BBC Sheds Light on Female Leads in K-Dramas

The BBC noted the change in the female protagonist in Korean dramas.

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The BBC shed light on the 10th (local time) under the title "K-drama: Women Crossing the Limits in TV", saying that the female characters of Korean dramas are transforming from Cinderella characters who settle in love into original characters with strong narratives.

Many K-dramas now feature complex and powerful female characters that reflect significant changes in society and media practices, the BBC said. ""The Glory", one of this year's greatest hits, contains a story of a woman who seeks revenge against bullying, and "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" which was also very popular, features a female lawyer with autism".

However, the BBC reported that the role of women in K-dramas was not always interesting. Korean dramas produced in the 1990s mainly focused on chaebol and wealthy heirs who love poor women, and dramas such as "Boys over Flowers" where chaebol successors fall in love with high school girls from working families were popular in the past.

"These days, female characters who are independent, professional, and not interested in marriage are the main characters", it said. "Even now, rich or strong characters are preferred, but like "Crash Landing on You", the main character can now be a woman". "Crash Landing on You" is about a second-generation South Korean chaebol woman falling in love with a North Korean officer.

"Now you can see a lot of strong female characters who boldly accept life in their way", said Uhm Jung-hwa, the main character of "Doctor Cha" which tells the story of a housewife who has sacrificed herself for her family for more than 20 years but decides to re-live her life as a doctor. "In the past, I couldn't play the main role at the age of 30, and at the age of 35, I often played the role of a mother", she recalled. "Talented and beautiful women disappeared from this industry because of their age".

Baek Mi-kyeong, who has consistently presented strong female narrative dramas such as "Strong Girl Nam-soon", "Strong Woman Do Bong-soon" and "MINE", said, "Woman of Dignity" is a story about a middle-aged woman who has been rejected by many broadcasters. After the success of "Strong Woman Do Bong-soon", "Woman of Dignity" was able to be aired. After my drama, female characters have become more active, energetic, cool, and independent, but I am not satisfied yet. I want to change the game", Baek said.

The BBC also reported that the change in women's social status, improved education level, desire for social success, and experimental investment in cables and OTT affected the background of the emergence of such diverse female characters in Korean dramas.

Joanne McDonald, a Korean drama critic for Forbes, said, "Half of the Korean dramas reviewed this year featured strong female characters, and I'm not sure if they fully reflect what's happening in Korean society. But they are definitely leading the way".