Oh my god, give me a moment here. I need to not go with my gut reaction upon seeing the very first official still from the upcoming revenge melodrama Secret, which shows male lead Ji Sung choking female lead Hwang Jung Eum around the neck and then a fist right next to where her head is. My gut reaction would be – you asshole get your hands off her! – because I find male on female violence deplorable especially since it occurs so frequently and easily due to the physical disparity and I cannot fathom watching a drama where it’s paraded as the first taste of what’s to come. RAGE. But then I calmed down and realized the visceral reaction of seeing that scene was indeed intense and it works because the two leads are acting their hearts out in it. Ji Sung’s bottled up rage, Hwang Jung Eum’s fear and sorrow, it was all captured so perfectly in a still shot already, imaging watching that scene on TV. While my visceral reaction is disgust and anger at male-female violence, this scene actually speaks of so much more. By the way, I have the same feeling against violence of any kind between any gender, but let’s not pretend the majority of violent acts aren’t committed by stronger men against weaker women because its simply an easy target and bullies take whatever is the easiest and weakest because that is how they operate. I especially sneer at the K-drama penchant for the female lead to get slapped around by other older women and sometimes her same-age rivals, as if female-female violence that might be culturally tacitly accepted is right. Back to this scene from Secret, it was filmed at a police station and involved a confrontation between Ji Sung’s character, who had just learned that his beloved love was killed in a car accident by the negligent driver who is in custody, and he rushes to the police station brimming with rage to confront that person. When he sees Hwang Jung Eum, he doesn’t see a woman, someone weaker, he sees the person who allegedly got behind a car, a 4000 pound weapon of destruction if misused, and negligently used it to plow down the person he loves. No wonder he goes ape-shit on her. This still is really something in immediately ratcheting up my interest for Secret. Good or bad, this K-drama has already got me curious enough to give it a look when it premieres in September.
Just to wash off the intensity of that still and cleanse our palate, have a cute picture of Ji Sung and Hwang Jung Eum modeling for their CF earlier this year. With this as the kick start of Secret promotions, I’m even more looking forward to the first look at second leads Bae Soo Bin and Lee Da Hee. Both are absolutely brimming with intensity.
You’re perpetuating harmful stereotypes. I can’t speak to Asia, but in America, men are the victims of domestic violence at least 40% of the time, only they get less help, less sympathy, and tend to be mocked far more often than women. There are about zero dollars available for support, help, or research into the problem, too. Click on the link in my name for an article with some disturbing stats about it. We have a very disturbing double standard.
Please don’t tell me you’re trolling the internet for ANY post that even has a physical violence association. Because however valid your comment is, frankly is underscored by your overzealousness.
And in most countries around the world still predominately patriarchal, in Korea which this post was related to since its about a K-drama, male-on-female violence is at a ratio of 3-to-1.
I have to agree with DHM about the perpetuation of stereotypes.It is not necessarily stronger man vs. weaker woman. Men and children are also equally at risk of domestic abuse. Gender is not even the most important factor at play here. It is really about power relations. The stronger person (the person more psychologically and/or physically abusive) bullies the weaker, more vulnerable person. The bully could just as well be the mother-in-law, or the female-female violence that you mentioned.
I think domestic violence against women in South Korea is a real problem, because like in so many countries, domestic violence can often remain unreported because it is seen to both the victim and the bully as a problem of the “private sphere”. I imagine this emboldens the bully who does not have to suffer any consequence for his/her actions, and so continues to abuse the victim.
I don’t find DHM to be wrong, either.
You are right of course. Male victims should get just as much help as female ones and it´s terrible that this kind of domestic violence often is not taken seriously. Though let´s not pretend as if female victims are always believed/ respected/ helped.
There is no conspiracy to erase female-to-male violence though – rather it´s the misogynistic lack of understanding of woman as human beings that leads to the harmful stereotypes you mentioned. Some human beings are violent/cruel/terrifying – women should not be excluded from this fact!
Having said all this, I have to add that it personally bothers me, that whenever a woman´s issue is brought up (and it is a woman´s issue in this case because it is clearly the female character being harassed and hurt by the male “hero” in these pictures), people´s knee-jerk reaction seems to rather want to talk about male victims instead instead of acknowledging that all kinds of domestic violence are horrible and that society needs to change the way it treats its victims.
AMEN.
Gotta be interesting to see how she’d fall for him after “that”.
Oh boy, dare I say it? Okay… saying it. Going to check it out.
*sigh of relief*…Hwang jung Eum’s hair actually looks kinda decent here…also JI Sung in all black is my favorite kinda Ji Sung…not sure if i’ll both with the show though
Her hairstyle in alot of her other dramas are such talking point. I was looking at her hairstyle in this drama too.
Taking the context of the show, I actually like the appropriateness of the scene. Just because she’s a girl, she doesn’t escape the full brunt of his rage. I kind of applaud the show for going there because with the social issues it can be seen differently out of context.
Ok, I get there’s a context to this scene in view of the drama’s set-up. But releasing this still to promote your drama is like using male violence against women as a marketing gimmick. and that’s not cool, especially when it’s so prevalent in real life as ms koala rightly pointed out.
I really like both of these actors (and I LOVE Bae Soo Bin) and have loved them in shows that were not that good. They are both due for a runaway hit. Please drama, give Ji Sung a wedding present and be GOOD.
You know what I am noticing even more? HJE has awesome hair for once! The end of the world is near.
Looks really good! Definitely watching this!
It disgusts me that people will see these pictures and squee about Ji Sung´s “manliness” or something like that (and you know they will be), completely ignoring the violence.
How can these be pictures used to promote the show – the first ones to be released even? Even if the character feels like it is his right to act like this – how can people be expected to root for the “hero” if he CHOKES someone?!
Next.
I lost interest in MS the moment he yanked her hair….I don’t care how “cute” they are together nor how much “they neeeeeeed one another”. Co-dependencies masquerading as OTP are rampant in Kland.
What episode that