“Dae Jang Geum” Helps Me Through the Tough Times in the Military

“Hallyu” is prevalent in the Taiwanese military.

Taiwan and Hong Kong media reported on June 29, quoting Liu Shih-chien, a Taiwan defense ministry spokesperson, as saying, “We made a Chinese cartoon version of ‘Dae Jang Geum’, a popular Korean soap drama, available for our servicemen and women considering the survey result that many soldiers want it.”

Liu said, “We make sure that our soldiers can enjoy reading and cultural activities while in the military. And we encourage soldiers to read as many books as possible because reading can give them comfort and fun while boosting their morale,” adding, “That’s why we decided to have Chinese cartoons based on Dae Jang Geum in the military.”

The Taiwanese military spent around NT $2 million (around 70 million won) in translating and distributing 6,300 sets of the Chinese cartoon version of “Dae Jang Geum” to each military unit.

An average of 1.1 million people per episode, the record number in Taiwanese broadcasting history, watched the drama “Dae Jang Geum” when it was first aired on TV in the nation last year. And it is still being rerun.

Yoo-Seong Hwang yshwang@donga.com