After watching a series of Japanese movies, recounting the story of Rorouri Kenshin, a young Samurai in the late 19th Century, Netflix recommended a Korean series called Empress Ki. A drama set in the 14th Century Korean peninsular, the historical context and scale of story telling impressed me enormously and opened a door into K Drama.
K dramas clearly chime with something in my psyche or something missing from it. There is a richness of storytelling which is profound, much more so than contemporary western fare. K dramas blend romance across boundaries, revenge, prejudice, tragedy, humour, dynasties, fantasy, fairy tales, often in the same story, in a way that had me captivated. Shakespeare used similar storyline ideas but school made them indigestible. K Dramas are slow burn; happy endings are not a given; they don't set themselves up for a follow on series; and many have very appealing soundtracks.
For a third party perspective of what makes K Dramas so appealing, follow this link.
The Dramas page I thought to create as a bit of a scrap book, and the players page because of the novelty of fandom. And, the soundtrack artists page I've recently started, lists artists who have contributed to some of the Original Television Series soundtracks.
From the dramas, and Covid lockdowns to a degree, I decided to challenge myself to learn Korean as a pre-cursor to rewarding myself, in due course (April 2024), with a visit (as distinct from a holiday!). Whilst Japan and China have always been destinations for the future, Korea is well positioned between both, as well as now being my number one choice in its own right.