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First Love (1996 TV series)

South Korean television series (1996–1997)


Summary

South Korean television series (1996–1997)

FieldValue
imageFirst Love (1996 TV series) promotional image.jpeg
captionPromotional image
native_name
genreRomance
writerJo So-hye
directorLee Eung-jin
starring
countrySouth Korea
languageKorean
num_episodes66
producerKBS
channelKBS2
first_aired
last_aired

First Love () is a South Korean television series starring Choi Soo-jong, Lee Seung-yeon, and Bae Yong-joon. It aired on KBS2 from September 7, 1996 to April 20, 1997 on Saturday and Sunday at 19:55 for 66 episodes.

It is currently the second highest-rated Korean drama of all time, based on single episode viewership ratings, reaching 65.8% on its final broadcast on April 20, 1997. Its average rating for its entire run was 52.6%. In 1997, the series aired on China Central Television to commercial success and is widely considered the beginning of the Korean Wave.

Plot

Brothers Sung Chan-woo and Sung Chan-hyuk and their sister Sung Chan-ok live in the poor countryside with their father Sung Duk-bae, trying to get by as a farming family.

The stern and hard-working Chan Woo and his older brother Chan Hyuk, an aspiring artist, are both in love with Hyo-kyung. She returns Chan-hyuk's affection. After learning the two are dating, Chan-woo finds it hard to be around her, though she tries to continue to be friendly with him. Lee Jae-ha (Jo Kyung Hwan), Hyo-Kyung's gangster father, is against her dating a poor artist.

A mysterious accident leaves Chan-hyuk paralyzed. Chan-woo, now a law student, gives up his career and joins the underground world of the mafia to seek revenge on Hyo-Kyung's family for his own family's suffering.

As the series progresses, Chan-woo is still in love with Hyo-kyung and is torn between his love, the loyalty to his brother and desire for revenge. As the paralyzed Chan-hyuk grows distant to Hyo-kyung, she became drawn to Chan-woo. There was also the childhood friend Kang Suk-hee with a crush on Chan-woo.

Cast

  • Choi Soo-jong as Sung Chan-hyuk
  • Lee Seung-yeon as Lee Hyo-kyung
  • Bae Yong-joon as Sung Chan-woo
  • Song Chae-hwan as Sung Chan-ok (Chan-hyuk and Chan-woo's sister)
  • Choi Ji-woo as Kang Suk-hee
  • Park Sang-won as Kang Suk-jin (Suk-hee's brother)
  • Lee Hye-young as Park Shin-ja
  • Son Hyun-joo as Ju Jung-nam (guitarist)
  • Bae Do-hwan as Oh Dong-pal
  • Jo Kyung-hwan as Lee Jae-ha (Hyo-kyung's father)
  • Yoon Mi-ra as Hyo-kyung's mother
  • Kim In-moon as Sung Duk-bae (Chan-woo's father)
  • Jeon Yang-ja as Chairman Jun (Suk-jin's mother)
  • Park Jung-soo as Shin-ja's mother
  • Kim Tae-woo as Park Hyung-ki (Chan-woo's classmate)
  • Song Hye-kyo as one of the students being tutored by Hyo-kyung
  • Cha Tae-hyun as Chan-woo's friend
  • Michael Bratvold as French exchange student

International broadcast

Due to Bae Yong-joon's popularity post-Winter Sonata, First Love was aired in Japan on NHK in 2005.

References

References

  1. (2008). "East Asian pop culture : analysing the Korean wave". Hong Kong University Press.
  2. (April 7, 2005). "KBS drama ''First love'' shows an audience rating of eye-opening 2% level in Japan". [[Hancinema]].
Wikipedia Source

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