At first I thought King the Land was an awesome piece of fluffy rom com K-Drama, which is exactly what I need sometimes. Nothing heavy or thought provoking - just lovely people with good chemistry and good story I can consume easily at the end of a busy or stressful day. But then came episode 10 and suddenly Lee Jun Ho’s character said something that was super impactful for me. And I realized that one of the reasons I love K-drama so much is precisely because even the ones that are supposed to be fluffy almost always find a way to hit at some deep and satisfyingly painful emotional resonance.
Spoiler alert - In this case, Lee Jun Ho’s character is telling Im Yoo Ah’s character about how when his mom disappeared when he was little he was in anguish. But nonetheless, everyone around him wore a smile and he learned for the first time how a “smile can be monstrous.” Yes!
This short line finally got at something I have been trying to explain to people for a long time but many people don’t seem to get it. Positivity and well meaning sentiments like “it’s going to be okay,” or “everything happens for a reason,” or “you got this you’re so strong,” can really make someone inadvertently feel like their pain is not being seen or - even worse - something to be ashamed of or guilty about.
This line so beautifully expressed how this can become a second or third or three millionth trauma.
It also catalyzed for me one reason I find American TV so unsatisfying as it usually goes for sensationalism over emotional depth like this. The truth is, you can have awesome scenes of romantic intimacy and emotional depth at the same time!
Lynn, thank you for sharing your beautiful thoughts. I neglected to mention the "smile" aspect of the series, which was played both for laughs ("Hermes!") and, as you pointed out, to draw attention to the kind of trauma that is all to real for so many people. Thank you for articulating it so well.
Do you see a trend of more KDrama addressing real life issues? It feels like it was one out of twenty when I started watching in the mid 2000s. Now it seems to be one in ten.
I think the ones I've watched even early on addressed issues like poverty and classism...but I do believe you are correct that there's more of an influx of it these days.
interesting read! thank you for the review. i agree with you, this drama is more than
a silly romcom. it shows more than that. the snobbery, the abuse of power.
but, i may be wrong for this, but if i remember correctly, sarang's colleagues in king the land did graduate from prestigious school, i think they mention seoul university? i'm not sure for this one. but for won's mother, his grandparents chase her out not because she wasn't good enough perse, but more because she formed a union for employees right, which i think i read somewhere is a problem itself in korea. it mentioned in passing and a tad bit too late and too little which is a pity.
I don't recall them saying they graduated from SNU, but will try to find that scene when I have more time. (And I will credit you with the correction if I got it wrong!) If you find it before me, please let me know! From what I remember, they said they all graduated from Seoul universities. When I was in Korea earlier this month, I interviewed someone who I misunderstood to have said he was attending Seoul National University. He was quick to correct that he was attending a school in Seoul...but not SNU.
Regarding Won's mom, you're right that the union issue was a driving point. But throughout the series, it was said/implied that she and Won's dad were from two different worlds (or perhaps classes is the better word?). I suspect that if she had come from a chaebol family and was fighting for employee rights (kind of how like what Won was doing as he and Sa-rang grew closer), they wouldn't/couldn't have pushed her out of the family because she would've been too powerful to discard.
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and giving me plenty to think about!
At first I thought King the Land was an awesome piece of fluffy rom com K-Drama, which is exactly what I need sometimes. Nothing heavy or thought provoking - just lovely people with good chemistry and good story I can consume easily at the end of a busy or stressful day. But then came episode 10 and suddenly Lee Jun Ho’s character said something that was super impactful for me. And I realized that one of the reasons I love K-drama so much is precisely because even the ones that are supposed to be fluffy almost always find a way to hit at some deep and satisfyingly painful emotional resonance.
Spoiler alert - In this case, Lee Jun Ho’s character is telling Im Yoo Ah’s character about how when his mom disappeared when he was little he was in anguish. But nonetheless, everyone around him wore a smile and he learned for the first time how a “smile can be monstrous.” Yes!
This short line finally got at something I have been trying to explain to people for a long time but many people don’t seem to get it. Positivity and well meaning sentiments like “it’s going to be okay,” or “everything happens for a reason,” or “you got this you’re so strong,” can really make someone inadvertently feel like their pain is not being seen or - even worse - something to be ashamed of or guilty about.
This line so beautifully expressed how this can become a second or third or three millionth trauma.
It also catalyzed for me one reason I find American TV so unsatisfying as it usually goes for sensationalism over emotional depth like this. The truth is, you can have awesome scenes of romantic intimacy and emotional depth at the same time!
Lynn, thank you for sharing your beautiful thoughts. I neglected to mention the "smile" aspect of the series, which was played both for laughs ("Hermes!") and, as you pointed out, to draw attention to the kind of trauma that is all to real for so many people. Thank you for articulating it so well.
Do you see a trend of more KDrama addressing real life issues? It feels like it was one out of twenty when I started watching in the mid 2000s. Now it seems to be one in ten.
I think the ones I've watched even early on addressed issues like poverty and classism...but I do believe you are correct that there's more of an influx of it these days.
interesting read! thank you for the review. i agree with you, this drama is more than
a silly romcom. it shows more than that. the snobbery, the abuse of power.
but, i may be wrong for this, but if i remember correctly, sarang's colleagues in king the land did graduate from prestigious school, i think they mention seoul university? i'm not sure for this one. but for won's mother, his grandparents chase her out not because she wasn't good enough perse, but more because she formed a union for employees right, which i think i read somewhere is a problem itself in korea. it mentioned in passing and a tad bit too late and too little which is a pity.
I don't recall them saying they graduated from SNU, but will try to find that scene when I have more time. (And I will credit you with the correction if I got it wrong!) If you find it before me, please let me know! From what I remember, they said they all graduated from Seoul universities. When I was in Korea earlier this month, I interviewed someone who I misunderstood to have said he was attending Seoul National University. He was quick to correct that he was attending a school in Seoul...but not SNU.
Regarding Won's mom, you're right that the union issue was a driving point. But throughout the series, it was said/implied that she and Won's dad were from two different worlds (or perhaps classes is the better word?). I suspect that if she had come from a chaebol family and was fighting for employee rights (kind of how like what Won was doing as he and Sa-rang grew closer), they wouldn't/couldn't have pushed her out of the family because she would've been too powerful to discard.
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and giving me plenty to think about!