In the context of the K-drama, the heroine is [put off] by Conan’s familiarity, exaggerated bravado, and awkwardness. The white guy is never the hero.
You might think that a Korean-American star visiting Korea might get a hero’s welcome. But this is rarely the case.
..Going through the Korean media coverage of [Steven] Yeun, it’s clear to me that Koreans don’t know what to do with him, even though his Korean is quite good. To Koreans, he is in that awkward Korean-American category—neither fish nor fowl, inherently somewhat untrustworthy.
…In one scene from the Conan special, Yeun is comically unable to identify any of the side dishes at a Seoul restaurant, leading Conan to comment, “You’re sort of like Anthony Bourdain if he knew absolutely nothing.”
Conan O’Brien accidentally exposed the culture gap between Koreans and Korean-Americans — Quartz
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