Korean drama (Korean: 한국드라마) refers to televised dramas, similar to Western miniseries, produced in the Korean language for Korean audiences. Many of these dramas have become popular throughout Asia and have contributed to the general phenomenon of the Korean wave. Most popular Korean dramas have also become popular in Japan and in China. Four of the most internationally popular Korean dramas are Autumn in my Heart, Winter Sonata, Full House and Stairway to Heaven. Recently some Korean Dramas have become quite popular in Latin American countries such as El Salvador, Mexico and Chile. A miniseries (sometimes mini-series), in a serial storytelling medium, is a production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. ... {{Infobox Language |name=Korean |nativename=, (; ), or more formally, Hangugeo (; ) or Gugeo (; ; literally national language). It is sometimes colloquially called Urimal (our language; in one word in South Korea, with a space in North Korea). ... World map showing the location of Asia. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... Autumn Fairy Tale (also known as Autumn in my Heart) is the first installment of the four part Endless Love drama series produced by South Korean TV Network KBS. It was produced in South Korea in 2000. ... The opening sequence to Winter Sonata Winter Sonata (a. ... Full House is a 16-episode South Korean television drama broadcast by KBS in 2004. ... Stairway to Heaven is a popular television drama in South Korea produced and broadcast by SBS between late 2003 and early 2004. ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ...

These shows typically involve conflicts such as marital relationships, money bargaining, relationships between in-laws (usually between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law), and often, complicated love triangles.

Korean dramas have recently become popular in the United States, particularly among Asian Americans and older viewers, as many of them see these dramas as an alternative to the violent and racy content of American soap operas. Korean drama fan clubs have appeared in Hawaii and California. Cable channels in the U.S. (such as AZN) feature several korean dramas during primetime. The dramas are not dubbed, but subtitled in English. Aside from dramas, AZN even has a program called "Drama City" which reviews some of the latest dramas, interviews directors and producers, and recommends which Korean movies to watch. An Asian American is a person of Asian ancestry or origin who was born in or is an immigrant to the United States. ... The first TIME cover devoted to soap operas: Dated January 12, 1976, Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes of Days of Our Lives are featured with the headline Soap Operas: Sex and suffering in the afternoon. A soap opera is an ongoing, episodic work of fiction, usually broadcast on television... From http://www. ...

Korean television (comic programs, dramas, news, and other genres) shares some similarity with Japanese television as opposed to American (Western) television. Some popular Korean dramas such as Dae Jang Geum ("The Jewel in the Palace") have also showcased traditional Korean ways of life, and often depict Confucian values. Dae Jang Geum, sometimes known as The Great Jang Geum, or Jewel In The Palace, is a 2003 TV series produced by South Korean TV channel MBC. Based loosely on the historical figure depicted in the Annals of Joseon Dynasty, the show focuses on Jang-geum (played by Lee Young... Confucianism (儒家 Pinyin: rújiā The School of the Scholars), sometimes translated as the School of Literati, is an East Asian ethical, religious and philosophical system originally developed from the teachings of Confucius. ...

Korean stars have now become familiar faces throughout Asia - for example Choi Ji Woo, Kwon Sang-woo, Song Seung Hun (Song Seung Heon), Bae Yong Joon,Song Hye Gyo and Lee Young Ae. Choi Ji Woo (born June 11, 1975 in Paju, South Korea) is a South Korean actress and model. ... Kwon Sang Woo (born August 5, 1976, Daejeon, South Korea) is a South Korean actor. ... Song Seung-hun (born Song Seung-bok on October 5, 1976) is a South Korean actor. ... Bae Yong Joon (born August 29, 1972 in Seoul, South Korea), is a South Korean actor best known for his roles in numerous television dramas. ... Song Hye-kyo (born 26 February 1982) is a Korean model and actress. ... Lee Young-Ae (born January 31, 1971 in Seoul) is a famous South Korean actress who has a great fan base in numerous countries, particularly in the East and Southeast Asian countries which have been hit by the Korean Wave. ...

The format was parodied in MADtv with Bobby Lee and Korean American guest-stars Sung Kang and Cathy Shim. Korean drama cliches also appear in a comedic way, including the camera set-up style, constant replayed clips, melodramatic music, and the tragic love triangle. These skits were supposedly filmed by Korean drama directors. MADtv is an American sketch comedy television series based on the humor magazine, Mad. ... Bobby Lee (born September 17, 1976 in San Diego, California) is an American comedian most notable for his membership in the recurring cast of comedians on sketch comedy series MADtv, where he plays most of the Asian roles on the show, including Kim Jong-il and Connie Chung, and is... A Korean American is a person of Korean ancestry who was either born in or is an immigrant to the United States. ... Sung Kang (born April 8, 1972 in Gainesville, Georgia) is a Korean American actor. ... Cliché (from French, imitative) refers to: an overused phrase or expression, or the idea expressed by it; a situation, theme or characterization which has become common; a thing (as a style of clothing) that has become overly familiar or commonplace. ... A love triangle refers to a romantic relationship involving three people. ...

See also

• Contemporary culture of South Korea
• Dorama
• Fantaserye
• Japanese television drama
• Korean wave
• List of Korea-related topics
• List of Korean television shows
• Taiwanese drama
• TV series (China)
• Philippine drama

The contemporary culture of South Korea derives from the traditional culture of Korea, but since the 1948 division of Korea, it has developed separately from North Koreas culture. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Fantaserye or telefantasya is a genre of Philippine television show with fantasy-based themes like birdmen or superheroes. ... Japanese dramas (Japanese: ドラマ dorama; J-dramas; from English drama) are a staple of Japanese television and are broadcast daily. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... This is a list of Wikipedia articles on Korea-related people, places, things, and concepts. ... Here is a partial list of Korean television shows: // MBC News Desk (MBC 뉴스데스크) KBS 9 News (KBS 9시 뉴스) SBS 8 News (SBS 8시 뉴스) PD Note (PD 수첩) World Wide Weekly (월드 와이드 위클리) TV in TV (TV 속의 TV) News Plus Amni Omni (뉴스플러스 암니옴니) News Who (뉴스 후) Sisa Magazine 2580 (시사매거진 2580) SBS Seven Days (세븐 데이즈) The Its Know... Taiwanese drama (commonly called TDrama or TWDrama by fans) refers to televised dramas, similar to Western miniseries, primarily produced for Taiwanese audiences. ... Chinese Television Series are similiar to miniseries in North America, but are often longer in length, and portray a story too lengthy to be made into a movie. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Telenovela. ...

External links

• spcnet.tv - Asian drama reviews
• Korean and Pan-asian drama info and reviews
• Large English Speaking Forum devoted to Korean Dramas
• koreandrama.org - Updated Korean Drama
• HanCinema.net - The Korean Movie & Drama Database, news, stars, pictures

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