Why Are College-Themed K-Dramas So Popular Among Students?

Published on 2023/06/16

K-dramas have become a new big trend. These are TV series produced in South Korea. Initially, they were called Korean dramas, though the global audience got better accustomed to the shorter name. Although Korea has never been a major global producer of cinematographic works, K-dramas have taken the world by storm. According to a 2022 Statista survey, 36% of respondents across 26 countries confirmed that K-dramas were very trending in their countries during that year. What's more, 66% of respondents said they were popular even outside of dedicated fan circles.

Today, these series keep gaining momentum far beyond Korea. Students are also keeping up with the trend. Apparently, the culture of watching K-dramas is especially booming among college people. Young people spend hours on end watching popular series. And if you haven't tried it yourself, you'd better do it. Delegate your assignments to professionals who can write a research paper for me and throw a TV night with some of the best series. We bet that you will love it! After all, Korean dramas seem to have a secret formula to success behind them. In this article, we will tell you what exactly makes them so popular among students!

K-Dramas Target Students

The first reason why these series are so trending among college people is that they were actually meant to be like this.

According to the KOCCA Report, an in-depth study of the consumption patterns of Korean series in the US revealed that the primary audience of these dramas is young people between 16-25 years - 58.5%. Among them, 35.9% are aged between 16 and 20, and 22.6% are between 21 and 25.

These numbers indicate only one thing. Apparently, these shows were initially targeting high school and college students. And this is not surprising given the huge number of college-themed K-dramas like "My ID is Gangnam Beauty", "Age of Youth", which are especially trending.

Wide Accessibility Thanks to Streaming Platforms

Another important point in the popularity of shows produced in Korea is their rising accessibility.

This genre first gained popularity in Korea in the early 2000s. However, they only started gaining momentum worldwide a couple of years ago. According to a Google report, in 2018, the number of searches related to K-dramas skyrocketed by 70% compared to 2017.

It's believed that this sudden rise was initiated by the growing availability of this content. Thanks to different streaming platforms that delivered Korean content, it became broadly accessible to people across the globe. Thus, more people were able to find it and give it a try. Today, this kind of content is available on all students' favorite services, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, KOCOWA, Viki, viu, and others.

5 Distinguishing Features of K-Dramas That Boost Their Popularity

Of course, accurate targeting and marketing, as well as vast accessibility, gave a push for Korean content. However, these aren't the primary reasons why it's trending so much.

Here is a brief overview of the key distinctive features of this content that make it trending among students:

It's Shorter Than American Content

Most Korean series run for around 16 episodes. Their American counterparts, on the contrary, typically run for 22 or more episodes. This fact makes Korean shows much more digestible. And this is especially important for student audiences. We all know that students have incredibly busy schedules. They typically don't have much time and attention span that are required for longer series. That's why watching K-dramas is a perfect option for them. These shows don't take as much time. In fact, you can delegate your assignments to the best research paper writing services and finish watching your beloved show in only a day.

It Tackles Important Social Issues

Korean content is known for addressing a variety of social issues. Moreover, it does it in a way that resonates with the audience. In particular, college-themed dramas typically explore such common problems as bullying, mental health, gender inequality, love, family, and many others. All these topics are relatable for college people.

It Features a Good-Looking Cast

An extremely polished aesthetic has always been an integral feature of Korean pop culture. Whether in TV series, movies, or music, all local celebrities (commonly called idols) are incredibly good-looking, polished, and attractive. Experts believe that this is also a part of the success formula.

It's Very Well-Produced

If you haven't seen Korean content yet, we bet that watching it for the first time will definitely make an impression on you. The thing is that this content tends to be incredibly well-produced. Over the past decade, the production value in the country has increased tremendously. Now, K-dramas always feature flawless settings, excellent scripts, beautiful actors and actresses, and great acting. Such a high quality of production also improves the appeal of this content among global audiences.

It Has a Balance of Originality and Predictability

If you are a fan of TV series, you must know about their biggest flaw - they keep you incredibly engaged at first but then get too predictable, which often kills your interest. Well, this isn't true for K-dramas. These shows also have a portion of predictability in them. However, they also hold a lot of originality. This balance of originality and predictability makes these shows incredibly engaging to watch, especially for college students who tend to have rather short attention spans and are rather hard to keep engaged.

The Bottom Line

The rising popularity of Korean music, cinematography, and culture, in general, has started a phenomenon called the "Korean wave". By this time, this wave has already covered global audiences. And it doesn't seem to be slowing down.

One of the most trending elements of this wave is K-drama. College-themed series are attracting more and more students, and now you know the secrets behind their success. So keep up with the trend and give these shows a try yourself!