16. Men Behaving Badly: The #MeToo Movement and Toxic K-drama Tropes

Dramas Over Flowers

Anisa discusses instances of private and workplace harassment in Korean Entertainment with Odessa Jones and Pogo, and they unpack the public's reaction to the rise of the #metoo movement in South Korea. They also talk about toxic tropes, why we love to watch them play out, and how storytelling is changing in recent years. (The final segment has some really great recs for anyone looking for swoony heroes without jerk-syndrome!) BLOG: akdramapodcast.wordpress.com TWITTER: @dramasoverflow SHOWNOTES: 00:00 Intro 02:50 Director Kim Ki-duk and Actor Jo Jae-hyun (admitted to sexual assault charges) 03:20 Actor Jo Min-ki (committed suicide after news of student harassment surfaced) 08:45 Anisa talks about English language reporting on Korean Entertainment news 10:00 How Actor Park Shi-hoo's career was rehabilitated despite the rape charges 11:50 Pogo briefly refers to the 2012 case in Delhi that triggered a wave of news coverage on sexual assaults in India. 12:50 Anisa talks about the ineffectiveness of laws against workplace harassment in the US 17:45 Pogo speculates about a KBS's investment in Park Shi-hoo's career. 19:25 Why weekend dramas? Most Ajummas don't care about feminism. 25:05 The Kim Hyun-joong case 29:30 Can art be separated from the artist? 43:50 Men Behaving Badly in Dramas 53:50 In fiction, the "hero's journey" for women has always been romance. 60:40 Rise of the Beta Heroes! (AKA Second Lead as First Lead) 1:02:99 Writer Kim Eun-sook (Secret Garden, City Hall, Descendants of the Sun, Goblin) 1:21:20 Writer Jung Sung-joo (Secret Love Affair, Heard it Through the Grapevine) 1:23:00 Writer Kwon Ki-young (Protect the Boss, All About My Romance, Hello Monster) 1:24:55 Writer Ha Myung-hee (High Society, Doctors, Temperature of Love, One Warm Word) 1:26:20 Writer Park Yeon-sun (Alone in Love, White Christmas, Wild Romance, Age of Youth 1 & 2) 1:30:00 How many dramas tackled corruption and the legal system after former Prime Minister Park Geun-hye's arrest, and whether we think the same thing will happen with #MeToo Links: Allegations against Kim Ki-duk and Jo Jae-hyun - https://www.screendaily.com/news/kim-ki-duk-cho-jae-hyun-accused-of-multiple-sexual-assaults/5127278.article Jo Min-ki - https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/mar/09/jo-min-ki-south-korea The Park Shi-hoo rape case - https://www.soompi.com/2013/02/20/park-shi-hoos-alleged-victim-was-carried-into-his-home-other-updates/ His comeback with Neighborhood Hero, and a lawsuit against netizens - https://www.soompi.com/2016/02/01/actor-park-shi-hoo-takes-legal-action-against-netizens-leaving-malicious-comments/ Delhi 2012 rape case - https://www.ndtv.com/delhi-news/nirbhaya-gangrape-case-supreme-court-decision-on-appeal-of-4-convicts-today-1689807 Odessa Jones' piece about men crying in k-dramas - http://www.koreandrama.today/watch/k-drama-man-tears/ PM Park Geun-hye's sentencing - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/06/former-south-korea-president-park-geun-hye-guilty-of-corruption