Recently, The University of Philippines Diliman-College of Mass Communication has offered Korean Drama (K-Drama) as an elective class for the semester, the school year 2020-2021. This course includes an analysis of K-drama series such as Chicago Typewriter, Crash Landing On You, etc. What are the common elements? What makes it appealing to Filipinos?  How does it impact the viewer’s perception? How does it trendsetter binocular and cultural buyers? How will it affect the Filipino film industry today?

As I read about this I really thought it’s a good idea because, not only will the students developed their critical and analytical thinking skills, but they will also learn about the Korean culture based on historical events—the basic knowledge about it, their way of life, how they behave in certain situations, the way they do their work, etc.  

However, there is also the possibility that they would start comparing the culture and diversity of the Korean culture with their own and worst, would neglect it.  

With students learning this, they will have a wider perspective on the film industry; they could adapt certain elements from the Korean dramas that would help in improving our own film and series industry that could be more appealing to the viewers they would want to watch it over and over again—like they would in Korean dramas.

Meanwhile, just recently, #CancelKorea has been trending. It started with a Pinay tiktoker/influencer, Bella Poarch who had a tattoo of Japan’s rising sun flag which actually symbolizes women’s sexual enslavement by the Japanese military from 1942-1945. Because of this, Koreans were tweeting racist comments against Filipinos in general, calling them poor, non-educated, small-minded, plastics ugly, etc. and naturally, Filipinos were defending the country that not all Filipinos are like that, given the facts on how they helped them during that period, etc.

Read more: Why #CancelKorea is trending on Twitter?

But, in terms of UP studying Korean TV series, it may or may not affect them, it still depends on the person on how they would take it.

In the end, K-drama as an elective course would give the students new knowledge of another culture as well as fresh new ideas to come up with better films and series in the Philippines.