The Paradoxality of Gender Representation in the Gender Bender Korean Drama Mr. Queen

Abstract

Korean dramas are increasingly in demand in Indonesia. Its themes related to gender and sexuality are now in great demand, because the issue of gender inequality is increasingly being voiced in South Korea and Indonesia. One of the most talked about dramas in Indonesia when broadcasted was Mr. Queen by TVN (South Korean cable TV channel) in 2020. The drama consists of twenty episodes and can be watched by global fans through video on demand platform Viu, on smartphone and pc. There is even a version that has been dubbed in Indonesian, showing that the drama is very popular within the Indonesian audience. 

Mr. Queen is a Saeguk (drama set in the Joseon era) and is a remake of the popular Chinese web drama Go Princess Go (2015), which is an adaptation of the novel of the same title. Mr. Queen–like Go Princess Go–can be categorized in the genre of fusion and gender bender, because it tells the story of a male chef named Jang Bong Hwan from the Modern era whose soul crosses space and time until he entered the body of the Queen in the Joseon period (Queen Cheorin), presenting a new depiction of the queen; instead of the traditional feminine queen, Queen Cheorin portrays a masculine woman. Mr. Queen overturns gender and its relation to gender discourse in South Korea. However, using Sara Mills' critical discourse analysis, it is evident that the gender representation in Mr. Queen is paradoxical; as if offering a gender discourse that breaks the dominant discourse, but in fact it still represents woman as passive subject who continues to be exploited.