Random Things I Learned from Watching K-dramas
Did you know Seoul has a Times Square? It’s a mall complex with a hotel, theater, shops, and public spaces. (Photo from @its_just_paula.)
— No shoes in the house ever. Slippers are kept at the door for guests. Even when someone is being murdered on the street, people will stop to put on shoes before going outside. (After I wrote this, I saw a similar scenario in When the Weather is Fine (2020). To my surprise, when fleeing someone in a violent rage, the characters actually did wear their house slippers outside. I still don’t know whether or not they’d stop to change shoes if leaving the house to stop someone else from being murdered.)
— Beds don’t have top sheets. People sleep under a quilt or duvet. Makes total sense.
— It’s okay to slurp a little when you eat noodles. Everybody does.
— Ramen noodles are a quick snack. Everybody keeps some on hand. To invite someone to eat ramen in your home is sexually suggestive, kind of like “Would you like to come up and see my etchings?”
— Product placement is ubiquitous in K-dramas. Subway is prominently featured in many contemporary shows. Characters have meetings there or get lunch delivered from there. They often comment on how good the sandwich is. Various canned drinks are also featured, beer and energy drinks, but I don’t recognize the brands. Cars are usually Toyota or (oddly) Volkswagon. Phones and computers will be Japanese or Korean products — nothing Apple. Usually the imbeded commercials are not too intrusive, but in Home Town Cha-Cha-Cha (2022) the characters go on and on about the pizza for long, cringey minutes. The writers’ not-so-subtle revenge.
— “Dating” is more serious than we would call dating. It’s a commitment to be monogamous for the duration. Sort of like going steady. The couples mark Day 1 of their relationship and celebrate together on Day 100. Dating may progress to wearing matching couples rings, which is a public declaration of the relationship. Marriage seems to be mostly a family celebration, rather than the end goal of a romance.
— The end goal of a romance is to have someone “by your side.” That’s huge.
— People sit on the floor around a low table for casual meals and drinking. Sitting cross-legged on the floor is apparently comfortable when you’ve been doing it all your life.
— People of modest means roll out a mat and sleep on the floor, so there’s no bed taking up a lot of space during the day.
— Alcohol is ubiquitous. A strong rice wine (soju) is tossed down by the shotglassful. This is the same in both contemporary and historical settings. Modern characters also drink a lot of beer with friends, women as well as men. Being drunk and later hungover is acceptable, as long as it’s not too often. Too often is unhealthy.
—- The subtitles use “healthy” where we would use “well.” I wish you a healthy life. Be healthy. Equivalent to “Take care.”
— Dying alone with no one to mourn is a super terrible thing that seems to worry people.
— Only 1/3 of South Koreans are Christian, but at Christmas Seoul is decorated like any Western city. Even families that are not Christian may put up a Christmas tree and tell their kids about Santa.
— Your enemies in a previous life can be reincarnated as your children. Well, that explains a lot.
— When two people meet, the depth of the bow indicates their relative status. A deep bow from the waist indicates great respect; a minimal nod can be an insult. Shaking hands often indicates a deal or agreement has been reached.
— In a Korean name, the family name comes first and then the given name, which is usually two one-syllable names. The number of different names is limited in Korea, so the common ones appear over and over. Having the same surname doesn’t indicate that people are related; 40% of the population has the surname Kim, Park, or Lee.
— Even when the subtitles tell you that a name has been spoken, it may not have been spoken. Koreans often use titles (CEO, Attorney, Commissioner) or relationships (unnie, hyung, sunbae) in lieu of names. A girl calls her older sister Unnie and her older brother Oppa; a boy calls his older sister Noona and his older brother Hyung. Sunbae translates roughly as senior; it’s used to address one’s superior at work or in any teaching/training environment.
— Young people addressing their elders and those of inferior status addressing their superiors use formal language. Adults who are not friends also address one another formally, unless invited to use informal address. It’s presumptuous to use informal address without permission.
— Addressing or referring to someone with their full name is common; it’s only three syllables. Compare a full Western name like Jonathan Livingstone Seagull. Eight syllables. It doesn’t trip off the tongue so easily.
— Almost all actors and actresses have stage names that are different from their birth names. I assume it’s like the Hollywood period when stars were given invented names (Marilyn Monroe, Rock Hudson, Tab Hunter, etc.). I wonder what name their friends use — thinking of Lauren Bacall, who all her life was “Betty” to family and friends. In any case, keeping track of one name is all I can do.
— In K-drama plots, Korean fathers are often critical and unsupportive. Mothers are often supportive behind their husbands’ backs. Korean young people never disown their parents, however toxic they may be. Sometimes they take a stand and forge a new relationship with them; often, they just endure.
— Making kim-chi at home is an ordeal. Extended families come together and make a day of it. Tubs of cabbages, salt water, and spicy red paste are involved. Wear gloves.
— Ashes of deceased family members may be placed in a columbarium, located in or near a temple. A small display shelf includes the urn, a photo, and small mementos. Family may visit on the anniversay of their loved ones’ passing. However, there is a rental fee and if it’s not paid the display items get relegated to basement storage. Christians are more likely to be buried in a cemetary, but land is scarce and cremation is encouraged.