Korea TV Drama, My Lovely Sam-soon

The K-drama phenomenon of 2005, 'My Lovely Samsoon,' attracted a massive viewing audience and went on to create a “Sam-soon syndrome.” It won numerous MBC awards in eight categories, including Best Actor and Best Female Actress for Kim Sun-a in her role as Sam-soon, and Best Male Actor for Hyun Bin in his role as Jin-heon.

'My Lovely Samsoon' was the top hit miniseries of 2005, featuring a great cast: Kim Sun-a, a popular actress who has appeared in more movies than TV miniseries; Hyun Bin, who is considered the handsomest next-generation male star; Daniel Henney, a good-looking Korean/American star born of a British father and a Korean mother; and Jeong Ryeo- won, a singer-turned-actress and former member of the female group Chakra. While the miniseries caused a stir even before the first episode, the biggest news was that actress Kim Sun-a gained fifteen pounds to nail her role as the fiery, overweight Sam-soon.

'My Lovely Samsoon' doesn't conform to the stereotype of the typical K-Drama Cinderella. The Korean version of Bridget Jones's Diary tells the story of a rather ordinary-looking heroine who meets a younger and good-looking, rich man. The romantic drama created much buzz with each episode comically depicting the love between the not-so-beautiful woman and the ill-tempered younger man. The “Sam-soon syndrome” was still being felt in Korea long after the miniseries ended. And Kim Sun-a, Hyun Bin, Daniel Henney, and Jeong Ryeo-won continue to be the most sought-after stars in Korean entertainment. In this edition, we invite you to enjoy the warm, cheerful story of 'My Lovely Sam-soon' and some of its most popular filming locations.

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My Lovely Samsoon in Brief
○Producer: Kim Yoon Chul
○Aired on MBC in Korea: June 1, 2005 - July 21, 2005 on Wednesday & Thursday nights at 9:55
○Website: http://www.imbc.com/broad/tv/drama/samsoon /index.html (Korean)

Synopsis

 

Kim Sam-soon is 29 years old and overweight, and she has an unfashionable name. On Christmas Eve, she spots her boyfriend going into a hotel with another woman. Instead of dumping him then and there, she falls to her knees and begs him not to leave, but to no avail. She has not only lost her job, but also her boyfriend, both on the same day. She runs into the restroom, which turns out to be the men's room. Utterly distraught, she encounters Jin-heon who thinks she is a female pervert. They part company on the worst of terms, unaware that their paths will cross again soon.

A Cordon Bleu-trained pastry chef, Sam-soon visits a hotel for a job interview, where she meets Jin-heon again. This time, her hair becomes lodged in his tie pin. Rushed for time and somewhat irritated, Jin-heon grabs a pair of scissors and mercilessly cuts off the offending hair. In revenge, Sam-soon throws the cake she had made for the interview in Jin-heon's face. He is pleasantly surprised by the taste of the cake and hires her as a pastry chef for his restaurant Bon Appetit.

The two despise each other, bickering day and night. Then one day, Jin-heon hires Sam-soon to pose as his girlfriend, hoping to avoid the blind dates set up for him by his meddlesome mother. Needing the money, Sam-soon agrees to the contract relationship. But eventually, their emotions turn from hatred to affection, and they find themselves thinking about each other. The story line gets more and more interesting as new characters join in, including Jin-heon's ex-girlfriend Hee-jin and Sam-soon's ex-boyfriend.

About the characters

Kim Sam-soon / 29 years old / Pastry chef / Played by Kim Sun-a

Sam-soon is a bright and cheerful character, who eats and sleeps whenever she feels down. Her father, who owned a rice cake store passed away, and now, she is living with her mother and her elder sister, who married and moved to the U.S., but came back to Korea after her divorce.
After completing her training as a pastry chef in Paris, Sam-soon returned to Korea and got a job, only to be fired on Christmas. To make matters worse, she sees her boyfriend with another woman on the same day. She visits a hotel to apply for a job and meets Jin-heon, whom she despises, but she accepts his offer to work in his restaurant. Even though she constantly complains to her boss, she gradually finds herself caring for him.


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Hyeon Jin-heon / 27 years old / Owner of restaurant Bon Appetit / Played by Hyun Bin

Jin-heon is an enviable man – young, good looking, and rich. His mother owns a hotel, and he operates the restaurant Bon Appetit. While he seems to have everything, he actually lost his brother and sister-in-law in a terrible car accident that also left him with a permanent leg injury. Since the accident, he has blamed himself for what happened and has held a cynical view of the world. His negative disposition worsened when his first love, Hee-jin, left him without a word three years ago. Then one day, an older, chubby woman comes into his life. What she says and what she does is disturbing to him, but he can't help but miss her when she is not around.

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Henry Kim / In his mid-30s / Korean-American doctor who was adopted by Americans as a child / Played by Daniel Henney

Henry was adopted at the age of two by an American family and raised by two loving parents. He is gentle, practical, and easy-going, and speaks very little Korean. He is a doctor at the Houston Hospital where Hee-jin received cancer treatment. He falls in love with her, expecting nothing in return. When Hee-jin goes back to Korea, he follows to make sure her cancer doesn't recur. Every woman's dream, he is just happy that he can help and take care of her.

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Yoo Hee-jin / 27 years old / Jin-heon's ex-girlfriend / Played by Jeong Ryeo-won

She is a beautiful young Korean girl: warm-hearted, intelligent, and kind. She fell in love with Jin-heon in high school and was his girlfriend for six years. Both her parents are doctors, and she is their only child. She has lived an affluent life with lots of love. After she goes to college, her parents emigrate to the United States, but she remains in Korea because of Jin-heon. Then one day, she leaves him without a word. After three years, she returns, saying she had her reasons for leaving even though she loved him. Now, she is determined to make Jin-heon her man. When she learns that Jin-heon loves another woman, she is devastated and can't get over him.

[sources : http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/index.kto]