As 2012 comes to an end, South Korea has seen many surprises not only in the entertainment industry, but in politics as well. In the entertainment sector, the title song from PSY’s sixth album, "Gangnam Style," went viral, becoming the most watched video on YouTube with more than 1 billion views.
Gangnam literally means "river south," meaning south of the Han River, a newer part of Seoul where many of the wealthy reside.
The film industry has seen unprecedented success with two South Korean films breaking records. "The Thieves" toppled ticket-sales records with more than 13 million sold, while "The Masquerade" sold more than 12 million tickets. Only a handful of Korean films have ever hit the 10-million-ticket mark. Two films reaching this achievement in the same year is phenomenal.
Lastly in politics, South Korea elected its first female president, Park Geun-hye, two weeks ago in an election with high voter turnout. Her father, Park Chung-hee, was also president of South Korea from 1961 to 1979, until he was assassinated by the chief of security. President-elect Park Geun-hye will be inaugurated in February.
Next year the Korean wave will maintain its strength with growing K-pop and K-drama popularity. With the success of "Gangnam Style," PSY has put South Korea on the map globally for many countries who hadn’t previously had much interest in Korean pop culture.
Happy New Year, She-he Bok Man-e Baduseyo!
"The Great Seer"
Episode 10 and 11
Today, 6:45 p.m.: Ji-sang follows Hae-in to Seo-woon-gwan’s library and finds the character for wood on the floor. The news of Prince Deok-heung’s attempt to overthrow the king, with the support of the Yuan emperor, reaches Goryo. Soo-ryung-gae gives the king a false message from the heavens to start a war with Prince Deok-heung.
Today, 7:45 p.m.: Lee In-im uses the king’s strategy against him to win the king’s trust, and is ordered to watch Lee Sung-gae. Ji-sang is caught for impersonating Lee Han-baek, but he gets out of trouble, only to fall into Soo-ryun-gae’s trap.
"The Lord of the Drama"
Episodes 7 and 8
Monday, 7:45 p.m.: Hyun-min’s DUI lands him in trouble, and he’s about to be kicked off the show. But Anthony makes it look as if Hyun-min was driving to his seriously ill mother. Oh Jin-hwan devises another plan to throw off Anthony’s little plot.
Tuesday, 7:45 p.m.: Hyun-min holds a successful press conference and earns a good reputation as a loving son in the process. He does community service at an orphanage for the DUI offense. Sung Min-ah accepts Anthony’s offer and decides to star in "Morning in Gyeongseong" but asks Go-eun to make her part bigger. Go-eun insists she can’t change the script for one actress.
"My Love, Madame Butterfly"
Episodes 13 and 14
Wednesday, 7:45 p.m.: After an argument with Sul-ah, Nabi loses her baby. She is inconsolable, but Woo-jae is there for her, much to Sul-ah’s dismay. Woo-jae keeps on discovering the underhanded things Sul-ah has done to Nabi, but he still gives her the benefit of the doubt. Chan-gi sees Nabi at the hospital while visiting a friend there, but so does Soo-jung. Sul-ah tries to keep Woo-jae away from her, but when it seems impossible she tells Woo-jae why she hates Nabi so much.
Thursday, 7:45 p.m.: Woo-jae doubts his judgment of Nabi after he hears Sul-ah’s story, however, when Grandma Gum-dan disappears at the department store and Nabi asks for his help, he decides that he should trust his instincts. Nabi asks Woo-jae to keep the miscarriage a secret so she can tell the family at a better time, but ends up having to tell the family when Jung-ae decides to take her to the hospital for a checkup. The miscarriage shakes up the whole family.
"Cheongdam-dong Alice"
Episodes 1 and 2
Friday, 7:45 p.m.: Han Se-kyung is an aspiring designer with great records. But without an overseas education, she has a hard time getting a job. She finally lands one with a leading clothing company, but she finds herself running errands for the president’s wife. Seung-jo comes back from France as Jean Thierry Cha, the CEO of Artemis Korea, and the first thing he does is seek revenge on his father.
Saturday, 7:45 p.m: Se-kyung finds out the president’s wife she’s been working for is Yoon-joo, her high school nemesis. But she vows to work hard and succeed as a designer. In-chan, Se-kyung’s boyfriend of seven years, gets into trouble with the law trying to come up with money for his mother’s surgery.
Jeff Chung is general manager of KBFD TV, which televises Korean dramas with English subtitles. Reach him at 521-8066 or jeffchung@kbfd.com.
