Throwback to the K-Dramas that started it all
The past few days in quarantine have prompted us all to binge-watch anything and everything on Netflix - most especially K-Dramas like Crash Landing on You, Descendants of the Sun and Itaewon Class. So if you’ve been sucked into the craze (like us), you might be interested in checking out the series that started it all. Let’s throw it back to the early 2000s - here are 10 of the OG’s, the trailblazers of the addicting K-drama wave.
1. Full House (2004)
Many are familiar with Full House because it stars one of Korea’s biggest superstars - Rain. This K-Drama tells the story of Han Ji-eun, who discovers that her house was sold while she was on vacation. She became so determined to get her home back that she was willing to enter a marriage with the new owner, Young-jaye.
2. My Lovely Kim Sam Soon (2005)
Hyun Bin definitely captured our hearts as Captain Ri on Crash Landing on You, but did you know he’s been charming his way through the hearts of millions since the early 2000’s? Check out one of Hyun Bin’s earlier works - My Lovely Kim Sam Soon - where he plays the owner of an upscale French restaurant. He stars alongside Kim Sun-a, who is dumped by her boyfriend and loses her job. But the stars align and the two find themselves working together and sparks begin to fly.
This award-winning K-Drama was such a hit that it was also re-made in the Philippines back in 2008!
3. Princess Hours (2006)
A high school girl is unexpectedly married off to the country’s Crown Prince in efforts to improve the reputation of the royal family. She tries to navigate through her new life and finds herself developing deeper feelings for him. Released in 2006, Princess Hours stars Yoon Eun-hye, Ju Ji-hoon, Kim Jeong-hoon and Song Ji-hyo,
4. Stairway to Heaven (2003)
Stairway to Heaven is considered a cult classic, having paved the way for today’s line of Korean drama series.
Han Jung-suh and Cha Song-joo share a special bond as childhood friends, however the two are forced apart when Song-joo pursues his studies abroad. After some time passes, he returns back home to reconnect with Jung-suh, but later finds out that a tragic car accident has left her with amnesia.
5. My Girl (2005)
My Girl tells the story of spunky Joo Yoo-rin, a young woman who is determined to pay her father’s gambling debts. She also happens to be a bit of a trickster, but finds herself in a sticky situation when a hotel heir (Seol Gong-chan) asks her to pretend to be his grandfather’s long-lost granddaughter to fulfill his dying wish.
My Girl was so popular that remakes were filmed in Taiwan, Indonesia, and even Philippines!
6. Coffee Prince (2007)
You may know Gong Yoo from the hit series Goblin but he also starred in the critically acclaimed series called Coffee Prince in 2007.
He played Han-kyul, a reckless bachelor who takes on a coffee shop to prove himself worthy of running his family’s business. In an attempt to attract only female customers, he decides to hire good-looking male employees and ends up unexpectedly hiring the androgenous Eun-chan. Things take an interesting turn when Han-kyul gets Eun-chan to pretend to be his boyfriend in order to avoid arranged blind dates, not knowing that Eun-chan is actually female.
7. Something Happened in Bali (2004)
Something Happened in Bali is a series about love and betrayal that stars Ha Ji-won, Jo In-sung, So Ji-sub and Park Ye-jin. The story is about Soo-jung, a struggling tour guide based in Bali, who wanted to escape her troubled past. During a tour, she meets Jae-min, In Wook, and Joo Jung and finds herself complicating an existing love triangle.
8. Lovers in Paris (2004)
Kang Tae-young (Kim Jung-eun) is an aspiring filmmaker studying in Paris. To make ends meet, she works as a housekeeper for Han Gi-ju (Park Shin-yang), a divorced and wealthy businessman. He takes Tae-young as a date to a business party to impress his colleagues but unfortunately, they end on bad terms. They cross paths once again in Seoul and begin developing feelings for each other until Gi-ju’s father forces him to wed the daughter of an influential politician.
9. Winter Sonata (2002)
Winter Sonata was released in 2002 starring Bae Yong-joon and Choi Ji-woo. The story begins when Joon-sang, the son of an acclaimed musician, moves to a rural city in Korea in search of information about his past. His arrival disrupts the lives of Yujin and Sang Hyuk, who are childhood friends. Joon-sang finds himself falling for Yujin but unfortunately, major complications arise.
This drama is so popular that a statue to commemorate the lead actors has been on display in Nami Island, South Korea for several years now.
10. Jewel in the Palace (2003)
This K-Drama is a period piece set in the Chosun Dynasty, when the society had a highly male-dominated and hierarchical structure. The drama is based on a true story about a legendary girl named Jang-Geum, who ends up becoming the first woman to be a supreme royal physician during her time. Overcoming a series of discrimination, she began as the royal cook, rose to become the royal physician, and eventually became the physician in charge of the king.
