K-Drama: The Means to Mend Mental Health

It’s October 10, World Mental Health Day, and I’m thinking—the best occasion for me to underline again—how K-drama is the means to mend mental health. Now, when I say that, I throw an individual perspective on it. And I’m convinced there are many like me in that sense, or maybe I am somewhat more so, for, in some ways, advocating all things K-drama is me sharing what comes from experiencing a process—happiness and ease.

Initially, through K-dramas, I was coming across instances and people with struggles of various kinds, fundamentally struggling to get by in everyday circumstances. The renderings were so real, and their resemblance was so effective. That kept growing on me through the years. I felt an overwhelming sense of belonging; I got that I could, no matter the challenges, do more of what I wanted, live on my terms, and be entirely content. That’s quite a bit of what K-dramas are capable of: they’ll assure you, thereby mending your mental health and bringing along your sense of well-being. How you connect with them is crucial.

As a case in point, take Love to Hate You. Wouldn’t Yeo Mi-ran (Kim Ok-vin) boost your self-worth and cognitive level? Would she not offer you the inner strength to be or act on your will? Mi-ran detests losing to men, or a taboo-ridden culture. She stands for fairness in a sexist society. We also encounter movie star Nam Kang-ho (Teo Yoo), who has a negative take on women up until the two are obligated to date each other. The situation underscores that there’s nothing more attractive than a tenacious, free-wheeling woman. Such a lift, right? Mi-ran makes you feel empowered; her defiance of preconceptions about what it entails to be a woman subverts gender prejudices. She doesn’t flinch in her quest for rights and isn’t coy about anything, even her sexual life.

Mental health is directly proportional to sentiments, concerns, routines, and tendencies. It regulates how we process information and behave. Indeed, K-dramas have a bearing on that; they often induce reflexive responses. In my conversation with Jeanie Y. Chang, a second-generation Korean-American mental-health expert she distinctly explained: “Korea has the number-one suicide rate in the OECD. Those are the organizational development countries. That’s a big deal. And you see suicide in almost all the K-dramas, [it’s] some sort of theme, right? Even if it’s just one episode, someone dies by suicide or they talk about someone attempting suicide. So, if you’re seeing it in the stories of K-dramas, it means it’s very much part of Korean society, which has a rigid culture. We do have very high standards. I think, as real as it is, we see it in the K-dramas, and actually, I think that’s why I think K-dramas are beautiful: they help you understand mental health and well-being.”

Another vital point she made was that mental health and mental illness are very different things. “You know, Extraordinary Attorney Woo is a global hit but is also a hit in Korea! So, it shows me that Korea is starting to watch it and go, “Oh, okay, what’s going on here? Someone who has autism is also a lawyer.” And sure, it drew some criticism, but the whole point is to get you to question things. “Wait, why don’t we talk about mental health when [this is what I say a lot] it is normal?” Jeanie added, “Your mental health affects every part of your life. You need to talk about it. You have to talk about it. So, when we see these K-dramas and I see India, the U.S., Malaysia, and all other Asian countries talking about it, I want [the conversation] to translate back to Korea.” It was an enlightening session with her, you may listen to the full interview here.

K-dramas are incredible narratives relating to dreams and goals while preserving the distinctiveness of people without blurring their lived experiences. As we consume them, that improves our mental health. A universal story like Pachinko, although not essentially a K-drama, chronicles a Korean immigrant family, spanning four generations, as they flee their homeland in an unrelenting quest to survive and prosper. Pachinko got me. The characters served as subtle parallels for how we must never quit the game of life, regardless of the odds stacked against us.

Let’s examine some crisis situations from K-dramas. We met a schoolgirl navigating obstacles in Annarasumanara (aka The Sound of Magic) alongside a magician with a tragic history. When they interact, they take care of each other’s hurts. It is a poignantly uplifting plot about becoming who you aspire to be, and it includes lessons on chasing fulfillment by investing in your goals. Similarly, in Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, everything goes awry when Mr. Hong (Kim Seon-ho) is accused of wrecking a normal man’s life. This episode’s public disclosure was dreadful for him, and it was obvious that he needed some time to collect himself and weep it out. He was so bitter that he had contemplated harming himself. He makes us more mindful of how crucial it is to communicate with others while we identify with his scenario. Like this, K-dramas affect how we live and learn from them, which is another mental and spiritual process of recovery.

The main cast in Healer contends with their previous traumas of abandonment as well as their bid for betterment. Because you can identify with what is happening, you remain intrigued until the very end. K-dramas like My Id Is Gangnam Beauty and True Beauty, which essentially say that true beauty comes from accepting who you are, ring relevant. These stories offer uplifting and therapeutic qualities that are based on mental health. They serve as excellent prototypes of authority, determination, resilience, solving problems, and freedom of expression, much like celebrated K-dramas like the Descendants of the Sun, My Mister, or The Red Sleeve.

You’ve got Countless K-dramas, about love and affection, heroism, hardships and accomplishments, anxiety and dread, solitude and sadness, interpersonal dynamics, and a lot more that are there to touch you. Your personal growth is facilitated by their characters’ evolution throughout time as you watch them and empathize with them. Your sense of self-worth increases as you feel one with them, mending your mental health and preserving your inner peace. So, watch more K-dramas whenever you can, especially when you’re down, and know that loneliness happens. Regret and grief are common. But bear in mind what Moon Gang-tae (Kim Soo-hyun) says in It’s Okay to Be Okay: “It’s okay to not be okay. It’s okay to be scared. But you have to try to fight.”