These screenwriters played an important role in the success of your favorite K-dramas.
A great cast, filled with famous actors would still fail to save a drama if the writing is poorly done. Therefore, whether or not the dramas can grab attention and become hits depends greatly on the screenwriters and the stories they mean to tell. Here are 5 of the most well-respected screenwriters who were behind various high-rated K-dramas.
Yang Hee Seung: The beginning of romantic comedy
Yang Hee Seung was born in 1970, starting her career in 1996 when she was 26 years old, she made her debut in the industry with the screenplay for the popular sitcom Three Guys And Three Girls.
Yang Hee Seung is known for her creative writing, especially in the romantic comedy genre. Iconic rom-com dramas such as Oh My Ghost, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo, or the latest hit family drama Once Again are outstanding works of screenwriter Yang in the last 7 years. Her stories are often women-centric and revolve around modern and lovable female leads.
Kim Eun Sook: The queen of romantic mega-hit dramas
Perhaps all K-drama fans are familiar with Kim Eun Sook by now. Born in 1973, Kim Eun Sook’s works are among the most iconic among Korean screenwriters. Her writing first drew attention when Lovers in Paris became a massive hit on TV in 2004. Kim Eun Sook’s following dramas namely On Air, City Hall, Secret Garden, A Gentleman’s Dignity, The Heirs, Descendants of the Sun, Goblin, Mr. Sunshine,… all achieved great success, gaining high ratings domestically and major influence across Asia. Actors who starred in successful dramas penned by Kim Eun Sook all managed to boost their popularity significantly. Such factors explain why Kim Eun Sook is labeled the “golden screenwriter” of the Korean small screen.
Screenwriter Kim is most well-known for romantic comedies, which can be cheesy and unrealistic but still charming and fun to watch. Her dialogues are highly appreciated for being well-written and memorable. Over the years, her genres have been broadened, from high school to fantasy or historical romances, Kim Eun Sook’s hit dramas have it all.
Kwon Do Eun: A screenwriter who appreciates women
Kwon Do Eun used to be an assistant to screenwriter Kim Eun Sook, before releasing her own work in 2009 with the script for Search: WWW, a female-led drama that centers on three tough and feisty women in their late 30s, while the men are only secondary boyfriend characters.
After 3 years, screenwriter Kwon recently made an impressive comeback with a masterpiece that has been generating much buzz lately, Twenty Five, Twenty One with an engaging story of young people, focusing on the female protagonist who is a passionate and strong fencer. The depiction of love and friendship through charming, diverse characters in the drama is delicately done and can easily touch viewers’ hearts.
Kang Eun Kyung: Someone who can write any genre
Surely anyone who is a Korean moviegoer for a long time will know these 2 names, the blockbuster drama Bread, Love and Dreams in 2010, and before that, My Name Is Kim Sam Soon. Then next is Dr. Romantic with a highly-appreciated content. It can be seen that screenwriter Kang can write in many genres. It can be seen that scriptwriter Kang is strong in many genres and has excellent works in each category from family dramas, romantic dramas to movies…
Since 2015, Kang Eun Kyung has also established her own company, becoming a planner and training new scriptwriters. While training and continuing to write more scripts, in 2020, Kang Eun Kyung continues to create the masterpiece ‘The World of the Married’ which created a storm all over Asia. And in 2021, ‘Now We Are Breaking Up’ with the re-appearance of Song Hye Kyo or ‘Forecasting Love And Weather’ was also created by Kang Eun Kyung. These dramas all have new and interesting themes. Indeed, this is one of the most admirable screenwriters in the Korean film industry.
Lim Sang Choon: The King of Reality
When it comes to realistic dramas with a harsh but real-life story, netizens immediately remember the name of screenwriter Lim Sang Choon. Two typical dramas of this writer, “Fight For My Way” and “When the Camellia Blooms” are both excellent depictions of the difficult and harsh lives of small people in modern society. Without pomp or romance, Lim Sang Choon‘s dramas always make people agonize over the fate of each character and then empathize and love them like yourself.
These two dramas are all typical Korean works and are both worth watching. More specifically, Lim Sang Choon is a male screenwriter, but his dramas about women and their lives are so excellent. If you love realistic, healing dramas, please remember this writer’s name right away as many netizens believe that he will produce more and more significant works in the future.
There are people who watch dramas because of their actors or actresses’ visuals while others watch dramas purely for their content. Nowadays, more and more young people are interested in scriptwriter of dramas and always try their best to understand the importance of them in the Korean film industry.
