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K Drama Chat's List of K Drama Elements That Nearly Ever K Drama Has

Listeners, we talk about K Drama elements in every episode of our podcast! These elements are the tropes, objects, scenes and settings that we see in nearly every K Drama! Since we've added so many new elements recently, here is our most current list. Which elements are your favorites? What are we missing? Should any of these elements be renamed?

Please comment about your favorite elements and where you've seen those elements!

  1. Beautiful actors, especially 5 characters

  2. Second leads or second couples

  3. Crying

  4. Back hug

  5. Clothing

  6. Food

  7. Amazing Cooking Skills, especially chopping

  8. Alcohol

  9. Wrist grab

  10. Holding hands

  11. First kiss, with a 360 view or multi-angle view

  12. Trip and catch

  13. Triangles

  14. Flowers

  15. Umbrella scene, with a sub-element of the man protecting the woman with an umbrella while rain falls on his shoulder

  16. A great OST (original soundtrack)

  17. Deep lean

  18. Some connection from their past

  19. Grandfather or older person keeping the couple apart

  20. Head rest

  21. Beach scene

  22. Fireworks scene

  23. Talking to someone while they’re sleeping

  24. Saving your loved one from an oncoming biker, motorcycle or car or delivery guy

  25. First snow

  26. Putting on a shoe or fixing a shoe

  27. Touching or fixing a loved one’s hair

  28. Piggyback ride

  29. Quirky best friend

  30. Showing off some amazing abs

  31. Protecting someone you love at personal cost to yourself

  32. Confession

  33. Finding your love across a crowded street, bridge or plaza

  34. Product placement

  35. Seeing your loved one or future love in a beautiful outfit and you are dumbstruck

  36. Character who does not believe they are worthy of happiness

  37. Death or a funeral

  38. Tending to a loved one’s wound

  39. Playing at an arcade and/or trying to win a stuffed animal for your loved one

  40. Taking care of a sick loved one

  41. Shoulder tap

  42. Cameo

  43. Orphan/adopted character

  44. Device or notebook that connects people across time and space

  45. Having your love lean on you and you decide not to move in order to not disturb them

  46. When snuggling with a loved one, one of the leads says “Just five more minutes”

  47. CCTV cameras and footage

  48. Hand clamped to mouth

  49. Sink to the ground with great emotion

  50. Telling someone to stay with you

  51. Water scene

  52. Asking someone to talk casually

  53. Truck of doom

  54. Bromance

  55. Long wait for love

  56. Person with mixed loyalties


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K Drama Chat is a weekly podcast where we take one Korean (K) Drama each season and and recap and analyze each episode. K Drama Chat is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Pandora.

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