A character needing to seek revenge propels many kdrama plots. The character in such dramas must right a wrong, even if he or she is forced to commit more wrongs to balance out the injustice. And they must seek justice even if it makes them miserable to do so. Sometimes the injustice that is being avenged happened to someone else, a family member. It can even be vengeance for something done to the family generations ago. But the desire for revenge must be realized.
A good example is the current drama "Shark." In this drama, Han Yi Soo, the character played by Kim Nam Gil, is driven to seek revenge against the man who he thinks murdered his father. His desire for revenge is so strong that he wants to destroy the man's entire family, even if it means that his first love and his childhood friend will be harmed in the process. He has spent his entire life dedicated to righting the wrong done to his father. But it is making him miserable.
"Shark" is the third installment in a trilogy of revenge dramas by director Park Chan Hong and writer Kim Ji Woo. The two previous dramas were "Resurrection" in 2005 and "The Devil" in 2007.
Another popular revenge drama is "Nice Guy," starring Song Joong Ki. He plays Kang Ma Roo, a medical student who willingly takes the fall for a murder he did not commit. He did it for love but gets no love in return. After serving prison time and ruining his own life, he is a changed man. He only wants to exact revenge but that revenge ruins his life in ways prison could not.
And then there is "City Hunter," starring Lee Min Ho as Lee Yoon Sung. His adoptive father, embittered by his government's betrayal, raises Lee Yoon Sung as an instrument of revenge. However, Lee Yoon Sung's plans for justice do not include murdering people and that puts him at odds with his adoptive father.
In all of these dramas, the need for revenge comes into conflict with nobler feelings like love and compassion. And the bad guys do always pay for their crimes, one way or another.
Maybe revenge kdramas are so much fun to watch because everyone can feel how awful it is to be the victim of injustice and yet few people ever act out on their desire for revenge. Do you have any favorite revenge kdramas? Let us know.
