MUSIC is a movie’s hidden language. The original soundtrack (OST) of a film or series acts as a powerful storytelling tool that enhances the audience’s experience by setting the mood, evoking emotions and providing narrative structure.
Korean drama (K-drama) lovers were recently serenaded by Korean singer Isaac Hong, known for hit OSTs including “My Love By My Side” from “When Life Gives You Tangerines,” “Fallin” from “Queen of Tears,” and “In You” from “Our Unwritten Seoul.”
The music was the focus of “OST Symphony II: K-Drama in Concert,” which aimed to bring drama, nostalgia and well-loved soundtracks to life through performances by the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) on Oct. 25, 2025, at the Samsung Hall, SM Aura, in Taguig City.
In addition to Hong’s songs, the PPO performed powerful, heart-stirring renditions of beloved K-drama soundtracks from titles including “Crash Landing on You,” “Goblin,” “Squid Game,” “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” “Mr. Sunshine,” “The World of the Married,” “Lovely Runner,” “Itaewon Class,” “King the Land,” “Hospital Playlist” and “Jewel in the Palace.” Other performers included rising artist YEGNY, alongside Filipino artists Kyline Alcantara and Angel Guardian.
The concert underscored that great stories know no borders, and that the universal language of music continues to unite hearts, one heartfelt soundtrack at a time. Whether a film is a tear-jerking drama, an action-packed thriller or a comedy, the right song at the right moment elevates the impact of a scene. Music in films is not merely an add-on; it is a crucial player that molds emotions and memories of the narrative, defining characters through recurring themes and creating a sense of time and place.
For many, the K-drama phenomenon accelerated during the pandemic lockdown, which led to a rise in binge-watching. K-dramas have been constantly evolving and are made widely available through distribution channels like Netflix.
Filipino Director Joey Reyes previously noted that the country’s entertainment industry should learn from the K-dramas and movies. In an April 11, 2020 entry of his blog, “Choking on My Adobo,” Reyes summarized the qualities that make K-dramas such favorites for Filipinos.
Reyes attributed the local attachment to K-dramas to their complex, lovable, flawed characters with compelling personal stories, raw emotion-packed acting, and beautiful cinematography and directing.
“The scripts are so well-written,” Reyes wrote. “More important, the plots vary. There is an assortment of genres to choose from and even if they are dealing with things we have heard and seen before, Koreans make them sound and look new.”
He praised the writing, noting that K-dramas are “on-point, studied, blueprinted, rendered with precision, and never resulting in redundancy of plot points. But most importantly, capable of engrossing the audience without taking them for a route devoid of direction just to stretch the story.”
Reyes added that K-dramas “dramatize through tenderness… You are fed an emotional scene but then it is cut right at the time when you know exactly how to react to that moment — followed by, strangely but effectively, a light moment involving comedic elements.”
He further argued that the programs offer alternatives to the repetitive local narratives, which he felt had “caused massive havoc in the minds of Filipino viewers who are overdosed with the same stories.”
“KDramas, because they are divorced from our cultural roots of deifying romantic agony provide alternatives that do not only amuse but challenge our audiences. In other words, they offer something new,” Reyes stated.
Filipinos also appreciate the programs’ shorter runs, as typical K-dramas span 16 to 24 episodes, unlike some local shows that run for months or even years.
“Iba-iba. Each drama series offers an opportunity for something fresh. Every actor has the chance to reinvent himself, to create a character—and to hone his craft as an actor and not as part of a tandem as commodity,” Reyes concluded. “K-dramas show the versatility of their performers because they are not limited by demands of being celebrities.”
The cultural embrace is so profound that the University of the Philippines in Diliman began offering an elective class on the analysis of K-dramas starting academic year 2020-2021.
As they say in Korean: “Annyeonghaseyo.” Enjoy binge watching.
(Editor’s Note: Peyups is the moniker of the University of the Philippines. Atty. Dennis R. Gorecho heads the Seafarers’ Division of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan Law Offices. For comments, e-mail info@sapalovelez.com, or call 0917-5025808.)
