Findings

Han, S. & Pitts, M.J. (2002) . Prime time dramatic programming in South Korea:

A total of 60 programs appeared on South Korean television between January through March of 1998. Dramas were the most frequent type of programming (12 for 20%) followed by situation comedies and news show (both 10 for 16.7%). Of the 12 South Korean programs, the majority was aired by MBC (5 for 41.6%), followed by KBS2 (4 for 33.4%) and KBS1 (3 for 25%).

Of the 12 South Korean dramas, most were aired between 10-11 p.m. (9 for 75%), followed by 8-9 p.m. (3 for 25%). No dramatic programs were televised between 7-8 p.m. in South Korea. Seven dramas aired on Tuesday and Thursday, followed by five dramas on Monday and Friday, and four on Wednesday. Twenty programs from the 12 South Korea dramas were analyzed.

Research Question I

Research question one focused on the depiction of violence in South Korean prime-time dramatic programming in 1998. There were 43 violent scenes in South Korean programming. With regard to the length of violent scenes, most were 30 seconds to one minute in duration (16 for 37%), followed by less than 30 seconds (11 for 26%). A majority of violent scenes lasted for less than one minute (27 for 63%). A significantly larger number of violent scenes featured credible threats than behavioral acts (30 to 13) (x²=6.7, df=1, p<.05). Of those 30 credible threats, a significantly larger number of initiators used verbal threat rather than physical threat (21 to 9) (x²=4.8, df=1, p<.05) (see Table 1). Of those 13 behavioral acts of violence, normal attack was the predominate means by which violence was initiated (9 for 69%), followed by ambush (4 for 31%). Overall, verbal threat was the most favored pattern of attack (49%), followed by normal attack (20%).

A significantly larger number of violent acts occurred due to acts of passion than through premeditated acts (31 to 12) (x²=8.4, df=1, p<.05). And a significantly larger number of reasons for initiating violence was anger (30 to 8 to 5) (x²=26, df=2, p<.05) rather than gang activity (8 for 18%) or threat (5 for 12%). There was a significantly larger number of Aone versus one@ as a pattern of violence as opposed to other patterns (32 to 6 to 5) (x²=32.7, df=2, p<.05). A significantly larger number of violent acts occurred between men and men (38 to 5) (x²=25.3, df=1, p<.05) and between Agood@ characters and Abad@ characters (23 to 10 to 10) (x²=7.9, df=2, p<.05) (see Table 1). Furthermore, a significantly larger number of violent scenes had no blood (30 to 13) (x²=6.7, df=1, p<.05).

Research Question II

Research question two focused on Athe tools@ of violence in South Korean prime-time dramatic programming in 1998. All 43 violent scenes featured violent initiators, and 10 violent scenes (23%) featured victims of violence. A significantly larger number of initiators did not use tools of violence in their violent acts (34 to 9) (x²=14.5, df=1, p<.05). Of those 34 initiators who did not use tools, more initiators used language, rather than their bodies, to initiate violence. Regarding victims, they were evenly divided between those using tools and those who did not (5 versus 5). Of the five victims who did not resort to tools for their response to violence, more victims used their bodies as opposed to language (4 versus 1). Also, unconventional tools were the only tools used by both initiators and victims of violence.

Research Question III

Research question three dealt with the portrayal of initiators of violence in South Korean prime-time dramatic programming in 1998. All 43 South Korean violent scenes showed initiators of violence. And all 43 initiators were male, Asian, and commit illegal violence. A significantly larger number of initiators occupied Abad@ status rather than Agood@ status (29 to 14) (x²=5.2, df=1, p<.05). There were no female initiator of violence, no violent initiators of other races, and no initiators occupying Aneutral@ status.

Research Question IV

Research question four dealt with the portrayal of victims of violence in South Korean prime-time dramatic programming in 1998. All 43 South Korean violent scenes showed victims of violence. A significantly larger number of victims was male than female (38 to 5) (x²=25.3, df=1, p<.05), and all victims were Asian. Furthermore, a significantly larger number of victims was rendered Ahelpless@ by the violence than were those engaging in counter attack (33 to 10) (x²=12.3, df=1, p<.05). Of those 10 victims who initiated counter-attack, a significantly larger number of victims turned to behavioral acts rather than credible threats (9 to 1) (x²=6.4, df=1, p<.05). Throwing punch, striking with pipe or baseball bat, and stabbing with knife were usual or typical examples of behavioral acts. And, throwing a punch was the most common behavioral acts in South Korean television.

A significantly larger number of victims occupied Agood@ status than Abad@ status (29 to 14) (x²=5.2, df=1, p<.05). In terms of the gender of violence victims, female victims tended to occupy Agood@ status to a greater degree than did male victims. All five female victims occupied Agood@ status, whereas only 63% of male victims of violence did so (24 out of 38).

Research Question V

Research question five focused on resolutions of violent acts in South Korean prime-time dramatic programming in 1998. In the programming viewed, there were 43 initiators and 43 victims. A significantly larger number of initiators (34 to 9) (x²=14.5, df=1, p<.05) and victims (30 to 13) (x²=6.7, df=1, p<.05) were not hurt. No one was killed or died in South Korean programming.

A significantly larger number of results, for both initiators and victims, was positive rather than negative in the scenes (33 to 10) (x²=12.3, df=1, p<.05). Both 33 positive (100%) results for initiators and victims were such that Anothing happened@ in the scene. Of those 10 negative results in the scene, a majority of initiators escaped (8 for 80%). And a majority of victims escaped in the scenes (4 for 40%), followed by those arrested and immobilized (3 each for 30%).

Concerning consequences that occurred for initiators and victims throughout the program, more initiators had positive results than negative results (26 for 60%), and all positive results were Anothing happened@ for both consequence of initiators and victims. Of those 17 negative results of consequence to initiators throughout the program, a majority of initiators escaped (8 for 47%), followed by Aapologized@ (6 for 35%). A significantly larger number of consequences to victims throughout the program was a positive result rather than negative (33 to 10) (x²=12.3, df=1, p<.05). Of those 10 negative results of consequence of victims throughout the program, slightly more victims escaped through the program (4 for 40%), followed by hospitalized (3 for 39%).

Of those 43 initiators of violence, 29 occupied Abad@ status (67%) and 14 occupied Agood@ status. All Agood@ characters were not hurt and had positive results in the scene. However, 50 percent of those good characters faced negative results throughout the program. For the 36 victims, 29 were coded as Agood@ status and 14 Abad@ status. More good characters were not hurt and had positive results in the scene and through the program. A total of 33 victims (77%) responded without violence while 10 victims responded with violence. Also there was a significant difference between resolutions for victims and their responses to violence. A significantly larger number of victims who responded with violence was wounded, while victims who did not responded with violence were not hurt (9 to 29) (x²=21.8, df=1, p<.05). And significantly more victims who responded with violence ended up with negative results, whereas victims who responded without violence ended up with positive results in the scene and throughout the program (9 to 32) (both x²=31.7, df=1, p<.05).