South Korean television screenwriters
Hong Jung-eun
(born 1974) and
Hong Mi-ran
(born 1977), collectively known as the
Hong sisters
(
Korean
:
洪姊妹
;
Hanja
:
洪?妹
;
RR
:
Hong Jamae
), are South Korean television
screenwriters
currently managed by
Studio Dragon
. Together, they have written popular romantic-comedies, notably
My Girl
(2005),
You're Beautiful
(2009),
My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho
(2010),
The Greatest Love
(2011),
Master's Sun
(2013),
A Korean Odyssey
(2017?2018),
Hotel del Luna
(2019),
Alchemy of Souls
(2022) and its second part
Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow
(2022?2023).
Career
[
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]
Works
[
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]
Sisters Hong Jung-eun and Hong Mi-ran were originally writers on a variety show. Hong Jeong-eun has worked as an assistant writer at MBC for about 8 years, and Hong Mi-ran has worked as an entertainment program writer at SBS for about 5 years. Hong Jeong-eun, worked as a composition writer for the MBC re-enactment programs Mysterious TV Surprise and Sunday Sunday Night. Hong Mi-ran wrote SBS' Game of Truth and KBS2's sitcom Run, My Mom.
[1]
They made their
TV drama
writing debut in 2005 with
Sassy Girl Chun-hyang
, a modern retelling of the famous Korean folktale
Chunhyangjeon
in which Chun-hyang is no passive heroine, but a headstrong sassy girl.
[2]
[3]
It became a huge hit not only in Korea, but throughout Asia. Their follow-up
My Girl
(2005), about a cheeky con artist who pretends to be the long-lost granddaughter of a rich man, was equally successful.
[4]
The two dramas effectively made its young actors --
Han Chae-young
and
Jae Hee
,
[5]
[6]
and
Lee Da-hae
,
[7]
Lee Joon-gi
,
[8]
and
Lee Dong-wook
?into household names and
Korean Wave
stars.
The Hongs' winning streak continued with
Couple or Trouble
(also known as
Fantasy Couple
, 2006), a
remake
of the 1987 Hollywood film
Overboard
. It starred
Han Ye-seul
as a snooty heiress with
amnesia
who falls for a handyman played by
Oh Ji-ho
.
[9]
[10]
[11]
For
Hong Gil-dong
(2008), the Hongs based their protagonist on the fictional folk hero
Hong Gil-dong
, a
Joseon
-era
Robin Hood
who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. But the fusion period comedy-drama starring
Kang Ji-hwan
and
Sung Yu-ri
combined royal plotting and romance with over-the-top stunts, gaudy costumes, toilet humor and anachronistic modern music.
[12]
[13]
The series was popular online, but received average ratings. It also won Best Miniseries at the 2008
Roma Fiction Fest
.
[14]
You're Beautiful
(2009) starred
Jang Keun-suk
and
Park Shin-hye
, in which a naive nun
cross-dresses
as a male idol singer in a
boy band
. Unlike the Hongs' early work, the drama did not get high ratings, but it did create a
cult following
(or "mania" fan base) online and among international viewers. Such was its pan-Asian popularity that
remakes
were produced in Japan (
Ikemen desu ne
, 2011) and Taiwan (
Fabulous Boys
, 2013).
The Hongs played with Korean mythology for their next hit drama in 2010. In
My Girlfriend Is a Nine-Tailed Fox
, the
gumiho
(or nine-tailed fox) isn't the terrifying
femme fatale
of legend who feeds on human livers. Instead, she's a cute and clueless girl (played by
Shin Min-ah
) who loves to eat
beef
, while an aspiring stuntman (
Lee Seung-gi
) accompanies her in her quest to become human.
[15]
[16]
[17]
Their next drama, 2011's
The Greatest Love
was again set amidst the gossipy and image-conscious world of entertainment, starring
Cha Seung-won
as the most beloved star in the nation who falls for a has-been pop singer (
Gong Hyo-jin
).
[18]
[19]
[20]
The drama topped its timeslot during its run, and not only did it sweep the 2011
MBC Drama Awards
(including the Writer of the Year award for the Hong sisters),
[21]
Gong also won Best Actress at the
2012
Baeksang Arts Awards
.
[22]
Big
(2012), in which an 18-year-old and a 30-year-old
swap bodies
, starred
Gong Yoo
and
Lee Min-jung
.
[23]
[24]
The drama is arguably the Hongs' least successful work thus far, lacking both in ratings and buzz.
[25]
The Hongs reunited with
Gong Hyo-jin
in
Master's Sun
(2013), a
horror
romantic comedy with
So Ji-sub
about a woman who sees ghosts.
[26]
"Writers with entertainment backgrounds are good at creating stories that can keep viewers glued to each episode. “Because entertainment is a competition based on minutes and seconds, I think the compulsion to change the channel even if it was boring for just one minute naturally led to training." SBS PD Jinhyuk, Director of Master’s Sun
[1]
In 2015, they cast
Yoo Yeon-seok
and
Kang So-ra
in
Warm and Cozy
, set in a restaurant on
Jeju Island
. The title is the English translation of the
Jeju dialect
phrase "Mendorong Ttottot."
[27]
Reinventing acting careers
[
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]
The Hong sisters are credited with reinventing the careers of several of their leading ladies.
Han Chae-young
was a sexy "
Barbie
doll" known for her figure more than her acting when her role in
Sassy Girl Chun-hyang
turned her sultry image on its head and transformed her into a plucky, optimistic, hard-working model student.
Lee Da-hae
had a somewhat melancholy image from
Heaven's Fate
, and surprised viewers with her versatility by going cute in
My Girl
.
Han Ye-seul
and
Sung Yu-ri
were dogged early in their careers by criticisms for their poor acting, until Han's privileged, rude character won viewers over with her notable catchphrases in
Couple or Trouble
,
[9]
[10]
and the Hongs were so impressed with Sung in
Hong Gil-dong
that they posted up strong praise and defense of her acting on the drama's website.
Shin Min-ah
had become better known in recent years for being a stylish advertisement model rather than an actress, but
My Girlfriend Is a Nine-Tailed Fox
gave her her most memorable character yet. Similarly, with his role of Dokko Jin,
Cha Seung-won
returned to his comedic roots after years of serious roles, resulting in massive media attention.
Critical assessment
[
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]
The Hong sisters have become known for mixing broad, somewhat juvenile comedy with elements of romance, then transitioning to heartbreak in the drama's second half. They've created a trademark style with their fast, fun narratives, hilarious situations, love of
puns
and
meta
references, and memorable and quirky characters, and their name has become a recognizable brand in the Korean drama industry.
[28]
Filmography
[
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]
Television
[
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]
Broadcast period
|
Title
|
Network
|
Director(s)
|
Ep.
|
Rating
|
English
|
Korean
|
Highest
|
Lowest
|
Average
|
January 3 ? March 1, 2005
|
Sassy Girl Chun-hyang
|
쾌걸 춘향
|
KBS2
|
Jeon Ki-sang, Ji Byung-hyun
|
17
|
31.3%
|
15.4%
|
23.8%
|
December 14, 2005 ? February 2, 2006
|
My Girl
|
마이걸
|
SBS
|
Jeon Ki-sang
|
16
|
24.0%
|
14.0%
|
19.4%
|
October 14 ? December 3, 2006
|
Couple or Trouble
|
幻想의 커플
|
MBC
|
Kim Sang-ho
|
16
|
21.4%
|
9.9%
|
13.6%
|
January 2 ? March 26, 2008
|
Hong Gil-dong
|
快刀 洪吉童
|
KBS2
|
Lee Jung-sub
|
24
|
16.9%
|
8.8%
|
14.5%
|
October 7 ? November 26, 2009
|
You're Beautiful
|
美男이시네요
|
SBS
|
Hong Sung-chang
|
16
|
10.9%
|
7.5%
|
9.2%
|
August 11 ? September 30, 2010
|
My Girlfriend Is a Nine-Tailed Fox
|
내 女子親舊는 九尾狐
|
Boo Sung-chul
|
16
|
19.9%
|
8.7%
|
12.6%
|
May 4 ? June 23, 2011
|
The Greatest Love
|
最高의 사랑
|
MBC
|
Park Hong-kyun, Lee Dong-yoon
|
16
|
21.0%
|
8.4%
|
16.0%
|
June 4 ? July 24, 2012
|
Big
|
빅
|
KBS2
|
Ji Byung-hyun, Kim Sung-yoon
|
16
|
11.1%
|
7.4%
|
8.5%
|
August 7 ? October 3, 2013
|
Master's Sun
|
主君의 太陽
|
SBS
|
Jin Hyuk
|
17
|
21.8%
|
13.6%
|
17.2%
|
May 13 ? July 2, 2015
|
Warm and Cozy
|
맨道롱 또똣
|
MBC
|
Park Hong-kyun, Kim Hee-won
|
16
|
8.8%
|
5.6%
|
7.4%
|
December 23, 2017 - March 4, 2018
|
A Korean Odyssey
|
和遊記
|
tvN
|
Park Hong-kyun
|
20
|
6.942%
|
3.586%
|
5.415%
|
July 13 ? September 1, 2019
|
Hotel del Luna
|
호텔 델루나
|
Oh Choong-hwan
|
16
|
12.001%
|
7.023%
|
8.867%
|
June 18, 2022 ? January 8, 2023
|
Alchemy of Souls
|
還魂
|
Park Joon-hwa
|
30
[a]
|
9.651%
|
4.989%
|
6.665%
|
Web series
[
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]
Accolades
[
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]
Awards and nominations
[
edit
]
State honors
[
edit
]
Notes
[
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]
References
[
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]
- ^
a
b
"한국일보 正常 發行, "言論의 바른 길 새기겠다"
"
.
PD저널
(in Korean). 2013-08-12
. Retrieved
2024-01-03
.
- ^
"Han Chae-young, Jae Hee Named Chun-hyang Festival Spokespersons"
.
KBS Global
. 24 March 2005
. Retrieved
2013-05-22
.
- ^
"띵똥~ 우리가 洪姊妹야"
.
씨네21
(in Korean). 2011-07-14
. Retrieved
2024-01-03
.
- ^
Shin, Hae-in (12 December 2005).
"An 'irresistible trickster' to meet viewers in
My Girl
"
.
The Korea Herald
via
Hancinema
. Retrieved
2013-05-22
.
- ^
"Jae Hee Makes Inroads into Taiwan"
.
KBS Global
. 5 July 2005
. Retrieved
2013-05-22
.
- ^
"Han Chae-young, Jae Hee Hold Fan Meeting in Tokyo"
.
KBS Global
. 2 May 2006
. Retrieved
2013-05-22
.
- ^
"Actress Lee Da-hae to Visit Taiwan"
.
KBS Global
. 26 June 2006
. Retrieved
2013-05-22
.
- ^
"Lee Joon-ki emerges as rising star"
.
The Korea Herald
via
Hancinema
. 6 January 2006
. Retrieved
2013-05-22
.
- ^
a
b
"Han Ye-seul Wins Over Detractors as Amnesiac Heiress"
.
The Chosun Ilbo
. 28 October 2006
. Retrieved
2013-05-22
.
- ^
a
b
Yang, Sung-jin (7 December 2007).
"Han Ye-seul, a bilingual beauty, eyes foreign entertainment markets"
.
The Korea Herald
via
Hancinema
. Retrieved
2013-05-22
.
- ^
"Oh Ji-ho's Approachable Demeanor"
.
Broasia via
Hancinema
. 1 June 2007
. Retrieved
2013-05-22
.
- ^
Oh, Jean (7 January 2008).
"New KBS drama takes fusion to extremes"
.
The Korea Herald
via
Hancinema
. Retrieved
2013-05-22
.
- ^
Kwon, Mee-yoo (1 January 2008).
"Epic Dramas Continues to Boom This Year"
.
The Korea Times
.
Archived
from the original on 15 July 2014
. Retrieved
2013-05-22
.
- ^
Han, Sang-hee (13 July 2008).
"KBS Drama Wins Award From Roma Fiction Fest"
.
The Korea Times
.
Archived
from the original on 2 April 2015
. Retrieved
2013-05-22
.
- ^
Han, Sang-hee (10 August 2010).
"Star couple seeks to lure more fans with new soap"
.
The Korea Times
. Retrieved
2013-05-22
.
- ^
Oh, Jean (9 August 2010).
"Will two big stars create fireworks?"
.
The Korea Herald
. Retrieved
2013-05-22
.
- ^
Choi, Ji-eun (5 August 2010).
"PREVIEW: SBS TV series
My Girlfriend Is Gumiho
"
.
10Asia
. Retrieved
2013-05-22
.
- ^
Kwon, Mee-yoo (3 May 2011).
"TV soap to peek into celebrity life"
.
The Korea Times
. Retrieved
2013-05-22
.
- ^
Hwang, Hyo-jin (29 April 2011).
"PREVIEW: MBC TV series
The Greatest Love
"
.
10Asia
. Retrieved
2013-05-22
.
- ^
Choi, Ji-eun (24 June 2011).
"Interview with the Hong Sisters"
.
10Asia via Electric Ground
. Retrieved
2013-05-22
.
- ^
Hong, Lucia (2 January 2012).
"
The Greatest Love
snags 7 honors at 2011 MBC Drama Awards"
.
10Asia
. Retrieved
2013-05-22
.
- ^
Kwon, Mee-yoo (27 April 2012).
"Kim Soo-hyun wins Paeksang awards"
.
The Korea Times
. Retrieved
2013-05-22
.
- ^
Oh, Jean (29 May 2012).
"Lee Min-jung says Gong Yoo is a riot in new drama"
.
The Korea Herald
. Retrieved
2013-05-22
.
- ^
Sunwoo, Carla (16 April 2012).
"Actors hope to score
Big
in new show"
.
Korea JoongAng Daily
. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013
. Retrieved
2013-05-22
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
link
)
- ^
Jeon, Su-mi (25 July 2012).
"
Big
Concludes with Open Endings, Unsatisfied Fans, and Highest Rating"
.
enewsWorld
. Archived from
the original
on 31 October 2013
. Retrieved
2013-05-22
.
- ^
Kim, Gwang-kuk (7 August 2013).
"PREVIEW: SBS Wed/Thu Drama
Master's Sun
"
.
10Asia
. Archived from
the original
on 2014-03-28.
- ^
Jo, Yeon-kyung (25 March 2015).
"Yoo Yeon Seok and Kang Sora Confirmed for
Warm and Cozy
"
.
enewsWorld
. Archived from
the original
on 28 March 2015
. Retrieved
2015-03-26
.
- ^
"Hong Sisters Collection"
.
DramaFever
.
- ^
Moon Ji-yeon (June 14, 2022).
"[SC現場] 只今껏 본 적 없던 '還魂'..이재욱→유준상 보여줄 판타지 액션 活劇 (綜合)"
(in Korean).
Sports Chosun
.
Archived
from the original on June 19, 2022
. Retrieved
January 13,
2023
– via
Naver
.
- ^
Yoo Won-jeong (August 29, 2022).
"이재욱×정소민 '케미' 活劇…'還魂' 파트1이 남긴 3가지"
(in Korean).
No Cut News
.
Archived
from the original on August 31, 2022
. Retrieved
January 13,
2023
– via
Naver
.
- ^
Choi Hee-jae (October 19, 2022).
"tvN 側 "'還魂' 파트2, 12月 10日 첫 放送" [公式立場]"
(in Korean). Xports News.
Archived
from the original on October 19, 2022
. Retrieved
January 13,
2023
– via
Naver
.
- ^
Hwang Su-yeon (January 9, 2023).
"
'還魂2' 이재욱♥고윤정 해피엔딩…完璧한 結末로 이뤄낸 有終의 美 [엑's 이슈]"
(in Korean). Xports News.
Archived
from the original on January 11, 2023
. Retrieved
January 13,
2023
– via
Naver
.
- ^
朴, 陳永 (2023-09-21).
"고윤정, 김선호 만날까..."'이 사랑 通譯 되나요?' 檢討 中"(公式)"
.
아이뉴스24
(in Korean)
. Retrieved
2023-12-04
.
- ^
"[Film Making]이매지너스 '이 사랑 通譯 되나요'…6월 撮影 突入"
[[Film Making]Imaginus 'Can this love be translated'...June].
m.thebell.co.kr
(in Korean)
. Retrieved
2024-02-29
.
- ^
"Winners of the 2011 Korea Drama Awards"
.
Korea Tourism Organization
. October 10, 2011
. Retrieved
February 4,
2014
.
- ^
Hong, Lucia (January 2, 2012).
"
The Greatest Love
snags 7 honors at 2011 MBC Drama Awards"
.
10Asia
. Retrieved
November 24,
2012
.
- ^
Suk, Monica (March 23, 2012).
"MBC's
The Greatest Love
wins silver at 2012 NY TV Festival"
.
10Asia
. Retrieved
November 24,
2012
.
- ^
Suk, Monica (August 27, 2012).
"6 TV series that were inches away from clinching SDA nomination"
.
10Asia
. Retrieved
November 24,
2012
.
- ^
Kwon, Mee-yoo (April 27, 2012).
"Kim Soo-hyun wins Paeksang awards"
.
The Korea Times
. Retrieved
April 28,
2013
.
- ^
"2nd Asian Academy Creative Awards 2019 Regional Winners"
.
www.asianacademycreativeawards.com
. November 19, 2019.
Archived
from the original on October 17, 2020
. Retrieved
November 19,
2019
.
- ^
Cho, Yeon-kyung (April 7, 2023).
"第59回 백상藝術大賞, TV·映畫·演劇 最終 候補 公開"
[59th Baeksang Arts Awards, TV·Film·Play Finalists Revealed] (in Korean).
JTBC
.
Archived
from the original on April 7, 2023
. Retrieved
April 7,
2023
– via
Naver
.
- ^
Hicap, Jonathan (October 18, 2018).
"BTS, Red Velvet win at Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards"
.
Manila Bulletin
.
Archived
from the original on October 18, 2018
. Retrieved
June 18,
2021
.
- ^
Yeo, Yer-im (October 25, 2018).
"BTS gets award upon their return home"
.
Yonhap News Agency
.
Archived
from the original on November 7, 2018
. Retrieved
June 18,
2021
– via
Korea JoongAng Daily
.
- ^
Lee, Sang-won (October 25, 2016).
"Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards announces winners"
.
The Korea Herald
.
Archived
from the original on September 29, 2018
. Retrieved
June 18,
2021
.
- ^
"對中文化藝術賞 2012年"
[2012 Popular Culture and Arts Awards].
Korea Creative Content Agency
(in Korean).
Archived
from the original on 2022-05-19
. Retrieved
2022-05-19
.
External links
[
edit
]