Korean TELEVISION rocks

Recently there has been a boom in South Korean film and television in the west, no thanks to wonderful movies such as Oscar-winning Parasite and incredible TV shows such as the recent hit Squid Game. Thanks also in part to the rise of K-Pop, South Korea has become a juggernaut in the entertainment industry, flexing their creative and sometimes weird muscles to us in the west. Fortunately, the quality of TV shows doesn’t stop at Squid Game, with a ton of quality series available to watch right now. Here are some of the essential South Korean shows you have to watch right now.

Hellbound

An original Netflix release about supernatural beings appearing out of nowhere to condemn people to Hell, the series stars Yoo Ah-in, Kim Hyun-joo, Park Jeong-min, Won Jin-ah, and Yang Ik-june. Hellbound takes place in 2022–27 in South Korea. An otherworldly face called an angel suddenly starts to materialize to deliver prophecies called decrees that condemn certain individuals to Hell at a specific future time, either seconds or years away.

Three hulking supernatural monsters appear at almost the exact time to maul and incinerate the person’s body in a sort of spectacular show of force called a demonstration. Two organizations in cahoots, the cult-like New Truth Society and the gang-like Arrowhead group, gain power by playing on people’s fears. It’s a show filled with existential crises and plenty of moral dilemmas. Hellbound displays a cruelty that feels intentional, inspiring a helplessness and disgust at how things play out and perhaps more disturbing than the show is the realization that the actions of the characters are, after all, a reflection of human nature.

Vincenzo