The Korean Wave or Hallyu which began in neighboring Asian countries in 1997 has expanded to
become a global phenomenon in the 2020s. Korean cultural content as witnessed through BTS
(K-pop) Parasite (K-cinema) and Squid Game (K-drama) has come to dominate mainstream culture
on the global stage. This is especially true with Korean dramas which played a pioneering role
in the birth of the Korean Wave as well as in generating interest in Korean society and
culture. In recent years thanks to global OTT platforms like Netflix Korean dramas have been
distributed to every corner of the planet and have attracted a wide range of audiences across
racial national gender and age divides. This book selected thirteen K-dramas for television
and K-cinema films that have either become global hits thanks to the Korean Wave or are worthy
of further exploration and provides a wide-ranging look at the meanings and contexts of these
works as well as the reasons for their success and how they can be interpreted from different
angles. In addition this book examines the realities and specificities of Korean society and
how those specificities are not just limited to Korea but have become universal so that they
now resonate with people around the world. The works covered in this book were all released
between the second half of 2021 and the second half of 2022: Squid Game Hellbound The Silent
Sea D.P. All of Us Are Dead Juvenile Justice Pachinko and Extraordinary Attorney Woo
(dramas) and Broker The Outlaws series Alienoid Seoul Vibe and 20th Century Girl (movies).
We sincerely hope this book will help readers better understand each of these works and develop
an interest in and passion for K-cinema and K-dramas.
