Merchant Kim Man Deok (2009)

Synopsis
This drama is based on a real life figure Kim Man-deuk who was living in Jeju Island. Kim Man Deok (Lee Mi-Yeon) was born into the noble class, but became an orphan at the age of 12. She was than adopted by a prostitute on Jeju Island and worked as a prostitute. At the age of 22, She appealed to government authorities and freed herself from prostitution and also reclaimed her noble status. Kim Man Deok would then go on to become a wealthy merchant by importing & exporting goods between Jeju Island and the Korean mainland. By the age of 50, She would become one of the richest persons living on Jeju Island. A severe famine would then strike the island taking the lives of one-third of the population. This famine would move Kim Man Deok so much that she would sell her entire assets to help feed the starving people of her island.

My Rating
4.3 from 5 stars

Giant (2010)

Synopsis
"Giant" covers the lives of the three siblings growing up in the 1970's and their pursuit for revenge; Lee Kang-Mo (Lee Beom-Su) is a man who carries deep sorrow, his younger sister Lee Mi-Joo (Hwang Jeong-Eum) & his older brother Lee Sung-Mo (Park Sang-Min).

Lee Kang-Mo's father died due to a friend of his father. Because of this, Kang-mo also lost his mother and had to separate from his younger sister and older brother. Kang-Mo was then raised by a man named Hwang Tae-Seob (Lee Deok-Hwa). Kang-Mo also falls in love with Hwang Tae-Seob's daughter Hwang Jung-Yeon (Park Jin-Hie). By a cruel twist of fate, it turns out Hwang Tae-Seob turns out to be the man responsible for Kang-Mo's father's death. Now Lee Kang-Mo & Hwang Jung-Yeon's relationship changes as Lee Kang-Mo becomes driven for revenge.

Lee Mi-Joo (younger sister of Lee Kang-Mo) loves Jo Min-Woo (Joo Sang-Wook). Unfortunately for Mi-Joo, Min-Woo leaves her while Mi-Joo is carrying his baby. After the birth of their baby, Mi-Joo attempts to hide her single mom status from those around her. Mi-Joo finds success in her career as a sister, eventually becoming a star. She also becomes the step-daughter for Congressman Oh Byeong Tak, who later passes away from a mysterious accident. Mi-Joo enlists the help of her brother Kang-Mo to destroy her former lover Jo Min-Woo, even though she is still in love with him.

Lee Sung-Mo (older brother Lee Kang-Mo) is an agent for the Central Intelligence Agency. He was picked for the agency by a man named Jo Pil-Yeon (Jeong Bo-Seok). At the time Lee Sung-Mo was unaware that Jo Pil-Yeon was responsible for the death of his father, but discovers this fact later. Sung-Mo is then able to connect Jo Pil-Yeon with Hwang Tae-Seob (the man that raised Lee Kang-Mo) as the two men connected with his father's death. Sung-Mo carefully details his discovery on paper. Sung-Mo dreams of exacting revenge but is then shot by Jo Min-Woo and becomes disabled. Sung-Mo then gives the information he discovered on Jo Pil-Yeon and Hwang Tae-Seob to his young bother Kang-Mo

My rating
4.8 stars from 5

Empress Cheon Chu (2009)

Synopsis
The drama is based on the historical Dowager Queen Empress Cheonchu of the Goryeo, who fought against the Liao Dynasty in order to achieve her Grandmother's personal dream of reclaiming old lands lost over the years to other associated tribes and countries such as the Silla and Khitans.
The series largely revolves around her desire to influence and win back her son later known as Mokjong from her brother Seongjong when he decided to have his nephew succeed him as ruler. Seongjong deemed her unacceptable to raise the boy in preparation of his future as king and has his barren wife raise the boy as their son.
This causes a lot of conflict between Seongjong and his sister despite their continual working together to maintain the country from external and internal threats such as the Khitan invasion and various royal court intrigues and power struggles.
There are several liberties taken in the series the most obvious is that Mokjong is depicted as having epilepsy which is part of the reason General Gang Jo later removes him from ruling the country. There is no known facts supporting that the historical Mokjong had epilepsy.

My Rating
4.8 from 5 stars
Amazing, couraging, challenging, sad story of Empress Cheon Chu and her people!

Hong Gil Dong (2008)

Synopsis

Based on a fictional book about a Robin Hood in Korea, Hong Gildong, this drama is very loosely based off of that book and the time it was set in.
Hong Gil Dong was the illegitimate son of a high ranked minister. A local monk took him under his wing and taught him martial arts. Hong Gil Dong was inspired to fight for the injustice in this society that divided people into nobles and ordinary citizens whereby the former enjoyed all the privileges due solely to their birth.
The heroine, Heo Yi Nok, had just returned to Korea from China with her grandfather. They made their living by putting on shows and selling their special brand of medicine in the marketplace.
Lee Chang Hwi had been told since he was young that he was the rightful heir to the throne which had been usurped by his half brother. He had also returned from his exile in China and was plotting to overthrow the emperor.
The three got entangled in love, hate, loyalty and betrayal and only one side can win.


My Rating
4.4 from 5 stars

My Girlfriend is a Gumiho (2010)

Synopsis
Cha Dae Woong(Lee Seung Gi) is a cowardly and extremely immature man who accidentally set free a nine-tail fox (Shin Min Ah) who was imprisoned for 500 years. The fox began to take the form of a beautiful woman who follows the man who set her free around, causing misunderstandings that she is his girlfriend. Although the man enjoys the attention and envy that people around him is giving, he is also always in extreme fear that the Gumiho may want to feed on his liver to become human. But when both of them falls for each other as time goes by, the Gumiho's enemies appears causing an unexpected twist in their lives.

My Rating
4.4 from 5 stars

Queen of Reversals (2010)

Synopsis
Hwang Tae Hee is the daughter of a chaebol and team leader at her workplace. She is married to Bong Joon Soo who works at the same company. When Bong Joon Soo's ex-girlfriend, Baek Yeo Jin, who happens to be Hwang Tae Hee's rival as well, begins to work in her team, troubles start to surface. Tae Hee has to juggle her challenges in love with those in work, helping shape her boss and department director, Goo Yong Shik, from an insensitive and uninterested second generation chaebol to a true leader. Tae Hee's seeming success in love, however, presents her with another problem as she begins to realize that marriage involves just as many obstacles to overcome.

My Rating
4.6 from 5 Stars

Painter of The Wind (2008)

Synopsis
After her parents' mysterious murders, an orphan girl was adopted by an ambitious court painter Shin Han-pyeong who recognized her gift for drawing. He renames her Shin Yun-bok and raises her disguised as a boy, alongside his own son Shin Young-bok. Yun-bok grows up to be a talented painter and meets Kim Hong-do, a master painter who becomes her mentor at the male-only royal art institution Dohwaseo. By chance, Shin Yun-bok encounters a beautiful gisaeng Jeong-hyang who becomes the inspiration for many of her paintings. Meanwhile, Kim Hong-do harbors suspicions about the murder of his friend and fellow painter Seo Jing ten years ago.

My Rating
4 from 5 stars

Secret Garden (2010)

Synopsis

The drama tells the story of Kim Joo Won (Hyun Bin), an arrogant and eccentric CEO who maintains the image of seeming perfection, and Gil Ra Im (Ha Ji Won), a poor and humble stuntwoman whose beauty and body are the object of envy amongst top actresses. Their accidental meeting, when Joo Won mistakes Ra Im for actress Park Chae Rin, marks the beginning of a tense, bickering relationship, through which Joo Won tries to hide a growing attraction to Ra Im that both confuses and disturbs him. To complicate matters further, a strange sequence of events results in them swapping bodies.

My Rating

4.2 from 5 stars

The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince (2007)

Synopsis:

The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince is a story about a group of young people who find themselves drawn in the gourmet coffee business where they also find love and new hope.

The life of Go Eun Chan (Yoon Eun Hye) is not easy; she works many jobs to pay off debts and even gave up her feminine image. Choi Han Kyul (Gong Yoo) is the heir of a big food company, but his grandmother wants him to settle down, so she arranged many dates for him. After Eun Chan bumped into Han Kyul and was mistaken for a boy, Han Kyul decided to hire Eun Chan to be his gay lover in order to avoid the arranged dates. Desperately in need of money, Eun Chan had no choice but to accept. Han Kyul's grandmother also made Han Kyul in charge of a filthy coffee shop in danger of being bankrupt. Eun Chan begged to work at the coffee shop, and not long after, feelings start to spark, except, how would Han Kyul accept his "homosexuality"?

My Rating:

4.5 from 5 stars