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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Gyeongeun: 안녕하세요. KoreanClass101.com입니다. My name is Gyeongeun.
Hyunwoo: Hello, my name is Hyunwoo Sun and welcome to KoreanClass101.com’s another culture class lesson. Today, we have Korean Culture Class Lesson Number 20 - Korean TV dramas.

Lesson focus

Gyeongeun: Yeah, it’s my favorite topic. 제가 제일 좋아하는 주제예요.
Hyunwoo: 진짜요? Actually, it’s not only your favorite topic. I think you are an expert on TV dramas, aren’t you?
Gyeongeun: No, I just like to watch them sometimes, that’s all.
Hyunwoo: Yeah, sometimes, like, seven times a week, right?
Gyeongeun: No, I don’t watch them every day. I watch them four times a week?
Hyunwoo: Four times a week? That’s just as good as seven times a week to me.
Gyeongeun: Okay.
Hyunwoo: But you do follow most of the dramas that are on TV, right?
Gyeongeun: Yeah, I try not to, but, I usually do. They are just so good. I love Korean TV dramas. 한국 드라마 진짜 좋아해요.
Hyunwoo: I know. And so do a lot of our listeners and that’s why we are talking about it today. So, 경은씨, have you ever heard the word 한류?
Gyeongeun: I have, it’s the Korean Wave.
Hyunwoo: I think it sounds better in Korean. But, anyway, if you don’t already know the term, as Korean TV dramas have become very popular overseas over the past ten years or so, this trend started to be called 한류, and like a big wave of TV dramas and songs flowing out to the world.
Gyeongeun: Yeah, but who made this term? 한류라는 말을 누가 만들었어요?
Hyunwoo: Well, as far as I know, it’s the Chinese newspapers that gave this name to the trend and it was really the TV dramas only at first, that started being exported. But then the music caught on, as well, so it became a bigger trend, a bigger wave. But today we’re only talking about dramas here, aren’t we?
Gyeongeun: 네, 오늘은 드라마에 대해서만 얘기해 봤으면 좋겠고요. We will talk about music sometime in the future.
Hyunwoo: And, in the meanwhile, if you want to read about Korean music?
Gyeongeun: You can go to our blog. 저희 블로그에 가 보세요. 정말 정말 좋아요.
Hyunwoo: Yeah. As you know, at KoreanClass101.com, we are publishing these audio lessons that you can listen to, but we also have a blog.
Gyeongeun: Blogs.KoreanClass101.com
Hyunwoo: There, our blogger, Taliana, is writing about Korean music. And I must tell you, her blog posts about Korean music are awesome.
Gyeongeun: Yeah, she’s awesome. 그리고 정말 귀여워요, 탈리아나.
Hyunwoo: Yeah. So please check it out on our blog and back the dramas. 경은씨, so which drama do you think was the start of this Korean Wave, 한류?
Gyeongeun: Of course there was 겨울연가 “The Winter Sonata”.
Hyunwoo: What’s the title again?
Gyeongeun: 겨울연가요. 겨울연가.
Hyunwoo: And who is in it?
Gyeongeun: 잠깐만요. Wait a minute. Are you asking because you really don’t know?
Hyunwoo: Of course, I know. I don’t watch TV that often, but I have watched 겨울연가. Come on.
Gyeongeun: Then, who is in it?
Hyunwoo: 음...그러니까...
Gyeongeun: 배용준, 최지우요. How can you not know?
Hyunwoo: Of course I knew. I was going to say their names.
Gyeongeun: 됐어요. 안 믿어요. I don’t believe you.
Hyunwoo: But, 경은씨, sometimes I think some of the storylines of the TV dramas are somewhat, you know, too expectable, don’t you think?
Gyeongeun: 어...사실 조금 그래요. I think so too, but these days it’s changing, too.
Hyunwoo: Oh, how?
Gyeongeun: You know, until a few years ago, the major storylines or plots for TV dramas were all very similar. But now you can see some more innovative ones.
Hyunwoo: That’s good news.
Gyeongeun: But if you don’t watch them, it’s not really good or bad news to you, isn’t it?
Hyunwoo: Well, but still… innovation is good, you know. I wouldn’t want to watch too many more TV dramas talking about the main character turning out to have a deadly disease, you know?
Gyeongeun: And a lot of dramas talk about a love that can’t happen.
Hyunwoo: Or a super rich man falling in love with a very poor girl, and...
Gyeongeun: Yeah.
Hyunwoo: And there’s always stories of a secret identity, you know?
Gyeongeun: But, like I said, recently there are dramas that show some less conventional ideas.
Hyunwoo: Such as?
Gyeongeun: Did you watch 내 이름은 김삼순?
Hyunwoo: Yeah, you mean with 김선아 in it, right?
Gyeongeun: Yeah, right.
Hyunwoo: I really liked it, actually. And my mother’s younger sister, her name is 김삼순 too.
Gyeongeun: 진짜요?
Hyunwoo: Yeah, for real. She got really famous in the neighborhood. At least, right after the drama came out.
Gyeongeun: No one has used my name in a TV drama before.
Hyunwoo: You want your name in a TV drama? I want to be in a TV drama.
Gyeongeun: Really?
Hyunwoo: Yeah, I mean, just kidding. Well, actually, it would be fun,wouldn’t it?
Gyeongeun: If they put you in a TV drama, that would have to be really, really, innovative. Anyway, I think a lot of people know about 커피 프린스 1호점 and 온에어 too.
Hyunwoo: I know both of them and I really like 온에어 a lot, am a fan of 송윤아 you know.
Gyeongeun: You are a fan of 송윤아? I didn’t know that.
Hyunwoo: I am. You know, my sister's name is 윤아 too, so…
Gyeongeun: What does it have to do with her?
Hyunwoo: But I really like 송윤아 too, so… So, how are these TV dramas, these less conventional TV drama different from the older ones?
Gyeongeun: To take 내 이름은 김삼순 as an example, before, in most TV dramas, it was only really slim women who became the main character. But in this drama, the actress, 김선아 was just average, not super slim like a model.
Hyunwoo: And these dramas introduced a world of some less known professions. So that’s really meaningful too, right?
Gyeongeun: Yeah, right. 근데 현우씨, 질문 있어요. I have a question for you.
Hyunwoo: Just ask me anything.
Gyeongeun: Okay, do you know about 꽃보다 남자?
Hyunwoo: Of course, that’s the most popular TV show that is on these days right?
Gyeongeun: Oh, what’s the English name?
Hyunwoo: I believe it’s “Flowers Over Boys” or “Boys Over Flowers”, which one is it?
Gyeongeun: Now, you are going to get a lot of complaining emails from fans over that drama. How can you not know?
Hyunwoo: I know, I know 꽃보다 남자. And I even know that is originally a Japanese manga called Hana Yori Dango.
Gyeongeun: Oh, I’m impressed. The original comic book was made into a TV drama first in Taiwan and then in Japan, and now in Korea.
Hyunwoo: That sounds really interesting. I guess you’ll have to watch all three versions from three different countries if you want to see the cultural differences.
Gyeongeun: Actually, I have.
Hyunwoo: 진짜요?
Gyeongeun: 네. I’ve already watched the Taiwanese version and the Japanese version.
Hyunwoo: Really? When?
Gyeongeun: A couple of years ago. I will watch then again after I learn Chinese and Japanese.
Hyunwoo: Hope you can watch them soon.
Gyeongeun: Thanks. 열심히 공부할게요.
Hyunwoo: So 경은씨 I guess that’s it for today?
Gyeongeun: Oh really? There’s so many TV drama that I can recommend to our listeners.

Outro

Hyunwoo: Well, everyone you heard her. So, if you are debating which drama to watch first to improve your Korean or learn more about Korea, you can ask 경은.
Gyeongeun: 네. 저한테 꼭 물어 보세요.
Hyunwoo: And you can ask her in the comment for this culture class Lesson.
Gyeongeun: 네, 그럼 코멘트 기다리고 있을게요.
Hyunwoo: Well, then, everyone, see you at KoreanClass101.com.
Gyeongeun: 감사합니다. KoreanClass101 웹사이트에서 만나요.
Hyunwoo: Enjoy your K-dramas.
Gyeongeun: And don’t watch any drama that Hyunwoo is in, although it will never happen. Bye.
Hyunwoo: Bye.

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