Korean Weekly News - February 20
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FILM NEWS
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Although its opening weekend in Korea wasn't too hot, Kim Tae-Gyun's latest melodrama 백만장자의 첫사랑 (The Millionaire's First Love) is already making the news, as the Boram Films production just signed a US$ 1.5 Million distribution deal with Japan's Digital Adventure (part of Soft Bank). The 1.5 Million figure is only the minimum guarantee, as after adding profits from the screening, the price could double. Most of the merit goes to Hyun Bin of course, whose latest TV Drama 내 이름은 김삼순 (My Lovely Sam-Soon) was recently bought by a Japanese company, and his popularity could even increase when the show is broadcast on Japanese TV. Or was it the Lee Yeon-Hee effect?
Seems like the success of 흡혈형사 나도열 (Vampire Cop Ricky) is doing wonders for Kim Soo-Ro's career. And not only for him. Kim has been cast alongside standup comedy mainstay Kim Jin-Soo in the comedy 라이프 이즈 쿨 (Life is Cool), where the comedian will receive a 80 Million Won guarantee. Now why should you care about another comedy like this? Well, first off, the two can work ad-libs like a wonder, but also because this will be the country's first ever 'Unigraphics HD' film (the technique used in A Scanner Darkly). Directed by Choi Ik-Hwan of last year's 여고괴담 4: 목소리 (Voice), the film will start shooting shortly, for a late 2006 release.
Anyone who plays Go-Stop or similar 화투 (Korean 'flower cards')-based games knows all too well that staying away from 타짜 (tajja, masters of tricks) is essential if you want to win anything. And Heo Young-Man even made a name for himself, with one of the most entertaining manhwa of recent memory, about a young man developing his card playing skills next to a mentor, one of those 'masters' of the title. I always though the manhwa would make a fantastic film, but Choi Dong-Hoon, director of 2004's excellent caper flick 범죄의 재구성 (The Big Swindle), got there first. We announced a while back the main cast, with Mr. Coolness Baek Yoon-Shik as the master, Jo Seung-Woo as the young master wannabe looking for revenge, and Kim Hye-Soo as his sister. The last piece of the puzzle has been added, with ad-lib master Yoo Hae-Jin playing Jo Seung-Woo's sidekick in his card-playing endeavors. Of course Yoo, responsible for many memorable supporting roles -- the 'knife master' in 공공의 적 (Public Enemy), the jealous policeman in 광복절 특사 (Jail Breakers), and of course as one of the court jesters in 왕의 남자 (The King and the Clown) -- was brought in for comic relief, but he seems perfect for the role. The film, predictably entitled 타짜 (The Master of Tricks), will start shooting this April, for an October release. And if it's even only 1/3 as cool as 'The Big Swindle', or half as well written as the original manhwa, we might have one of the year's highlights in the making.
Talk about 'don't try it at home'.... You're probably familiar by now with Im Soo-Jung latest film, the 'horse riding' drama 각설탕 (Lump Sugar), in which Im plays a horse lover and... well, you know how those films go. Now, while Im took several weeks of horse riding lessons and had a hefty insurance stamped on her, director Lee Hwan-Kyung thought it would be fun to ride a horse for once. After all, he's the director, he can do all he wishes to! The horse didn't think so, and the result was Lee falling off after a few minutes of riding. He injured ribs and collarbone, and was rushed to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with 12 weeks of rest. Yet the guy returned to the shoot just minutes after receiving treatment. Director Lee took the whole thing with admirable philosophy (or he was probably too embarrassed to be angry): "Just like Shi-Eun (Im Soo-Jung) does in the film, I wanted to try riding a horse, just to experience the same feelings. After falling down and looking at the horse in the eyes, many things came to mind, and I think that will help me a lot for the rest of the film." So here's what we can learn from this: want to understand how a horse rider really feels during the act? Fall off a horse! Thankfully, director Park Gwang-Soo didn't think along the same lines when researching for 아름다운 청년 전태일 (A Single Spark)...
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TV DRAMA NEWS
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Kim Jong-Hak's upcoming 24 Episodes Fusion Drama 태왕사신기 (The Four Gods) just keeps getting better. We reported a few weeks ago about the cast being completed, with Moon So-Ri added to the list (which also includes Bae Yong-Joon, Choi Min-Soo, Jung Jin-Young, Park Sang-Won and more), and of course we knew the PD and writer -- Kim Jong-Hak and Song Ji-Na of 여명의 눈동자 (Eyes of Dawn) and 모래시계 (The Sandglass). We knew the budget, at over 43 Billion Won, the most expensive Korean TV Drama ever made, at almost 2 Billion Won per episode -- to make a quick comparison, 다모 (Damo) cost 1/10 just three years ago. What we didn't know was who would take care of the soundtrack, always an important part of Historical Dramas. Well, now we do: Hisaishi Jo, the genius responsible for the music in most of Miyazaki Hayao and Kitano Takeshi's films, recently debuting in Korea with the great soundtrack of Park Gwang-Hyun's 웰컴 투 동막골 (Welcome To Dongmakgol), will be the music director. About meeting Yonsama, Hisaishi commented: "Looking at the remarkable passion for the project shown by Bae Yong-Joon, I instantly felt a sense of attachment to this show. As a Japanese, I'm really proud to play a part in a project putting the spotlight on a popular Korean hero". Bae commented: "As an actor, playing someone like King Gwanggaeto The Great is certainly very appealing, but on the other hand I also feel the pressure and fear coming from a figure of such stature. I'm really happy to work with people like Kim Jong-Hak and Song Ji-Na". Finally, Kim wrapped up with: "I threw everything I learned and had inside in this project, as if this was my last one." The show, which starts shooting in early March, stars Bae as Gwanggaeto, one of Goguryeo's (an ancient Korean Kingdom) most important figures. The producers expect to sign distribution deals with over 90 countries all over the world, and will start broadcasting the show on MBC at the beginning of 2007.
Although at first I didn't think much of it, the cast of SBS' 연개소문 (Yon Gae Somun) changed my mind about the show. The 100 Episode Drama, telling the story of legendary Goguryeo General Yon Gae Somun, will bring Yoo Dong-Geun back to Historical Dramas for the first time in two years. While many people will be familiar with his comic roles on recent Korean films like 가문의 영광 (Marrying The Mafia) and 어깨동무 (Where's The Tape?), Yoo is known in Korea as one of the best actors when it comes to Historical Dramas. Although he starred in many more before, his role in the 1996 Drama 용의 눈물 (Tears of The Dragon) made him a household name. Opposite Yoo will be Jeon In-Hwa, who also became popular thanks to another Historical Drama, 1988's 인형황후 (Queen In-Hyung), where she played Lady Jang. Now, what's even more interesting is what writer Lee Hwan-Kyung (not to be confused with Director Lee Hwan-Kyung, the one who likes falling off horses) talked about this week, presenting the show.
Lee is a bit hit and miss when it comes to scripts, as his latest work 영웅시대 (The Age of Heroes) was almost unbearable when it came to glamorizing its figures, and the less said about 싸울아비 (Saulabi), the better. But he did write two great shows, the Goryeo-based Drama 태조왕건 (Wang Gun) and of course 'Tears of The Dragon', so I still have hope. From the open set of the Drama in Mungyeong, Gyeongbuk Province, Lee commented that this Drama will show the real history of Goguryeo, stripped from the distortion created by some intellectuals in China, who claimed the Kingdom was part of Chinese history, not Korean. Now this could be a double-edged sword: on one hand you have a Drama which might appeal to older viewers in Korea, tired of the cultural tirades around Goguryeo, but then again it could erase the possibilities of export in countries like China (which seems more interested in Family and Historical Dramas, compared to Japan). DSP Entertainment commented they could even edit those 'touchy' parts out, if necessary, but we'll just have to wait and see. The show will start broadcasting in May.
Since we're there, here's some more news about upcoming Historical Dramas. MBC's 주몽 (Jumong) [Complete Title 삼한지 - 주몽편 (The Three Kingdoms - Jumong)] will mark the 45th anniversary of the station, and what better way to do that than to make a mammoth Historical Drama, covering a fascinating yet very rarely talked about period of the peninsula's history? This is one of the many Goguryeo-based Dramas of 2006/Early 2007, with SBS taking care of General Yon Gae Somun, and MBC covering Gwanggaeto a little later in the year. King Jumong, the founder of the Goguryeo Dynasty in 37 BC, will be played by Song Il-Guk, who made an impressive turn in the Shilla-based Historical Drama 해신 (Emperor of The Sea). The rest of the cast has been announced, and along with Han Hye-Jin (first leading role in a Historical Drama), the great veteran Hur Joon-Ho has also been added. But that's not over: Historical Drama regulars Jeon Gwang-Ryeol, Park Geun-Hyung and Kim Byung-Gi; Oh Yeon-Soo and Gyeon Mi-Ri, two 'ajumma' whose acting skills seem to improve by the minute, and musical actor cum Daily Drama regular Kim Seung-Soo complete the cast. Jung Hyung-Soo of 다모 (Damo) and his mentor Choi Wan-Gyu -- of 허준 (Hur Joon), 상도 (Sang Do) and 올인 (All In) -- will write, and Lee Ju-Hwan of 인어 아가씨 (Mermaid Girl) produces. The show started shooting on February 17, and will air from May 8 on MBC, competing with SBS' 'Yon Gae Somun' in a war of Goguryeo Dramas.
After the tremendous success of last year's 장밋빛 인생 (Life in Pink), Lee Tae-Ran will work once again with writer Moon Young-Nam, responsible for the 2005 Drama, which brought Choi Jin-Shil back to the limelight after years of obscurity. The new show, entitled 소문난 칠공주 (7 Princesses), will be produced by Bae Kyung-Soo of 장미 울타리 (Rose Fence) fame, and will start after the conclusion of the current KBS2 Weekend Drama 인생이여 고마워요 (Thank You Life) this April. Lee, Choi Jung-Won and Kim Hye-Seon will play sisters, while Go Ju-Won from 부활 (Rebirth) and the hit Daily Drama 별난여자 별난남자 (The Bizarre Bunch) and singer Lee Seung-Gi will play the male leading roles. The title '7 Princesses' does not refer to... er, seven princesses, but it's instead a name always attached to the sisters' family. The youngest (Kim Hye-Seon) married and divorced quickly, and is now trying to get married again; the other sister (Lee Tae-Ran) is a total tomboy, jealous of her prettier sister (Choi Jung-Won, who sure is pretty!). The fourth sister still hasn't been cast, but we already know Go Ju-Won will get in a love triangle with the two 'dueling sisters', and Lee Seung-Gi will play a Mama's Boy Prince (jeez, perfect casting). It probably sounds worse than it'll turn out to be, but even though they'll probably never reach the quality of MBC's Weekend Dramas in the mid to late 90s, KBS has been on a roll, with 슬픔이여 안녕 (Goodbye To Sadness) standing out.
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TV DRAMA WRAPUP
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You know it's a slow week for news when you almost have to cover details about the upcoming Dong Bang Shin Gi Drama (HELP! Teenyboppers dressed like Malice Mizer rejects dancing like Teletubbies invade my TV! And now they want to act...), what with all the 'one man protests' over the screen quota (which I support and agree with, but I won't get into as you know all too well my position on the matter). So how about we look a little more in depth at some of the Dramas debuting in the next few months instead, and try to guess which could be the sleeper hit?
봄의 왈츠 (Spring Waltz)
KBS2 - March/April 2006
Official Website
PD: 2/10
윤석호 (Yoon Seok-Ho)
Yoon Seok-Ho might be a force to be reckoned with financially, but he makes tearjerkers with the subtlety of a cargo ship crashing against rocks. If 가을동화 (Autumn Fairy Tale) brought the killer minivan craze to the forefront, 겨울연가 (Winter Sonata) showed all you need to act a doppelganger role is get a perm and dye-job, and look at the horizon as if you were trying to remember whether you turned off the stove or not. His dramas make a step forward and twenty backwards, so saying they drag is not even appropriate here. It's like expecting an elephant to set the World Record in the 100 Meter Dash. Gotta wait a little.
WRITER: 5/10
김지연 (Kim Ji-Yeon), 황다은 (Hwang Da-Eun)
Was supposed to be Jung Yoo-Kyung of 현정아 사랑해 (I Love You, Hyun-Jung), but because of conflicts with the PD (what do you mean you don't want the killer minivan? You're fired!), she was replaced at the last minute. Kim Ji-Yeon and Hwang Da-Eun will take care of the script instead. Not too familiar with Kim, but Hwang adapted the script of 작업의 정석 (The Art of Seduction), so let's give them the benefit of the doubt.
CAST: 4/10
한효주 (Han Hyo-Joo), 서도영 (Seo Do-Young), 이소연 (Lee So-Yeon), Daniel Henney, 최자혜 (Choi Ja-Hye), 최시원 (Choi Shi-Won)
Daniel Henney might have been good in 내 이름은 김삼순 (My Lovely Sam-Soon), but he can't possibly carry a Drama on his shoulders, even if his character has to speak English (living in Austria). Han Hyo-Joo is cute and all, but she's still completely untested, just like former model Seo Do-Young. I've seen Choi Shi-Won on 열여덟 스물아홉 (18:29), and while it was a really minor role, he managed to stink that up too. If anything, the child actors -- Eun Won-Jae from 패션 70s (Fashion Seventies) is there -- Lee So-Yeon from 깃 (Feathers in the Wind) and some of the veteran cast might make this bearable to watch, at least at the beginning.
OUTLINE: 2/10
It's the year... uh... sometime ago. Because of debts, our boy Soo-Ho (played by Seo in the adult version) hides in a small island, where he meets little Eun-Young (played by Han in the adult version), and awww... Cupid's arrow hits them (and while making that noise wakes us up), and they're in love, for evah. Now of course this is a Yoon Seok-Ho Drama, so an accident happens, probably with the killer minivan involved (do they have minivans in small islands?). They're separated, then out of 200 odd countries, 15 years later they 'coincidentally' meet again in the same foreign country, Austria. Ohh mama... what to do? Do I follow my instincts and jump on my first love Soo-Ho, or fall for the charms of rich pretty boy Phillip (Henney)? The answer, this March. I can't wait.
RATINGS POTENTIAL: 4/10
Fairly low, I'd say. Being KBS, it's likely to get more attention than the other two stations, but there's no stars except Henney, and Yoon is like Kim Ki-Duk for Chungmuro: everyone knows him, but watching his works is another story. Of course the first installment of the 'Four Seasons' did great, but with the following two the ratings went down, with 'Winter Sonata' in the 30s and 여름향기 (Summer Scent) a total flop. I'd say if they improve the average ratings of 안녕하세요 하느님 (Hello, God!) (9 to 12%) they should be happy.
OVERALL: 3:40
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공주님 (Princess)
MBC - March
PD: 6/10
표민수 (Pyo Min-Soo)
If we were in the late 90s, that score would probably go up to 8, but Pyo's latest project showed his connection with writer Noh Hee-Kyung was the key in making good, sometimes great Dramas like 거짓말 (Lies) and 바보같은 사랑 (Foolish Love). 풀하우스 (Full House) might have its fans, but every time I hear that 아빠곰 엄마곰 (Daddy Bear, Mommy Bear) song I wanna puke, thanks to that Drama. One of the most acclaimed Trendy Dramas PDs on the scene, but not really good enough to elevate an average script. At least he can work decently if the writer is good.
WRITER: 7/10
정유경 (Jung Yoo-Kyung)
And, thankfully, the writer IS good. She never really wrote anything off the charts, but as far as breezy Trendy Dramas go, the 2002 MBC Drama 현정아 사랑해 (I Love You, Hyun-Jung) is a lovely little show. Starring pre-Clown Gam Woo-Sung and the always good Kim Min-Sun, the show made fun of its initial cliches and never really dragged.
CAST: 6/10
김래원 (Kim Rae-Won), 정려원 (Jung Ryeo-Won), 박시후 (Park Shi-Hoo), 강정화 (Kang Jung-Hwa)
Kim has been trying to distance himself from the pretty boy image for a long time, but it's still very hard to find anything of major appeal -- although he did do a decent job in the watchable 미스터 소크라태스 (Mr. Socrates) -- so it all depends on how melodramatic this gets. I actually enjoyed his performance in ...ing a lot, but anyone acting next to Im Soo-Jung and Lee Mi-Sook should automatically improve. As for Jung Ryeo-Won, she's an enigma: incredibly sweet and with enough realism to charm viewers in 내 이름은 김삼순 (My Lovely Sam-Soon), and then the big debacle in 사을 소나기 (Autumn Shower). I still think she's got potential, so it's only a matter of finding the right project. The rest of the cast seems harmless (not that good, but not horrible either).
OUTLINE: 4/10
Kim Rae-Won is a film director, whose girlfriend committed suicide after watching his last film. Ok, not really, but she did die, so he's, like, sad. You know? But one fateful day, destiny leads him to the countryside, where seemingly super-hot girls are in abundance, but men need to go to Vietnam or Uzbekistan to marry. Well, he meets this girl (Jung), who looks exactly like his dead girlfriend, so it's twouble. If you add the 삼각관계 (love triangle), that's the plot of the last 350 TV Dramas I've seen, right? Plus they're shooting in Australia, which makes this sound like a 'Lovestory in Brisbane', after they did it in Harvard (and go figure, it's Kim Jong-Hak Productions again).
RATINGS POTENTIAL 7/10
It's not too hard to predict good ratings, thanks to Kim Rae-Won's popularity, but since it's MBC we're talking about, I wouldn't go higher than 20% if I had to predict a rating. It's true they're rebounding a bit with 궁 (Princess Hours) and 결혼합시다 (Let's Get Married), but just about everything else is still doing pretty badly. Plus, the story looks quite predictable and cliched, so people might lose interest quickly.
OVERALL: 6.00
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닥터 깽 (Doctor Kang)
MBC - March 22 - Wed/Thu Drama, follows 궁 (Princess Hours)
PD: 9/10
박성수 (Park Sung-Soo)
Few PDs not involved with Historical Dramas can compete with Park Sung-Soo when it comes to delivering quality Dramas. Although his earlier Dramas were hit and miss, in the last three years he's hit three jackpots in a row: 2002's amazing 네 멋대로 해라 (Ruler of Your Own World), 2003's underrated 나는 달린다 (Running After a Dream) written by Lee Kyung-Hee, and two episodes of last year's excellent 떨리는 가슴 (Six Love Stories). It might be because he chooses good writers -- In Jung-Ok and Lee Kyung-Hee lately -- but just like Lee Jae-Gyu, he shows a kind of humanism which transcends the small screen setting, and makes his Dramas feel like films, in terms of realism and intensity. I don't think we need to worry about his involvement here, he's one of the best in the industry.
WRITER: 7/10
김규완 (Kim Gyu-Wan)
Mixed feelings here. While I liked 사랑한다 말해줘 (Tell Me You Love Me), and 피아노 (Piano) was quite powerful, they're both uneven, and have the tendency to go all over the place with sentiments. Yet, PD Park is good enough that even just an above-average script could turn into a good Drama.
CAST: 8/10
양동근 (Yang Dong-Geun), 한가인 (Han Ga-In), 박시은 (Park Shi-Eun), 오광록 (Oh Gwang-Rok)
Very solid. Yang is one of the best young actors in the industry, and with guidance, Han Ga-In can be good. I'm sure Park Shi-Eun will play her usual flower vase role, but the presence of Oh Gwang-Rok and possibly some other great veterans makes this sound like quite an interesting Drama.
OUTLINE: 7/10
Korea is full of 양아치 (third rate gangsters, or thugs) trying to make it big in the organization, but what happens when mommy spends money from the wrong 'family'? Then you've gotta run, fast. Or maybe pretend to be a doctor, which is what happens to Yang here. Then of course he meets super-sassy Han Ga-In, and the sparks start en masse. Might be the Busan location, or that I trust PD Park's good taste, but this sounds like a breezy and entertaining show, the likes of which MBC has become famous for in the past. Given the cast, it should be a little better than 신입사원 (Super Rookie), but those who expect the feats of Park's previous Dramas should probably lower their expectations.
RATINGS POTENTIAL: 7/10
Bold statement: I believe in the good taste of Korean viewers, and this show will do well. Or not. I doubt it'll carry over the portion of viewers looking for a new show after 'Princess Hours' -- as most of them are teenagers, who tend to favour 'pretty face' shows, and last I checked Yang ain't too pretty -- so I'd say 15 to 20%, with an upsurge if the show is good.
OVERALL: 7.60
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불량가족 (Bad Family)
SBS - March 15, Wed/Thu Drama, follows 천국의 나무 (The Tree of Heaven)
PD: 7/10
유인식 (Yoo In-Shik)
Pushed off my Top 10 of 2005 by this much, Yoon's hilarious 불량주부 (Woman of The House) makes me hope things will turn out for the better, as even his tentatives to do meatier (at least emotionally) shows like 폭풍 속으로 (Into The Storm) turned out decent. Should be OK, but it depends on how long the show is, because storylines like that can start to drag in a moment.
WRITER: 5/10
이희명 (Lee Hee-Myung)
And here's the real problem. The writer behind 요조숙녀 (My Fair Lady), which showed looking at goats roaming around freely in the mountains is more exciting than seeing Kim Hee-Sun act, could turn this into a lousy collection of cliches, but then again her previous work 명랑 소녀 성공기 (A Joyful Girl's Success Story) handled comedy decently, so it's just a matter of deciding between different tones. If it gets melodramatic, start preparing the remote control.
CAST: 6/10
김명민 (Kim Myung-Min), 한채영 (Han Chae-Young), 현영 (Hyun Young)
Not a fan of Miss Han, but the talent of one Kim Myung-Min is enough to make me watch any Drama he's in. The former Lee Soon-Shin will certainly be the focus of the show, even though Han Chae-Young is clearly an important part. With a good cast of veterans, things could be watchable.
OUTLINE: 6/10
Her house is on fire. Awww... she loses her family and her memory. What can they do? They being a family of gangsters? Adopt her, fooling her into thinking they're her real family. And then of course the shenanigans start. I like human comedies, and this could be quite good. But then the key is how melodramatic the 반전 (swerve, second half transformation of the plot) becomes, and if they keep that under control, we might have a good Drama on our hands.
RATINGS POTENTIAL: 8/10
I think this has a chance to do pretty well. Kim and Han did extremely well in their previous Dramas ratings-wise, and it's the kind of story that can appeal to many demographic targets. I'd say 25-30%, depends how well 'Doctor Kang' and 'Goodbye Solo', which will compete with this, do.
OVERALL: 6.40
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굿바이 솔로 (Goodbye Solo)
KBS2 - March 1, Wed/Thu Drama, follows 황금사과 (Golden Apple)
Official Website
PD: 5/10
기민수 (Gi Min-Soo)
Might be wrong, but I think he's debuting here, so we start from the middle.
WRITER: 10/10
노희경 (Noh Hee-Kyung)
Few writers in Korea can create intense Dramas off of ordinary situations like Noh Hee-Kyung. Most of her Dramas have been superb, last but not least 2004's 꽃보다 아름다워 (More Beautiful Than Flowers). And this should be no different.
CAST: 9/10
천정명 (Cheon Jung-Myung), 윤소이 (Yoon So-Yi), 김민희 (Kim Min-Hee), 이재룡 (Lee Jae-Ryong), 배종옥 (Bae Jong-Ok, 나문희 (Na Moon-Hee)
Take off Kim Min-Hee, whose best role is as Lee Jung-Jae's real life girlfriend and far, far off my TV, this is pretty much a perfect cast. Perfect because Na Moon-Hee is one of the best veteran actresses in Korea, because by now Bae Jong-Ok has absorbed the 'back to basics' style of writer Noh, after starring in many of her Dramas; perfect because Lee Jae-Ryong is one of the most underrated actors in the country, whose performance in 상도 (Sang Do) deserved much more acclaim. And, finally, perfect because Yoon So-Yi of 무영검 (Shadowless Sword) fame and Cheon Jung-Myung of 태풍태양 (The Aggressives) are amongst the most exciting fresh talents in the industry.
OUTLINE: 9/10
Seems to be another 'Love Actually' set-up, similar to 새드무비 (Sad Movie and 내 생애 가장 아름다운 일주일 (All For Love), with several couples going through different issues. Noh tackled something slightly similar in her previous Drama, although the various love stories were connected by family, but this seems even more intriguing.
RATINGS POTENTIAL: 6/10
The pioneer of 'Mania Dramas' has always had to struggle with poor ratings, perhaps because her works deviate so much from the norm, and with strong competition like this show has, I find it hard to believe teenagers will miss 'Bad Family' for this one, Cheon Jung-Myung or not. Still, I know what I'll be watching first...
OVERALL: 7.80
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TV DRAMA RATINGS
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02/13~02/19
01. 35.9% 별난여자 별난남자 (The Bizarre Bunch)
Daily Drama - KBS1 [Cast: Jung Joon, Kim Ah-Joong, Go Ju-Won] [9th Consecutive Week on Top]
02. 28.6% 하늘이시여 (Dear Heaven)
Weekend Drama - SBS [Cast: Yoon Jung-Hee, Lee Tae-Gon, Jo Yeon-Woo]
03. 25.6% 궁 (Princess Hours)
Wed/Thu Drama - MBC [Cast: Yoon Eun-Hye, Song Ji-Hyo, Joo Ji-Hoon]
04. 25.4% 서동요 (The Ballad of Seo Dong)
Historical Drama - SBS [Cast: Lee Bo-Young, Jo Hyun-Jae, Ryu Jin]
05. 23.7% 그여자 (That Woman)
Friday Drama - SBS [Cast: Shim Hye-Jin, Jang Dong-Jik, Oh Yoon-Ah]
06. 21.1% 들꽃 (Wild Flower)
Daily Morning Drama - SBS [Cast: Lee Ah-Hyun, Seonwoo Jae-Deok, Kim Jung-Hak]
07. 20.3% 고향역 (A Place Called Home)
Daily Drama - KBS1 [Cast: Song Ok-Sook, Park Hyung-Jae, Kim Cheol-Gi]
08. 19.5% 결혼합시다 (Let's Get Married)
Weekend Drama - MBC [Cast: Yoon Da-Hoon, Kang Sung-Yeon, Ju Hyeon]
09. 18.7% 황금 사과 (Golden Apple)
Wed/Thu Drama - KBS2 [Cast: Park Sol-Mi, Park Ji-Bin, Jung Chan]
10. 18.3% 인생이여 고마워요 (Thank You Life)
Weekend Drama - KBS2 [Cast: Yoo Ho-Jung, Park Ye-Jin, Oh Ji-Ho]
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TOP RATED DRAMAS OF 2006
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01/01~02/19
01. 37.5% 별난여자 별난남자 (The Bizarre Bunch) - KBS
02. 31.9% 슬픔이여 안녕 (Goodbye To Sadness) - KBS
03. 29.9% 하늘이시여 (Dear Heaven) - SBS
04. 25.6% 궁 (Princess Hours) - MBC
05. 25.4% 서동요 (The Ballad of Seo Dong) - SBS
06. 24.9% 마이걸 (My Girl) - SBS
07. 23.7% 그여자 (That Woman) - SBS
08. 23.0% 황금사과 (Golden Apple) - KBS
09. 22.3% 인생이여 고마워요 (Thank You Life) - KBS
10. 21.1% 들꽃 (Wild Flower) - SBS
Sources
Star News: 1, 2
Yahoo Korea: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
MyDaily News: 1
Yonhap News: 1, 2, 3
