“A Good Supper” & Other K-dramas about Orphans

Because Korea has a long and complicated history with the purity of bloodlines and a general disdain for adoptees, I had always found it strange that so many Korean dramas dealt with issues that the mainstream media was reticent to cover. But in some ways, K-dramas can be very progressive in covering touchy topics. Hopefully, seeing orphans and adoptees depicted simply as children who deserve to be loved and cared for — like any child — is helping to lessen the stigma of kids whose biological parents are no longer in their lives.

“The Penthouse 2: War in Life” and More Makjang K-Dramas

“The Penthouse” got a lot of notoriety because of screenwriter Kim Soon-Ok’s makjang storylines, which were both a lot of fun and over the top. That said, there are plenty of other Korean dramas that hold their own when it comes to being overly dramatic (in a good way).