
Although Korea and its media are still generally conservative, the international audience is definitely shifting perspectives to be more inclusive and representative of all types of people. This partnership, as well as the overall shift to streaming, has also changed the business and structure of Kdramas, as previously, pretty much all Kdramas were around 16 episodes long and one season only. Recently, Netflix has become the go-to place to find the best Kdrama offerings for US audiences, with many shows being labeled as Netflix Originals. You just have to learn how to accept the strange and unexpected and go along for the ride. Fair warning: Almost all Korean dramas have quite outlandish premises, but that’s honestly what makes them so good. You should generally expect a love story no matter the genre (save maybe horror), and the same actors are in pretty much everything. Most of these television series are based on webcomics, a form of storytelling similar to comics that originated in South Korea. That includes comedy, romance, sci-fi, horror, you name it. The term Korean drama, or Kdrama, refers to almost any South Korean fictional television series, no matter the subject or genre. The South Korean entertainment industry is slowly growing to worldwide dominance, as Kpop, Korean movies like Parasite and Minari, and Korean television series take the world by storm. The world of Korean dramas is a strange and beautiful place.
