By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
Korean dramas are getting old.
Young and glamorous stars in a typical "Cinderella-like" love story that have spurred hallyu, or the Korean Wave, are struggling to hold onto the viewers. Instead, soap operas targeting the older crowd, especially the "ajumma", are on the rise.
The "ajumma" refers to the middle-aged married women in Korean, who have always been steady drama watchers with huge power over who gets to control the tv remote as well as the household budget in Korean households.
But as viewers tire of stereotyped Korean dramas with sappy, romantic themes and repetitive storylines, the young, especially those in their 20s, are turning a cold shoulder to tv.
The current trendy dramas _ "Smile Again", aired on SBS featuring such top young stars as Kim Hee-seon and Lee Dong-geon, "Great Expectations" on KBS starring Kim Jae-won and Han Ji-min, and "One Fine Day", on MBC starring Gong Yu and Sung Yu-ree _ all ended up with low viewer ...|
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