Park Seo Joon and IU are proving that they are a pairing made in box office heaven. “Dream”, the duo’s sports comedy feature, just topped the South Korean box office. The Lee Byeong Heon movie is now the first film to manage the feat in less than 50 days.
‘Dream’ Wins Big At The South Korean Box Office
Korea JoonAng Daily reports “Dream” is the first South Korean movie to land at the top of the box office in 50 days. The comedy-drama premiered on April 26, 2023, and was attended by 93,417 people on its first day alone.
By April 29, the movie reached 484,491 admissions and grossed USD$3,467,888. It is currently the sixth highest-grossing South Korean film in 2023. With that in mind, “Dream” is well on its way to becoming the biggest movie of the year.
https://youtu.be/hkB2hONVv2o
“Dream” is directed by Lee Byeong Heon and follows Yoon Hong-dae (Park Seo Joon), a football player who receives a disciplinary provision. As punishment, he is tasked with coaching the national football team of homeless people for the Homeless World Cup. Yoon meets Lee So Min (IU), an aspiring director working on a documentary about the team.
IU Discusses Working On New Film With Park Seo Joon
“It was about four years ago when I first received the script. At that time, I had a strong thirst for [taking on] a bright character because I had done a few dark characters with lots of backstories in a row. I couldn’t help but be attracted to the character So Min,” IU said.
She also opened up about working with Park Seo Joon.
“I had high expectations for filming together [with Park Seo Joon],” IU said. “Park Seo Joon is a flexible and quick-witted actor. We started filming with some nervousness without having talked much in private, but it was rather comfortable once filming started. Since the relationship between So Min and Hong Dae is not so good, I think a little bit of nervousness helped.”
“Dream” is currently screening in theaters across South Korea.
The hosts of the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards really captured fans’ attention. Park Bo Gum and Bae Suzy proved that they are the perfect pair for the event with their easy chemistry.
Suzy Shows Off Doll-Like Charm in Black Ball Gown at 59th Baeksang Arts Awards
Park Bo Gum and Bae Suzy reunited with Shin Dong Yup to host the 59th Baeksang Awards on April 28. The “Love in the Moonlight” actor and the “Vagabond” star showed off their style and flair amongst South Korea’s brightest stars. As expected, the two joined Shin Dong Yup on the red carpet before the event.
Fans were immediately stunned by the trio’s stylish looks but Suzy stole the show with her gorgeous black ball gown. Although it was perfect from every angle, the “Start-up” actress also struggled to walk in her dress. Luckily, Park Bo Gum was always just one step behind watching over his co-host as they crossed the red carpet.
Park Bo Gum Is The Perfect Gentleman With Baeksang Co-Host Bae Suzy
Park Bo Gum’s special care for Bae Suzy immediately captured netizens’ attention. People praised the “Record of Youth” actor for being a gentleman and keeping an eye on the “Anna” actress on the red carpet. The pair have clearly perfected their cute chemistry after hosting the Baeksang Awards together for five years in a row. (Park Bo Gum missed the 57th Baeksang due to military enlistment).
The chemistry between Park Bo Gum and Bae Suzy at the Baeksang Awards will come in handy in the duo’s latest project. They are confirmed to star in the upcoming Netflix film “Wonderland” which will also feature Choi Woo Shik, Jung Yu Mi, and Chinese actress Tang Wei. The project has not yet been given an official release date.
Bae Suzy recently opened up about growing up in the entertainment industry. The former Miss A member stated that she doesn’t mind aging.
“I’m getting older and getting more wrinkles, and I’m enjoying it,” Suzy said.
She added, “I like it because it feels like I’m becoming a better person with each year that passes. I think I try to find those things within myself. I don’t think about things too deeply.”
Song Hye Kyo proved once again that she has the best sense of humor. The star of “The Glory” referenced her character Moon Dong Eun during her acceptance speech at the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards.
Song Hye Kyo Wins Best Actress At 59th Baeksang Arts Awards
The revenge drama “The Glory” is nominated for numerous categories at the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards. The Netflix series took home most of the awards including Best Drama and Best Supporting Actress for Lim Ji Yeon.
When Song Hye Kyo was announced Best Actress for her performance in the show, she gave a memorable acceptance speech. Instead of accepting as herself, Song channeled her character Moon Dong Eun and gave Lim Ji Yeon’s character a shoutout.
“I received an award, Yeon Jin,” Song said, making the audience explode in laughter. As they applauded, the “Encounter” actress added, “I am very excited right now.”
Although she opened her acceptance speech with a joke, Song Hye Kyo was moved by her victory.
“I wanted to say that one last time. I really wanted this award. Thank you for giving it to me,” she said. Song then proceeded to thank the entire production team and cast members who worked on the drama.
Song Hye Kyo isn’t the only star who gave an interesting acceptance speech at the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards. Jinyoung, who was given the TikTok Popularity Award with IU, teased his future plans with his group GOT7 after completing military service.
Jinyoung's speech for Baeksang Popularity Award
"As I received such a huge award, I will come back healthily after the military service, and will greet you again with great works, also with GOT7's album and my solo album. Thank you"
IU is finally opening up about her relationship with Lee Jong Suk. The “Strawberry Moon” singer confirmed that the “Big Mouth” actor is a supportive boyfriend. She also discussed the true reason why she chose to work on her new film “Dream”. In addition to that, the multi-hyphenated artist spoke about filming scenes with co-star Park Seo Joon.
IU Discusses Her Relationship With Lee Jong Suk
Lee Ji-eun is currently promoting “Dream” ahead of its premiere. During one interview, she addressed photos taken during her recent concert where Lee Jong Suk was wearing IU merchandise. The 29-year-old actress revealed that her boyfriend got the same merchandise as other concert-goers.
“He came to the concert, and those items are what we distributed to all those who came to the concert. It wasn’t a special gift for Lee Jong Suk or anything, but it got a lot of spotlight,” she said.
IU confessed her surprise that people were so interested in her relationship with Lee Jong Suk.
“I’m surprised that [so many people] show interest in my relationship and cheer me on a lot. I think fondly and quietly keeping this relationship going is the best way to repay that love,” she said.
“It was about four years ago when I first received the script. At that time, I had a strong thirst for [taking on] a bright character because I had done a few dark characters with lots of backstories in a row. I couldn’t help but be attracted to the character So Min,” IU said.
She then discussed how Park Seo Joon made it easy to work on “Dream”.
“I had high expectations for filming together [with Park Seo Joon],” IU said. “Park Seo Joon is a flexible and quick-witted actor. We started filming with some nervousness without having talked much in private, but it was rather comfortable once filming started. Since the relationship between So Min and Hong Dae is not so good, I think a little bit of nervousness helped.”
“Dream” is directed by Lee Byeong-heon and follows Yoon Hong-dae (Park), a football player, who receives a disciplinary provision. As punishment, he is tasked with coaching the national football team of homeless people for the Homeless World Cup. The film hits theaters on April 26, 2023.
Sehun is showing off his youthful and vibrant vibe in an upcoming drama. The EXO maknae gets between Jo Joon Young and Jang Yeo Bin in the new “All That We Loved” poster. The visual also teases the similarities between Sehun and Jo’s characters in the drama.
Sehun Takes Center Stage In ‘All That We Loved’ Main Poster
TVINGshared the main poster for “All That We Loved” which features the three main characters of the upcoming drama. EXO’s Sehun takes centerstage as Go Yoo, the high school basketball star who donates a kidney to his best friend Go Hoon Hee (Jo Joon Young). Jang Yeo Bin‘s Han Seo Yoon rounds out the trio with her own sweet charm.
“All That We Loved” is a romance drama following best friends Goo Yoo and Go Joon Hee. Despite being polar opposites as the basketball star and top student, the boys begin to resemble each other after Goo Yoo donates a kidney to Go Joon Hee. The kidney gives Go Joon Hee cellular memory syndrome and they both fall in love with Han Seo Yoon.
Cellular memory syndrome is the hypothesis that one can acquire the personality, habits, and memories of their organ donor. After receiving a kidney from Goo Yoo, Go Joon Hee begins to resemble his best friend. When Go Yoo develops feelings for Han Seo Yoon, Go Joon Hee exhibits the same feelings as well.
Sehun has been busy since the beginning of April. In addition to playing one of the leads in “All That We Loved”, Oh Sehun reunited with the other members of EXO for a special fan meeting. The group celebrated their 11th debut anniversary with the 2023 Exo Fanmeeting ‘Exo’ Clock. The special fan meeting was held at the KSPO Dome on April 8 to 9, 2023.
The first two episodes of “All That We Loved” were released on April 5, 2023.
Park Seo Joon is ready for his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut. The “Itaewon Class” star appeared briefly in the new trailer for “The Marvels.” The teaser offers a glimpse at Park as Prince Yan of Aladna, who has a special connection to Carol Danvers!
Park Seo Joon Roars Into Action In New ‘The Marvels’ Trailer
Marvel Studios dropped the first trailer for “The Marvels” on April 12, 2023. The teaser opens with Monica Rambeau on a mission when she suddenly switches places with Kamala Khan. However, this isn’t the only major switch as Carol Danvers ends up in Kamala’s room.
“The Marvels” will bring together the three MCU heroes as they figure out the strange connection between them. Carol, Monica, and Kamala will also encounter new villains like the new Kree Accuser Dar-Benn. The movie will also feature Carol’s comic book groom Prince Yan of Aladna, who is played by Park Seo Joon.
In the Marvel comics, Carol went to the planet Aladna to help Prince Yan get out of an arranged marriage. After a complicated situation where she finally becomes his bride, Carol gives the prince the right to choose who he wants to marry.
Prince Yan appears briefly in the trailer but Park Seo Joon’s appearance was enough for fans. People are excited to see the “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim” actor in a major Hollywood film.
“The Marvels” will also star Brie Larson as Carol Danvers, Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau, and Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan. It will bring back Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and introduce Zawe Ashton as the villainous Dar-Benn.
Catch Park Seo Joon in “The Marvels” when the film hits theaters on November 10, 2023. In the meantime, Park appears in the TV show “Jinny’s Kitchen” with fellow Wooga Squad members “Parasite” actor Choi Woo-shik and BTS’ V (Kim Taehyung).
Nowadays, we see a lot of idols who are very much active in music and also taking acting jobs, appearing in some very popular dramas. Just in the recently-concluded shows, there are several – you have three in Business Proposal (solo artist and formerly IOI and Gugudan main vocalist Sejeong, former Dal Shabet’s Woohee and Victon’s Byungchan), one in Twenty-Five, Twenty-One (WJSN’s Bona), and one in Forecasting Love and Weather (Girls’ Day’s Yura). Unfortunately, a lot of idol actresses these days are constantly lambasted for their lack of acting skills, with some opining that they are getting hired only because of their looks and popularity and that they’re stealing jobs from more talented actors who are struggling to get acting gigs.
But then, here are some actresses who have hurdled the challenge of being known for being “just idols” and have since proven that they have what it takes to be considered legit actresses:
Kwon Nara
Since 2017, Nara’s acting career has been on a roll, with her essaying major roles in hit K-drama series such as Suspicious Partner (as the ex-girlfriend of male lead Jiwook, played by Ji Changwook), My Mister (as the love interest of the male lead’s younger brother), Your Honor (where he played the girlfriend of the male lead played by Yoon Shiyoon), Doctor Prisoner (as a psychiatrist who joined forces with the male lead played by Namkoong Min in his revenge plans), Itaewon Class (as Park Seojoon’s initial love interest), Royal Secret Agent (where she shared lead status with Infinite’s L and Lee Yikyung), and Bulgasal (as a human being who used to be immortal). Her string of successes on TV has even landed her on Forbes’ Korea Power Celebrity List in 2020. But not too many k-drama addicts may remember that before her stellar TV acting career, Nara was actually not only an idol but a girl group member.
Nara, along with seven other girls, debuted in 2012 as Hello Venus under Tricell Media, a joint venture between entertainment companies Pledis and Fantagio. The girls actually enjoyed moderate success even during their rookie season, as their debut single Venus charted as high as #35 in the Gaon single chart, a rare feat for any debut group. The group lost two members in 2014, but continued to release popular tracks such as What are You Doing Today, Would You Stay for tea, and the iconic Wiggle Wiggle. The group unfortunately disbanded in 2019, but at that time, Nara was already successfully establishing herself as an actress. After all, she opted to sign with Fantagio instead of Pledis when the joint venture fell through. As expected, Fantagio, being primarily an actors’ agency, was more successful in supporting Nara’s acting career.
Min Hyorin
For those who were fans of the first season of Sister’s Slam Dunk, you may remember the dream project of TV actress and BigBang wife Min Hyorin of being in a girl group. While the show was actually successful in realizing Hyorin’s project when the Unnies debuted with Shut Up, this was not actually her first brush with the music industry. Long before debuting with Ra Miran, Kim Sook, Hong Jinkyung, Jessi, and Tiffany, she had already debuted as a solo artist in 2007.
Yes, you read that right. Min Hyorin, wife of Taeyang and erstwhile k-drama actress debuted as a soloist in 2007, only a year after her husband’s group debuted and more or less the same time her Unnie’s member Tiffany debuted with her first group, SNSD. Her debut album, RinZ had the lead single Stars, which at that time she promoted on music shows. Close to a year later, she released the digital single Touch Me, which actually received some measure of popularity because the song was used as the song for the ad for LG Cyon’s Viewty Pink mobile phone.
Min Hyorin at the first birthday celebration ceremony of her and Taeyang's little son ^^ [Dec 1, 2022]
Is their son's birthday on Dec 1? Or it was taken before?
Unfortunately, this was the end of Hyorin’s music career as she hasn’t released new material since then, save for her participation in Unnies. She has since then transitioned into acting in film and television, with her notable work in Sunny, The Grand Heist, Triple, and Persevere, Goo Hae-ra. Of course, she had also made appearances in variety shows, the most notable of which is Sisters’ Slam Dunk.
Four of Five Former Baby Vox Members
Alas, we have a first gen idol! Well actually, we do have a lot of idols, male and female from the first generation who have shifted from singing to acting. After all, it can’t be denied that pop music is pretty much a field where the tastes and preferences of the younger crowd – teenagers and college students dictate what’s in and what’s out. Thus, the careers of idols can be quite limited in terms of shelf life — as soon as your loyal fans get older and develop lives outside of idolizing pop singers and matinee idols, the idol’s singing career heads off into the sunset, with the idol looking into other ventures that may stretch his 15 minutes of fame. SES’ Eugene and Uhm Junghwa come to mind.
Along with the aforementioned SES and FIN.K. L (aka Lee Hyori’s group), Baby Vox dominated the girl group scene in the late ‘90s up to the mid-2000s, after which Kim E-Z, Heejin, Minyoun, Eunjin, and Eunhye decided to call it a day and disband. Out of the four +1 remaining members (with Eunjin actually leaving the group a year before the group went on hiatus in 2005 before the eventual disbandment in 2006), only the leader Kim E-Z actually did not pursue an acting career. Fresh off her early departure from the group, Eunjin appeared in the rather controversial movie Jenny, Juno which was about a teenage couple who gets pregnant, pretty much the Korean Juno. She was last seen in the 2021 idol drama (yes, that’s a genre – dramas about idol groups and the idol life) Imitation, where she essayed the role of a reporter.
Heejin took the route of musicals and stage plays before finally debuting as a TV actress in the 2011 drama It’s Okay, Daddy’s Girl. She was last seen in Penthouse 3, where she made a cameo appearance. Meanwhile, Miyoun made a splash in the Chinese market before appearing in the Korean movie Nana’s Rose War in 2010. She also acted in a number of dramas such as Moorim School, Missing 9, and Hit the Top. She was last seen on TV in the variety show Goal Girl (aka Kick a Goal, where celebrities train to be soccer players) last year.
Finally, let’s talk about Eunhye, perhaps the most successful former Baby Vox member when it comes to acting. As soon as she started her acting career, she immediately bagged leading roles in very successful dramas such as Princess Hours, The Vineyard Man, and Coffee Prince. After a string of successive hits, Eunhye again starred in another hit drama, My Fair Lady, although she was harshly criticized for her weird dialogue delivery. People wondered why after having led three wildly popular shows, it seemed Eunhye’s acting skills regressed. Two years later, she returned to being favorably seen by the public in the drama Missing You. Two years later, she participated in a Chinese reality competition Goddess Fashion, where she had to design clothes. She was a subject of controversy once again as she was accused of plagiarising her designs. Although she never admitted to the accusation, she had repeatedly apologized for the controversy years after. Her last acting role was in CGNTV’s Go Go Song in 2019, although she participated in another reality competition, this time a cooking show — Cooking – The Birth of a Cooking King in 2021.
Ahn Sohee
Finally, we have a Wonder Girl! The legendary second-gen girl group also has a contribution to this list – their erstwhile main dancer and face of the group Sohee, as in the girl who was in the Wonder Woman costume in the Tell Me music video!
But even before debuting with the Wonder Girls, Sohee and during her time with the group, had already appeared in a couple of movies and TV series. Before she quit the group at the end of 2013 to focus on her acting, she had her first acting lead role in the KBS drama special Happy! Rose Day. She continued doing guest appearances in TV shows like Heart to Heart and Entourage before snatching a major movie role in the 2016 zombie thriller Train to Busan. That single role may have cemented Sohee’s reputation in the acting field, as she continued to appear in drama series such as Welcome to Waikiki 2 and Missing: The Other Side. Her latest acting gig is in the JTBC drama Thirty-Nine, where she played the sister of the romantic male lead.
Unfortunately, since getting lead roles, Sohee has consistently been embroiled in controversy regarding her acting skills and her inclusion in major TV series and movies. A lot of netizens expressed their wonder as to why Sohee gets cast in major roles when her acting skills don’t really measure up to expectations. These critiques have followed her as recently as her appearance in Welcome to Waikiki 2. Train to Busan director Yong Sangho defended his decision to cast Sohee, who played the role of a carefree high school and cheerleader student in his movie.
He said, “I absolutely didn’t regret it.” He continues, “The idea that Sohee’s acting is bad didn’t even occur to me. All these talks about her bad acting, I don’t know where they are coming from. Although I think talks about Sohee still having the strong image as Wonder Girls are going around, but in the movie, I think there’s no problem. It’s not like there’s no problem at all but she did well.”
For her latest appearance in 39, Sohee did get some good reviews for her portrayal. The show during its early episodes did get some flak for what people considered to be a very dated storyline and skewed values. In the drama, Sohee plays a pianist whose adoptive father wishes to banish, forcing Sohee’s character to take a job in a nightclub as a bar girl. Viewers thought the character’s employment options are highly questionable since she graduated from Julliard. Viewers also thought the character of Hospital Playlist alum Jeon Mido is rather immoral for pursuing a relationship with a married man, albeit it being non-sexual. Despite these negative assessments, the show went on to get an increase in ratings. Well, that’s the power of Son Yejin. Also, at least Sohee wasn’t criticized much for her acting abilities, as the brunt of negative comments at the start were directed towards the show’s storyline and not the performances.
See? These seven (plus Uhm Junghwa and Eugene) have proven that indeed, you can have idols that can act! But this list isn’t exhaustive. You also have Rainbow’s Jaekyung (who’s set to be in Lee Joongi’s My Life Again), all three leads of Work Later, Drink Now (Apink’s Eunji, JQT’s Sunbin, and Secret’s Sunhwa). All hail these multi-talented queens!
Oh, to be a K-pop idol! You have the adoration of fans all over the world, always primmed with the best fashion, hair, and make-up, and presented with countless opportunities in the entertainment industry. Unfortunately, viewers and netizens may have noticed some of these idols are undeserving of the acting opportunities given to them. Some of the reasons for this “hatred” include these idol-actors just not having any acting talent at all. Most of them seem to be only relying on their looks and popularity to prop up the profile of the shows they’re part of. Let’s check out the three idols-turned-actors who have been bitten by the acting bug but have gotten unfavorable reviews for their effort.
ASTRO’s Cha Eunwoo
The criticism: He has a weak voice, he is known for being an actor with “ham facial expressions” that produce cringe-worthy reactions with furrowed or raised eyebrows, flared nostrils, and overall exaggerated expressions. It does not help that most of the roles he has had for his dramas restrict him as someone who is blessed with facial beauty. For someone who has acted in shows such as My ID is Gangnam Beauty and True Beauty, it is quite obvious that the ASTRO member long regarded as a Face Genius can be quite limiting, even for the most talented of actors.
#2021KDramaGue True Beauty. On going drama just finished yesterday. I really enjoy it, the cast, storyline and the humors that build around it. Cha Eun Wo, oh my ♥️😍💯
Signs of redemption: A lot of netizens (the same group of people who have criticized the idol-actor in the past) have seen remarkable improvement with Eunwoo’s acting in his latest offering, the 2020-2021 drama True Beauty. They have noted two things: Less hammy facial expressions than what was seen in Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung and more natural acting.
What the idol needs to do: Eunwoo needs to challenge himself if he’s that serious about making acting an alternative career. After all, ASTRO will have to face and hopefully beat the 7-year curse of idol groups next year. So, if things with ASTRO don’t go smoothly as hoped for, he may venture into full-time acting, which means he may be presented with the possibility of doing more challenging and meatier roles. That should be great for Eunwoo, who may want the opportunity to display his acting chops and chuck his current image of being just another pretty face out the window. He has already been exposed to the world of television with supporting and leading roles in four programs already, plus he is set to debut in the movies with the yet-to-be-released Decibel, so a more discriminating taste in selecting his next roles will be important if he wants to be taken seriously as an actor.
Red Velvet’s Joy
The criticism: Joy has been the female lead of two dramas already – 2017’s s The Liar and His Lover and 2018’s Tempted. The acting major from the School of Performing Arts has been criticized for both appearances. Many had expressed skepticism when Joy accepted both lead parts and unfortunately, their disappointment was only encouraged when they watched both series. Comments ranged from Joy simply not being a good actress with her facial expression, gestures, and diction are supposedly unnatural and “painful to watch” to “Wow I can just tell from the photos that she sucks at acting. This needs to be investigated”, and “This is why you need to go to a major agency. They get you in variety shows and drama in any way they can”.
https://youtu.be/U8p_IzC36Ck
Sings of redemption: Joy is set to headline another drama, Only One Person with Prison Playbook’s Kim Kyungnam and Hospital Playtlist’s Ahn Eunjin which is supposed to be released before the year ends. Let us hope for this drama with a sterling cast to usher Joy to levels of better acting.
What the idol needs to do: At this time, Joy can still afford one more bomb performance before being dismissed outright as an acting black hole. This is why Only One Person needs to work. Otherwise, if she is bent on continuing her acting career, acting classes maybe must be in the offing.
The criticism: After bandmate Baekhyun got flack for subpar acting in Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo while main vocal D.O received praises for his appearances in movies and TV series, it has been the group’s leader Suho who has been at the receiving end of a lot of criticism in his acting performances both on TV and the movies. For his latest drama, How Are U Bread, where he played a magical baker the vitriol against the idol was at an all-time high, with comments such as “Why does SM keep sticking idols into acting? I wouldn’t mind if they start from small roles but they’re taking lead roles when they can’t even act” and “If you’re going to claim this is a troll post, he has to be a good actor. It’s a fact that he’s a terrible actor but we can’t criticize his acting?” receiving support and agreement among K-netizens. Suho, like Eunwoo, is cursed with breathtakingly perfect visuals, which may be a handicap for actors who may need to look imperfect to suit their “everyday man” roles.
— Mary🐰👨🏻🎨En attendant SUHO💕ᴱˣᶦˢᵗ✵ (@cottoncandy_jun) July 4, 2020
Signs of redemption: None yet, as Suho is currently finishing his mandatory military service.
What the idol needs to do: Suho needs to shy away from the pretty boy and overly glamorized roles. He can’t help it if he looks the way he does, but It can be jarring to see perfect-looking idols portraying perfect-looking people in TV shows. If D.O can portray a blind athlete, a prince, and a North Korean POW all in the same degree of effectiveness, I am sure Suho can as well. He just has to be on the lookout for better-written characters who don’t rely on their looks to keep the story interesting.
To be honest, it’s not like these idols are going to disappear from k-dramas, especially if they still attract a following that show producers and TV stations would definitely not say no to. So, let’s just hope for these three to get their acting chops sharpened real soon!
Featured Image: Screenshot from The Liar and The Lover trailer.
Are you looking for dramas to follow that happen to feature your favorite idols-turned-actors? Here are five of them, all of which generated quite a buzz last year for their stories and high-profile casts, including some very familiar personalities you may have seen on stage, singing and dancing before.
Yumi’s Cells
Yumi (played by Goblin and The King: Eternal Monarch’sKim Goeun) is an ordinary office worker whose inner mind workings are displayed using animation of the “cells” that represent her drives, thoughts, and emotions, as what you may have seen in the movie Inside Out. However, the cells that represent love in her mind are in a state of coma, as she has yet to recover from her last relationship which failed. This is where other of the drama’s characters, game developer Ku Woong (Ahn Bohyun), and her officemates Ruby (Lee Yubi) and Seo Saei (Park Jihyun), come in to help in reviving Yumi’s love cells.
Idol appearance: SHINee’s Flaming Charisma Minho appears as one of Yumi’s colleagues, which she has feelings for, only to find out he has a girlfriend.
Lost
As its title suggests, Lost is a drama about people who feel adrift. There’s a 40-year-old woman Bujong (played by actress Jeon Doyeon, known for being the first Korean to win Best Actress at Cannes in 2007) who works as a ghostwriter. Bujong feels she hasn’t achieved anything in her life and she doesn’t know if she is living an existence with any direction. On the other hand, there’s a 27-year-old man named Kangjae (played by Ryoo Joonyeolof Reply 1988 fame) who lives in constant fear that he might end up as a nobody.
Idol appearance: Apink’s visual Naeun plays one of Kanjae’s friends who also has to deal with her quarter-life crisis issues. Lost is Naeun’s first major project since leaving Apink’s agency Play M to sign with YG Entertainment.
One the Woman
https://youtu.be/Nct4RyMfWl8
Jo Yeonjoo (played by Miss Universe 2007 3rd runner-up-turned-actress Honey Lee) is a prosecutor who engages in questionable practices. A case she handled made her lose her memory, which somehow led her to live as Kang Mina, a daughter-in-law of a chaebol family, who also happens to look just like Yeonjoo. Meanwhile, there’s Han Seungwook (Lee Sangyoon) who is the son of the chaebol family and hasn’t gotten over his first love. But is sort of forced to be involved with his wife Mina, who he doesn’t know is already Yeongjoo.
Idol appearance: EXID’s Jeonghwa who plays Han Seongwook’s girlfriend and old lover who he abandoned for Kang Mina. She keeps her career as the representative announcer of the broadcasting company, conducting the 9 o’clock news despite being left for another woman. You can also see Weki Meki ‘s Doyeon playing the young Mina in flashback scenes.
High Class
In the grand tradition of dramas such as The Penthouse: War in Life and Sky Castle, the show is about the hypocrisies hidden behind the perfect lives of the women who are part of the top 0.1 percent bracket of society. Song Yeoul (Cho Yeojeong, who gets to play an elite housewife again after her award-winning turn in Parasite) is framed for murdering her husband. Her supposed friends in her exclusive circle include Nam Jiseon (Kim Jisoo), who is the star among the mothers at the international school where the children of the elite go, Hwang Nayoon (Park Sejin), a single mother who is the only one friendly to Yeoul and Cha Doyeong (Gong Hyunjoo), an actress who is past her prime and is a disciple of Jiseon because she wants to be in the limelight.
Idol appearance: Former After School member Lee Gaeun (aka the Produce 48 contestant who was wrongly eliminated by the show producer’s manipulation) plays a teacher in the international school where the children of Yeoul’s children go.
Dali and Cocky Prince
School dropout but keen moneymaker Jin Moohak (Kim Minjae) is part of a family that runs the global restaurant franchise firm Dondon F&B, a company that started out as a gamjatang (pork bone stew) restaurant. Kim Dal-Ri (Park Gyu-Young) is a visiting researcher at an art gallery and being the only child of a prestigious family is quite spoiled, so she is lacking in household chores. The two meet without knowing about each other’s backgrounds, with one being the son of an uneducated family with thriving wealth and the other being the daughter of a prestigious family whose fortunes are declining because the art gallery is going bankrupt.
Idol appearance: Momoland’s Yeonwoo, a gallerist and the daughter of a National Assembly member.
While waiting for your favorite actors to stage their comebacks on the small screen or streaming services, why don’t you try these five shows, that is if you weren’t able to catch them last year. All five have gotten a lot of thumbs-ups from viewers. So they won’t disappoint! Besides, since they’re already done, you don’t have to wait for weeks for binge-watching them. So, what are you waiting for? Get ready for k-drama marathons with these shows.
Historical Kdrama featuring BLACKPINK Jisoo in Snowdrop
After all the starts and stops, the JTBC drama Snowdrop was highly anticipated among BLINKs who couldn’t wait to see the real acting debut of BLACKPINK Jisoo, sharing the small screen with one of K-drama world’s hottest leading men, Jung Haein. But then, thousands have also protested the show, accusing it of historical revisionism, with Jung Haein’s character coming under fire as it has been reported that the actor will play a North Korean spy disguising as a student protestor in the 1987 university protests.
If you binged Snowdrop already, here are four dramas based on modern Korean history. Trust us, these shows are good!
The Hymn of Death
Initial TV run: November 27 to December 4, 2018, for 6 episodes on SBS, currently available on Netflix
Cast: Shin Hye‑sun as Yun Simdeok, Lee Jongsuk as Kim Woojin, Park Seonim (as Woojin’s wife), Ko Bo‑Gyeol (as Simdeok’s younger sister)
What’s it about: When Korea was under Japanese occupation, a love story blossomed – drama writer Kim Woojin (played excellently by Lee Jongsuk of W and While You Were Sleeping fame) falls in love with Yun Simdeok (played by Shin Hyesun of Mr. Queen fame) when they met in Waseda University in Japan as participants of a play. They start off as two people who don’t really get each other’s vibes, but as with any other K-drama couple, they started getting to know each other more and eventually liking each other, and then fall in love.
Sounds like your typical k-drama, right? But wait; there’s a catch: Simdeok discovers that Kim Woojin is already married. So, Simdeok decides to avoid Woojin and nip their relationship in the bud.
To add to the love story’s complications, Woojin’s wife is not your typical female antagonist everyone loves to hate. So, instead of people fully rooting for the Woojin-Sindeok couple, the audience may also feel slightly guilty.
Fast forward to a few years, the two led sort of compromised lives, with Woojin foregoing writing to attend to the family business and Simdeok shifting from classical to pop music to cater to the masses. They meet again and rekindle their romance, as Simdeok cannot help but fall for Woojin’s advances while Woojin thinks Simdeok’s rags to riches story of perseverance makes her the ideal woman for him. But with still quite conservative 1920’s Korean and Japanese societies they had to contend with, their story had an inevitably tragic ending.
Trigger warning: Viewers triggered by the topic of suicide are advised to skip this drama.
done watching hymn of death! it was only short but i definitely enjoyed it. arts, hope, and love can serve as our light through the darkest times
How is it related to real-life events: The characters and the circumstances of the drama are all based on real-life characters and events. In 1920’s Japanese-invaded Korea, esteemed playwright Kim Woojin and soprano Yun Simdeok actually lived! The song Simdeok recorded that was inspired by their doomed romance, Praise of Death(of the Hymn of Death, to which the show got its title from) is considered the first Korean pop song in 1926.
Reply 1988
Initial TV run: 20 episodes running from November 2015 to January 2016 on tvN
Cast: Hyeri as Sung Dukseon/Sung Sooyeon, Ryu Junyeol as Kim Junghwan, Go Kyungpyo as Sung Sunwoo, Park Bogum as Choi Taek, and Lee Donghwi as Ryu Dongryong
What’s it about: From a very heavy melodramatic show, let’s move to one that just spells feel-good all around. I’m sure all of us K-pop and K-drama fans may have heard of, if not binge-watched the entire Reply series, particularly Reply 1988. This family show tells the story of five families living in the same neighborhood. The kids practically all grew up together and are in the same school.
There’s a bit of a conflict with the kids as they grew up when naturally, they started to experience adulthood, particularly falling in love. This starts off with Deoksun (played by Girl’s Day Hyeri) expressing her attraction to Sunwoo (played by Go Kyungpyo of Strongest Deliveryman and SNL Korea fame), who as it turns out, is actually attracted to her older sister Bora (played by Law School’s Ryu Hyeyoung). After we see Deoksun getting rejected and Sunwoo trying his best to muster the courage to tell the rather stern character Bora how he feels, we discover that it is Junghwan (played by Lost’s Ryu Junyeol, who has been Hyeri’s boyfriend IRL since 2017) who likes Deoksun.
BUT WAIT! Deoksun develops feelings for quiet and dedicated Taek (played to perfection by Park Bogum), who hasn’t regularly hung out with them since he is a professional Baduk player and doesn’t even go to school because he goes on these international tournaments.
Warning: The scene where Junghwan sees Deoksun and Taek outside a concert venue while he was stuck inside his car with the red traffic light is the biggest mood in the world. He goes, “But fate and timing aren’t just coincidences that find you. They are miraculous moments made from numerous choices arising out of earnestness. Surrender and decision, without hesitation, that is what makes timing. He (Taek) was more ardent. And I should have been more courageous. It was not the traffic light’s fault. It was not timing. It was my many hesitations.”
(Well, we did say that Reply 1988 is more of a feel-good show than The Hymn of Death. It is a tearjerker, all right, but not a tragedy like the first show we mentioned.)
How is it related to real-life events: The families in the series weren’t really real people who lived in Ssangmu-dong. But there are two things in the series that were based and inspired by real life. One, there’s is really a Ssangmu-dong neighborhood located in the southwestern part of Seoul. Two, the character of Taek is based on Lee Chang Ho, a professional Baduk player known in South Korea for starting a professional career in the sport at the young age of 16. So, there, Choi Taek is based on a real-life Baduk prodigy.
Crash Landing on You
Initial TV run: 16 episodes from December 2019 to February 2020
Cast: Son Yejin as Yoon Seri, Hyun Bin as Ri Jeonghyeok, Seo Jihye as Seo Dan, and Kim Junghyun as Gu Seungjun / Alberto Gu
What’s it about: Yoon Seri (played by Son Yejin) is a South Korean chaebol heiress who is hated by her family, namely her half elder brothers and her stepmother. So, instead of being involved in the family business, she creates her own fashion and beauty company. Before the launch of her brand’s latest line of extreme sportswear, she tests it herself by going paragliding and unfortunately gets caught in a sudden tornado, which blows her over the Korean Demilitarized Zone and into North Korea, where she encounters the impossibly handsome Captain Ri Jeonghyeok (played by Hyun Bin).
So throughout the drama, we see Seri trying her darned best to go back to South Korea, Captain Ri and his four patrol officers trying to help her, and Seri’s evil stepbrothers scheming to replace her while she is still nowhere to be found. On their first attempt, they failed as they were spotted by the coast guard, only to escape by pretending to make out. On their second try, Seri joins a North Korean sports team that was going to Europe for a tournament. In between these efforts, she makes friends with the people in Captain Ri’s village who thought she was his new fiancee from Pyongyang. She also starts to be more appreciative of the simple way people in Captain Ri’s village lives, which was a far cry from the overly sophisticated hustle and bustle of her lifestyle as a CEO in Seoul.
But then, the second plan also gets foiled, so Capt. Ri’s dad helps him (also to appease the family of Capt. Ri’s real fiancee) by staging a fake border patrol search for a deserter, which actually served as a cover for Seri to cross the DMZ.
But even if Seri has already successfully left North Korea, the show doesn’t end there as Cho Cheolgang, an intelligence officer who has always been at odds with Capt. Ri discovered the entire operation, so he managed to sneak into Seoul to find Seri, knowing that he may extort money from her. Upon knowing this, Capt. Ri and his four loyal officers went to Seoul to find Seri and protect him from Cheolgang. Everyone eventually finds everybody and Cheolgang’s plan to kill Seri and her stepbothers’ schemes to take control of her company by merging it with the family’s conglomerate were all foiled.
How is it related to real-life events: No, there’s really no Captain Ri or Seri in real life. Even North Korean defectors who were interviewed later by South Korean media to vouch for the show’s veracity were the first to admit that unfortunately, you would be hard-pressed to find a military man in Pyongyang as handsome as Hyun Bin. Moreover, a lot of them commented on how Hyun Bin’s accent was not North Korean at all, but that’s not the issue here.
Park Jieun, the writer for Crash Landing on You, did reveal that she actually drew inspiration for the show, particularly on Seri’s quirky North Korean adventure, from a real-life event involving the South Korean actress Jung Yang.
Jung Yang made the news in 2008 when she and her friends rode a leisure ferry boat and sail across the shores of Incheon and were led astray by inclement weather to crossing the Northern Limit Line that separates South Korea and North Korea.
However, unlike the events in the series where Seri actually landed in North Korean territory, Jung Yang and her friends turned their boat around upon hearing North Korean fishermen speaking in a North Korean accent. Panicking, she sent an emergency message to the South Korean coast guard who went on to rescue her boat. She got away with paying a fine of 400,000 won for sailing beyond five miles without a report, though the actress’ party denied deliberately trying to cross over while asserting that they actually got lost in the fog that enveloped their boat.
Youth of May
Initial TV run: 12 episodes from May to June 2021 on KBS
Cast: Lee Dohyun as Hwang Heetae, Go Minsi as Kim Myeong-hee, Keum Saerok as Lee Sooryeon, and Lee Sanyi as Lee Soochan
https://youtu.be/afW9W0FI5vc
What’s it about:Youth of May is a romantic drama about a fateful meeting between medical student Hwang Heetae (played by 18 Again’s Lee Dohyun) and nurse Kim Myunghee (Go Minsi of Love Alarm fame), who fall in love during the political upheavals of May 1980, a historically significant time period in South Korea. Though those protests became rampant throughout the entire country, the one that became the biggest and most prominent was the Gwangju Uprising, when initially, there were student protests that later morphed into a violent armed uprising that involved other sectors of society that clashed with the military that was on the side of the government. Amidst this rather tumultuous setting, the show’s characters get entangled in a complicated relationship.
Our female lead, Kim Myeonghee is a nurse who was bound for Germany to complete further education. However, she lacked the money to purchase her plane ticket to go abroad. Enter Lee Sooryeon (Keum Saerok, best known for her performance in The Fiery Priest), her best friend who comes to the rescue by lending her some money in exchange for Myeonghee’s agreement that she replaces Sooryeon on a blind date.
Myeonghee does stand in for her friend on the date and meets Hwang Heetae, a medical student. What started off as a blind date ended up with the two falling in love with each other. However, their budding romance will be challenged by the brewing destabilization of Korean society as students started expressing their dissatisfaction at the military-backed political regime.
Myeonghee started having second thoughts about pursuing her studies abroad because she wants to spend more time with Taehee and the unstable peace and order situation in Gwangju, and as their city is being taken over by the military, she may regret her decision of staying as she died from a gunshot wound from a martial law soldier.
Or did she? The drama then shifts to fast forwards to present-day Gwangju and flashbacks as Heetae, now forty years older in present-day Gwangju, continues to look for Myunghee, who he still believes survived the encounter.
How is it related to real-life events: The characters may not be based on real-life personalities, but the entire drama was based on one of the most historical events in contemporary Korea – the Gwangju Uprising, which as mentioned earlier, happened in the city of Gwangju. It actually only happened in nine days, but the effects were shattering and have up to this day, continued to affect the fiber of Korean culture. It may be because ordinary citizens, who were initially university students opposing the martial law government were pitted against soldiers and police of the Korean Government.
When the dust settled, the government downplayed the casualties to around 170, although other reports range between 600 to 2,300 deaths. During the presidency of Chun Doohwan, which the protestors were demonstrating against, the incident was described as a rebellion that was initiated by Communist sympathizers who may even have been linked to the North Korean government. However, investigations conducted decades later proved that it may have not exactly mattered if those who protested were communist sympathizers or may have gotten support from the North Korean government, as it was proven that the South Korean military and police really committed major atrocities and used excessive force to control the uprising.
Move to Heaven
Initial TV run: 10 episodes released on May 14 this year on Netflix
Cast: Lee Jehoon as Cho Sanggu, Tang Joonsang as Han Geuru, Ji Jinhee as Han Jeongwoo, and Kim Juyeon as Min Jiwon
What’s it about:This show is about Han Gaeru (who was in Crash landing on You, playing one of the Capt. Ri’s allies in Company Five) whose father suddenly died and was left under the care of his estranged uncle Sanggu (played by Taxi Driver’s Lee Jehoon) to be part of this company called Move to Heaven. Their job was to clean up houses of those who died only recently and in the process they discover how they lived and they further understood their stories.
The duo started out as a very odd couple, as Gaeru has difficulty understanding the world around him, having been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. On the other hand, Sanggu, who has had brushes with the law as an ex-convict and also living as an underground MMA fighter, isn’t really comfortable with the responsibility of restoring order and cleanliness in people’s lives and prefers chaos and lack of order.
The drama packs a lot of heart-wrenching scenes guaranteed to make even the hardened fan get teary-eyed in almost every episode. Although the first few episodes can be a bit dry as they lay the entire storyline and the characters, the audience gets the opportunity to know the nature of their work better before getting further attached to them as their shadowed pasts get revealed slowly.
How is it related to real-life events: The show Move To Heaven is actually based on a nonfiction essay Kim Sae Byul, a real-life trauma cleaner entitled Things Left Behind. Thus, most, if not all stories in the episodes are based on the real lives of the people who have passed away and the living spaces Kim has cleaned. Viewers will relate to a llot of the scenarios, like one story where a janitor and his wife died without anybody attending the funeral since they don’t have any living family left, so the Move to Heaven guys figured a way to give the couple a proper, not too depressing sendoff.
Another episode showed Geuru’s dad being present in Sampoong Department Store when it collapsed, which actually happened, causing hundreds to lose their lives and be injured. This incident was also shown in an episode of Reply 1994.
Did these dramas whet your appetite after Snowdrop binge? We have more suggestions for historical dramas of a different period here
Featured image: Historical Kdrama featuring BLACKPINK Jisoo in Snowdrop. Photo: JTBC Drama/YouTube
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