Of Casinos and Mangoes: Korean Drama Representations of the Philippine Islands

A noticeable trope in South Korean dramas is using actual specific islands as settings. The Philippine islands have been mentioned and portrayed in almost all types of Korean TV drama genres, such as romance, suspense, drama, comedy, action, crime and fantasy. In the first part of the article, these fictional island representations are examined to uncover two types of depictions of cultures of ‘islandness’ or constructions of island identity, the first of which is tropical and paradisiacal, where everything is exotically beautiful, blissful, and bountiful; and the second, dark, dangerous, and chaotic, where criminals and outcasts exercise corruption and power. The second part examines ‘cultural-imperial’ or ‘re- oriental’ suggestions and assumptions in these K-dramas.