Five K-Dramas That Remind Us Of Fairy Tales

Tags
Yong Pal
Joo Won
Kim Tae Hee
Cheomdamdong Alice
Moon Geun Young
Mask
Joo Ji Hoon
Soo Ae
Pinocchio
Park Shin Hye
Lee Jong Suk

So many dramas feature the Cinderella story, in which a poor girl meets a chaebol/prince, that we began to wonder what other fairy tales have inspired k-dramas. Here are a few dramas that may have been inspired by themes in fairy tales and favorite children's stories.

1. Sleeping Beauty and "Yong Pal."

When "Yong Pal" starts, the heiress character that Kim Tae Hee plays is in a coma. She is perfectly beautiful, as she lies sleeping on her high-tech hospital bed waiting for Joo Won to wake her up. Her deep sleep is not natural as it is a medically induced coma, but that's not unlike the spell cast on Sleeping Beauty in the fairy tale.

2. Alice in Wonderland and "Cheomdamdong Alice."

Moon Geun Young plays a young woman who becomes involved in a world of deceit pretending to care for someone who does not love her. She's not sure how she fell down the rabbit hole into the wealthy world of the Gangnam elite, but she knows she has to learn how it works to survive.

3. Beauty and the Beast and "Mask."

Giving a beastly man a makeover is actually a common theme in k-dramas. The male lead often has a major problem that makes him repugnant. He's either crippled by a phobia or disorder or so arrogant he needs a good-hearted beauty to deliver a dose of reality. She makes him over into the ideal man. "Mask" was a recent drama in which Joo Ji Hoon played a chaebol supposedly so murderous that he attempted to kill his fiancée. But that was not the case. His beautiful wife, played by Soo Ae, winds up in the marriage because of the debt her father incurred. Still, she helps turn her husband from a beast into a prince.

4. Pinocchio and "Pinocchio."

In the k-drama version of "Pinocchio" Park Shin Hye cannot tell a lie. Her nose does not grow long but she does stutter. It's a disability for a reporter. Eventually she comes to terms with her disability. But Lee Jong Suk also shares a Pinocchio characteristic in this retelling. He's living a fake life as the adopted son of Park Sin Hye's grandfather. When he meets his brother and the truth is revealed, he becomes "real."

5. Cinderella and "Princess Hours

Many k-dramas offer a Cinderella story in which a chaebol marries a poor girl or guy. The most recent was "High Society" with Park Hyung Sik playing the rich guy and Lim Ji Yeon playing the poor girl. But the best example may be "Princess Hours," in which Yoon Eun Hye marries an actual princess. This story does continue past the marriage and shows that marrying a prince might not be the fantasy ending fairy tales make it out to be. But it's still a fun story. Can you think of any other fairy-tale inspired? Let us know.

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