Women in Popular Korean Drama: In Need of Embracing 'Cyborg' Feminism

Women in Korean television dramas are depicted as modern, multifaceted, feminine and feminist. However, while rich, varied and complex on the surface; the female characters reveal their identities as remaining bound by traditional notions of what it means to be female, albeit a feminist female. Previous studies in this area are few and far between and do not focus on recently aired shows. As Korean dramas play a vital, conscious and subconscious role in shaping the individual and society, such research is the need of the hour; more so as the global popularity of these dramas has made them the unofficial cultural ambassadors of Asia. Through the lens of Donna Haraway's feminist theory, this paper applies qualitative textual analysis to selected Korean dramas aired in the summer of the year 2020. It finds that female characters in these shows need to embrace what Haraway calls 'cybernetic identity'. Using the symbol of the cyborg which is gender-neutral, these characters need to embrace 'multigenderism' without concern for what 'category' this will put them in, thus allowing their self-expression without the binary constraints of being 'male' or 'female' or the fear of being 'something in between genders'. This research aims to further Gender Studies and inspire depictions of characters devoid of any preconceived notions in Korean dramas.