According to Hankook Ilbo, the aging trend is being clearly shown in recently aired Korean films - where main roles are often given to established actors in their 40s and 50s.
For example, on August 10, JTBC launched a new weekend drama "Romance in the House" with the participation of actors Kim Ji Soo (51 years old) and Ji Jin Hee (53 years old). , revolves around the story of a divorced couple.
On August 12, ENA premiered the movie "Your Honor" with the participation of veteran actor duo Son Hyun Joo (59 years old) and Kim Myung Min (51 years old) in the main roles, episode Focus on the love of two fathers.
Similarly, KBS's new movie - "Perfect Family" begins airing on August 14 with the participation of Kim Byung Chul (50 years old) and Yoon Se Ah (46 years old) as a married couple. caught up in a murder.
Hankook Ilbo estimates that the average age of the 6 main actors in the 3 newly released dramas is 51.6 years old. This shows that Korean film content is currently in line with the country's changing demographics - aging.
Previously, the Korean Bureau of Statistics said that the average age of the population had increased to 45.7 years old, double the average age in 1980 of 21 years old. In July, the number of people aged 65 and over exceeded 10 million, bringing the country closer to becoming a super-aged society.
This is also a new challenge for Korean cinema , when dramas for young people are becoming increasingly rare. "It's hard to find dramas where young actors voice the concerns and stories of their generation.
Even the most popular and discussed dramas in the first half of this year mainly focused on the conflicts and relationships of older people rather than the experiences of young people" - Korean newspaper received. review.
Accordingly, dramas such as "Queen of Tears", which revolves around the story of mending love between a divorced couple, or "Marry My Husband", Stories about a wife's revenge against an unfaithful husband are examples of this trend.
Although there are still youthful romances in "Lovely Runner", or "Twinkling Watermelon", "Twenty-Five Twenty-One" (Age 25, Age 21), "Our Beloved Summer"... however, the story mainly revolves around themes that resonate with audiences in their 30s and 40s.
Speaking about this, culture critic Kim Heon Sik said: "As teen dramas become fewer and fewer, stories about young people have been included in dramas aimed at this audience. The audience is in their 30s and 40s.
Meanwhile, people in their teens and 20s - who are leading trends in social networks and online dramas - will enjoy watching content beyond traditional TV shows."
According to Kim Heon Sik, for youth dramas to be successful, in addition to producers paying attention to the selection stage, the content of the projects needs to be new, attract more audiences, and thereby attract more audiences. narrow the gap between generations.
