"High Kick Is Still So Funny Even When Watched Again" 10 Million Views... MZ Generation Revisiting Old Dramas [Youth Report]

Viewers Searching for Old Dramas
Evoking Nostalgia
Related YouTube Video Views Increase

Recently, dramas that were popular 20 years ago have regained popularity among young people. In response, the OTT (online video service) industry is remastering 2000s dramas, and on YouTube, content summarizing past dramas and sitcoms in short clips has surpassed 10 million views. Viewers tired of today's violent and provocative works are showing interest in older dramas that evoke nostalgia, even if they seem somewhat outdated.

Daily sitcom High Kick Through the Roof. MBC homepage

Meeting 'Sorry, I Love You' and 'My Name is Kim Sam-soon' in 2024

Recently, the OTT platform Wavve has been carrying out the 'New Classic Project,' which recreates dramas that were greatly loved in the 2000s as 2024 versions. This project features original key staff members directly participating in production to maintain the original quality while reflecting current viewing trends in the form of OTT series.

On the 22nd, the director's cut of the popular 2004 drama Sorry, I Love You (Misa) was released, drawing attention. The drama tells the story of 'Mu-hyuk' (played by So Ji-sub), an adoptee abandoned by his parents and raised in Australia, who comes to Korea after being diagnosed with a terminal illness and falls into a tragic love with 'Eun-chae' (played by Im Soo-jung). The drama was so popular at the time that new terms like 'Misa addict' and 'Misa fever' were coined. The final episode also achieved a viewership rating of 28.6% (based on the metropolitan area), marking a successful conclusion. The newly released '[Director's Cut] Sorry, I Love You 2024' has been significantly condensed from 16 episodes to 6 to increase pacing. Netizens who watched the work commented, "I became a Misa addict belatedly," and "I watched this drama in high school; some parts don't fit today's sensibilities, but a masterpiece is a masterpiece."

'I'm Sorry, I Love You' leads Im Soo-jung (left) and So Ji-sub. Photo by KBS

Earlier, in September, Wavve also released the drama My Name is Kim Sam-soon. This drama, which aired in 2005, cheerfully depicts the life and love of 30-year-old single woman Kim Sam-soon. On the day of its release, it became the top content driving new paid subscriptions on Wavve, generating significant buzz. Wavve explained in a press release, "Keywords related to Kim Sam-soon have been trending daily on various SNS and online communities, and new interpretations by today's viewers have emerged, making it a rapidly rising topic."

Fatigue from Provocative Contemporary Content

'Gung' poster. Provided by MBC

The OTT industry's focus on old dramas is driven by high viewer demand. The YouTube channel 'Yetdeu: MBC Old Dramas,' which introduces past dramas, has 3.96 million subscribers, and a video editing a scene from the drama Palace has surpassed 25.13 million views. Additionally, videos related to the sitcom High Kick Through the Roof have recorded about 16.6 million views. Comments such as "Still fun to watch," "A drama that brings back memories of that time," and "Completed binge-watching in 2024" dominate the positive feedback.

Among these, some younger viewers compare old dramas to current realities. For example, in My Name is Kim Sam-soon, 'Kim Sam-soon' (played by Kim Sun-a) is portrayed as a 30-year-old single woman with a "corny" name. However, from today's perspective, the idea of considering a 30-year-old a single woman is seen as awkward. Viewers commented on related YouTube videos, "To be teased for being a single woman at 30," "Sam-soon, whom I watched at 20, was just a tomboy, but now I see she is a truly admirable woman who faces hardships without despair, stands confidently, makes independent decisions, and moves forward," and "It's fun and nice to see the era's portrayal again."

Drama 'My Name is Kim Sam-soon'. MBC Homepage

Another reason for the popularity is fatigue from today's provocative content. As the content market overheats, works with provocative and sensational settings continue to appear, causing viewers to feel tired and seek the somewhat mild charm of older dramas.

According to the '2024 Overseas Hallyu Survey' announced by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in April, 32.6% of respondents agreed with negative perceptions of Hallyu, an increase of 5.5 percentage points from the previous year. The main reasons were "excessively provocative and sensational" (24.9%), "uniform and boring" (22.0%), and "overly commercialized" (21.1%). The survey was conducted online from November 10 to 30 last year, targeting 25,000 Korean cultural content consumers in 26 countries.