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See You in 100+ Years or So: Immortality and the Afterlife in K-Dramas

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Philosophies of Appropriated Religions

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Abstract

South Korean dramas or K-dramas have been top-rated worldwide. The dubbed or subtitled shows’ success is due to their sometimes outrageous yet wholesome storylines. They tackle family, love, relationship, and career themes. However, religious themes wherein immortal and reincarnated characters recur are noticeable in some of these K-dramas. The main characters have lived for 100+ years or so, and they have been waiting for their lovers to be reborn in their many lifetimes. These character and storyline themes reflect South Korean religious believers’ and practitioners’ understanding of reincarnation and immortality. South Korea, after all, is the dwelling place of various world religions such as Christianity, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Shamanism (and atheism and irreligion). This chapter aims to shed light on the philosophical-religious motivations of these shows by investigating select K-dramas storylines and characters, their cultural nuances, and the underpinnings of these themes. Although K-dramas are fictional, their themes reflect how traditional religious questions may be understood as they expound on the existence and nature of the divine, the cycle of reincarnation, and the nature of the afterlife.

For Surrey, in this year and the next 100+ years or so

Life without love is no life at all.

—Leonardo Da Vinci

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Notes

  1. 1.

    However, these storylines are not evident in pure supernatural/mystical fantasy shows like The Uncanny Counter (Kim, 2020, 2020–2021 or Hellbound (Byung, 2021). These tropes tend to be centered on the paranormal urban fantasy romance genre.

  2. 2.

    There have been criticisms about the show, specifically about Do Min-joon’s superhuman powers as he protects the female human lead Cheong Son Yi who is weak and helpless in their romantic relationship (Shao, 2020). The same criticisms on the portrayals of “excessive glorification of powerful men” have also been made on Guardian (Kim & Yoon, 2016–2017), wherein the Goblin protects Eun Tak from perilous circumstances every time she blows out a flame (Hassim et al., 2019, p. 78).

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Acknowledgements

My thanks go to Anamarie Avecilla, Glovedi Bigornia, Mandel Cabrera, Helen De Cruz, Natalja Deng, Rosallia Domingo, Scott Gordon, Frank Hoffman, Soraj Hongladarom, JJB Joaquin, Jun Young Kim, Eric Lee, Kapyong Lee, Michael Mariano, Ariane Moore, Sheryl Morales, Sylvia Nagasawa, Yujin Nagasawa, Ramon Nandres, Martin Pickup, Fernando Santiago, Jr., Shivanand Sharma, Anne Claire Simpao, Khai Wager, and Daniel Waxkirsh for their comments, support, questions, and constructive feedback. Various versions of this chapter were presented in the Annual Meeting of the Philosophy and Religion Society of Thailand [20–22 December 2021], the Philosophy of Religion Workshop at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom [22 July 2022], the Global Philosophy of Religion Project: Philosophies of Appropriated Religions in Southeast Asia Culminating Conference in Bangkok, Thailand [5–7 September 2022], and the Philosophy of Religion in Asia Workshop at Underwood International College, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea [31 March–1 April 2023].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines

    Hazel T. Biana

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  1. Hazel T. Biana
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Correspondence to Hazel T. Biana .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Science Technology & Society, Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand

    Soraj Hongladarom

  2. Department of Philosophy, De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines

    Jeremiah Joven Joaquin

  3. International Buddhist Studies College, Mahaculalongkornrajavidyalaya University, Ayutthaya, Thailand

    Frank J. Hoffman

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Biana, H.T. (2023). See You in 100+ Years or So: Immortality and the Afterlife in K-Dramas. In: Hongladarom, S., Joaquin, J.J., Hoffman, F.J. (eds) Philosophies of Appropriated Religions. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-5191-8_3

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