Romance between older couples seems to be the newest trend in Korean dramas.

Until now, the dramas have dealt with story lines about young couples starting out, and forbidden love, or marriages complicated by family history or differences in social classes. Now it seems it's time to give older couples their time in the limelight.

Young couples aren't the only ones whose relationships face social pressures — in real life and on television. Older couples also face some scrutiny in the public, which is why dramas are now adding them to the story line. Dramas are starting to showcase older single parents and divorcees who want to remarry, as well as singles who have never been married and are facing emptiness at the end of their professional careers.

Today, South Korea's younger generation is so much more liberal and accepting of Western culture that many "old-school" or conservative values are losing relevance for them, but their parents still embrace traditional values. This generational conflict has complicated story lines in the past, but now dramas have shifted their viewpoints to the older people who are dealing with romance and desire, along with the irony that the issues they preached about to their children in the past are now the very conflicts they encounter.

Current dramas "Happiness" and "Working Mom" reflect this trend. In "Happiness," characters Ms. Ahn and the father of Jun Su, Lee Chul Gon, date and act as cute as if they're in love for the first time. The children initially objected to the relationship, but accept it for the sake of their father, who devoted his life to them for 18 years after their mother died. Interestingly, the story line is still a bit conservative, since 18 years is considered a long enough time to be single. One could argue: Why not remarry even after five years?

In the drama series "Working Mom," a widow and widower who have married children end up marrying for love despite opposition from children.

This social shift in dramas reflects attempts by producers to address current issues and trends.

SYNOPSES OF UPCOMING K-DRAMAS

'HAPPINESS'

Episodes 43 and 44

Sunday at 6:45 p.m.: Cheol-gon and Ms. Ahn go on their honeymoon and the next day they're joined by the kids. Ha-kyong gives the chairman the report she copied from Jun-su as her husband's work. Seo-yun and Jun-su move in with Seo-yun's family.

Sunday at 7:45 p.m.: Ji-sook goes on a shopping spree and pretends to be happy. Grandma goes to live with her son, saying that she's not needed at home anymore. This makes Jun-young upset, and puts Ms. Ahn in an awkward position.

'BEST CHEF'

Episodes 19 and 20

Monday at 7:45 p.m.: Chef Oh doesn't attend New Woonam's opening ceremony, but goes on a fishing trip with Sung-chan instead. Sung-chan encounters Jin-soo in Hong-chun, where she was sent by her boss to pick up trout. Ms. Boon, an old friend of Chef Oh, a master chef of clear broth trout stew, challenges Sung-chan to a cook-off.

Tuesday at 7:45 p.m.: Jin-soo tells Sung-chan her feelings, but does not want to see him. Bong-joo, feeling bitter about life, makes business decisions without consulting Woonam's directors. He leaves on a business trip, shutting himself off from everybody.

'WORKING MOM'

Episodes 11 and 12

Wednesday at 7:45 p.m.: Distraught over their falling fortunes, Eun-ji and Jae-sung drink together all night. When Eun-ji does not wake up in the morning, Jae-sung panics and calls an ambulance, once again raising the suspicions of their families.

Thursday at 7:45 p.m.: Much to her dismay, Jae-sung's mother finds out that he has been working as the live-in baby-sitter for Ga-young. She gives him the money to repay the salary he was given. But when Eun-ji gets word of this, she comes up with a different idea of how this money should be spent.

'INTO THE SUN'

Episodes 7 and 8

Oct. 17 at 7:45 p.m.: Hye-rin tells Suk-min nothing happened between Seung-ha and her in a roundabout way. Nonetheless, she tells him not to overstep his boundaries. But the two end up going on a date to make up for the birthday party she missed, and Hye-rin gives him a book for his birthday.

Oct. 18 at 7:45 p.m.: Suk-min is called out to an emergency operation and misses the date with Hye-rin. Jae-hyun forgets to call Hye-rin for Suk-min, and Hye-rin is worried sick that Suk-min might be in an accident. Bo-na realizes Hye-rin is starting to have feelings for Suk-min and takes down all of Woo-jin's pictures in Hye-rin's office.

Jeff Chung is general manager of KBFD-TV, which televises Korean dramas with English subtitles in Hawai'i. Reach him for comment at 521-8066 or jeffchung@kbfd.com.