k-drama school: a pop culture inquiry into why we love korean television

From the Emmy Award-winning Squid Game to streaming sensations like The Glory and Crash Landing on You, Korean television has emerged onto the global pop culture scene as compelling television--but what exactly makes these shows so irresistibly bingeable? And what can we learn about our societies and ourselves from watching them?

From stand-up comedian and media studies PhD Grace Jung comes a rollicking deep dive into the cultural significance of Korean television. K-Drama School analyzes everything from common tropes like amnesia and slapping to conspicuous product placements of Subway sandwiches and coffee; to representations of disability, race and gender; to what Korea’s war-torn history says about South Korea’s media output and the stories being told on screen.

With chapters organized by ＂lessons,＂ each one inquiring into a different theme of Korean television, K-Drama School offers a groundbreaking exploration into this singular form of entertainment, from an author who writes with humor and heart about shows that spur tears and laughter, keeping us glued to the TV while making fans of us all.

Shows discussed include: Squid Game, SKY Castle, Crash Course in Romance, Extraordinary Attorney Woo, My Mister, Something in the Rain, One Spring Night, DP, Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, Autumn in My Heart, Winter Sonata, Our Blues, and more.

Grace Jung is an internationally touring stand-up comedian, writer, filmmaker and scholar set to appear on a new show coming soon to TBS. Grace is the author of the novel Deli Ideology, and the novella The Moon Hangs Like a Stupid Mistake published by Thought Catalog. Grace’s short fiction is published in The Cortland Review and Molotov Cocktail. She translated and published two books of Korean literary fiction--The Abject and Sweet Potato. Her essays are published in Weird Sister, Warscapes, The Korea Times, and China Files. Grace hosts a weekly podcast called K-Drama School and lives in Los Angeles. She is a former Fulbright scholar and holds a PhD in Cinema and Media Studies from UCLA. She is a recipient of the Academy of American Poets Prize.