explores why marriage is not all sunshine and butterflies in the popular Korean drama "The World of Couples ".
"The World of the Married" adapted from the British TV series " Doctor Foster " , tells the story of married couple Ji Sun Woo (played by Kim Hee Ae) and Lee Tae Woo (played by Park Hae Joon ). At first, they looked like any other married couple: happy, content, and full of love. However, Sun Woo soon discovers that her husband is not the loving and loyal man she married. As Tae-woo's extramarital affair comes to light, Sun-woo finds himself choosing between saving the marriage or getting a divorce.
Look at extramarital affairs
Extramarital affairs are nothing new in the Korean drama world. For example, "Afternoon Love" and " Misty" (co-directed with "The Married World ") both explore infidelity. However, "The World of Couples" explores the topic in more depth than its predecessors with sheer intensity and rawness.
On the surface, Sun-woo is Tae-woo's perfect wife: not only does she juggle the duties of housewife and hospital vice president, but she also financially supports Tae-woo's failed film production company, and is a loving spouse.
Even with such a seemingly perfect wife, Tai Wu found a reason to cheat - he felt more energetic and masculine with his younger mistress. Part of the reason is Tae-woo's own insecurity about his more successful wife. He was constantly reminding himself in his marriage that he was just a struggling director relying on his wife for support.
Like many other Korean dramas, World of Couples doesn't portray its characters as pure good or bad, but reserves judgment on the wrongdoers of marital struggles. Instead, the show highlights Sun Woo and Tae Woo's flaws and failures, leaving viewers to draw their own conclusions. "The Married World" highlights how poor and insecure Tae-oh is, while Sun-woo is a workaholic and a domineering parent.
Divorce or not?
The show goes out of its way to show how complicated marriage can be. After learning about Tae Woo's infidelity, some Western viewers would expect Sun Woo to get an immediate divorce.
However, she just dabbled in the idea. Her actions underscore that marriage is complicated and that divorce isn't always the best option for women -- or people women care about.
Sun Woo has to consider the impact of divorce on her teenage son Jun Hyung. Junhyung is psychologically influenced by his parents' conflict and has to "pick sides"; this leads him to lash out through petty behavior such as running away from home and even shoplifting. Sun Woo is also concerned about the stigma of the society against divorced , and the stigma that Junhyung may face. Ultimately, "The Married World" emphasizes that marital problems can affect not only married people, but those caught in the middle.
Korea is still a socially conservative country; divorce is not an open topic of discussion. However, Koreans slowly began to accept divorce, in part because the romance of famous celebrities like Song Song couple ( Song Hye Kyo and Song Joong Ki) ended up in divorce. Today, Korea has one of the highest divorce rates in East Asia.
Many women are also in "twilight" marriages or loveless marriages, which is what another couple in The Married World is going through. These couples sometimes choose to divorce when the children grow up so that they can be financially independent after the divorce.
Before 2015, extramarital affairs were actually a crime in South Korea. but illegal acts rarely deter infidelity because technically adultery is in philippines It is still illegal in other countries and even parts of the United States. Unsurprisingly, a study by Lina Korea, , showed that more than half of married Korean men have had an extramarital affair at least once in their lifetime. A prominent real-life case of extramarital affairs is the affair between famous director Hong Sang-soo and actress Kim Min-hee, who had starred in his movie .
A tale of revenge
In addition to his views on extramarital affairs and divorce, The Married World also looks at revenge. The psychological battle between Sun Woo and Tae Woo is comforting, but even more exciting is how Sun Woo will get revenge on her husband. Far from being a cliché love story, the show is clearly in the revenge thriller genre—with the soundtrack just right. It's a drama that doesn't cut corners on the plot pacing either, as it revealed it in the first episode.
Due to its episode rating of 19+, expect "The Married World" to be lively at times. But don't mistake The Married World for soft porn. The production team said that , the reason for the rating is not necessarily the steamy scene - it also played a role in the true portrayal of the dark part of the marriage.
Another laudable aspect is Kim Hee Ae's performance as the mighty Sun Woo. This is not her first time in a controversial drama. She previously appeared in "Secret Love" in which her character had an affair with a man 20 years her junior, and in "My Husband's Woman" she played a mistress.
With so many clichéd Korean romance dramas, "The World of Couples " is a breath of fresh air. This highly rated drama makes a bold attempt to tackle a controversial topic and doesn't shy away from portraying it realistically. Sun Woo is also a rare strong heroine in Korean dramas (they often reduce heroines to mesmerizing lovers).
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The World of Couples (Korean: 부부의 세계) - South Korea. Korean conversation. Directed by Mo Wanyi. Starring Kim Hee-ae, Park Hae-joon and Han So-hee.
