Bashing on the wealthy has become a trend in South Korean media nowadays. It could have been sparked by various news last year, where children of wealthy families have been in the spotlight.
Bashing on the wealthy has become a trend in South Korean media nowadays. It could have been sparked by various news last year, where children of wealthy families have been in the spotlight.
“Veteran,” a box office hit last year, became the all-time third-most tickets sold for a Korean film, with more than 13 million.
The movie is about a relentless detective on the trail of a wealthy conglomerate’s son and the wave of crimes he’s committing. Using his wealth and connections, the son manages to allude the detective in a cat-and-mouse chase. Similarly, a current TV series, “Remember” on Wednesdays and Thursdays, has a plot where a handsome son of a wealthy conglomerate committed murder but puts the blame on their landscaper who has Alzheimer.
“Veteran” and “Remember” have very similar qualities, as the evil character is handsome, powerful, charismatic, extremely wealthy, short on temper and evil to the bone. At least for now, it seems writers and directors are pointing their interest at the second-, third- and fourth-generation wealthy class and their privileged lifestyles and supposedly their abuse of power.
In a time when making a living even with dual incomes in Korea is difficult and the high cost of living has been adding stress on the working class, finger-pointing at the wealthy has escalated.
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“The Legendary Witches”
Episodes 33 and 34
6:30 p.m. today: Soo-yin goes to see Do-hyun when she hears he’s alive. Do-hyun finds out his father framed Soo-yin and sent her to prison. Ang-ran tells Chairman Ma that it’s her to drive him out of his company. 7:45 p.m. today: Mio finds out Do-jin has been working as a chauffeur. Woo-seok goes to see Do-hyun. Soo-yin confronts Ang-ran about not telling her about Do-hyun sooner.
“Root of the Throne”
Episodes 31 and 32
7:45 p.m. Monday: Bang-won is bothered by the contents of Jung Do-jeon’s and Jung Mong-ju’s conversations, but he doesn’t let on. Jung Do-jeon tells Bang-won to look into Cho Young and Moomyung, and tells Yeon-hee to overtake Hwasadan. 7:45 p.m. Tuesday: Gil Seon-mi feels the pressure when he hears Jung-ya went to see Bang-won. Moomyung tails Yoon-rang to find out who killed Baek Geun-su.
“Remember”
Episodes 13 and 14
7:45 p.m. Wednesday: Filled with rage after being abandoned by Ilho Group, Detective Kwak gives Jin-woo a video of his confession, angering Nam Gyu-man even more. Gyu-man finds out Jin-woo’s family and Dong-ho’s father died in the same auto accident. 7:45 p.m. Thursday: Dong-ho turns his back on Ilho Group and secures a crucial piece of evidence against Chairman Nam. Jin-woo and his colleagues raid a drug party of the wealthy heirs with Detective Kwak’s help.
“Identical Affairs”
Episodes 41 and 42
7:45 p.m. Friday: Hae-kang drives Chairman Choi into a corner with audio file evidence. But Chairman Choi threatens Hae-kang right back that Jin-eon will also be ruined if he’s made a murderer. Hae-kang hesitates when she sees Se-hee suffering from Alzheimer’s. 7:45 p.m. Saturday: Jin-eon finds out his father is planning to use Hae-kang as a scapegoat to avoid criminal charges for Mido Pharmaceutical’s case. He gives up his attack against Tae-seok to help Hae-kang.
This column is your source for updates on Korean dramas. Jeff Chung is general manager of KBFD-TV on Oahu, which televises Korean dramas with English subtitles.