What were the top five professions in k-dramas this year? There were physical trainers, carpenters, and kimchi makers, idols, spies and producers, but as always the number one profession is chaebol. Characters have to be born with a silver spoon in their mouths to qualify but that does not mean they won't have to work hard to retain that birthright.
Male and female heirs to the family legacy were found in "Heard It Through The Grapevine," "Mask," "Yong Pal," "Falling For Innocence," "High Society," "Kill Me Heal Me," and "Oh My Venus," just to name a few. That's not unusual in k-dramas.
The next profession to get a nod was the medical profession. Ahn Jae Hyun, Gu Hye Sun and Ji Jin Hee played doctors in the vampire drama "Blood." Hwang Jung Eum was a psychologist in "Kill Me, Heal Me." Kim Young Kwang, Jung So Min and Ha Suk Jin provided emergency medical care when an earthquake struck Seoul in "D-Day." Joo Won was a doctor with great bedside manner but a questionable sense of ethics in "Yong Pal." Lee Dong Wook is a doctor in "Bubble Gum."
But the most popular profession in 2015 dramaland was detective. Yook Sung Jae played a rookie detective with true instinct in "The Village - Achiara's Secret." Kim Bum played a detective in "Hidden Identity." "Pride and Prejudice," which finished in 2015, was about a team of detectives, with two of the team's members played by Choi Jin Hyuk and Baek Jin Hee. And Baek Jin Hee was only one of a few female detectives featured in k-dramas this year. K-drama heroines were armed and ready to solve crimes this year. "I Remember You" featured Jang Na Ra as a detective. Kim Hee Ae played a cop balancing detective work and being a mom in "Mrs. Cop." Lee Si Young played a detective in "My Beautiful Bride." Kim Sun Ah got entangled with Joo Sang Wook while pursuing justice in "Masked Prosecutor."
The next two popular professions were teachers and writers/reporters. Moon Geun Young played an English teacher in "The Village - Achiara's Secret" although she was also something of an amateur detective. Ji Hyun Woo was a much-too-nice teacher in "Angry Mom," while Lee Pil Mo taught home room in "Who Are You - School 2015." "Twenty Once Again" had a few teachers, including the charismatic celebrity professor played by Lee Sang Yoon.
Next up was writers and reporters. Kim Sa Rang played a ghostwriter in "Beloved Eun Dong." Lee Jong Suk and Park Shin Hye were journalists in "Pinocchio," while Hwang Jung Eum and Choi Si Won were writers in "She Was Pretty." Park Min Young played a writer in "Healer." And Park Seo Joon played a secret author in "Kill Me Heal Me."
Are there any professions you think ought to be better represented in k-dramas? Let us know.
