Weekend Drama Ratings and OTT Rankings No.1
Voice Phishing Criminals, Domestic Violence, and Other Crimes Addressed
Perpetrators Die, Eliciting 'Refreshing' Reactions
Kim Tae-ri's 'Hardship of Youth' Resonates
The drama 'Ak-gwi' (written by Kim Eun-hee, directed by Lee Jeong-rim) depicts the journey of a woman possessed by an evil spirit and a man who can see the spirit as they investigate a mysterious death. In the drama, the evil spirit is a being that grows by fulfilling humans' latent desires. As seen in episodes 1 and 2 already aired, the evil spirit is closely linked to crime.
Writer Kim Eun-hee previously dealt with crime in the tvN detective drama 'Signal.' In that drama, detective Lee Jae-han (played by Jo Jin-woong), who remains in the 1980s, provides clues to Park Hae-young (played by Lee Je-hoon), who lives in the 21st century, through a walkie-talkie to solve cold cases. The cases are resolved within the story. Although it is a drama, viewers felt relief that the cases were solved, which is why many consider 'Signal' a life-changing drama. There were even voices calling for reopening trials for criminals who committed brutal crimes despite the statute of limitations having expired.
'Ak-gwi' follows a similar narrative. The evil spirit drives a voice phishing scammer, who defrauded the protagonist Gu San-young's (played by Kim Tae-ri) mother Kyung-moon (played by Park Ji-young) of her house deposit, to death. However, before this conclusion, the criminal undergoes police investigation and is soon released back into society. From the victim's perspective, this is infuriating. Ultimately, Gu San-young quietly utters, "People are scarier than ghosts."
The voice phishing crimes depicted in 'Ak-gwi' are becoming increasingly sophisticated. According to statistics from the National Police Agency, the amount lost to voice phishing last year was 145.1 billion won. Although this shows a declining trend since 2019 (672 billion won), recently, the proportion of face-to-face extortion-type voice phishing has increased, and the methods have become more intelligent. So-called 'customized voice phishing scenarios' tailored to the victim's situation, rather than targeting random individuals, are also problematic.
Therefore, the scene of the voice phishing scammer being targeted by the evil spirit in episode 1, though brutal, left a strong impression on viewers. Park, a university student in their 20s who revealed they watched episode 1 of 'Ak-gwi,' said, "(Voice) phishing scammers are truly a social problem, so seeing them (die) was satisfying." They also emphasized, "Kim Tae-ri seems to express the feelings of people in their 20s well. Studying, working part-time, and even falling victim to phishing created a strong sense of empathy."
Perhaps because of this widespread empathy, 'Ak-gwi' recorded a 9.9% viewership rating for its first episode (Nielsen Korea, nationwide standard) and surpassed double digits (10%) by the second episode, ranking first among dramas airing at the same time. It also topped the Disney+ Korea TV show category on the OTT platform viewing ranking site, Pullin Spam Troll.
Another episode in 'Ak-gwi' deals with domestic violence. In this case, what was initially thought to be the work of ghosts is revealed to be the cruel acts of parents. According to National Police Agency statistics, the number of domestic violence reports in 2020 was 222,046, down from 240,564 in 2019. However, it is difficult to conclusively say domestic violence has decreased based on numbers alone. There may be tacit domestic violence occurring within homes, and concealment is also possible.
The perpetrator in the so-called 'Refrigerator Infant Corpse Case,' which recently sparked significant social outrage, was also revealed to be the biological mother. The suspect is accused of killing infants born in 2018 and 2019 immediately after birth and storing the bodies in an apartment in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, where she lived. Watching such scenes, viewers experience anger and fear, increasing their capacity for empathy. By using tragic real-life events as motifs in the crime, thriller, and occult genres, the drama allows for a critical interpretation of a reality where criminals worse than evil spirits run rampant.
Cultural critic Jung Deok-hyun analyzed, "'Ak-gwi' shows crimes and incidents we are familiar with, which gives it a sense of realism. Adding Kim Tae-ri's 'youth' character allows emotional empathy with young people struggling through tough lives." He added, "In fact, the people closest to these crimes are often the poor, and this awareness is also embedded in the work. It seems to provoke awareness and empathy."
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