[[Hey everyone, don’t you think that some kdrama staples are just too short to fit into laws… and some bloggers are just too lazy busy to write long posts regularly? Me too! Let’s try to remedy that with a new type of short post where we (re)define things in kdrama land.]]
United States of America (USA) n. A place where chaebols or promising students go to obtain MBAs, vanishing first-loves get treatment for obscure diseases, second-leads try to get over someone, and everyone learns horrible English.
usage. [1] (near the end of a drama, after 14 episodes of clinginess) I realized that he loves you and I can never make him happy… I’m going to the USA to “continue my studies”. Please have the confidence to be together.
[2] (extras talking about a new character) The new CEO is coming today. He’s handsome, from a rich family, earned his MBA from the US, and is a total ass. Isn’t he perfect?!
kdrama laws 
YES! I’m watching the Democratic National Convention this week and as the camera has panned the delegates I’ve been wonderfully reminded of what a diverse nation of citizens my country (the US of A) is comprised of (in stark contrast, BTW, to the delegates at the Republican National Convention which was much more homogeneous); however, as so many others have noted, almost every English-speaking K-drama actor who is said to be from the US speaks either English with an Eastern European or German accent or is obviously Australian. This has made me very.curious. Are there really no 2nd (3rd or 4th) generation US citizens who are willing/able to take these parts? What’s up with that?
PS Am I the only one who has put being an extra in a K-drama on my bucket list?
Okay. Maybe not. About being an extra that is. I just read about the death of the Bridal Mask extra, Park Hui-seok. See:
http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/534453.html
One could almost imagine that this was a K-drama…sadly, not.
Aw. And I was going to say that I wanted to be an extra too (too bad they don’t need Filipinos much).
I don’t think that’s particularly for foreign-looking extras though. I think that happens in the whole industry. Kdramas are hell to shoot š¦
š They love to study abroad in NYC don’t they?
Hey now, but “John Lee” from City Hunter came from Texas! Wee! (Thank goodness they didn’t try to broadcast any horrible Texan stereotypes!) Actually I’m still trying to figure out where Kdramas get their non-Asian, English-speaking cast members from. Every Caucasian I’ve ever seen in a Kdrama that has a bit speaking part sounds like they were tourists picked up from off the street, handed a script and told, under point of gun, to say a line. Always so wooden!
Sara, either that or they’re foreign-looking foreigners but have very fluent Korean… and very questionable English!
Oh I would love to see Koreans try and do some Texas stereotypes, that would probably be hilarious š
Yes, I think they just ask any random white people on the street that they see to play in their dramas lol. The one in TTBY is pretty decent though and he actually speaks Korean very well as well as English. I’m jealous lol.
The one in TTBY is pretty decent though and he actually speaks Korean very well as well as English.
are you referring to heroine stepbrother? well, i believe he is an actor and this not his first project, news said he even in WGM. so no wonder he is good.
Yes I was referring to her stepbrother. That doesn’t surprise me. He seemed like he had experience.
The actor in TTBY is actually half korean, half French (I think that’s the nationality), even though he doesn’t look that asian. I forgot which parent of his is Korean.
The actor who played the Goo Jae Hae’s stepbrother is actually Julien Kang, half Korean (Dad), half French (Mom) who was born in Canada which makes him Canadian-Korean, or is it Korean-Canadian. Phew…talk about an international background!
Yes, they do *nods head*
I just remembered it because Cha Chi Soo said “I thought if I went there, the English would come naturally! That’s how it is in the dramas!” pfffft
i remember that dialogue from FBRS.i was laughing my head off š
Canada could be redefined in the same way… My home nation seems to particularly come up as a potential place of banishment.
What? But what I heard from Canada are all nice things.
I… don’t remember the details. Hurr.. Ah, yes, in the zombie books I read. Ehehe most survivors move up to Canada. Is that part of the wrong stereotype? š¦
Well… maybe the notion is that the Zombies would freeze in Central Canada.
While the Philippines is always where people run to get away from their creditors! š
Hehe, I noticed that too. š It gives me the warm fuzzies that the kdrama writers mention us, even as a hideout for errant, gambling uncles.
that’s hilarious. I am also surprised and touched the Philippines often get mentioned in Kdramas….:)