But even this brilliant, accomplished woman didn’t speak any Korean, a language she never heard growing up. Then a member of the French Civil Service, she returned to South Korea in 2013 – the first time since she was adopted by a French family. In essence, Koreans are hoping adoptees are success stories like Fleur Pellerin, whose real life embodies the ideal adoptee narrative. In order to maintain this fantasy, many K-dramas present transracial adoptees as having affluent adoptive parents, according to Lee – a former director of Amnesty International Korea – who points out that these shows offer the impression that it’s easy for adoptees to assimilate back into their birth culture. Because when a country sends out such a huge number of children, there is this hope that it was for the child, for their welfare, for their future – that it is much better for them to go out of this country than to just stay here.” “The stories of intercountry adoptees in K-dramas is the embodiment of our fantasy – the imagination of Korean people. “South Korea has the longest history of sending away its children and it cannot be explained by war or poverty anymore,” says Lee Kyung-eun, director of Human Rights Beyond Borders and author of the book, The Children-selling Country.

But all too often, adoptees – especially those raised in the West – are treated as a fictional afterthought. There are also subplots about child abandonment and secret adoptions. There are several recurring tropes that pop up often in many K-dramas, such as the second lead syndrome (where two attractive men vie for one woman’s attention) and the meddling wealthy parents who try to break up their adult child’s relationship. K-dramas are an art form that blur reality with fantasy for entertainment purposes. Even if Gi-hun had legally adopted the boy (which isn’t likely), giving him away to someone else – no matter how well-intended – isn’t legal. But it opens up questions about the morality of his actions. This scene is meant to convey a sense of optimism in a pessimistic series. He asks her to raise the orphan and she happily agrees. Gi-hun shows up at the home of an elderly family friend with the boy, and a suitcase filled with his prize money.

He eventually keeps his promise, sort of.

The North Korean defector, Sae-byeok ( played by Jung Ho-yeon), asks Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) to care for her younger brother – who is waiting for her in a child welfare center – if she dies. Even Squid Game, Netflix’s all-time most popular series, has an adoption element. But many Korean dramas don’t shy away from the topic, which pops up often ( Vincenzo, Sweet Home, Coffee Prince). Due to the country’s history as “ baby exporters,” adoption is a somewhat taboo subject in South Korea.

Park seo joon fight my way