We have often wondered about the wooden kisses, the virgin characters and the general fake wholesomeness of dramas.
Here is something that may give you an answer. In Korea, if the whole family can’t watch, you may be punished, censored and your expensive drama may stop airing.
If you’re too lazy to click the link, here’s the last sentence of the article:
In the verdict, the court said the terrestrial TV broadcaster is responsible for airing programs that should be suitable for the ethical standards and sentiments of all family members during their normal viewing hours.
Yes, I know, this was 2016. On the same year, an innocent kiss by an almost 17-year old actress was the cause of a huge scandal.
It’s crazy they fussed hard over an innocent kiss from a “minor” ACTING, yet I’ve seen countless High School type dramas where the protagonist either being bullied or something as trivial as getting poor grades and not meeting expectation, their solution is to run up to the roof of said school, and climb on to the small skinny wall that they seem fond of building on high schools buildings. (or to climb over rails of the nearest bridge)
Is that really acceptable viewing by the family given these HS dramas target audience age group?!
I hope any younger viewers who are experiencing similar situations in real life would not get the wrong ideas and head strong enough to seek help or find other solutions to their problems, but there are also too many news of actors,actress/singers committing suicide because of one scandal or another, the very people from the entertainment industry that they are worrying about the corruptibility of a kissing scene.
It’s not so much a double standard, more that they need to focus their energies elsewhere. I’d gladly trade the embarrassment of covering my children’s eyes for a few seconds for the industry/law to support those entertainers that were at their lowest point in their lives, when they were the ones who brought us so much joy in our lives when they were still with us.
I think that the Korean Communications Commission is getting a little more modern and realistic now. A few years ago, it was not at all unusual for drama epiosdes to begin with a long apology from the broadcaster about not complying with KCC rules. One particular required apology really irked me. It was a classic emil (Evil Mother In Law) beating up the daughter in law. In defending herself the daughter in law shoved the mother-in-law away. Gasp! The broadcaster got fined because that was showing disrespect toward an elder and was required to run the apology at the beginning of several episodes. But the apology didn’t state the nature of the offense – only that the drama had violated the rules so anyone not following the Korean press would have known the nature of the offense. Often, the broadcasters violated the rules regarding product endorsements and had to publish apologies which cited the KCC rule number violated but failed to explain to anyone not knowing the rules what the apology concerned. It’s been many years since I have seen any such apologies on a drama. However, we still see statements at the beginning of historical dramas that the characters existed but the incidents are fictional – as though there are really people out there who think they are watching a documentary. Netizens complain about the oddest things. When Empress Ki originally was broadcast there were many many complaints that the drama made her a heroine when she wasn’t.
Similarly there is a cover everything disclaimer at the beginning of a drama that persons, events, corporations, religions, government agencies are fictional and not real. Who would be so gullible as to believe a drama is “real”?
Sometimes I’m quite annoyed by some things. Like then the storyline goes people are deeply in love but they don’t show it at all. Or when people are married and living in the same house can just be housemates as there is no difference at all.
There are some drama that do show things more realistic but sometimes they are hard to find. And it was good to know I’m not the only one as the topic I made about it is still quite active from time to time.
And I think Korea is slightly changing too, World of the Married was quite popular while a few years ago it might have caused some trouble.
Some of their Kdramas were aired in the morning but some late in the evening. In Canada, morning TV was lots of cartoons for children, and late night movie was for adults.
I don’t see any imposed ethical standards on Japanese dramas or Thai dramas. I think Philippines and Vietnamese dramas are still liberal. Now Chinese dramas have become so careful. Taiwanese dramas seem to be in a state of transition.
Ah, don’t assume! I thought I knew everything about French history because I had read the Alexandre Dumas series from The Three Musketeers onwards. My school teacher was not amused.
And, even if we know it’s a drama, when it depicts real characters and events and it’s 80% accurate, then it’s very easy to get sucked and think that the remaining 20% is accurate as well.
I read that Chinese dramas took such liberties with history that the government had to intervene because many people believed them to be accurate. In such a large population, there will be many ignorant and gullible people, right?)
The opposite of this is Hollywood’s statement “Based on a true story” at the start of historical film or stories that happened in real life means we took liberties to providing 20% of event material and made up the other 80% for entertainment purposes only.
This is exactly why I love the drama’s, for fantasy, a good love story, a thriller, SF and you name all you can watch in drama land I don’t need to see things young children cannot watch. Still its nice to find a topic about this subject.
It’s not the “next level” or risque that gets to me, but the porn level. Also, the blood and guts violence or heavy swearing. Then I’m glad I don’t speak those languages, and the editors toned down the subs.
I’m not a history buff like my hubby is, so I have no idea about accuracy. But I did notice that two versions of the Dugu Queen were different, and only one key point was somewhat similar. Thus I conclude that the film industry is solely for entertainment purposes, not for education, unless it’s a documentary.
Even if it’s total fiction, the story might have a message. Or shape our view of the world somehow.
As for true/semi-true/historical stories, they always have true and made-up elements. We just don’t know which is which.
You are absolutely right as I know teachers who use movies in their curriculum, and therapists who use movies and even cartoons to help clients access their numbed-out emotions. I suppose a history teacher could also use a show as a fun quiz to test students on which elements are fact versus fiction.
just one time I would love to find a historical drama really close to actual facts of the ancient history,
course I know some fiction has to be added to get us interested in the story. that one about the concubine, that moved up in the palace, that woman doctor same thing, and theres a few more , it does say factual or something like that, but to be sure all of it wasn’t true!
I think part of the reason is also that they simply don’t know every single detail. How much do we really know about what Napoleon, Karl Marx, Aristotle, Tutankhamun and Mao Zedong did in their private lives? Dramas usually need to show some personality and daily life, but at least some of that has to be guess work. We may have information on what some famous historical figures did or wrote or whatever, but we don’t really know what it would have been like to have them as our neighbour.
this is what happens in a lot of places, with regard to movie and TV/broadcasting regulation in a lot of places, however it doesn’t happen as quickly as we would like.
In fact, this reminds me of something that happened in the UK in 2003, relating to the original Spiderman movie. The movie caused an uproar in the UK because it was rated as a 12. Of course, because it was Spiderman a lot of kids younger than 12 wanted to see it and their parents were happy to let them. The age classification caused such an uproar that the rules for age classification had to be changed and the changes led to the introduction of the 12A age certificate (I should probably link to my earlier post about UK age classifications shouldn’t I)
interesting! yeah we really don’t know much , and even those bad guys of ww2, like Karl Marks, what about Musollini or Hitler or well anyway you get the drift. the what ifs pop up, what if they didn’t do what they did, how would the world be different? just pick anyone, sorry writer here’
hey time travel again!! who would I like to know more about? so many to count!
Sorry Mary? You got me confused. Do you mean Karl Marx? Cause he lived and died in the 19th century, so he didn’t live in times of the WW1 and WW2.
Well since I am German we had a lot of the stuff to learn in school in our lessons in Religion/Ethics, Social Studies, History, sometimes even in Art and German too, depending on one’s curriculum.
That’s why we sometimes say, if only they had let him(Hitler) study art!
If you want to I can look up if I find some documentaries, or you want other information, let me know.
I don’t want to discuss it further here, you know keep this happy place!
So if you want, I can send you some links in a PM. Let me know if it’s anything in particular.
