K-dramas are becoming popular among Indians. There are many K-dramas which are famous in India. Korean dramas, movies and music started to be recognized in India after the hit song Gangnam Style in 2012. After this song, the growth of Korean dramas was tremendous. The youth is more attracted to the Korean entertainment industry.
K-pop bands like BTS, Blackpink have become very famous in India. BTS fans call themselves the ARMY. The Indian BTS Army raised Rs.20 lakh for covid-19 relief fund in just 24 hours. From this you can imagine the craze for BTS.
Not only K-dramas but Korean movies are also liked e.g. Train to Busan, Parasite, etc. The Korean picture Parasite got the Oscar award for best picture in 2020. This picture depicts the gap between wealthy and poor societies within the country. Korean celebrities like Lee Min Ho, Lee Jong Suk, Kim Soo Hyun, Jun Ji Hyun, Bae Suzy and Song Hye-Kyo are very popular among Indian fans.
Best K-Dramas in 2023:
1. Moving:
In this drama, we get to know the three students in high school who have special powers that they try to hide from the surrounding people. One of the students, Kim Bong Seok, has the power to fly; the other student, Jang Hee-Soo, has the power to recover from injuries; and the third student, Lee Gang-Hoon, runs very fast. On the other hand, their parents protect them.
Total episodes: 20
Released in: 2023
2. The Killing Vote:
This drama is based on the theme of giving the death penalty to criminals by a mask man who avoids the legal punishment because of a lack of evidence. Every month on the 15th and 30th, the citizens of Korea above the age of 18 receive a polling message. If 50% of the population voted in favor of the death penalty, then the criminal is killed by the mask man. The officers, Kim Mu Chan and Joo-Hyeon, try to catch the masked man with the leads.
Total episodes: 12
Released in: 2023
3. Heartbeat:
Heartbeat is a drama about a vampire, Seon Woo-Hyeol, who wants to become human. So he has to sleep in a coffin for 100 years. But one day, before turning 100 years old, a girl named Joo In-Hae opened the door of the coffin. As a result, he failed this mission by a day and became half human and half vampire. Joo In-Hae runs a guest house, and due to her financial constraints, she has to share her house with the vampire. Gradually, they both develop feelings for each other.
Total episodes: 16
Released in: 2023
4. Revenant:
Ku San Young, the main female lead of the drama, is possessed by the spirit. A man named Yeom Hae-Sang, who is a teacher at the university, has the special ability to see the spirits. A series of mysterious deaths took place around Ku San Young. So, both Ku San and Yeom Hae-Sang tried to find out the reasons for these mysterious deaths.
Total episodes:12
Released in: 2023
5. Celebrity:
Seo A-ri, a normal selling girl, one day becomes a big social media influencer. She earned fame, power, money, and followers in a short period of time, but at the same time she was trapped in many scandals.
Total episodes: 12
Released in: 2023
6. The Good, Bad Mother:
This drama is about the relationship between a mother and her son. The mother, Young Soon, is a single parent, so she is a very strict mother. The son, Kang Ho, considers her a bad mother. An unexpected accident made Kang Ho again a child, and he restarts his journey with his mother to heal their relationship.
Total episodes: 16
Released in: 2023
7. Crash Course in Romance:
Nam Haeng-Sun, in order to admit her daughter to a math course taught by Choi Chi-Yeol, made many efforts. Gradually, she establishes a romantic relationship with math teacher Choi Chi-Yeol. However, their relationship is not so smooth.
Total episodes: 16
Released in: 2023
Why are K-Dramas Hit in India?
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Larger Platforms-
After the Covid-19 pandemic, people prefer OTT (Over the Top) platforms rather than going to theaters to watch movies. OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime and ZEE 5 are getting the advantage of it and releasing K-dramas. K-Dramas recorded a boost in terms of viewership on Netflix. You can easily watch these dramas online. There are many Apps which provide quality content for free.
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Short Duration-
The major reason for the success of K-dramas in India is the short duration as people don’t have much time to spend their lives on one serial. Some fans finish the whole series in one night. In India, serials are never ending while K-dramas usually end in 16-17 episodes.
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YouTube channels-
Korean YouTube channels also have a greater impact on Indian people. Through YouTube vlogs people get to know the lifestyle of Korean people. So they are attracted more towards Korea. They want to go once in their life to Korea to explore this country.
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Attraction towards Korean Culture-
People have affection towards the culture of this country. They love kimchi, soju, Tteokbokki, and ramyeon so much. People find them closer to Korean culture than western culture. After the success of Squid Game there is a hike in the demand for Dalgona Candy all over the world. A young generation wants to learn the Korean language. Some Korean words like ‘Aigoo’, ‘Chincha’ and ‘Oppa’ are very famous among young Indians.
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All Genre Shows-
Entertainment Industry of Korea is making shows in all genres, whether it is Adventure, Historical, Romance, Comedy or Dark fantasy, which is the main reason for the success of these k-dramas. India became one of the top six countries contributing to the viewership of K-dramas.
Romance – Hometown Cha-Cha-ChaComedy – Welcome to Waikiki
Adventure and thriller – All of us are dead
Fantasy – Legend of the Blue Sea
Political – The K2
Historical – Mr. sunshine
- Cinematography-
The cinematography is also fabulous. The direction behind the scenes is awesome. Locations chosen for dramas are very good, whether it is a scene of Han River, Jumunjin Beach, or N Seoul Tower.
