K-Drama School

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show All About Eve (2000, MBC), and the theme of orphans, and Kim So-yeon from Penthouse . Grace also talks about feelings that came up after reaching her GoFundMe campaign goal, self-worth, a dream she had recently that taught her a lesson about judgment, leveling up, and her obsession with David Choe and The Choe Show on FX....

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Master’s Sun (2013, SBS). Grace talks about how So Ji-sub tried to emulate Cha Seung-won’s persona from The Greatest Love (2011, MBC) in his role as Joo Joong-won in Master’s Sun but failed. Grace also processes some lousy news she received her alma mater UCLA; although they said they were going to pay for her postproducti...

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Thank You (2007, MBC). Grace talks about being in Idaho and the sights she's seen then has a chat with comedian and screenwriter Jackie Monahan who is the co-writer of The Foxy Merkins (2013, Madeleine Olnek) which played at Sundance Film Festival in 2014 and the Moscow International Film Festival that same year. The film...

[Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses Stairway to Heaven (2003, SBS) and the show’s director Lee Jang-soo’s directorial imprint on the “heaven trilogy” shows he helms. Grace breaks down the meaning of “makjang” drama in the context of televisuality and political economy which affected Y2K socio-cultural habits such as spending and consumption in South Korea. Grace then has a chat with her dear friend an...

[Spoiler Alert] Grace discusses Fated to Love You (2014, MBC), and the nostalgic intertexts and callbacks the show includes from Jang Hyuk and Jang Nara's careers as singers and actors for nearly two decades as the Jang couple reunites 12 years after their first small-screen appearance together on Successful Story of a Bright Girl (2002, SBS). Grace talks about how she was mistaken for a medical d...

[Spoiler Alert] Marisa Llamas (@llamedycentral on Instagram) makes a guest co-host appearance to answer some flashcard questions based on Reply 1997 (2012, tvN). Grace discusses Reply 1997 , and how wrong it is that Netflix and Kocowa remove or replace music cues in certain Korean dramas they distribute. Grace then has a chat with Julyane Lee (@julayneelle on Twitter) who is the author of Not My W...

[Spoiler Alert] Tobias Hauser (@hahahouser) makes a guest co-host appearance to answer some flashcard questions based on Hello My Twenties! (2016, JTBC) . Grace discusses Hello My Twenties! and the representation of believable female protagonists, as well as Minari (2020, Lee Issac Chung) and why Brad Pitt should kiss Youn Yuh-jung’s feet in addition to the polarized reception between Korean audie...

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Live (2018, tvN) and Noh Hee-kyung's impressive career and mother-obsession. Grace is still in New York as she reflects on her life as an artist and intellectual living in the United States where both careers are under-appreciated. Grace then has a chat with screenwriter Shinho Lee (@shinholee77 on Instagram) who co-wrote...

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Personal Taste (2010, MBC) and its LGBTQIA+ theme. Grace continues to celebrate AAPI Heritage Month as well as picture-locking her film while in New York. Grace talks about acknowledging the celebration of mothers on Mother's Day but also being mindful and respectful of those who have contentious relationships or no relati...

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show All In (2003, SBS). Grace celebrates the first week of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. All of May will include interviews from Asian American and/or Asian guests. In her opening monologue, Grace discusses the pachinko business run by Korean gangsters, male-centric narratives, passive female character...

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Successful Story of a Bright Girl (2002, SBS). Grace talks about Jang Nara and Jang Hyuk’s careers, their onscreen chemistry, South Korea’s desperate need to create labor unions for the entertainment industry, and the amazingness of Youn Yuh-jung (Oscar winner as of April 25, 2021!). Grace then has a chat with Berlin-based...

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Beautiful Days (2001, SBS). Grace goes into depictions of toxic masculinity, Lee Byung-hun's sex scandals, why leukemia is such a common trope in K-dramas, and another fan letter she received. Grace then has a chat with comedian Jaren George (@jaren.george on Instagram). They talk about IT, Oregon snow, Valentine's Day jok...

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Itaewon Class. Grace goes into representations of Black-Koreanness and transgender identity on this show, as well as issues of diversity that South Korea has trouble addressing in mainstream television such as that of migrant workers from Southeast Asia. Grace then has a chat with comedian Ai Yoshihara (@aiyoshihara3 on In...

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Something in the Rain starring Son Ye-jin and Jung Hae-in. She goes into complex characters like Jin-a's mother on the show and what her significance is. She also talks about Son Ye-jin's chemistry with Jung Hae-in which she shares with Hyun Bin (in Crash Landing on You ). Grace then has a chat with Dr. Ji-yoon An who curr...

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the original Netflix series Kingdom (2018- ) written by Kim Eun-hee. She breaks down the zombie allegory in the context of South Korean history, politics and culture framed around the Cold War, while also citing films like Train to Busan, Seoul Station and The Wailing. What is a zombie supposed to be in South Korea? What about anci...

#StopAsianHate and #StopAAPIHate. Stop Killing Asians. To all the people who were silent around this issue, open your eyes, ears and hearts. To all my Asian and Asian American family members, I love you. You are not alone in your pain, fear, anger and grief. Solidarity. [Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Star in My Heart (aka Wish Upon a Star) starring Choi...

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show It's Okay to Not Be Okay (tvN, 2020) starring Kim Soo-hyun and Seo Yeji. Grace goes into representations of disability on K-dramas especially PTSD stemming from the Vietnam War which South Korean mercenary troops were hired to fight in by the hundreds of thousands. Grace then has a chat with Los Angeles-based comedian Kris...

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace’s guest sidekick Julieta Degese (@dgcjulieta) makes a quick early visit to answer flashcard questions. Grace discusses the 2019 show Search WWW —the debut work of Kwon Do-eun. Search WWW is a solid queer text showcasing a lesbian love-triangle disguised as business affairs with a thin veneer of heteronormativity. This show reunites Im Soo-ju...

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the hit 2004 drama Full House starring Song Hye-kyo and Rain when they were super young and adorable. Grace breaks down Full House' s subtle critique of domestic labor shaped by Korean patriarchy, and how K-drama stars originally got their start in sit-coms. Grace then has a chat with Los Angeles-based actress, comedian and clown N...

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses My Lovely Sam Soon and its feminist protagonist which marks a shift in female character development for Korean dramas in the early 2000s which were notably different from heroines of 1990s shows. Grace talks about the pressures that Korean women face in society to conform to patriarchal heteronormative standards that determine what...

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses The Greatest Love (2011, MBC) written by the Hong sisters. It is a romantic comedy starring Cha Seung-won and Gong Hyo-jin. Grace breaks down the K-pop ecosystem and where variety shows fit into the equation, cradle-rocking-perverts of Korean show business, and Korean models. Grace then chats with comedian guest Kimberly Clark (@cl...

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses The World of the Married. She goes into the declining number of South Korea's marriages, increase in divorce, negative stereotypes of single working women, and why Kim Hee-ae is the queen of K-dramas. Grace then has a chat with Los Angeles-based comic Dante Chang (@dantechang) who is originally from DC. They discuss girlfriends who...

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses My Mister (2018, tvN) which stars K-pop starlet IU and Lee Sun-kyun of the Oscar-winning Bong Joon-ho film Parasite (2019). Grace goes into the #MeTooKorea movement's impact on My Mister 's initial reception, sonic/auditory voyeurism, female agency, the "spycam" problem in South Korea, and fallen male K-pop stars like Jung Joon-you...

[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the hit K-drama Crash Landing on You (2019-2020, tvN, Netflix). She talks about the show's intertexts, Kim Soo-hyun's return from his military conscription, the chemistry between Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin, the Korean War, orphans, Pretty Woman , and how this show turns gender tropes on its head. Grace is then joined by Los Angeles-ba...

In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses a 2004 SBS winter classic What Happened in Bali starring So Ji-sub, Jo In-sung and Ha Ji-won. She links the young working-class female protagonist in K-dramas to its origins in modern Korean "factory girl" literature from the 1920s and through the Korean industrialization period from both the pre and post-Korean War eras. Grace is then joined by L...