By Kim Heung-sook
There are more than a few countries where cancer is the number one cause of death, but Korea is the only nation where almost all the heroines in soap operas die of cancer. Why is that?
When I first received this question from a Vietnamese observer of "hallyu" or the so-called Korean wave a couple of months ago, I found it intriguing enough to become a topic for a socio-psychological study. I've tried to find research result on this subject but failed and decided to offer an analysis of my own based on the views of some knowledgeable people I could gather.
The most plausible answer seems to be the writers' incompetence to end a complicated sequel in a more persuasive way. Even though they are the very architects of the dramatic structure built on unthinkable characters and episodes, they eventually come to an agonizing moment of putting an end to the whole entanglement. Oftentimes, the authors themselves can't figure out the logical ways of doing it and helplessly turn to accidental factors like interminable disease or traffic accidents.
Cancer can be used as a one-shot solution as effective as the sword of Alexander the Great because it gravely affects the everyday lives of people. It is prevalent as cold and yet is much more ruthless. One out of four Korean deaths is caused by cancer these days and that means almost all Korean families experience loss of a member to the disease, according to a recent article in the vernacular daily Hankook Ilbo.
While situation in other countries are not very different, Koreans feel more acutely about it as their latest affluence have enhanced consciousness about their wellbeing and because cancer patients increased markedly in recent years. The blame is laid on the nation's rapid transformation from an agrarian community to an industrial one and then to a high-tech economy over a relatively short span of a few decades. No wonder such changes brought enormous stress to the people.
Though cancer victims continued to multiply, struggle for survival was a personal and family matter until 1999 when the Korean government introduced a limited early detection drive for cancer. By then the citizens were fully aware of the despotic power of the pernicious disease that killed nearly six out of ten patients. The high mortality and the grueling and often destructive chemotherapy drove Koreans to panic.
Adding to the already serious troubles of cancer patients have been the financial and emotional burdens. Here in Korea, the responsibility of taking care of patients falls mostly on their family unless you are very rich and occupy the most expensive rooms in hospitals. As cancers are not cured by one injection or surgery, patients' family and relatives with warm hearts can be fatigued as their caring service is extended. It is said that long illness makes all sons bad,
In the meantime, medical bills pile up as treatment goes on for months or years. People undergoing chemo therapy should eat well and good food costs money, too. In a word, a cancer patient usually brings a package of mental, physical and financial woes to his or her family especially when they are not very well-off. Therefore, some patients say they would rather die than consume their family savings on treatment whose effects are not guaranteed.
All these factors must have encouraged drama writers to sentence last-stage cancer to their heroines for a dramatic ending. The good news is that not many days are left for these writers lacking in creativity as cancer's dreadful power is waning amid evolution of the medical science. Financial burdens on cancer patients are decreasing under an expanding medical aid for sufferers of chronic illnesses. Cancer is no longer synonymous to death, as survival rate grows steadily from 41 percent in mid-1990s to reach 54 percent in 2015.
So, what I'd like to say to the watchers of Korean-produced tearjerkers is, "Enjoy the cancer deaths while you can, for they may soon fade away." I just hope the writers will realize that they don't have to kill people to make a drama gripping and come up with a more creative way to wrap up their series.