And the most common occupation was… the average rank-and-file employee! So was it the year of the regular joe after all?

Well, not quite. A survey of the past year in dramas (starting in September 2006) took into count the main characters (i.e., the characters portrayed on promo materials and posters, not the supporting cast), and right below the regular employee on the list were a bevy of “successful” occupations like presidents, department chairs, managers, directors and the like.

And, with the number of historical dramas being shown, there were a fair number of princes and kings to take into account as well.

(Random) SONG OF THE DAY

Casker – “Midnight Moment” [ zShare download ]

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The list:

1. Regular (rank-and-file) worker (43 instances)
2. Doctor (32)
3. & 4. Chaebol, second- or third-generation (28); Housewife (28)
5. Shopowner (27)
6. Unemployed (26)
7. Director, team manager, section chief (21)
8. Celebrity entertainer (17)
9. President, businessman (15)
10. King, prince (14)

Let’s take a look at some of the employed lead characters of the past year. Do you recognize all the dramas? (I know, the pics skew mostly toward the dramas I watched.)

CHAEBOLS (all third-generation except for Yoon Ji Hye of Que Sera Sera, who’s second-gen)

BOSSES and SECTION CHIEFS

NORMAL RANK-AND-FILE EMPLOYEES

Two HOUSEWIVES with a DIRECTOR/CHIEF

 
The ever-popular DOCTORS

A (minor) CELEBRITY

And the ROYALS

 
Source: TV Report