In Playful Kiss there were a lot of cultural occurrences and references that required further research. I thought that it might be beneficial to others to post what I learned.
Straight Men Holding Hands (skinship)
This scene occurred near the end of episode 3.
Ha Ni and Seung Jo’s dads held hands towards the end of episode 3. As an American, I didn’t understand what was going on. I mean Seung Jo’s dad is married and in fact, the wife was walking in front of them. Now Ha Ni’s dad is a bit on the feminine side, but really…this is too much.
But after further research, I learned that this is a cultural norm in Korean. Grown men will hold hands with other grown men if they are really good friends. There is even a special term for it called skinship (skin + friendship). In fact, close friends of all ages hold hands.
Learning this phrase, opened my eyes a lot. I remember when I was younger there was a Kpop group (I think it was Shinhwa) that was really touchy with each other and I couldn’t understand it. But learning this created a paradigm shift and greater understanding. I now understand why kpop boy bands are so touchy with each other.
Note: American adults typically hold hands with children and significant others. Young children may also be seen holding hands with each other. Plus, I think American men are becoming more opened with other men, as far as the younger generation goes. I don’t think they will go as far as hand holding though, but they do have the ‘bromance.’
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Super Junior (수퍼주니어)
Ha Ni teaching Seung Jo about Kpop
In episode 2, Seung Jo tell Ha Ni that she doesn’t know anything. She holds up the picture above and asks him who the men in the picture are, then proceeds with listing every last one of them. Teaching him that even thought he may be knowledgeable in more academic areas, she isn’t completely dumb. Even I was amazed at her ability to list the whole group. So far BTS is the only Kpop group I can list and 7 members is a stretch for me.
After a google search of the names, I discovered the kpop group to be Super Junior. Super Junior was formed in 2005 debuting with all 12 members: Leeteuk, Heechul, Hangeng, Yesung, Kangin, Shindong, Sungmin, Eunhyuk, Ryowook, and Kibum. Kyuhyun joined in 2006.
Check me out I just listed all the members of Super Junior. Now here are the songs I like by them.
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Drinking in Korea
During the 3rd episode (right before you see Ha Ni and Seung Jo’s dads holding hands), they are at Ha Ni’s dad’s restaurant. Seung Jo’s dad offers Ha Ni a drink. First the dad says she’s too young and then he says that
The history of Korea and alcohol go back to the Korgyo Dynasty (936-943 A.D.). By mid-1300s during the Joseon Dynasty, there was an event held every October Called Hyanguemjurye where scholars gathered to drink and learn drinking manners.
I wondered about the customs when drinking alcohol as far as accepting from others. The legal drinking age in Korea is 20 (or Jan 1 of the year a person turns 20 because everyone is considered a year older when the year turns–which is pretty cool). When receiving a drink from an elder, the receiver must accept the drink politely and say, “thank you.” I know the internet gave me some basic common sense.
Goong the Musical
In episode 5, Hani and Seungjo are tricked by Seungjo’s mom to go to a musical together. Goong was one of the first Korean Dramas I watched and so when I saw the poster, I immediately knew what it was. It turns out that Goong became really popular after its release and so a musical was created. I think that they add this into the drama to promote it to viewers.
Yut Nori
Ha Ni playing some stick game on an antique phone.
So maybe the screen time for this game last a whole second. Who cares? I saw it and I wondered, so here’s what I discovered. This game had several names: yunnori, nyout, and yoot, cheok-sa or sahee. I’m just going to call it yut nori. This is a traditional Korean game that is typically played during the New Year. I downloaded an app of the game trying to better understand it, but…I’m still not completely sure how to do it.
The game consist of a mal-pan (a stitched cloth board), 4 yut sticks, and small tokens (you could use buttons, rocks, coins– use whatever but the opponent must be distinguishable). To understand how to play (or attempt to) click the source link below.
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Marriage Customs
The wedding in Playful Kiss let me to research how much different wedding are in Korea compared to the United States (and possibly other western countries. Despite the fact that it is common for men to hold hands, Koreans aren’t open to same sex marriage. Marriage is between a man and a woman over 20. Some couples are able to get married earlier with their parent’s consent. In the U.S. marriage is typically just for the individual, but in Korea marriage is for the whole family. Before the marriage can occur, the family must approve it. Which you can see in so many Korean dramas.
Korean Names
Browsing through YouTube looking at different videos, I stumbled upon one about Korean Names. I discovered that Koreans will sometimes give their children generational names, meaning siblings will share a name sometimes. After all the Korean dramas I have watched, I was surprised that I didn’t noticed this early. While watching Playful Kiss, I noticed the Baek brothers had the same generational names (Seungjo and Eunjo). Here’s a video with more insightful information about Korean names:
Whew! I learned a lot of things about Korean culture from just this one drama.
Did you learn something new? Let me know in the comments.
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