 |
| Poster for MBC's period drama "Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People" / Courtesy of MBC |
By Park Jin-hai
In the real word, the nation is grappling with the fallout of the Choi Soon-sil scandal. But Choi and her cronies are infuriating the public by dodging questions by parroting the same phrase ― they don't remember.
Viewers yearning for justice can find peace in the drama world, as broadcasters have released shows telling the story of ordinary people fighting against social injustice and abuse of power.
MBC's period drama "Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People," the SBS thriller "Defendant" and the KBS office comedy "Good Manager," echoing the shared feeling of the public of today, enjoy rave support from viewers.
MBC's "Rebel," starring Kim Sang-joong and Yoon Kyun-sang, tells the story of Hong Gil-dong, a popular Korean literature figure based on a real life Joseon-era person.
In the first episodes of the 30-part period drama, revolving around the miserable life of Amogae, Hong's father and a greedy nobleman's slave, played by Kim, has garnered over 10 percent viewership.
Amogae worked his fingers to the bone for his master but the only return he had for his life-time of service was his wife's death at the hands of his master, who wanted to take away the wealth Amogae secretly accrued to buy his family's freedom.
Amogae takes revenge by killing his master and starts a new life dreaming of an ideal world where there is no discrimination based on who they are by birth. His son Gil-dong, with inhuman strength, becomes Joseon's first revolutionary and political dissident, winning the hearts of public.
Showing a stark comparison between him and the King Yeonsan, a tyrant who in grief of his poisoned mother carried out massive purges and didn't care about the people's livelihood, the drama asks what is real power and who should hold it.
"The fact that we called in a historic figure and re-interpreted his life in this time means that the public could find a close link between then and now. People seeing power, which comes from people, not being used for people, and instead falling to private hands to fatten their pockets, light their candles in Gwanghwamun and the lights became a torch," said culture critic Jung Duk-hyun. "As the candlelight asks the question of who should own the power, Rebel asks who is the real rebel."
 |
| A scene from SBS thriller "Defendant" /Courtesy of SBS |
In the legal thriller "Defendant," Park Jung-woo, a prosecutor at Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, played by Ji Sung, wakes up one day and finds himself a convict on death row for killing his wife and daughter. Suffering from temporary amnesia, Park struggles to recover his memory and clear his name. The 16-part series has topped the Monday-Tuesday drama list, posting a 22.2 percent nationwide viewership.
A workplace comedy "Good Manager," starring Namkoong Min as accountant Kim Sung-ryong, reflects on the life of an ordinary office worker. Companies embezzle and when the crimes surface, office workers, instead of high-ranking officials who are really responsible for the crime, are made scapegoats and forced to leave their workplaces.
The drama takes the form of a black comedy that delivers social messages telling the story of small embezzlement and big embezzlement cases, and petty thieves and big thieves. The show's producer, Cho Young-gwang, said he wanted to say that hope is always within the minds of people in dark and frustrating times. Viewers have given positive responses to the Wednesday-Thursday series, pushing its viewership to nearly 20 percent.
Kim Kyo-suk, a culture critic, said, "broadcasters have released many timely dramas that are relevant to modern-day Korean society."
Jung agrees. "All of us are living life as another rebel, a defendant or a manager," he said.
Like Amogae in Rebel, fathers of this country today, who have worked hard for their families, feel deprived from those who have power. Like Park in Defendant, who suffers from the pain and guilt that he has been involved in the death of his family, people who have seen innocent children sinking into the deep sea (as in the Sewol ferry disaster) feel the same. "The situations have never been what those characters wanted. The wrong era forced them to stand in the middle of their tumultuous lives and those dramas show how they fight against the abuse of power and the wrongs of society. Without those stories, how can we endure the frustrating times of today?"
![[ANALYSIS] S. Korean economy feared to follow in Japan's footsteps](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/3f9cf9747722448a8fd8da85b041817c.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[REVIEW] 'The ODD Of LOVE' concert: Taeyeon shows why she is among K-pop's top vocalists](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/e385d0918b054c1286a1cfaa3142439e.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] 'One Day Off' star Lee Na-young, director on creating subtle, feel-good series](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/796618f56a44402eabe81fe4530ab988.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
