Gong Yoo, left, and Kim Go-eun played a romantic couple in tvN's sensational TV drama series "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God" that ended in January. / Korea Times file



By Ko Dong-hwan

Unlike countries in the West, South Korea is still rather conservative when it comes to romance.

Among the Confucian standards and ethical references is how old romantic partners should be.

When couples are seen as "too many" years apart, based on subjective consideration, the couple naturally arouses suspicion and questions prying into their comfort zones like "How did they ever hook up?" or "What would their parents say?"

Such interest recently heated up further as viewers considered the lineup of upcoming TV dramas.

A romance between a good-looking hero and heroine ― a classic and hackneyed ingredient in most South Korean small-screen dramas ― has always been there, but when there is an apparent generational gap, it upsets some fans.

At the forefront of criticism is singer/actress Lee Ji-eun, 24, who reportedly is likely to be cast for the heroine of a tvN series tentatively titled "My Old Gentleman." Her romantic partner is said to be Lee Sun-kyun, 42.

Zeze" The reports attracted hundreds of comments criticizing the drama and the casting of Lee, who, as a singer with the stage name IU, was the victim of rumors two years ago saying her song " targeted males with a Lolita complex.

The latest criticism includes such comments as: "A romance between a man in his 40s and woman in her 20s appears as if they are father and daughter" and "As if watching illicit affairs between a middle-aged man and his daughter-like figure is not enough, do I really need to watch it again on TV dramas?"





Go Ara, left, and Song Seung-heon joined a pre-air press conference for TV network OCN's drama series "Black" at a hotel in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Oct. 12. / Korea Times file



Angry fans also berated "Black" airing on OCN since last month, in which Song Seung-heon, 41, flirts with Go Ara, 27, and tvN's coming drama in 2018 "Mr. Sunshine," in which Hollywood stud Lee Byung-hun, 47,plays a hunk alongside Kim Tae-ri, 27. Angry fans also berated airing on OCN since last month, in which Song Seung-heon, 41, flirts with Go Ara, 27, and tvN's coming drama in 2018 "Mr. Sunshine," in which Hollywood stud Lee Byung-hun, 47,plays a hunk alongside Kim Tae-ri, 27.

"Guardian: The Lonely and Great God" The viral criticism of the dramas also focused on tvN's sensational hit that ended in January, a fantasy romance between Gong Yoo, 38, and Kim Go-eun, 26.

One of Korea's top screenwriters, Kim Eun-sook, who penned "Guardian" and "Mr. Sunshine," was also upset when asked whether she liked to portray Lolita complex relationships as true romance.

The general criticism is reflected in a recent hot keyword on the nation's social networks ― "young forty," which refers to South Korean men in their 40s who avidly follow the cultural contents among people in their 20s.

Most netizens criticized the young forties. One critic said, "Do they really want to be recognized as young?" Another noted, "Forties are not young but should protect and advise the young instead."

The idea that 40-something men having romantic affairs with women in their 20s can be charming on screen, or in media, has contributed to the mass-production of "unrealistic and far-fetched" TV dramas, according to online voices.

One drama producer explained that because many popular actors in their 20s and 30s were serving mandatory military service, available quality actors with skills and fame were usually in their 40s.