The Audience Reception of International Co-production Dramain East Asian Nations

　　Yu, Sae Kyung(Professor, Ewha Woman's Univ.)

　　Chung, Yoon Kyung(Director, Korean Broadcasting Institute)

　　Abstract

　　International co-production has become an increasingly important mode for television programs with the explosion of broadcasting market. Unlike western nations Asian countries have recently adopted this production system. Co-productions in Asian region were started as means of cultural understandings and exchanges, rather than financial purposes. After the first Korean-Japan co-production drama 'Friends' in 2002, several co-production dramas were followed.

　　This article examines audience receptions of Asian co-production dramas in respective countries. One of the major purposes of this article is to compare audience receptions between Korea and partner countries to answer the different performances in each market. For the analysis, audience responses of 'Friends' and 'Beijing, my love' in each program's internet homepage is collected. As Korean 'Friends' homepage is shut down, alternative media, such as newspapers, other internet sites are collected for analysis.

　　The result shows that audience in each country responds in a significantly different way to a co-produced drama. Korean audience shows relatively critical opinions compared to the audience in Japan and China. Japanese 'Friends' audience appreciates plot and characters in general. They tend to be absorbed in plots and characters with their situations and themselves. Many of them confess their ignorance for other cultures, and take 'Friends' as a good chance to learn them. Chinese 'Beijing my love' audience shows similar attitudes. They appreciate exotic cultures and sceneries out of similar cultures of Korea. Knowledge sought attitude for background music and commercial goods is another traits of Chinese audience.

　　The most distinctive characteristics of Korean audience is that they tend to link dramas with historical facts more frequently and easily than other audiences. They recall their uncomfortable history from detailed behaviors and dialogues. It is certain that, unlike Japanese and Chinese, Koreans watch co-produced dramas not as an individual audience but as a national audience who had painful experiences.

　　Co-produced dramas explore cultural transparency and transnational imagination to avoid cultural, historical differences and to enhance acceptability. However, it seems that those devices are not attractive enough to eliminate or cure the chronic disease caused by common experience from the past. These are the difficulties for Asian co-production dramas, and obstacles for the development of Asian regional culture.

　　Key Word: Asian Regional Culture, Co-production Drama, Audience Reception