All the K-Drama Moments You Didn’t Know Were Real

By Jae-Ha Kim
Kocowa.com
June 10, 2020

One of the joys of K-Dramas is the (sometimes) over-the-top storytelling. In our heads, we know they (most likely) will never happen, but we still can’t help watching. And sometimes, things that happen in Korean dramas seem like they’re made up — but they actually are a part of real Korean life.

Here are some of our favorite K-Drama moments that we love … or love to hate.

Food tents:

South Korean street food is a treat. There are many pojangmacha/포장마차 — small tented stalls with tables and seats — and locals and tourists find them to be an affordable and delicious way to unwind with some comfort food and a glass of soju or two. In this scene from “She Was Pretty,” Hwang Jung-Eum is spilling her woes to Choi Si-Won, unaware that he has a crush on her. Many K-Drama heroines get a little tipsy at a pojangmacha and end up being the recipient of a piggyback ride.

Piggyback rides:

Speaking of which … Have you ever seen a K-Drama that didn’t have the male lead giving the female lead a piggyback ride? (Or, in some cases — like in “Coffee Prince” — the female lead (who’s pretending to be male) giving the male lead a piggyback ride.) I haven’t. At some point, I know it’s going to happen, like in this photo op from “Weightlifting Fairy, Kim Bok-joo,” where Nam Joo-Hyuk carries Lee Sung-Kyung. After a night out drinking, this is a common scene. But some characters rush their loved ones to the hospitals on their back as well (instead of hailing a cab). So are Koreans doing this in Korea? I don’t live in Korea anymore, but during all of my visits, I don’t recall seeing this even once (except for parents giving their small children piggyback rides). So why do they do it? It serves as a plot device to get the man and woman closer together — literally. And in K-Dramas — where it often takes a dozen episodes before the lead couples shares a chaste peck on the lips — the piggyback ride kind of moves the romance along.

Students cleaning:

Many students of a certain generation grew up in the U.S. helping their teachers out by maybe cleaning the chalkboard or clapping together the erasers to get excess chalk off of them. But students in some Korean schools are assigned tasks like sweeping, dusting and taking out the trash (like in the above photos from “Extra-0rdinary You“) to help keep their schools clean and tidy.

Ramen as code for hooking up:

When an American asks a friend if they want to share a ramen, it is seen as a way of sharing an economical and easy meal together. But in Korea, it can be a kind of a wink wink nudge nudge code for, “Do you want to spend the night with me?” In “My Love from the Star,” Jun Ji-Hyun tries to seduce Kim Soo-Hyun with the old ramen line. He cooly turns her down, because he’s not interested in her at all (not yet, anyhow). And, he never used to eat with people, because if he has contact with someone else’s bodily fluids (like saliva!), it could be deadly to him.

Speaking of food, some Westerners get grossed out during meal-time scenes where famiy members (or close friends) are sharing the same pot of spicy jiggae without bothering to put them into individual serving bowls. That’s how I grew up (except when someone was sick, of course), so it’s natural to me . But when we had guests — especially non-Koreans — they always got their own bowls

Where are the pajamas?!:

In so many K-Dramas, characters go to sleep regularly in their street clothes. Is this the norm in real life? No. So whyyyyyy? It makes sense in this scene from “School 2013,” where high school students Kim Woo-Bin and Lee Jong-Suk fall asleep after a long day of school and fighting common enemies. But in some K-Dramas, you have very wealthy characters who’ll wake up wearing street clothes and a coat. This is something you don’t see in U.S. dramas. (If you have seen this on a regular basis, let me know which shows in the comments below!)

Hospital humidifier:

In just about every K-Drama I’ve ever watched, there has been a hospital scene. And in each  hospital room, there has been something I’ve never seen in a U.S. medical procedural: a humidifier. Whyyyyyyy? It is true that dry air isn’t necessarily the best when you’re sick, but these humidifiers don’t look hospital grade, but more like something you’d pick up at Target for a child’s room — like this one in the Lee Jong-Suk / Park Shin-Hye series, “Pinocchio.”

How about you? What have you noticed in K-Dramas that are foreign to you? Share your thoughts in the comments below! And if you want ideas on what to watch while you’re spending all this extra time at home, check out the options on KOCOWA!