamed to be a wife and mother had a boyfriend who was also Dong-man’s high school friend called Kim Joo-man for six years. In opposite to Ae-ra, Seol-hee is typical girl who fit into the traditional notion of femininity, as well as her dream, that is, to be a mother and a wife. Her world was all about Joo-man until she broke up with him because of the possibility of Joo-man’s infidelity. She used to look dependent and indecisive due to her the lack of courage to speak the truth in the public and the lack of ability to manage the threat (Ye-jin, a girl who had crush on Joo-man). However, the way she broke up with Joo-man in a decisive manner after finding out he might cheat on her and confrontation with Ye-jin showed her independence as a strong woman. The strength that was elicited from a suppose-to-be-weak image of Seol-hee made the drama looked more interesting. Some K-drama viewers left comments that criticize the plot line of Ae-ra and Dong-man and praise the plot line of Seol-hee and Dong-man1:

“Are they really belong to three class? The male leading character had a beautiful and successful ex-girlfriend and a skilled coach who was willing to sacrifice everything just to see him return to MMA arena, and he had been worked as a lowly positioned employee for ten years but were able to win his first fight with professional MMA fighter. The female leading character was very attractive and were able to act as a wedding host and later on an MMA arena host, although she had been worked as a receptionist department store for ten years. They are actually belong to first class.”

“I love Seol-hee and Joo-man, their story is more realistic than Dong-man and Ae-ra’s. Both Dong-man and Ae-ra had their special talents for their dream, whereas Joo-man and Seol-hee are not that lucky, just two ordinary people who struggled in several issues such as job promotion, marriage, house, and family like other ordinary people in real life.”

Seol-hee is a success example of anti-stereotype of female characters. Seol-hee’s story, compared to Ae-ra’s, is more realistic. Seol-hee and Ae-ra, as childhood friends, lived in the same apartment, having the same type of lifestyle, the same socioeconomic status, and the same education background. Seol-hee had no special talent, she achieved what she have now by hard-working and down-to-earth dedication. Although her effort may not grantee what she want, she was heading to her goal step by step. The image of Seol-hee reflects real self which means who a person actually is, whereas Ae-ra reflects ideal self that is how people want to be, an idealized image that include components of parents’ expectations, individual preference, and social norm. Without unrealistic complex familial connections or love interests from different kinds of males, her difficulties came from the temptation Joo-man faced and future mother/sister-in-law, which K-drama viewers can identify themselves with. Therefore, instead of trying to find something new against stereotypes of female characters, portray female characters as what K-drama viewers can identify with seems much better.

 

Conclusion

K-drama has lack of variety in portrayal of female leading characters and type of romantic relationships. Even though the awareness of such issue and the public demand prompt the latest K-drama (e.g., Fight for My Way) develop new kinds of romantic relationship, it is still critical for drama producers and scriptwriters to find a balance between stereotypes of female lead and anti-stereotypes and how to avoid undermining the anti-stereotype characters.

 

 


References:

 

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Cho, Michelle. “Domestic Hallyu: K-Pop Metatexts and the Media’s Self-Reflexive Gesture.” International Journal of  Communication, no. 11 (2017): 2308-2331

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Gerbner, G. Cultivation analysis: An overview. Mass Communication & Society, no. 1 (1988): 175-194.

Gress, Douglas P. and Paek Jeeyon. “Differential Spaces in Korean Places? Feminist Geography and Female Managers in South Korea.” Gender, Work, and Organization, no. 2 (2014): 165–186.

Jung, Hae-Sik, Kim Soo-Wan and Ahn Sang-Hoon. “Multidimensional Inequality in South Korea: An Empirical Analysis.” Asian Social Work and Policy Review, no. 8 (2014):170-191.

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Lee, Sunghoe. “Gender, Power and Emotion: Towards Holistic Understanding of Mature Students in South korea.” Gender and Education, no. 2 (2013): 170-188.

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Episode 9 Analysis and Synopsis

Posted on October 27, 2017 | 3 comments

Ae-ra sneaked into Dong-man’s fight, she started to show jealous when Dong-man took off his shirt and some random women were praising him. She watched nervously at first, but then could not bear it when fight became intense, she closed eyes and cover her ears, tried to block the vision or sound of Dong-man’s possible lose. But actually Dong-man won and he already spot her as soon as she walked in. After the fight, he went to the audience seats and found Ae-ra in the last row, gently told her “I’m in trouble. Now you look pretty even when you cry.”.

Afterwards, while they were waiting Coach Hwang, Dong-man teased her unusual behaviours. He confessed that somehow, he only saw her tonight in the arena, and that she’s becoming pretty to his eyes. There is an ambiguous atmosphere in the room. The relationship between Ae-ra and Dong-man was no longer pure friendship, and they were more open up to their feelings compare to few episodes before, but still too afraid to actually start the first step.

After agreeing to marry once Joo-man gets his promotion, he and Seol-hee exited their bus to find his admirer Ye-jin standing there. She had heard Seol-hee calling Joo-man by a lovers’ endearment, but instead of freaking out, she kicked off her shoes and lay down on the bench for a nap. Apparently she was drunk and didn’t actually understand what was happening. While Seol-hee let Ye-jin’s head on her lap and check closely on Ye-jin’s appearance, she suddenly wake up and whining about how she really in love with Joo-man, but lay back down again. Joo-man came back with something like energy drink to wake Yejin up, when Seol-hee and Joo-man argued about what should they do with Yejin, Yejin’s phone had an incoming call which belong to her mom. When Yejin’s mother came, they lied that three of them were having a company dinner, and Yejin’s mother appreciated their effort and said that she would meet Joo-man someday again.

Coach Hwang drove Ae-ra and Dong-man home. Coach Hwang was moved by what Dong-man accomplished today, he was crying and Ae-ra left them to have “a moment.” Coach Hwang demanded a hug which Dong-man was very uncomfortable about, he afraid that people would think they are couple lol. While they hugged, they were scared by a voice ordered them to move their car. It was Landlady Hwang, who tells them that she doesn’t judge, but they should move their car before continuing with what they were doing. Coach Hwang recognized something strange, wishpering that he saw her somewhere.

After seeing Dong-man’s fight, Tak-soo seemed finally realized that if he do not start to training, he would soon lose his place as a champion. Two more people were also checking on Dong-man’s fight, the first is Dong-hee, and Dong-man’s PD friend, who seemed have interest especially towards to Dong-man and Ae-ra’s photo shot by photographers in Arena.

The next morning, Joo-man, Seol-hee, and Ae-ra take turned feeding Dong-man, their new star, who milked it for all it’s worth.

Ae-ra went outside to call her father, who worried over how Ae-ra is taking care of herself and offered to send her some money. She saied through tears that she hates it when he sends money, grousing that he hardly makes a living with his restaurant. She warned him not to or else, unaware that Landlady Hwang is listening from around the corner.

Dong-man’s PD friend Kyung-ku invited Dong-man to appear on a new show about super rookies. He joked that he knows what Dong-man’s fists feel like, which made Dong-man fidget uneasily. They madee vague references to Dong-man feeling sorry, and mention a blind date sometime in the past. Kyung-ku told him not to worry about it, but then he asked about Ae-ra. Dong-man warned that Kyung-ku should not ever ask Ae-ra from him, and left quickly when he got a text that his fight winnings have been deposited.

At the ATM, Dong-man already weeped when he saw a wealth of money the machine dispensed. He called his mother proudly on his way home, saying that he send pocket money to her. Then he bought a pair of sports shoes for Dong-hee.

Joo-man and Seol-hee met secretly in the office stairwell, which were almost caught by Ye-jin.

Dong-man teased Coach Hwang for still selling soondae when he was on his way to stardom. Coach Hwang told Dong-man to be ready for a trip to a festival in Daecheon tomorrow, to perform and raise some money for the gym. While a female customer was buying soondae, Dong-man slipped a flat roll of money into his tips bowl.

Dong-man bought gifts to his friends, fluffy pink bunny for Seol-hee, an expensive piece of in-game armor for Joo-man’s favorite video game. But when Ae-ra demanded for her gift, Dong-man pretended that he does not prepare. When four of them were discussing to go somewhere for drinking, Dong-man and Ae-ra both pretended that they have something else to do. Joo-man was very confusing, but Seol-hee found out something happened between Dong-man and Ae-ra. Although worrying if they were about causing trouble, she still brought Joo-man home and give them some space with each other. Dong-man and Ae-ra went to somewhere else, and finally he gave the gift for Ae-ra, it was a ring.

Seol-hee helped Ae-ra get ready for her interview the next morning, and just after Ae-ra complained to the others that Dong-man probably had forgot about her big day, he bursted in dramatically and offered her a double-handful of taffy (supposed to be good luck for tests and interviews and such). He got shy when they ask where he had got taffy so early, the fact that he had covered in sweat giving away that he ran a long way to find it. They all headed out for the day together, determined to conquer their challenges.

Dong-man worked on some wrestling techniques with a fellow fighter named Doo-ho and ended up with an injured ear from practice. Coach Hwang came to collect them for their Daecheon trip, and when they ask about Byung-joo (the fighter who lost to Dong-man), he said, “Let’s just say he’s sick.”

It was Joo-man’s big day too— his kimchi account debuted on the home shopping show. When one of the people eating the kimchi on the live broadcast started to break out in hives, the PD thought fast and replaced two actors with Joo-man and Ye-jin posing as a married couple. Seol-hee sees Joo-man and Ye-jin on TV together when fielding on calls, and she snapped. She abandoned her position and marched to the recording studio, all the way to the stage until she was on camera. Everyone stared at her in shock as she glared at Joo-man and Ye-jin like she is about to make a scene…. but then she started stuffing her face with kimchi, making it looked so good that sales skyrocketed.

While Ae-ra started her interview with two other candidates, she found out Hye-ran is there watching her. The interviewer asked a few questions, and clearly were discriminating and judging Ae-ra. Ae-ra got angry, and the interviewer became much more harsh and mean toward her.

After she left the interview room, Hye-ran followed her and made her stop before elevator. She asked if Ae-ra really thought she would make it into the business. Ae-ra said that she used to thought first place was for the best—but looking at Hye-ran’s success, she doubted that now. She said that she’s sure she can be even better, and when Hye-ran smirked that about it, Ae-ra vowed that she would wipe her smirk on her face in the future. A text from Ae-ra’s father made her frustrated, because her father still sent her money. She called Dong-man, said she would meet him in Daecheon.

After the broadcast, Seol-hee had to explain her action. Joo-man argued on her behalf, and the manager agreed to let Seol-hee also on the broadcast. When the manager said that she could be a sister-in-law, Seol-hee muttered that she is not sister-in-law, she is the wife. The manager was angry and pouted that this is not child play. Meanwhile, the matriarch of the kimchi company arrived, she appreciated Joo-man’s work and said she was introduced by her sister, Ye-jin’s mother. Ye-jin’s mother recognized Seol-hee, and talked about the company dinner. Both the manager and Yejin were confused about the company dinner that didn’t exist. Seol-hee were imagining that she would be brave and confess the relationship between Joo-man and her, but she couldn’t say it. Surprisingly, Joo-man confessed, which made her very happy.

Ae-ra found Dong-man in Daecheon beside ocean, he was performing Taekwondo with other groups of young lads. The MC was drank and unable to continue her work. Dong-man immediately thought about Ae-ra, he recommended her. Ae-ra got the opportunity to stand on stage and MCing. The festival became a lot more successful and fun.

At night, Ae-ra called her father, proudly described her accomplishment.

 

When Dong-man and Ae-ra went to hotel, they were both sort of awkward, they were suppose to have different room, but then both of them encounter giant cockroaches, Ae-ra killed the one in her room, and Dong-man were cowardly running into Ae-ra’s room. Afterward he refused to leave, and stay in Ae-ra’s room.

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Episode 4 Synopsis and Analysis

Posted on October 1, 2017 | 3 comments

Synopsis – Lisa Wu

Dong-man felt stunned and betrayed when he realizes that Coach Hwang has brought him to a fight where his old rival, Tak-soo, is competing. As he watches the fight, Dong-man noticed that the familiar movement Tak-soo used as the final strike to his opponent is a roundhouse kick, the very move that used to be Dong-man’s specialty.

The drama took us to the 2007, to the fight that ended Dong-man’s career. Before the match, a man named Coach Choi, who is Tak-soo’s coach, tries to convince Dong-man to throw the fight, so that Tak-soo’s father would donate a huge amount of money for Dong-man’s sister Dong-hee. Dong-man refused.

Coach Hwang gives Dong-man a pep talk on the way to the arena, reminding him that winning this fight means a trip to the Beijing Olympics. Dong-man’s father surprises him by showing up to watch before gruffly telling his son to win, or else.

Dong-man confidently faces Tak-soo in the fight, but with the voice calls out from the stands, he realized his younger sister Dong-hee even though very and in a wheelchair, still comes to cheer her big brother. The scene shakes Dong-man’s heart, he knows with Tak-soo’s money, Dong-hee can afford an expensive surgery that Dong-man’s father cannot provide. A moment later, he pretends he is defeated by Tak-soo, he cries when he lies on the ground, shaking with humiliation and agony.

But the referees conclude that the tiny kick Dong-man received couldn’t possibly have knocked him out of the fight. A press conference is held to announce the discovery that the fight was rigged, and Dong-man, Tak-soo, and their coaches all wait to face the reporters.

Angry that they got caught, Tak-soo tells Dong-man to go out there and take all the blame. Coach Hwang snaps at Tak-soo for being a spoiled brat who bought his way to where he is, and for ruining the chances of someone who actually has talent. Coach Choi explains that Tak-soo’s father has an election coming up and doesn’t want Tak-soo’s part in the rigging to be known. Tak-soo tells Dong-man that if he doesn’t shoulder the guilt alone, he’ll make him pay back the money his family has been paid.

Once alone, Dong-man finally apologizes to Coach Hwang and says he’ll go alone so that Coach Hwang doesn’t take any of the blame and risk his teaching future. Coach Hwang slaps Dong-man, grabs him by the wrist, and leads him out to face the reporters together.

Back in the present, Dong-man waits for Coach Hwang outside the arena. Tak-soo humiliates Dong-man and holds Dong-hee’s illness against him.

Dong-man snaps, he throws a side-kick into Tak-soo’s ribs, then executes a perfect roundhouse kick right into Tak-soo’s face. He screams, “If you’re going to imitate me, then do it correctly, you bastard!” He tells the whimpering Tak-soo that he will meet him in the martial art arena.

Coach Hwang’s dashboard camera of his car recorded everything, and it is sold to reporters by Coach Hwang who has no idea what had happened. The video soon sweep the Internet, everyone was watching besides Dong-man who quit his job in the crossroad when his manager again verbal abuses him on the phone. Coach Hwang drives back to his gym, where Dong-man races up to him, still high on adrenaline. He yells near-incoherently that he wants to do martial arts again, and after confirming that he isn’t drunk, Coach Hwang starts screaming right along with him.

Ae-ra also takes steps to pursue her dream and stops on her way home to have a photo taken so that she can apply for announcer jobs. She met Moo-bin on her way back. Moo-bin admits that he’s missed her and that he’s been waiting here for an hour, and he wants to send her home as a gentleman will do.

     

Though Ae-ra lets Moo-bin drive her home, she admits to herself that she doesn’t like this. He plucks at her sleeve when she starts to get out of the car, and Ae-ra asks if he’s expecting her to invite him in for ramyun (code for inviting someone in for sex). Even though Moo-bin is shy in a cute and hilarious way, Ae-ra cannot resist but think this is totally out of the way. Moo-bin stubbornly insists on staying until Ae-ra gets to her door safely, which is exactly what she doesn’t want. With perfect timing. Dong-man runs up calling Ae-ra’s name, and he’s so excited to tell her his news that he doesn’t notice her alarmed expression. He grabs her in a bear hug, spinning her around and telling her excitedly that he quit his job to go back to martial arts.Ae-ra is surprised by Dong-man and forgets all about Moo-bin. As Dong-man hugs her again, Moo-bin eventually decides to step in.

After Dong-man discovered why Moo-bin and Ae-ra are together, he is very upset and expresses hostility toward Moo-bin. On the other hand, Moo-bin also alerts to Dong-man and Ae-ra’s more-than-friend relationship. He possessively takes Ae-ra’s wrist and warns Dong-man to stay away from Ae-ra, since he is dating her. The atmosphere between these two men is very intense. Eventually, all three of them went to ramyun restaurant because Moo-bin is hungry, and Dong-man doesn’t want Ae-ra being alone with Moo-bin. After they eat, Ae-ra asks Moo-bin to please leave now, while Dong-man shoots him some dirty look. Again he refuses to go until he sees her inside, so she and Dong-man start up the stairs together. Dong-man notices her discomfort, so he takes her by the hand and keeps going past their doors, saying that he doesn’t want Moo-bin to know where she lives. Secretly pleased, Ae-ra agrees, but she stops every few steps to see if Moo-bin has left yet (he hasn’t), and Dong-man is highly amused. Finally, he leads her all the way up to their rooftop bar.

When Ae-ra and Dong-man are finally alone, Ae-ra orders Dong-man to stay away from martial art and to stop acting naive and immature because he will get hurt not matter win or lose. Dong-man discovers that this is not a threat but a concern. When Ae-ra is trying to leave, Dong-man suddenly grabs her wrist and pulls her into his arms. With this awkward situation, they seem notice something between them starts changing. But when Ae-ra demand answers from Dong-man about the reason he made all these confusing moves, he backs down. Ae-ra grabs his cheek and pulls his face very close, making it crystal-clear that the way he’s behaving is unacceptable. She tells him not to touch her, not to confuse her unless he has a death wish. Both of them are restless that night, uncertain what exactly is happening.

On the other hand, the home shopping network goes out for a company dinner, and Seol-hee ends up sitting next to Ye-jin, feeling frumpy next to Ye-jin in her cute clothes and manicured nails. From across the table, Joo-man carefully stills his expression as his boss insults Seol-hee, then he pours Ye-jin a drink to keep the mildly lecherous boss from doing it. Joo-man runs into his boss in the restroom, who asks if Joo-man plans to get married. He suggests the beautiful Ye-jin as a candidate since she also happens to be the chaebol daughter of a large food manufacturer. They head back to the dining room, where the boss jokes that Seol-hee looks like black-and-white TV next to Ye-jin’s technicolor. Joo-man doesn’t respond, but he does throw one of his boss’s shoes out of the restaurant when he’s not looking.

   

After the dinner, Ye-jin invites Joo-man to share her car, Joo-man refused politely because he is going to go back home with Seol-hee secretly. Meanwhile, Seol-hee admires a beautiful dress in a shop window as she waits for Joo-man.

Joo-man noticed her interest, so Joo-man offers to buy that lovely outfit for her. Seol-hee objects to spending his money claims all those excuses about how this dress not fit her, but the high price tag is the actual reason why she hesitates. Joo-man buys her the dress anyway, ignoring Seol-hee’s continuous objections. While they argue over a dress, Joo-man suddenly blows up, yelling at her to be pretty, to act girly, and to stop letting others walk all over her. Seol-hee yells back that the dress isn’t even her style, and Joo-man groans that her style is “cheap.” Frustrated, he says that he knows she’s cheap because she’s spent six years supporting him, and that he’s grateful — but now, it feels suffocating. When Seol-hee’s face crumples, he sighs and apologizes.

Without a word, Seol-hee tosses the bag with the dress away, hails a taxi, and leaves in tears. Feeling like a jerk, Joo-man retrieves the dress and tries to get another taxi, but it’s Ye-jin (her car being driven by a designated driver) who pulls up to offer him a ride.

In the car, Ye-jin notices the dress and makes a point to say that pink is her favorite color as she shows Joo-man her pink, bejeweled nails. Ye-jin keeps inviting Joo-man to have a dinner with her, he refused politely as usual. It’s clearly Joo-man has no clue about Ye-jin’s love interest towards him, and even wonders why she acts this way. As Joo-man walks home after getting out from Ye-jin’s car, he buys a ddukbokki and wins a pink stuffed dog from a claw machine for Seol-hee.

Eventually, Joo-man talks things out with Seol-hee, although it is clear that he still has no idea what he did wrong, he keeps apologizing to Seol-hee. When they leave their apartment for work, they find Hye-ran stands at Dong-man’s front door, Seol-hee immediately blocks Hye-ran’s attempt to push the doorbell and yells Ae-ra’s name. Ae-ra confronts Hye-ran in the outside, with Seol-hee and Joo-man act as her supporters, they both threat each other by using harsh words.

Later, Dong-man comes outside and finds himself face-to-face with Hye-ran, who immediately becomes all sweetness and light, cooing softly “Oppa”. Flashbacks come again, all those past years that whenever Hye-ran needed Dong-man, she would show up again and again, interrupts Dong-man’s life and seduce him by calling him “Oppa.” This time, Dong-man manages to hold onto his stern expression when Hye-ran says that she’ll call him later. Ae-ra stops her from leaving, threatening her once again. With a smirk, Hye-ran wishes her a hearty “Fighting!” before leaving.

 

Fight for My Way Week 3 Discussion – Nicole Chan

Offering your seat to others – a blessing or a curse in South Korea?

In EP 3, Ae-ra successfully finishes her one-day position as the anchor of her mall. She gets on a bus for home and meets Dong-man, who is pretending to be asleep as he does not want to offer the seat to Ae-ra. Eventually he is forced by Ae-ra to offer his seat to her. We know in the reality that people seldom force others to offer their seats. However, in fact, offering seats to someone in need is a social norm to show your respect in South Korea.

Being strongly affected by Confucianism, the culture of South Korea places great emphasis on respecting the elderly. This also is reflected when Koreans must absolutely obey their seniors in family, school and workplace. The Korean put high value of the hierarchy system. There is a common Korean saying, “Offering your seat to the elderly or someone in need is a part of life, regardless of it is a tram, a train or a bus”.

In recent years, the Seoul Metro has set up priority seating for the elderly, and seat for pregnant women starting from last year. Even when the train is extra full in peak hours and everyone gets exhausted from a day of work, people still avoid taking those seats. One reason is because they want to make sure that people who are in need (but cannot be seen) can sit down easily. Another reason, is that they are possibly afraid of “Korean stank eye”.

However, such culture is said to be changing gradually. As mentioned in class by Dr. Saeji, the aging problem in South Korea is serious nowadays. Sometimes the amount of priority seats cannot satisfy the demand from the elderly. As a result, they have to go for regular seats, which are occupied by people who look down at their smartphones. They do not seem to be aware of their surroundings and realize the need to offer their seats. This implies a gradual change in social culture, and the apathy of the newer generation in South Korea.

 

Episode 4 – Discussion, Yoo Jung Kim

In episode four, I was very happy that Ko Dong-Man finally decided to quit his job and continue the sport. Ko Dong-Man was angry when he saw Kim Tak-Soo’s success as an RFC player using his Taekwondo move. After the game, Ko Dong-Man receives a call from a senior co-worker. As usual, the senior screamed at Ko Dong-Man and began to blame. In this scene I really liked the way the director filmed. Ko Dong-Man stops in the middle of a crosswalk where everything else moves so fast. And Ko Dong-Man thinks of what Choi Ae-Ra and Coach said. “I guess people really need to do what they love”, and “Are you happy now”.

I felt this scene was trying to show viewers that Ko Dong-Man and his dreams were stopped in the past and that everyone else are moving well.

And then, Ko Dong-Man turned around and walked in the other way and answers the phone, saying, “I am going to quit. I quit” and hangs up the phone and yells “I don’t care now. I’ll just go for it”. Ko Dong-Man turns around and walks in a different direction than where he was walking. I think this scene wants to show the change of Ko Dong-Man’s heart. He decides not to continue walking. It indicates that Ko Dong-Man has decided not to continue to work at the current job anymore. Then Ko Dong-Man turns around in different directions. It showed that Ko Dong-Man chose another path for his future. I was really impressed with this scene because everything was perfect. Technique of how this scene was performed on viewers, background music and Ko Dong-Man’s acting skills. Everything tied up really well in this scene. Although it was a drama, this scene made me truly support Ko Dong-Man.

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Episode 1 Synopsis and Analysis

Posted on September 17, 2017 | 2 comments

The “Loser” Image of Leading Casts – Lisa Wu/Jenny Zhang

The first episode of “Fight for My Way” gave a brief introduction for the four main casts in the drama, with the flashback of their school-age when they still dreamed of a big dream and expected bright future, it was the time they never need to worry about tomorrow. But at the current time in the drama, four of them are failed to pursue their goals. The Ep1 especially portrayed Ko Dong-man and Choi Ae-ra’s pathetic and miserable adult life, a life of “loser.”

Ko Dong-man, who watched Tony Jaa’s fight scene in Ong Bak 1 with his best friend Kim Joo-man in Seoul at the beginning of the Ep1, was very concentrated on taekwondo which is something he excelled at. Although he came from Choongnam with no intention to change his act or dress to fit into the atmosphere of Seoul, he still became a rebellious hero in the school and won hearts of girls and the ire of teachers and other male “rivals”, regularly caused trouble along with Kim Joo-man in the class. However, contrary to the glory of old days, his adult life seemed dull and pitiful. The scriptwriter and director emphasis two major points of change: his current marginal occupation (tick doctor) vs. a famous taekwondo prodigy in the past, his unsuccessful experience with the date vs. a heartthrob in his high school. There are two things consistently exist from the past to the future though: the features of his incompatibility with Seoul (e.g., fashion, speak annoyingly loud, etc), and the warm-hearted long-term friendship with Choi Ae-ra, which will develop into romantic relationship in the rest of the episodes.

On the other hand, Dong-man’s longtime friend, Choi Ae Ra is a vigorous and sassy girl, and also his biggest fan of taekwondo. They both lived in the same hometown in Choongnam before Ko Dong-man moved to Seoul studying high school, about 1 hr driving from Seoul. In school, she dreamed of being an anchor, and loved taking her fake microphone to Dong-man’s matches. Later, she became a department store of employee, and continued striving for her dream to come true. In ep1, it seems that she was not satisfied with her life. She had to break up with her boyfriend, Kim Moo-ji, who cheated on her by having a sexual relationship with a wealthy, middle-aged woman. However, Ae-ra and this middle-aged woman shared a common features that they both spend plenty of money on Kim Moo-ji. The differences are the gap of wealth between Ae-ra and this middle-aged woman. In comparison, the middle-aged woman was capable of afford luxurious life that Kim Moo-ji was seeking for. To emphasis her miserable situation, there is also a comparison between her and her university friend. Though these two girls had similar background, her friend won a better life. She would marry to a wealthy man, she was able to buy expensive staffs and wear fashion cloths because of his credit card. It is so ironic that she shopped in the store that Choi Ae Ra worked for. The situation leads these two girls into different levels of social hierarchy. There is a huge difference between her dream and the reality. It seemed that her real life is such a big mess, with no romantic relationship and lack of money. The director uses comparisons to emphasize the unsuccessful beginning after graduation to lead the following story.

The other two leading characters, Kim Joo-man, the best friend of Ko Dong-man, and Baek Seol-hee, the best friend of Choi Ae-ra, were revealed that they were in the underground relationship for six years (so far it did not show that whether Dong-man and Ae-ra know about their relationship, at least their relationship is a secret in their company). Their dream seemed not fulfilled as well, Kim Joo-man was very keen to taekwondo too but worked as, Baek Seol-hee dreamed of being a kind housewife, but her boyfriend Joo-man was hesitating whenever she asked about their marriage. But their love seemed lovely and both caring for each other for now.

 

In general, it is a fascinating drama at first sight. As a K-drama blogger commented about this show, there are neither wealthy handsome, perfect princes nor feisty poor girl-next-door girls who have a million part-time job, this drama seemed goes completely opposite direction with only one remained theme: love. Their life used to be full of sparks and possibilities, their worlds were at their feet. But now their life was considered as “three rated,” with negligible occupations, painful romantic relationship experiences for both Dong-man and Ae-ra, lack of belongingness in Seoul, and stagnant in the crossroad of their life. The director and scriptwriter shape the image of “losers” on the four leading characters, which also represent the young generation who suffered from the burden of reality.

 

The Importance of Quality of Marriage – Daisy Zhu

In the first episode of “Fight for My Way”, I find an interesting scene that shows the chat between Choi Ae-ra and her previous school friend in a coffee shop. They came from similar family background but had very different life when they met at the department store where Choi Ae-ra worked at. The girl told Choi Ae-ra that she would marry with an old rich man soon and advised Choi Ae-ra not to take high expectations for her marriage. While, Choi Ae-ra did not listen to her and satirized that she was a snobbish person. From this scene, I think it reflects a younger generation’s issue of marriage in Korea. In class, Dr. Saeji mentioned there was a trend of single life in the aging society of Korea. I think one reason behind this is Korean people start to value more on their quality of marriage. For example, in the two girls’ chat scene of the drama, the girls showed an opposite attitude towards marriage so it helps to illustrate a worry on marriage for Korean young people. Choi Ae-ra disagreed with her friend’s view that to marry with a not bad person because she still considered her marriage should contain love even though she needed to struggle for a better life by herself. Therefore, she valued her marriage that should waiting for the true love. In this drama, the character of Choi Ae-ra can represent some Korean people’s attitude on marriage. They are willing to stay in single until they find the right person so resulted a delay on the age of marriage. However, for the character of Choi Ae-ra’s friend, she also valued her quality of marriage but was related to her material living standard. Her time was spent on seeking a wealthy man to marry. No matter what type of attitudes for the two girls, it can show an existed phenomenon that the quality of marriage becomes important for most Korean people. They are willing to spend more time to find the right person so it can become a reason to cause the trend of single life in Korean society.

 

The Regional Discrimination and the Importance of Social Class – Yang Li

In this paragraph, I will discuss the first episode of “ Fight for My way” regarding the geography and Demography of Korea.

From the “red evil” and Burberry scene, the director told us that Dong-man is not from Seoul, also, it took Ae-ra and Seol-hee three hours to go the stadium. Therefore, we know that the main characters of this drama might either from the suburban area or from countryside area, which carries a foreshadowing of their struggling life because of their lifestyle, social class, and career development. Those regional discriminations or cultural diversity can be found in almost every country. Such as north and south in the UK, east and west in USA and Canada and north and south in China. That regional diversity is consisted of many different aspects, such as language accents, dressing habits, lifestyles, and of course, different level of economic development.

In the second half of the first episode, we can see the director emphasized the topic of career. Occupation is one of the hottest social issues in Korea nowadays. One reason of that is the aging problem of Korea. The latest census statistic from the Korean government shows that the South Korea is aging faster than any other developed country. Here are some fun facts: it took Japan 24 years to go from an aging society to an aged one, it took Germany 40 years and France 115 years, and Korea became an aging society just 17 years ago. Besides that, about half of Korea’s elderly live in poverty. The aging problem brings the pressure to the younger generations. Imagine a mom and a dad who are both from the single child families. When they become 30 years old, they have to support four parents and at least one child; clearly, that is not an easy task. Therefore, the occupation becomes one of the most important topics when they date, so we saw some names of occupations in the drama, again and again, procurator, doctor, restaurant founder, and student.

Therefore, the first episode of the drama gives us the general background of four main characters and Korean society regarding geography and Demography, which also gives the audiences some hints about the following stories.

 

Social Class – Nicole Chan

As an introduction episode of the drama “Fight for My Way” (삼, 마이웨이), EP1 portrayed the dream of the two protagonists, Ae-ra and Dong-man, when they were at school. It then made a contrast by showing how they are living their “third-rate” lives after eleven years: Ae-ra, who wished to become an anchor, became a receptionist at a mall; while Dong-man, who wished to become a taekwondo athlete, failed to pursue his goal because of an accident, and became a pest exterminator. EP1 emphasizes the contrast between the two “third-rate” protagonists and other people who used to be on the same path as them, but are living much better than them after all these years.

The difference of social class is shown when a university classmate of Ae-ra, Chan-sook appears and announces her marriage with a wealthy bald man. Chan-sook shows off her huge diamond ring and her “oppa”‘s premium credit card. She asks Ae-ra to get married with a good (i.e. rich) man as soon as possible so that she does not have to work that hard as a receptionist with a small salary.

Nowadays, it is difficult to look for a job in South Korea, especially if one do not have a shiny education background, just like Ae-ra and quite a number of Korean students or fresh graduates. In class, Dr. Saeji has mentioned that students nowadays prefer to defer their university studies by looking for internships that cannot even support their daily expense. They therefore have more time as a student to look for the occupation they want and will not become unemployed. As a result, teenage girls seek a shortcut to a luxurious life, which does not require too much hard work – marrying a wealthy man who they do not like.

This is apparently a social phenomenon that should not be encouraged at all. However, if we dip deep the problem itself, it is not hard to realize that it arises from the governmental and social aspects. The price of apartments is surging; aging problem is serious which implies an adult has to bear 4 to 5 seniors; pension is not enough to support their retired lives. Citizens are insecure about the prospect of their society. Such situation can be worrying. A lot more problems can lie beneath. However the government and social atmosphere of South Korea are both inevitably to be blamed.

 

The Absurd Geography – Yoo Jung Kim

In the first week of studying contemporary Korean culture, I learned about Korean geography. While watching the drama, I have realized something very interesting. This drama, “Fight for My Way” was filmed this summer when I visited my family in Korea. You will probably think why this is an interesting thing. Because, you would have thought that this drama was taken somewhere in Seoul just like any other Korean dramas. But you will be very surprised to know where this drama was actually filmed. In this drama, “Fight for My Way” has a background of Seoul. Ko Dong-Man, Choi Ae-Ra, and Baek Sul-Hee lived in Seosan, Chungcheongnam-do since childhood. However, as becoming a high school student, Ko Dong-Man went to school in Seoul. Only, and Choi Ae-Ra and Baek Sul-Hee continue to live in Seosan. The background of this drama changes to Seoul entirely according to the time when Ko-Dong-Man, Choi Ae-Ra, Baek Sul-Hee, and Kim Joo-Man become adults. At the end of Episode 1, there is a scene where Ko Dong-Man and Choi Ae-Ra walk together on the pedestrian overpass. Looking at the background of this scene, you can see Namsan Tower on the back. Which indirectly indicates that Ko Dong-Man and Choi Ae-Ra are in Seoul. Then, the next scene shows the apartment they live in. Perhaps people will think this apartment is somewhere in Seoul, but actually this apartment is in Busan, not in Seoul. Now people may think where is Busan. Busan is located about 400km away from Seoul. it takes about 5 hours to drive from Seoul to Busan by car. So, if you think realistically, Ko Dong-Man and Choi Ae-Ra walk about 400 kilometers to go home. Also it did not appear on Episode 1, But the ”Nam-Il bar” (rooftop bar) that they use as a safe house (in this case, “safe bar”) does not actually exist on the roof of the apartment they live in. In fact, you need to drive about 15 minutes by car to get there. Korean dramas are very enjoyable by itself. Many people around the world love Korean dramas these days. People think that the places appearing in drama are beautiful when they watch Korean dramas. However, many people are not interested in where the places are located. Most Korean drama viewers unconsciously think that all these places are in Seoul. However, if you watch the drama with interest, you will find that there are various places to see not only in Seoul but also in various regions. Also, having more informations, you can have more fun watching Korean dramas. For example, you can laugh about the unrealistic geography in the Drama “Fight for My Way”.

 

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