A Korean Drama Class at the University of the Philippines and Why I Can Probably Teach That Class 😊

Last week, I stumbled upon a piece of online news on Philippine media that I immediately thought would bring a lot of excitement to Korean drama fans in Manila:  a class about Korean drama at the University of the Philippines (UP).

 

But it wouldn’t be easy signing up for this class though.  Only students enrolled at UP were allowed and, worse, only 26 can attend per class.

 

Looking at the course information on UP’s website, I saw the enumerated requirements for the students before enrolling:  must have access to the drama online, must download video conferencing apps on their laptop or gadget, and pre-class reading, or shall I say, pre-class watching of the dramas. Each student must watch beforehand the dramas Crash Landing On You, Chicago Typewriter, and Misaeng: Complete Life.

 

Although I am not familiar with Chicago Typewriter, the other two dramas have been popular with their genres I am very familiar with.

 

First, Misaeng: Incomplete Life.

 

This drama is about an intern’s life in a Korean office, and although I lived in Seoul, I never knew about it as I didn’t watch the local television. It was only when my Korean colleague and friend Dong-Eun told me about it because the drama was being shot at Seoul Square, the building where he worked.  Seoul Square is the huge, brick orange-colored building across Seoul Station (read blog here).

 

(During breaks at my office in Seoul, I enjoyed 

my hopia from the Chinatown in Manila brought by visiting friends from the Philippines)

Dong-eun also told me that, even before the drama aired, some cast members visited their office to research about the typical Korean workplace.  He even met Im Si-wan, the lead actor, and had a selfie with him (he showed me!). I told him that I only saw Im Si-wan dancing and singing onstage as a member of the boyband ZE:A during the K-pop concerts that I was invited to as a blogger for the Korea Tourism Organization (read blog here). 

But speaking of the typical Korean office, in my decade-long of working for a corporation in Seoul, I have learned the dynamics, politics, hierarchy, and the culture of the Korean office and its workers. And aside from the regular employees, I met and made friends with our office interns, the character played by Im Si-wan in the drama. 

Most of these interns were in their late teens as they were still in college and were just on a break from their studies.

I observed that these interns were the most energetic (they could do chores without getting tired the whole day!), the most enthusiastic (they were willing to do anything to help!), and the most dependable (you were always sure any chore you assigned to them gets done!).😎 

I don’t know what chores Im Si-wan was made to do at the drama but I think the interns at our office could have easily outdone him.😆 

And yes, it’s true that Korean employees don’t even try to leave if their bosses are still around and that nobody turns down an invitation from the boss to drink after work! One would have to give up an internal organ for a promotion!😄

 

(An afternoon in a Korean office wouldn't be complete without coffee. For me, it's iced cafe mocha. Always! Coffee shops around offices are full of Korean office workers during lunch breaks because everyone wants to get a hot cup of cafe americano.☕)

And what about Crash Landing On You?

 

Well, it’s about an incredible story about a billionaire’s daughter who paraglided at the border with North Korea but was blown northward and landed on the wrong side of the demilitarized zone or DMZ. In my case, I didn’t have to paraglide into North Korea. I simply rode a tourist bus (read blog here).

 

(At the Mount Kumgang resort standing 

in front of a meticulously created giant mosaic 

of two known figures at the north)

About 14 years ago when the mountain resort in North Korea's Geumgangsan (or the Diamond Mountains) was still open to foreign visitors, I joined a group of Korean and international tourists in crossing the border for a weekend.

 

It was surreal to pass a small immigration office, cross the two-kilometer South Korean side of the DMZ by bus, and then cross another two-kilometer portion of the DMZ’s northern side. 

Upon arriving in North Korea (at first I couldn't believe I was actually there!😱), we were herded to a tent where we quietly passed through passport and security checks (during this time the talkative people in our group were unusually silent knowing we were no longer in SK!). 

Our bags were inspected for cellphones and reading materials as we were not allowed to bring these in. And knowing we were being watched everywhere we went at the resort, my friends and I were careful not to do the things we weren’t allowed to do, like taking photos of the locals and the military outposts.

 

(The mountain resort has trails for the visitors 

and it was simply breathtaking to see 

the unique stone structures of what 

the locals call the Diamond Mountains.)

There, I was face-to-face with soldiers from the north, who, I assure you, didn’t look at all like Hyun Bin. And the billionaire’s daughter who paraglided? Well, let’s just say she and her free-flying glider would have been turned into a target for practice shooting by North Korean soldiers even before she could crash land on Hyun Bin.😂 And if you read the news about the physical and mental state of soldiers from the north who endured everything just to cross the DMZ just to defect to the south, you might not be at all amused about all the romanticizing about the way of life north of the border.

 

Yes, it would be fun for Korean drama fans to get together in a class where their grades would probably be based on how much they fell for those actors and the characters on the screen. But I think studying these dramas would have been deeper and the class discussion more fun if the teacher and students have actually lived the experience, knew the culture, and are able to tell what’s drama and what’s reality.

 

Now, shall I also teach my own Korean drama class?😊