Kaleidoscope 2020: The Phenomenon Of Korean Drama Opium

Polished. (Raga Granada / YOU)

JAKARTA - The activity of watching Korean dramas has increased amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It is not only popular with Korean fans, but also by ordinary people.

When a pandemic hits, people are required to carry out all activities at home. They are looking for entertainment options that can be accessed easily and effectively. Korean drama is the answer.

This enthusiasm began to be felt when the public got excited about the Korean drama titled The World of the Married in March this year. This JTBC production tells of a married couple, Lee Tae Oh (played by Park Hae Joon) and Ji Sun Woo (Kim Hee Ae) who face problems after their husband is caught having an affair with a woman named Yeo Da Kyung (Han So Hee).

The domestic conflicts that have continued to develop since the beginning of the episode made Indonesian audiences express their emotions. Clinical psychologist Nadya Prameswari explained to VOI, in general, drama has the ability to drain emotions. In essence, humans are emotional creatures, so regardless of what kind of spectacle they are, society must respond to what they witness.

In addition, the conflicts presented by Korean dramas can build a relationship with what the audience feels. For example The World of the Married which presents household stories from various perspectives. Viewers can feel emotional because they have been or are in a relationship or household relationship.

Emotional Response Due to Watching Korean Dramas

The Indonesian people carry out their emotional outlet in various ways. The public's resentment toward Yeo Da Kyung's character made Han So Hee's Instagram account dominated by blasphemous comments and other negative tones. The word 'pelakor' also became viral in South Korea due to Han So Hee's social media being filled with this word.

The spread of The World of the Married further increased after the broadcast rights to this drama were purchased by a local television channel in Indonesia. As a result, not only young fans, but also older ones cannot be separated from online debates. They often argue about the scenes that took place in The World of the Married. There are parties who choose Ji Sun Woo to leave Lee Tae Oh. On the other hand, there are not a few who support the two of them together even though Lee Tae Oh has an affair.

The audience's arguments about Korean dramas are endless. Start-Up, one of tvN's latest dramas is also a source of debate. This drama tells of Nam Do San (Nam Joo Hyuk) who built a company with Seo Dal Mi (Bae Suzy) with the help of Han Ji Pyeong (Kim Seon Ho), a mentor who has feelings of love for Seo Dal Mi.

Two different treatments Nam Do San and Han Ji Pyeong towards Seo Dal Mi made the audience 'war'. The hashtags #TeamNamDoSan and #TeamHanJiPyeong continue to reverberate on social media with every new episode of Start-Up airs. Not to mention, both parties threw arguments about the strengths of each character, for example Nam Do San was more honest when confessing love while Han Ji Pyeong always cared about Seo Dal Mi in any situation.

This debate is felt in the real world. The entertainment venue as well as the live music restaurant Holywings filled their notice boards with the words Nam Do San and Han Ji Pyeong. Other food outlets are also trying to attract people's attention by giving promotions related to the two male leads at this Start-Up.

The effect of the hashtag #TeamHanJiPyeong was felt by actor Kim Seon Ho. Instagram followers that have increased drastically and the comments column which continues to be filled with encouragement made the 2 Days 1 Night members moved. “On the last episode of Start-Up, fans sent many comments on Instagram with the caption,“ Seon Ho, you did your best. ”I read all the comments after the last episode and I was moved to tears,” said Kim Seon Ho in an interview.

It turns out that the debate in The World of the Married and Start-Up affected Reply 1988 which aired in 2015. Throughout 2020, said Reply 1988 trended several times. Why, how come?

waiting for taek❌ waiting for pizza✅ really miss this Reply 1988 gang🥺😭 pic.twitter.com/my1fXqpkQH

- a slice of pie (@dewibdstrii) November 1, 2020

Reply 1988 has a story about family, friendship, and romance that the audience is very close to. This Korean drama does not feature competition over who is the most beautiful or who is the worst. The traditions and family stories that are presented in Reply 1988 are what make the audience long for the togetherness of each player.

The Reply 1988 players felt the same way. In mid-June, they gathered and immortalized it in a photo uploaded to Instagram. This togetherness was the culmination of fans' longing for Reply 1988.

Korean Drama Production That Costs Big

Korean drama production received a lot of funding. Because of that they can do filming productions abroad or use quality CGI effects like watching animation. But everything feels useless if the production house is unable to present something that can satisfy the audience.

Arthdal Chronicles which tvN worked on with the Studio Dragon production house spent 54 billion won for the production carried out in Brunei and the city of Osan, Gyeonggi Province. Starring Song JoongKi and Jang Dong Gun, Arthdal Chronicles is divided into three parts and the fee is made up for the first part only.

Then there are two seasons Kingdom which is estimated to spend 35 billion won for the production of two seasons. Set in a Joseon era kingdom with zombies, the production design was done to make the entire zombie set and kingdom look majestic. Kingdom is one of the favorite Netflix subscribers which will continue with a spin off coming out next year.

The latest one is Sweet Home, a series adapted from a webtoon of the same name by Lee Eung Bok, the figure who executed Descendants of the Sun, Goblin, and Mr. Sunshine. Quoting the Korea Herald, Sweet Home's production budget spends 30 billion won to make monsters in CGI form so that the quality is equivalent to what is in the webtoon.

Netflix, a streaming service that has been present in the Country of Ginseng for the past five years has provided a large investment for the production team. Since their subscriptions have increased, they have started funding a number of original drama and series productions such as Kingdom, Hospital Playlist, and Arthdal Chronicles.

Launching FilmDaily, Netflix has invested as much as 724 million US dollars for five years for the production of Korean dramas. They are aware of the public interest around the world who love Korean series and dramas. The funds are used to create CGI effects, total production designs, as well as honoraria given to actors and actresses.

Kim Soo Hyun became the actor with the largest income in South Korea. After completing his mandatory military service, his fee doubled from US $ 83,000 to US $ 165,000. His appearance in the Korean drama It's Okay to Not Be Okay is the newest and most expensive appearance.

Infographics on the phenomenon of Korean dramas that make fans addicted (Raga Granada / VOI)

Even though the ratings were not satisfactory, fans still felt comforted by Kim Soo Hyun's return to acting. There is also Jo Jung Suk who is willing to cut his fees so that the Korean drama Hospital Playlist production can run smoothly. Netflix and tvN are committed to dividing the Hospital Playlist into three seasons so that viewers can enjoy the friendship stories of doctors in the hospital for a long time.

Welcoming 2021, Netflix has prepared a number of Korean dramas or new films from South Korea, including Queen of the Scene, Paik's Spirit, the adaptation of the Money Heist / La Casa de Papel series, the Space Sweepers film, the What Happened with Mr. Cha, Juvenile film. Justice, spin off Kingdom: Ashin of the North, Undercover, film The Silent Sea, webtoon adaptation Hellbound, All of Us are Dead, webtoon adaptation DP, Move to Heaven, and Round Six.

Investing into Korean drama productions is reaping great results. The addition of new Netflix subscribers and exclusive content broadcasting on the streaming service means that viewers will not run out of viewing material.

New Korean Drama Merchandise Wanted by the Audience

The production house knows how the enthusiasm of Korean drama fans has the same pattern as K-pop fans. When they are interested in one thing, they will buy knick-knacks related to Korean dramas.

Last month, the Korean drama Start-Up charmed the audience. They produce merchandise in the form of shirts that say Mentor and CEO like those worn by Start-Up players. There were also Start-Up themed glasses and stationery that caught the attention of the audience. When searching on e-commerce, this Start-Up-style shirt has sold more than 500 pieces for one store.

Likewise with the story It's Okay to Not Be Okay which combines the side of fairy tales with psychology. Ko Moon Young (Seo Ye Ji) is told as a writer of fairy tales for children who suffer from antisocial disorders. The fairy tale book written by Ko Moon Young is officially sold by the publisher Wisdom House. Using Hangul writing, that didn't stop the audience from buying the fairy tale book.

Kim Go Eun and Lee Min Ho's chemistry in The King: Eternal Monarch made a deep impression for their fans. To fulfill this longing, SBS released a photobook of The King filled with behind-the-scenes photos of the drama shooting process. The result, in demand!

Not only merchandise, Korean dramas are always supported by soundtracks that can liven up scene by scene. Usually they choose a K-pop musician or group to participate. The soundtrack is an important aspect of the appeal of Korean dramas.

This year, there are many Korean drama soundtracks that occupy the top positions and compete with K-pop musicians or groups making comebacks. Hospital Playlist is one of the Korean dramas with the soundtrack that sits the most on the South Korean music charts. One of the songs, Aloha by Jo Jung Suk, was certified platinum by Gaon for reaching 100 million streams.

Other Hospital Playlist songs dominated the music charts and took turns taking first place. As a result, his physical album sold well in the market.

Korean drama soundtracks are also a bridge for the audience to get acquainted with South Korean singers or musicians. Soloist Gaho gained popularity after singing a song called Start Over for Itaewon Class. The rock song released as Itaewon Class's first soundtrack made his name soar after making his debut in 2018.

The lyrics are in line with the Itaewon Class story where someone can start their dreams again because of the belief in a better life.

The song Start Over was ranked first throughout the Itaewon Class airing and it made Gaho have the opportunity to sing the soundtracks of other popular Korean dramas such as Stranger 2 and Start-Up.

Increase Fourfold

The stigma of Korean dramas which only contain romance stories is starting to fade along with the emergence of story variants that are served by production houses. Starting from an affair, living next door, being an athlete, even taking a trip to the past - all can be found through Korean dramas.

Korean dramas have succeeded in entertaining all levels of society even if the stories shown are not based on everyday events. Through its official statement, streaming service Netflix revealed that the number of viewers of Korean dramas has quadrupled from the previous year.

Although they are reluctant to mention numbers, this statement is proof that the public is making Korean dramas their choice of entertainment in the midst of the pandemic that began in March.

The interaction about Korean dramas has become one of the most happening on social media. Twitter Indonesia calls the drama It's Okay to Not Be Okay, Hospital Playlist, The World of the Married, and Crash Landing on You to be the four entertainment programs discussed throughout 2020. Starting from scenes that occur in new episodes as well as events and controversies to become sources of conversation on social media.

From 🎬 to 🎵; Twitter has always been the place to find and share entertainment content during 2020. Here are the entertainment accounts and hashtags #RameDiTwitter in Indonesia this year. pic.twitter.com/0W24uEq8c2

- Twitter Indonesia (@TwitterID) December 8, 2020

There are also two entertainment accounts that often share information on Korean dramas and Hallyu actresses who rank at the top of the most talked about entertainment accounts, namely @K_DramaIndo and @infodrakor_id.

Start-Up is the most watched Korean drama in Indonesia. Aired at the end of 2020, in fact Start-Up succeeded in attracting new audiences who were dubbed the pandemic force drakor audience. Are you one of them?

Korean drama is one of the cultural heritage of South Korea whose popularity is undoubtedly. Well-told stories, talented actors and actresses, and social issues that can be encountered in life make Korean dramas very close to today's audiences. This entertainment program is a source of income for the country's economy.

Access to Korean dramas is also made easier by broadcasting them through local television channels that provide translation and dubbing in Indonesian. In addition, the use of streaming service applications is also widely used by people in the midst of a pandemic situation.

Korean dramas can have a tremendous effect on people's viewing habits. There is nothing wrong with this because it means that the audience can explore new things and be open to other cultures. Indeed, Korean drama is one of South Korea's successes in dominating the world.