A scene from Netflix series “The Glory” is seen in this photo provided by Netflix.
SEOUL, March 21 (Korea Bizwire) — Revenge dramas are gaining popularity in South Korea, as “The Glory” Part 2 topped Netflix’s TV charts in the first week of its release, while the second season of SBS series “Taxi Driver” garnered 16 percent of the viewing audience, the highest among all weekend series.
“Reborn Rich,” last year’s most successful series, tells the story of a former secretary of a large conglomerate who was killed, going back in time to find out about the reasons behind the murder.
Other series include “Vincenzo” (2021, tvN) which deals with an attorney at law catching bad guys by becoming a bad guy and “The World of the Married” (2020, JTBC), making retributions to an unfaithful spouse.
The case in point is that ‘revenge dramas’ in recent months deal with personal retributions that go beyond the scope of the law to bring perpetrators and criminals to destruction.
“It reflects the thinning trust towards the public justice system. People feel greater satisfaction by watching private individuals carrying out their own way of justice and retribution,” said Choi Hang-sub, a sociology professor at Kookmin University.
There are concerns, however, over the intensity of these dramas, as many of them resort to murder and violence to justify retribution.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
