Dear editor,
In my living room I have a big paper box which is placed beside the TV console. It is filled up with boxes of Korean TV dramas which I purchased from the local video shop over the past decade.
Friends and relatives who love Korean TV dramas would rummage through the box searching for the latest title whenever they came to visit my place.
Japanese TV dramas used to dominate local television from the 1980s to the late 1990s until ``Autumn in My Heart" aka ``Autumn Fairy Tale" was first screened in Singapore a decade ago.
The tragic story revolves around a pair of loving siblings Jun-suh and Eun-suh who become lovers, leaving the audience with tears trickling down their cheeks in the last episode.
Most Korean TV dramas depict Confucian values.
This is not surprising since Confucianism remains strong in Korea. Children are taught to respect their elders at a tender age. Young adults are taught to respect their elders whether at school or the workplace. In view of this, Korean TV dramas do provide positive influences for young viewers.
One of the most popular Korean TV dramas of all time ``Dae Jang Geum" was aired in Singapore in 2005. The plot depicts a story about a girl at the palace who becomes the king's personal physician after going through a series of ordeals. ``Dae Jang Geum" was not only successfully in promoting Korean culture but also royal court cuisine. The actress, Lee Young-ae shot to fame and became a household name.
The impact of the Korean Wave, or a boom for Korean pop culture, has seen keen interest from more foreigners learning about Korean language and cuisine and more couples even choosing Korea as their honeymoon destination.
Over the years we have gradually become more familiar with Korean culture and learned to appreciate the beauty of the traditions through watching Korean TV dramas with ancient and historical settings.
From a hermit kingdom, South Korea has emerged as one of the major nations exporting their culture in Asia. Although I speak no Korean, I am able to enjoy every Korean drama with the aid of English and Chinese subtitles and the translator should be given credit for that.
Chua Chern-Nee Singapore younggun_007sg@yahoo.com.sg