South Korean screenwriter
Lee Kyung-hee
(born 26 July 1969) is a South Korean television
screenwriter
.
Career
[
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]
Early works
[
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]
Lee Kyung-hee began her
television drama
writing career penning
star vehicles
, among them
Model
(1997) with
Kim Nam-joo
and
Jang Dong-gun
,
Kkokji
(also known as
Tough Guy's Love
, 2000) with
Won Bin
,
Lee Jong-won
and
Jo Min-ki
, and
Purity
(also known as
Pure Heart
, 2001) with
Ryu Jin
and
Lee Yo-won
.
But she made a name for herself with
comedy-drama
Sang Doo! Let's Go to School
in 2003. About a young father who becomes a
gigolo
to pay for his daughter's medical bills, then goes back to finish high school with his first love as his teacher, it marked the successful acting debut of singer
Rain
. Industry insiders were surprised and impressed with the singer-turned-actor for handling the myriad emotions of his character with range, thanks to Lee who took advantage of Rain's screen presence and charisma, and wrapped the character's evolution around his strengths, trying to minimize his lack of experience. Co-stars
Gong Hyo-jin
,
Lee Dong-gun
, and
Hong Soo-hyun
, as well as director
Lee Hyung-min
were also praised for their work.
Lee wrote another drama that same year,
Breathless
(also known as
Running After a Dream
or
I Run
), which was directed by Park Sung-soo (who previously helmed
Ruler of Your Own World
) and starred
Kim Kang-woo
and
Chae Jung-an
. It didn't have the popularity of
Sang Doo
, but gave an interesting, more mature spin to the "class divide" issue in its story about a factory worker entering into a relationship with a middle-class journalist. Through it, Lee proved that she could help rewrite the rules of the most predictable and cliched genre on TV. Her follow-up was a single episode on anthology series
Drama City
titled
My Older Brother
, starring
Lee Min-ki
as the young immature father of an eight-year-old boy.
Mainstream success
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A year later, Lee Kyung-hee gained popularity, both online and on TV, and critical acclaim with
I'm Sorry, I Love You
(2004). Featuring
So Ji-sub
in his star-making performance,
[1]
opposite rising actress
Im Soo-jung
, the plot involved overseas adoption, secrets of birth, terminal illness and a love triangle, but because of its focus on the pain and emotional conflicts of the characters, they were made realistic despite the over-the-top storyline. The drama was more emotionally intense than anything Lee had written before, and she was praised by viewers and critics for her well-written script that showed beauty in human tragedy.
[2]
MiSa
(as it's called by fans, the combined first two syllables of its Korean title
Mianhada Saranghanda
) became one of the rare "mania dramas" (Korean
slang
for TV series with tremendous online following) that also received high ratings, and it swept the 2004
KBS Drama Awards
,
[3]
while at the
2005
Baeksang Arts Awards
So received Best TV Actor and Lee was nominated for Best TV Screenplay.
Lee took it easy for a while after
MiSa
, and wrote two episodes of
Beating Heart
(2005), a drama with an experimental
omnibus
format of six two-part stories made by a different writer-director team. Lee paired with director Kim Jin-man in the segment
Outing
, which starred
Bae Jong-ok
as a forty-something woman having marital problems who meets the twenty-something
doppelganger
of her college boyfriend (
Ji Sung
).
Anticipation was high for her next work, and Lee again cast Rain as a
K-1 fighter
who plans revenge against the actress (
Shin Min-ah
) who drove his brother to attempted suicide.
[4]
[5]
But despite stylish cinematography from director
Kim Kyu-tae
,
A Love to Kill
(2005) was a critical misfire with disappointing ratings.
[6]
Lee reunited with another
Sang Doo
alum, Gong Hyo-jin, in
Thank You
(2007), about a single mother living on a small island with her grandfather who has
dementia
(
Shin Goo
) and her
HIV
-positive daughter (Seo Shin-ae), until a cynical doctor enters their lives. For the lead actor, Lee cast
Jang Hyuk
in his acting comeback after
mandatory military service
.
[7]
Because of Jang's draft-dodging scandal, the drama received little hype, but the heartwarming story and well-drawn characters, as well as the cast's strong performances guided by director Lee Jae-dong (previously of
Sweet Buns
), led to solid ratings and it ranked number one in its timeslot.
[8]
Some critics considered it arguably her finest work,
[9]
and Lee won Best TV Screenplay at the
2008
Baeksang Arts Awards
. It also received the 10th Special Media Award from
Amnesty International
, for "its frank, yet sensitive portrayal of a young HIV patient and her family and friends; it dealt with a touchy subject that had not been broached in other TV dramas and taught the audience to respect
AIDS
patients and other underprivileged members of our society."
[10]
Return to traditional melodrama
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In
Will It Snow for Christmas?
(2009), Lee returned to the genre of traditional melodrama. Directed by Choi Moon-suk (previously of
What Happened in Bali
) and starring
Go Soo
and
Han Ye-seul
, the tale of rekindled childhood love lost the ratings battle against blockbuster spy series
Iris
.
[9]
[11]
[12]
Lee already had
Song Joong-ki
in mind as the
antihero
protagonist when she wrote
The Innocent Man
(2012).
[13]
Titled in Korean "A Nice Guy the Likes of Which You Would Never Find Anywhere in the World," it tells the story of a man who goes to prison for the woman he loves (
Park Si-yeon
), but is betrayed by her when she marries a business mogul for money. To get his revenge, he intentionally approaches her step-daughter (
Moon Chae-won
) to seduce her in order to provoke his ex-lover, creating complicated feelings of love and conflict among the three of them.
[14]
[15]
Lee used the dualism of good and evil, love and revenge, to make her most cohesive, thematically strong drama yet, aided by director Kim Jin-won's unobtrusive yet unerring eye for detail. The cast's acting was praised across the board by viewers and critics, particularly Song for his nuanced portrayal, and
The Innocent Man
received high ratings throughout its run.
[16]
In 2014, Lee reteamed with Kim Jin-won in
Wonderful Days
, her first time to write a 50-episode weekend drama. Starring
Lee Seo-jin
and
Kim Hee-sun
, the plot revolved around a prosecutor who returns to his hometown after 15 years and tries to reconnect with his long-estranged family and friends.
[17]
Transfer to cable TV
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In 2019, Lee will do her first project under a pay TV network. Her upcoming work,
Chocolate
, will be broadcast on
JTBC
.
[18]
Other activities
[
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Lee is also a professor at
Doowon Technical University College
where she teaches television writing.
[
citation needed
]
Filmography
[
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]
- Chocolate
(JTBC, 2019)
[19]
- Uncontrollably Fond
(KBS2, 2016)
- Wonderful Days
(KBS2, 2014)
- The Innocent Man
(KBS2, 2012)
- Will It Snow for Christmas?
(SBS, 2009?2010)
- Thank You
(MBC, 2007)
- A Love to Kill
(KBS2, 2005)
- Beating Heart
"Outing" (MBC, 2005)
- I'm Sorry, I Love You
(KBS2, 2004)
- Drama City
"My Older Brother" (KBS2, 2004)
- Breathless
(MBC, 2003)
- Sang Doo! Let's Go to School
(KBS2, 2003)
- Drama City
"Days Filled with Sunlight" (KBS2, 2002)
- Drama City
"Happier Than Heaven" (KBS2, 2002)
- Purity
(KBS2, 2001)
- Tough Guy's Love
(KBS2, 2000)
- MBC Best Theater
"So-young's Mom? and Other Stories" (MBC, 1998)
- I Only Know Love
(MBC, 1998?2000)
- Model
(SBS, 1997)
Awards
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References
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]
- ^
"So Ji-sub Is Optimistic ? but Only Just"
.
The Chosun Ilbo
. 17 September 2008
. Retrieved
2013-05-24
.
- ^
"KOREAN TV DRAMA REVIEWS: 未安하다 사랑한다 (I'm Sorry, I Love You)"
.
Twitch Film
. 18 November 2005. Archived from
the original
on April 14, 2009
. Retrieved
2013-05-24
.
- ^
"Winners at the 2004 KBS Drama Awards"
.
Korea Tourism Organization
. 16 June 2012. Archived from
the original
on 21 July 2011
. Retrieved
2013-05-24
.
- ^
"From Singer to Combat Sports Fighter, an Actor Is Born"
.
The Dong-a Ilbo
. 27 October 2005
. Retrieved
2013-05-24
.
- ^
"
A Love To Kill
gains popularity from pilot episode"
.
KBS Global
. 1 November 2005. Archived from
the original
on 3 July 2013
. Retrieved
2013-05-24
.
- ^
"KOREAN TV DRAMA REVIEWS: 이 죽일놈의 사랑 (A Love To Kill)"
.
Twitch Film
. 2 March 2006. Archived from
the original
on January 28, 2008
. Retrieved
2013-05-24
.
- ^
"First Script In Three Yrs: "Like When I first Started..."
"
.
The Dong-a Ilbo
. 15 March 2007
. Retrieved
2013-05-24
.
- ^
Kwon, Mee-yoo (30 December 2007).
"Actor Jang Hyuk to Marry in June"
.
The Korea Times
. Retrieved
2013-05-25
.
- ^
a
b
Oh, Jean (2 December 2009).
"Is SBS' new melodrama classic or stale?"
.
The Korea Herald
. Retrieved
2013-05-24
.
- ^
"Korean Drama Wins Amnesty International Award"
.
KBS World
. 7 December 2007
. Retrieved
2013-05-25
.
- ^
Han, Sang-hee (1 December 2009).
"New Drama to Bring Warmth This Christmas"
.
The Korea Times
. Retrieved
2013-05-24
.
- ^
Kang, Myoung-seok (27 November 2009).
"SBS drama
Will It Snow On Christmas?
is all about love"
.
10Asia
. Retrieved
2013-05-24
.
- ^
Yoon, Hee-seong (2 November 2012).
"INTERVIEW:
The Innocent Man
Song Joong-ki ? Part. 2"
.
10Asia
. Retrieved
2013-05-24
.
- ^
Hong, Grace Danbi (5 July 2012).
"Song Joong Ki, Moon Chae Won and Park Si Yeon Gather for
Nice Guy
Script Reading"
.
enewsWorld
. Archived from
the original
on 29 January 2013
. Retrieved
2013-05-24
.
- ^
"Reasons Why We Cannot But To Love the
Innocent Man
"
.
KBS Global
. 7 November 2012
. Retrieved
2013-05-24
.
- ^
Yang, Seo-hee (22 November 2012).
"
Werewolf Boy
gets real"
.
Korea JoongAng Daily
. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013
. Retrieved
2013-05-24
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
link
)
- ^
Kim, Hee-eun (10 February 2014).
"Kim Hee-sun gets
Wonderful
"
.
Korea JoongAng Daily
. Retrieved
2014-02-11
.
- ^
JTBC “진서연 出捐 論議”…지난해 出産 後 復歸 始動 [公式立場]
- ^
"[單獨]´함틋´ 이경희 作家, 휴먼드라마 ´초콜릿´ 컴백"
. 17 March 2022.
External links
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