Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ABC KID]

When I first came to Korea I was given a clapped out TV almost the size of a car by a hagwon director. I could only get a picture (a bad one at that) on about two channels so I never used to watch TV. I couldn't understand Korean which didn't help either.

Anyway years on and I watch quite a lot of Korean TV. I watch MBC ESPN for the sport (esp. English Premier League). I seem to end up watching KBS more than any other channel. I was labelled an 'ajumma' by one Korean because I watch quite a few dramas. OCN is okay for the occasional film.

Needless to say I avoid Arirang like the plague. My friend visited in the summer and I told him about this channel. Any doubts he had were disposed within the first ten seconds when a documentary showing an American climbing a mountain with a Korean companion within Korean was aired. They were walking slowing and the American suddenly stopped. His facial expression resembled someone that had just been told that his whole family had been murdered - cue Arirang's interpretation, 'He can hardly contain his astonishment of the overwhelming beauty of the area'. Other than this experience though my friend was absolutely fascinated by Korean TV - I don't know if that should be taken as praise for Korean TV or just that it had novelty value.

Anyway, what are your Korean TV viewing habits?
Are you a fan of Korean TV and why?
What is your favorite Korean TV Channel?
Do you have a favorite program and why?

[maddog]

Even back in the UK, I very rarely watch TV. It's all brain-drain IMO. Soap-operas, celebrity (read has-been or wanna-be) shows, reality TV, dramas, pointless ****ing quiz shows. There have been a few innovative shows over the years, but it's mostly filler.

Aside from the fact that I speak very little Korean, I have little desire to watch the drivel they show over here. Even without understanding what they're saying, it's easy to see that it's all complete pap.

My gym is full of TVs and they're usually tuned to some reality/game-show/quiz nonsense. The Korean gym-goers p!$$ themselves laughing at what seems to be extremely low-budget, low-IQ entertainment. (they find it easy to laugh since all they do is walk on a flat treadmill at 5km/h)

Maybe I'm wrong. Perhaps under all the cheesy music, canned-laughter, and garish on-screen captions there's a truly ingenious form of entertainment.

Nah, I'm right.

[Integra]

I'm in complete agreement with maddog. Korean TV is extremely painful for me to watch. I only watch for sports and then turn the volume down. I don't really like the reality stuff or gameshow craze from back home either, but the stuff they show here...ugh.

Maybe there was a novelty period where I watched just because I was just in shock from it. That came and went quickly. Now it's like fingernails on a chalkboard when my wife is watching these shows. For the comedy, the endless graphics and random popups, captions, replays of laughing, falling, yelling, and general idiocy is awful to watch. Maybe worst of all, for me, is seeing the same bloody group of 8-10 'comic geniuses', trying to one up each other. Worse still, is that they are multiple stations, all hours of the day and night. There is no escape. You think these comedians might suffer from over-exposure, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

And the dramas? They are just as painful. The same love triangle story in every drama, the same type of characters (always rich and tortured), the grandma and grandpa sitting in the same bedroom set as every other drama (same actors half the time, too!), the porno-set lighting quality, I could go on...Sorry, probably already went on too long. So yeah, I try and avoid Korean TV whenever possible.

[GoldMember]

I watch the comedy channel-Arirang TV, has me rolling around in stiches.

[rumdiary]

I watch David Letterman and Judge Judy on AFN

[crusher_of_heads]

How can one not cynically love the fromage that is Arirang?

I got the BBC on my tv, so I listen to the brief news before turning in.

I watch AXN and OCN.

At the gym Superaction-I don't watch a lot of TV to begin with-but Arirang is just too funny when not spreading lies xenophobia and hate.

[Newbie]

[kiwiduncan]

I'm often advised to watch Korean TV in order to improve my listening but forcing myself to watch Korean comedies and dramas is an irritating and painful experience.

In fact I'd go so far as to say watching them is actually counter-productive as a 'learning aid', as they generally show the shallowest aspects of Korean society and I have to ask myself why am I learning the language if this is all they have to offer.

Arirang is utter crap. They always go on about the 'Korean wave' (comparable to a splash of piss from a urinal in my opinion) and crap Korean popstars and are utterly patronising towards foreign residents here. The not-quite-real America accents of the younger presenters are incredibly grating, though the same cannot be said for the female news reader, who is quite charming.

There is some good stuff on Korean TV though. YTN seems to offer a better range of higher quality programming, as does EBS. I've seen some good documentaries about social issues, health programmes and nature shows. Though my Korean listening is not good enough to take a lot of it in, it's interesting stuff that I actually want to know about, so I pay much more attention and sometimes surprise myself with what I can pick up.

[Fishead soup]

Dea Han Mingook
O.C.N. number # channel

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