In this blog post, I’ll revisit Korean melodramas to explore the genre’s history and definition, as well as major works from the 2000s onward, from my personal perspective.
Why I Chose Melodrama
During my teenage years, I dismissed melodramas as trivial, finding love songs in pop music and love stories in dramas and movies to be clichéd. However, as I grew older and confronted questions like “What does it mean to be human?”—while grappling with loneliness, isolation, and the challenges of building relationships—I realized that love is more than just an emotion; it is a force that sustains life.
I also came to recognize that the melodrama genre is both interesting and useful because it can be blended with other genres, such as sci-fi melodrama, thriller melodrama, fantasy melodrama, horror melodrama, and crime melodrama. This genre hybridity broadens the scope of storytelling and serves as an excellent tool for exploring human relationships and social realities.
The History and Definition of Melodrama
Melodrama is a narrative form that has been closely intertwined with the public over a long period, spanning oral literature, classical novels, theater, and film. Beginning with folktales and songs and continuing through film and television dramas, it has reflected the emotions and lives of the public.
Nevertheless, there were two main reasons why melodrama had not been seriously examined. One was the Western-centric perspective that viewed its internal dynamics negatively and disparaged shinpa theater and melodramas. The other was the perception that it relied on commercial strategies and appealed to “cheap sentimentality,” leading it to be regarded as a subgenre despite being a core genre of popular culture.
Since the 1990s, as grand political discourses weakened and cultural micro-discourses emerged, discussions about popular culture—particularly melodrama—have become more active. Melodrama has served to represent reality through narrative structures with strong dramatic characteristics, revealing the public’s emotions and social conflicts.
During the industrialization and urbanization of the 1960s, popular culture expanded, and melodrama grew into a genre that gave voice to the public’s sorrow, tears, and laughter. Although the shinpa plays and melodramas of that era were criticized as tools for reproducing patriarchal ideology, paradoxically, they also contained textual possibilities for resisting the dominant ideology or expressing alternative voices.
These dramas, which accompanied the public—particularly women who faced oppression within the family and society—as they struggled to rebuild their lives from the ruins of war, serve as important sources for understanding the social and cultural landscape of the time, regardless of the medium’s relative merits. Therefore, research on melodramas is necessary to reevaluate the status of popular art within the rapidly expanding realm of popular culture.
From the 2000s to the Present: A Personal Selection of Works
Below are my personal observations on Korean melodramas I have revisited and their significance. The order is chronological; while some works predate 2000, I have included them as important turning points for understanding the subsequent trends.
1998 “The Zoo Next to the Art Museum”: I placed this film at the beginning of the 2000s list because it was like a first love that made me fall in love with the medium of film. The story is a love story filled with bickering between Chun-hee, a quiet woman with a strong sense of self, and Cheol-su, an active and rough-and-tumble man. Chun-hee is a character not bound by traditional femininity; she showcases a new facet of femininity as she pursues her own world. Through a happy ending in which the two come to understand each other’s different ways of life and ultimately fall in love, the film presented a new image of womanhood for its time.
2000, ‘October Love’ and ‘Sympathy’: Both films blend elements of fantasy into the romance genre. They unfold their stories by moving between the past and present through settings that defy the limitations of time and simultaneity. Although the narratives end tragically, the characters ultimately come to realize their love for one another—a development that amplifies the emotional resonance of the romance by combining it with fantasy elements.
2001, ‘Bungee Jumping of Their Own’: While this film did not fully bring homosexual themes to the forefront, it sparked debate from the perspective of “Is it love or homosexuality?” Set against the social context of the time, when public acknowledgment of homosexuality was a major issue in the entertainment industry, the film was a work that prompted viewers to reflect on the forms of love and shifting perceptions.
2001 “My Sassy Girl”: Created during a time when internet novels were gaining popularity, this film prominently featured an active female character who broke sharply from the traditional passive female archetype. “She,” played by Jeon Ji-hyun, was portrayed as a figure who calls the shots in her relationship with a man, subverting patriarchal norms; it was a significant mainstream work that sparked new perspectives among both men and women.
2002’s ‘Marriage Is a Crazy Thing’: As the title suggests, this film prominently featured a perspective that did not take marriage for granted. Surveys and media reports at the time showed that the perception among young people that marriage and childbirth were matters of choice was spreading, and the film reflected this shift through the differing views on marriage held by men and women. In particular, the narrative that reevaluates marriage from a male perspective aligns with the changing gender norms of the era.
2004: Films Based on Gwi-yeoni’s Novels (“He Was So Cool,” “Temptation of the Wolf,” “My Love, You Jerk”) and “Don’t Trust Her”: In 2004, several romantic films based on the works of internet novelist “Gwi-yeoni” were released. Although they faced criticism from the literary community, these films gained immense popularity thanks to their clear narrative structure and storytelling that precisely tapped into the sensibilities of teenagers. Among them, ‘The Temptation of the Wolf’ achieved remarkable success in terms of both artistic quality and box office performance.
The Transition Period After 2006: Various producers and critics analyzed the reasons behind the decline of romantic films. Some diagnosed the problem as a lack of works that resonated with contemporary audiences and noted that the genre relies heavily on the actors’ performances. Others argued that while the theme of love is universal, there are limits to market expansion.
On the other hand, from the perspective of genre expansion, the decline in traditional romantic drama formats does not mean that the romantic sensibility has disappeared. Romantic elements can be found within other genres, and important works—such as family dramas—have emerged on a different axis from romantic dramas centered on relationships between men and women. Therefore, it is possible to reinterpret the period from 2006 to 2007 not as a slump but as a period of evolution.
Furthermore, the box office success of ‘Introduction to Architecture’ in 2012 is often cited as an example of the revival of melodramas. It proved that melodramas, when they effectively capture the public’s sensibilities and the spirit of the times, can still meet audience expectations.
Conclusion
In the process of defining melodrama and examining its history, I gained a new appreciation for the fact that this genre is not merely a “love story” but holds significant meaning as a sociocultural text. Even in works I had previously viewed casually, the era and social phenomena were deeply embedded; recognizing this enhances the enjoyment and insight gained from rewatching them.
I have learned that when writing screenplays in the future, I must weave together not only the emotions of love but also the historical context in which those emotions are set and the realities of the characters. Since there is a wealth of analytical material and discussion on the Korean melodrama genre across different eras, I feel it is necessary to continue studying and carefully rewatching previous works.
