[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show All In (2003, SBS). Grace celebrates the first week of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. All of May will include interviews from Asian American and/or Asian guests. In her opening monologue, Grace discusses the pachinko business run by Korean gangsters, male-centric narratives, passive female characters, and more. Grace then has a chat with comedian Walter Hong (@yellowsheki on Instagram) about Clubh...
May 03, 2021•1 hr 57 min•Season 1Ep. 18
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Successful Story of a Bright Girl (2002, SBS). Grace talks about Jang Nara and Jang Hyuk’s careers, their onscreen chemistry, and South Korea’s desperate need to create labor unions for the entertainment sect. Grace then has a chat with Berlin-based journalist and activist Esra Karakaya (@ms_blackrock on Instagram). They talk about Koreans’ obsession with weight loss, the importance of grassroots activism, how to manage ...
Apr 26, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 17
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Beautiful Days (2001, SBS). Grace goes into depictions of toxic masculinity, Lee Byung-hun's sex scandals, why leukemia is such a common trope in K-dramas, and another fan letter she received. Grace then has a chat with comedian Jaren George (@jaren.george on Instagram). They talk about IT, Oregon snow, Valentine's Day jokes that get too real, beefing up resumes, game life, Christianity versus magic, and more. Follow @KD...
Apr 19, 2021•1 hr 24 min•Season 1Ep. 16
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Itaewon Class. Grace goes into representations of Black-Koreanness and transgender identity on this show, as well as issues of diversity that South Korea has trouble addressing in mainstream television such as that of migrant workers from Southeast Asia. Grace then has a chat with comedian Ai Yoshihara (@aiyoshihara3 on Instagram). They talk about how Grace got stood up by her initial guest, pandemic-anxiety, meditation,...
Apr 12, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 15
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Something in the Rain starring Son Ye-jin and Jung Hae-in. She goes into complex characters like Jin-a's mother on the show and what her significance is. She also talks about Son Ye-jin's chemistry with Jung Hae-in which she shares with Hyun Bin (in Crash Landing on You ). Grace then has a chat with Dr. Ji-yoon An who currently teaches at the University of Tübingen. They talk about Korean history, "compressed modernity,"...
Apr 05, 2021•1 hr 44 min•Season 1Ep. 14
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the original Netflix series Kingdom (2018- ) written by Kim Eun-hee. She breaks down the zombie allegory in the context of South Korean history, politics and culture framed around the Cold War, while also citing films like Train to Busan, Seoul Station and The Wailing. What is a zombie supposed to be in South Korea? What about ancient Choson Dynasty Korea prior to the Cold War and the dividing of the Kingdom of Korea? Grace then ...
Mar 29, 2021•1 hr 26 min•Season 1Ep. 13
#StopAsianHate and #StopAAPIHate. Stop Killing Asians. To all the people who were silent around this issue, open your eyes, ears and hearts. To all my Asian and Asian American family members, I love you. You are not alone in your pain, fear, anger and grief. Solidarity. [Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show Star in My Heart (aka Wish Upon a Star ) starring Choi Jin-sil and Ahn Jae-wook. She discusses Choi Jin-sil's tragic life story and career, Ahn Jae-wook'...
Mar 22, 2021•1 hr 45 min•Season 1Ep. 12
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the show It's Okay to Not Be Okay (tvN, 2020) starring Kim Soo-hyun and Seo Yeji. Grace goes into representations of disability on K-dramas especially PTSD stemming from the Vietnam War which South Korean mercenary troops were hired to fight in by the hundreds of thousands. Grace then has a chat with Los Angeles-based comedian Kristen Lundberg who sings a song on BDSM gay daddies, talks about her former roommate who broke into th...
Mar 15, 2021•54 min•Season 1Ep. 11
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace’s guest sidekick Julieta Degese (@dgcjulieta) makes a quick early visit to answer flashcard questions. Grace discusses the 2019 show Search WWW —the debut work of Kwon Do-eun. Search WWW is a solid queer text showcasing a lesbian love-triangle disguised as business affairs with a thin veneer of heteronormativity. This show reunites Im Soo-jung with Jeon Hye-jin from their I’m Sorry I Love You days but as strong female characters with deep ...
Mar 08, 2021•1 hr 31 min•Season 1Ep. 10
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the hit 2004 drama Full House starring Song Hye-kyo and Rain when they were super young and adorable. Grace breaks down Full House' s subtle critique of domestic labor shaped by Korean patriarchy, and how K-drama stars originally got their start in sit-coms. Grace then has a chat with Los Angeles-based actress, comedian and clown Natisha Anderson (@natishaanderson) who you've seen on Lady Dynamite , All That, CSI and Angie Tribec...
Mar 01, 2021•56 min•Season 1Ep. 9
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses My Lovely Sam Soon and its feminist protagonist which marks a shift in female character development for Korean dramas in the early 2000s which were notably different from heroines of 1990s shows. Grace talks about the pressures that Korean women face in society to conform to patriarchal heteronormative standards that determine what is acceptable in terms of weight, looks, and age. Grace then has a chat with Berlin-based Canadian ...
Feb 22, 2021•54 min•Season 1Ep. 8
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses The Greatest Love (2011, MBC) written by the Hong sisters. It is a romantic comedy starring Cha Seung-won and Gong Hyo-jin. Grace breaks down the K-pop ecosystem and where variety shows fit into the equation, cradle-rocking-perverts of Korean show business, and Korean models. Grace then chats with comedian guest Kimberly Clark (@clarkkimberlyl) who's been on NBC's Last Comic Standing and Lopez Tonight with George Lopez. They disc...
Feb 15, 2021•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 7
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses T he World of the Married . She goes into the declining number of South Korea's marriages, increase in divorce, negative stereotypes of single working women, and why Kim Hee-ae is the queen of K-dramas. Grace then has a chat with Los Angeles-based comic Dante Chang (@dantechang) who is originally from DC. They discuss girlfriends who get revenge by stabbing, self-care, emotional health, and violent Asian American and Korean mascu...
Feb 08, 2021•58 min•Season 1Ep. 6
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses My Mister (2018, tvN) which stars K-pop starlet IU and Lee Sun-kyun of the Oscar-winning Bong Joon-ho film Parasite (2019). Grace goes into the #MeTooKorea movement's impact on My Mister 's initial reception, sonic/auditory voyeurism, female agency, the "spycam" problem in South Korea, and fallen male K-pop stars like Jung Joon-young. Grace then chats with comedian guest Erika Ratcliffe (@erikaratcliffe) about noisy neighbors, sc...
Feb 01, 2021•51 min•Season 1Ep. 5
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the hit K-drama Crash Landing on You (2019-2020, tvN, Netflix). She talks about the show's intertexts, Kim Soo-hyun's return from his military conscription, the chemistry between Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin, the Korean War, orphans, Pretty Woman , and how this show turns gender tropes on its head. Grace is then joined by Los Angeles-based comedian and actor Will Hines (@williebhines) who you've seen on Brooklyn 99, Between Two Ferns,...
Jan 25, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Season 1Ep. 4
In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses a 2004 SBS winter classic What Happened in Bali starring So Ji-sub, Jo In-sung and Ha Ji-won. She links the young working-class female protagonist in K-dramas to its origins in modern Korean "factory girl" literature from the 1920s and through the Korean industrialization period from both the pre and post-Korean War eras. Grace is then joined by Los Angeles-based comedian guest Erik Escobar (@erikescobar). They discuss Erik's 100-pound weight lo...
Jan 18, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 3
[Spoiler Alert] In this episode of K-Drama School, Grace discusses the 2016/2017 "mega-hit" show by Kim Eun-sook called Goblin or Guardian: The Lonely and Great God which she contextualizes against the backdrop of the Sewol Ferry tragedy and other ghost/supernatural K-drama narratives. Grace then has a chat with comedian Lizzy Cooperman (@lizzycooperman) who you've seen on HBO's Crashing and Lights Out with David Spade. Her album Organism is available on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon and GooglePlay. T...
Jan 11, 2021•58 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Welcome to episode 1 of K-Drama School podcast! Meet your host Grace Jung (comedian and PhD candidate in Cinema and Media Studies at UCLA) who is here to school you in Korean dramas every week followed by an interview with a guest comedian or scholar. In this episode, Grace analyzes the hit JTBC show SKY Castle (2018), the Korean school system, suicides, helicopter parenting, Christianity and decoloniality with her sidekick Julieta Degese (@dgcjulieta). Berlin-based Austrian comedian Tobias Haus...
Jan 01, 2021•1 hr 31 min•Season 1Ep. 1
