The Effects of K-Drama to the World, and to Me

South Korean government should really thank their K-drama industry for promoting South Korea to the world, introducing Korean culture, and also doing their part to the economy. Prior to Autumn Story (a.k.a Endless Love) and Winter Sonata, less people traveled to South Korea. Of course it was still a pretty place to visit, but it wasn't as exposed as after those 2 dramas came out. Thinking about it, autumn season should really thank this drama too. I'm certain that more people appreciate the beauty of autumn after watching Autumn Story. Moreover, the place where they shot Winter Sonata is now one of the top places to go when visiting South Korea. Jeju Island was also featured heavily in Spring Waltz.

(Left: Autumn Story, right: Winter Sonata - http://www.dramabeans.com)

With more historical Korean dramas going out, they promote their traditional outfit, Hanbok, more and more. Honestly, before all those dramas were out, I had very limited general idea on how hanbok looked like. And let me tell you, it wasn't pretty XP Then Dae Jang Geum came out. Oh man, it confirmed my initial impression, especially with the elaborate hairdo and stuffs. I'll be honest with you, I only watched bits and pieces of it, so I don't know if there was any pretty hanbok in later episodes, but just based on what I saw, it was ugly :/

Dae Jang Geum teamsejong.files.wordpress.com

Dae Jang Geum - lens-views.com

Princess Hours 

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After that I so not wanted to watch Korean period drama. But, Goong a.k.a Princess Hours came. It was a modern story, while still featuring quite a few of traditional clothings. My opinion started to change. Eventhough there wasn't much of it, but there were pretty enough to catch my attention and started to look forward to seeing them even more.







The one that really changed my opinion towards hanbok was actually The Princess' Man. The costumes were beautiful!! Some were grand and beautiful, while the others were simple but sweet. Just simply pretty :) Plus the casts were great, full of pretty girls and sweet guys :P It's one of my favourite dramas. Eventhough if I think about it, I still can't figure out why the main characters loved each other so much :S It was really a Romeo and Juliet story. Nonetheless, it was a great show, great story, full of eyes-pleasing aspects and made me have to force myself to turn off my laptop because it was already 3 AM XD Oh, Jang Ok Jung also showcased the beauty of hanbok heavily.

Princess' Man's Hanbok

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           koreanvibe

Fried Chicken and Beer - Wikipedia

Gejang - Wikipedia

But what I really want to mention is the way K-Drama promotes Korean food. The latest craze in Korean food is fried chicken and beer, which is the main character of My Love From The Star's favourite food. I must admit I got into this too, especially because the time I watched the show coincided with the opening of a new Korean restaurant in the city - Incredible Chicken Sparrow's Mill - specialising in Fried Chicken XD How lucky I was! Their Snow Cheese Fried Chicken is really good! XD

Anyway back to the topic, according to the articles I read, and from my Hongkong and Chinese friends, the sales of Fried Chicken there increased A LOT after the show aired in China. In addition, it also made me so wanted to try gejang XD In the drama, the main character ordered these raw crabs marinated in soy sauce from a TV shopping channel. I even asked my friend if I could get it anywhere in Sydney, she told me I can't, and even if I found one in Korean groceries, not to try it as the crabs have to be very fresh :(( 

A few years ago, Princess Hours made people crazy for Shin Ramyun. I don't know about anyone else, but that show made me crave for Korean barbequed meat wrapped in lettuce with kimchi and all those condiments as well. Fantasy Couple made my friends and I crave for Jjajangmyun, both instant noodle version and restaurant version. Still, Marry Me made me want to try Makgeolli and now always want it every time I go to a Korean Restaurant =P and Prosecutor Princess again reminded me of how good ramyun can be ^^ I can't remember what drama, but Tteokbokki and Korean cheap beer were also introduced to me through Korean drama. Cass beer was definitely the result of Sandara Park's MV with Lee Min Ho lol

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Wikipedia

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Wikipedia

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All in all, you might all think I watched too much drama. However, you can't deny that K-drama has a big part in introducing and promoting South Korea to the world, giving both economic and image benefits to their country. And for me, thanks to them I got some historical, cultural, and geographical knowledge, and get to try all those yummy things I might not even think to try if I didn't watch them ;)