A Study on the Images of Adoptees in Korean Television Dramas
AUTHOR : 안재진
INFORMATION : page. 55~75 / 2015 Vol.22 No.1
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to explore the images of adoptees and their families in South Korean
television dramas. Twenty-eight adoptees were selected for analysis from twenty-four television dramas
(2000-2012) aired by the major broadcasting companies (i.e., KBS, MBC, and SBS). The
characteristics of domestic adoption, images of adoptive families and adoptees appearing in the
television dramas were content-analyzed. The results revealed that television dramas portrayed
domestic adoption in biased ways - there were more private adoptions and secrecy in adoption
practices and more negative outcomes of adoption such as conflicts between birth child and adoptee,
and stressful life experiences of the adoptees. Also the motive for adoption was mainly for adoptive
parents themselves rather than for the adoptees, distorting the original intention of the adoption as a
child welfare service. Based on the results of this study, suggestions to build up a television
monitoring system were made to improve the images of adoption, adoptees and adoptive families
in the mass media in more positive ways.