Opinion | From Squid Game to Vincenzo and All of Us Are Dead, Korean dramas stoke the rage many feel about social elites and those who govern their lives
- Korean dramas have tapped into the anger many around the world feel about social inequality, and lately some have made no bones about stoking that anger
- K-drama producers capture the zeitgeist with shows like Vincenzo, in which the titular character tortures a corporate miscreant to death while we cheer him on
Ten years ago, it would have been unthinkable that Korean dramas would become one of the cornerstones of global entertainment. Classic romantic dramas defined the landscape then, and while these have become even more popular, along the way a new breed of K-dramas emerged.
These shows pit the meek against the mighty in stories that are allegories of our frustrations and struggles with the systems of control that oppress us.
Driven by rapacity and empowered by cronyism, the villains of Korean drama series strut through the halls of power, be they governmental or corporate (merely criminal organisations seldom pass muster these days), in worlds that mirror our own.
The familiar inequity of these worlds draws us in, and the gross iniquities perpetrated by their antagonists fan the flames of our anger at society and convert it into full-throttled rage.
These stories, which feed on something dark within us, have captured the global zeitgeist.