By Milan Lu

Many of you may not know anything about Korean dramas and may even categorize anything that contains East Asian people into Chinese stuff. But the fact of the matter is that the Korean drama industry has been internationally popular for some time now, and since 2009 is slowly seeping into Sri Lanka as well. Have you seen pictures of East Asian boys and girls and you have no idea who they are and why they’re all over the place even in billboards in Colombo? Well, that’s because the Hallyu wave is coming and it’s not going to be leaving any time soon.

The language factor

It doesn’t matter if you don’t speak the language, most dramas are available in English subtitles. It may take a few episodes to get used to the way they speak but that’s normal. One strong point about the drama is that the language doesn’t matter even if you took away the subtitles, you could still feel the emotions conveyed by they’re acting skills. When they do speak English you may wonder why it sounds so wrong. There’s a separate type of English in Korea, known as Konglish where English words are taken and made to sound more Korean just like our Sinhala English mixes. They may even have different pronunciations such as ‘Hwaiting’ for the word ‘fighting’ which is a phrase used to encourage a person or a group. If you listen closely to the way in which they speak you may even hear similar sounding expressions such as ‘aigo’ which can be roughly translated to ‘aiyo’ or the way they address their mother ‘eomma’ (om-ma) being similar to our ‘amma’. Another interesting point is that the Korean language follows the word order of Subject-Object-Verb much like the Sinhalese language.

The industry

The drama industry is closely knit with the music industry in Korea. Some of the actors may also be music artists and provide tracks for the soundtracks. Many entertainment power houses have academies where actors and singers are auditioned at a very young age and vigorously trained for long periods of time such as three to five years in the arts before they debut under the company’s name. During this period of time many children are given the proper training they need to become professionals and their talents are strengthened further. The dedication these teenagers show is unimaginable as they come from all parts of the country and at times other countries such as the United States, china, Japan, and Thailand to Seoul, South Korea. They juggle school with their training and at times stay in the dormitory facilities provided to them without going back home for two to three years in a row. They need to be dedicated and strong willed to go through their training programs till the very end and debut.

The culture and traditions

Koreans are very guarded about their culture and their traditions. They respect their elders and follow proper etiquette and manners. Family plays a main role in Korean culture and one’s actions affect the entire family. You cannot speak to an elder informally and the way you dress must be conservative to avoid getting stares from every passing adult. Sounds like Sri Lanka yet? The cultural factor is reflected strongly in Korean dramas and you get to learn a lot about the traditions and daily life of a Korean and since their culture is as conservative as our culture can be its easy to understand the problems faced by the characters in the drama to a certain extend. Education and position in society play a major role too, in the plots of Korean dramas and getting into a prestigious university or gaining a high position in your workplace is sought after by every individual and his or her family.

Another aspect about these dramas that make them more appealing is the mildness of their nature. There are very little sexual references which are abundant in western plotlines in comparison. These dramas portray the innocence of youth and the drama that any teen has to face in life like first loves, social status, bullying, parental pressure to achieve high grades, dreams and aspirations and other serious issues such as poverty and class.

The plots

Many of the drams have predictable plots but there are those that have been produced so well that the predictability and the similarity of the plot to other stories are put to question. They can be gripping, emotional and keep you wanting more and more. The drama could run for 16 episodes or for a 100 but they mostly end in less than 30 episodes. Depending on the number of episodes the story moves along quickly and every episodes ending leaves you hanging in suspense. The general plot that most drams follow are stories of a girl and a boy and all the hardships they face for being in love. The other main type is historical dramas that re-enact important historical event or have a story of a person who lived during a time when Korea was going through major historical changes. But since 2009 the stereotypical drama plot has been shattered with many combinations of comedy, action, crime, suspense, espionage and corporate life genres.

What to watch

For teenagers and young adults there is variety of dramas:

• Boys Over Flowers (2009) — Starring Lee Minho, Kim Hyun Joong, Kim Bum, Kim Joon and Koo Hye Sun. One of the best dramas made that gained immense International popularity. This romantic comedy follows Jan Di (Hye Sun) who comes from a family that runs a dry cleaning business near the prestigious Shin Hwa School. While delivering some dry cleaning she runs into the F4, four boys who basically rule over the school and cause trouble for anyone who speaks against them.

• Mischievous Kiss (2010) — Starring Kim Hyun Joong, Lee Tae Sung, Jung So Min, Lee Si Young and Jang Ah Young. Oh Ha Ni (So Min) is a clumsy student who falls for genius, Baek Seung Jo (Hyun Joong) who rejects her love. When Ha Ni's house collapses, she and her father move into his long-time friend's house who ends up to be Seung Jo’s father.

• Dream High (2011) and Dream High 2 (2012) — Starring Kim Soo Hyun, Taecyeon, Ham Eun Jung, Suzy and IU in dream High and Jo Jin Woong, Park Ji Yeon, Kang So Ra, Jin Woon, Jb and Park Jinyoung in Dream High 2. Dream High follows six students at Kirin Art High School work to achieve their dreams of becoming stars. Dream high 2 is the follow up to the series with a new batch of students after the school has been taken over by Oz Entertainment because of financial bankruptcy. Oz Entertainment then transfers over its own idol stars to the school and Competition brews between troubled students at the school and then newly transferred idols.

• The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince (2007) — Starring Chae Jung Ahn, Gong Yoo, Kim Ja Ok, Lee Sun Gyun and Yoon Eun Hye. The life of Go Eun Chan (Eun Hye) works many jobs to pay off debts and sustain her mother and younger sister by even giving up her feminine image. Choi Han Kyul (Gong Yoo) heir of a big food company is being forced to go on dates by his grandmother who wants him to settle down. Eun Chan bumps into Han Kyul, he mistakes her to be a boy and hire Eun Chan to be his gay lover in order to avoid the arranged dates. Desperately in need of money, Eun Chan accepts to play along. Han Kyul's grandmother also puts him in charge of a filthy coffee shop in danger of bankruptcy. Eun Chan begged to work at the coffee shop, and not long after, feelings start to spark between the two, except that it gives a world of confusion to Han Kyul.

• Heartstrings (2011) — Starring Jung Yong Hwa, Park Shin Hye, Lee Hyun Jin, So Yi Hyun, Song Chang Ui, Kang Min Hyuk. Lee Shin is a university student majoring in modern music and he is the vocalist and guitarist of the band “The Stupid.” known for his good looks and strong passion for music, he is cold, lacks interest in anything unrelated to music and has neither dreams nor plans for the future. He initially likes Jung Yoon Soo, a dance professor at university, but this all changes when he meets Lee Kyu Won, a bright student born into a prestigious family and majoring in traditional Korean instruments.

• You're Beautiful (2009) — Starring Jang Geun Suk, Lee Hong Ki, Park Shin Hye, Jung Yong Hwa and Uee. The management company of the idol group A.N.JELL insisted on adding a new singer to the group as the lead vocal, Tae Kyung's voice was hurting. However, the new member, Mi Nam, had to go to the States to repair a botched eye job just before signing the contract. His agent came up with the idea of having his twin sister, Mi Nyu, to stand in for her brother. The two of them grew up in an orphanage and Mi Nyu, who was all set to become a nun, agreed to this charade as she didn't want to spoil her brother's chance of fame which would make it easier to look for their mother.

Targeting more mature audiences yet gaining popularity among the young are also,

• Full House - Popular in Sri Lanka after it aired in 2009

• A Gentleman’s Dignity

• My Husband Got a Family and

• Bridal Mask

Need a little more adrenalin pumping? Dramas like City Hunter, Iris and Athena: Goddess of War are your piece of pie. Some popular dramas set in a historic setting are Time Slip Dr. Jin, The Moon That Embraces the Sun and Warrior Baek Dong Soo.