Just how do I choose which Korean dramas to watch when a new set of drama premieres in hallyuland? I actually rely on the creative team more than the actors.
I mostly put my faith on the works headlined by the conceivers of the story. Deciding on which dramas to keep, park and drop is a skill worth nurturing in order for you to still get a life and plenty of sleep while keeping a K-Drama and real life balance. *chuckles Trust me, you will eventually hit that stage when you have seen a lot, so you want to see something new for a change.
Thus, I have learned to trust the previous works of these writers and directors. Those who hit one or two dramas in me, I still have reservations. So if the first eight episodes of their new work seems not going anywhere, I usually skip it and move on to another story. Also, I take into consideration the consistency of scoring quality works.
I still do trust new writers and directors. It is important that we do because the more narratives and worlds these growing production teams want to explore, the more happy we will be as viewers.
This list will help you whom to trust in case you have specific genres you prefer to binge watch.
The Seasoned Writer: Choi Wan Kyu
Choi Wan Kyu’s works span 23 years of classic favorites and modern surprises. If you want to have a grasp of Korean history, he is great in exploring period narratives and is also strong in character-driven stories. He is superb in handling big cast productions and long-running storylines.
NOTABLE WORKS: Neighborhood Lawyer Jo Deul Ho 2, General Hospital 1 & 2, All In, Jumong, Lovestory in Harvard, Gourmet, Swallow the Sun, Iris, Midas, Lights and Shadows, Triangle, Flower of the Prison
The Sentimental Writer: Noh Hee Kyung
I loved how almost all her love stories led me to warranted self-introspection because of her ability to sketch poignant scenarios and lingering characters. Noh Hee Kyung can switch from refreshing comedies to tear-jerkers inside her love stories. She also dares to traverse variety of love setting that surprisingly endeared the viewers.
NOTABLE WORKS: More Beautiful Than a Flower, Goodbye Solo, The World That They Live In, Padam Padam, That Winter the Wind Blows, It’s Okay, That’s Love, Dear My Friends
The Sassy Screenwriter: Park Ji Eun
Before her big hit in My Love From The Star, she already showed that addictive cheery vibe in her earlier dramas. The situations she has written in her stories have brought out the best of the comic timings in the actors starring in her dramas, and I thank her for that.
NOTABLE WORKS: Crash Landing on You, Legend of the Blue Sea, Producers, My Love From The Star, You Who Rolled in Unexpectedly, Queen of Reversals
The Star Writer: Kim Eun Sook
Her ability to tap on what the general audience like has been an amazing talent. I once thought she is overrated, but I got to give it to her because her recent works in the past eight years were all striking. Kim Eun Sook works traverse mostly on romantic-comedies. She has also forged indelible love couples and bromance through the years.
NOTABLE WORKS: Lovers in Paris, City Hall, Secret Garden, A Gentleman’s Dignity, The Heirs, Descendants of the Sun, Goblin, The King: Eternal Monarch
The Nimble-minded Director: Hwang In Hyuk
I had a lot of fun in Myungwol the Spy and Sungkyunkwan Scandal while I had some retrospection in Goodbye Solo. Director Hwang In Hyuk is stunning in designing polished dramas and injecting clever humor all throughout the story.
NOTABLE WORKS: Doctor Prisoner, Goodbye Solo, Empress Chunchu, Sungkyunkwan Scandal, Myungwol the Spy, Assembly, Laurel Tree Tailors
The Flexible Director: Boo Sung Chul
Brilliant in bringing life to ardent melodramas, Director Boo Sung Chul can throw charming humor when required by the plot. I just found out that I like him while doing my research, so I made sure he is marked well for his future projects.
NOTABLE WORKS: Lobbyist, Star’s Lover, You’re Beautiful, My GF is a Gumiho, Jang Ok Jung Living in Love, The Heirs, Mask, Our Gab Soon, Your Honor
The Thriller Writing: Park Kyung Soo
His pace will surely leave you at the edge of your seat, but he sure knows how to weave a story by making the characters and the plot as one. I fell in love with writer Park Kyung Soo at “Punch” but the rest of his works are equally amazing.
NOTABLE WORKS: Punch, Empire of God, The Chaser, Whisper
The Upbeat Screenwriter: Yang Hee Sung
Yang Hee Sung’s character sketches are vibrant and energetic. His recent works made me feel warm and he can sure blend romance and comedy right on point. He has a knack of keeping up well on heart-fluttering scenarios even as the time evolves.
NOTABLE WORKS: Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo, Oh My Ghost, Highschooler King of Life, Soonpoong Clinic, Familiar Wife, Once Again
The Addicting Love Story Expert : Baek Sang Hoon
Director Baek Sang Hoon can transition from young love themed dramas to real romance stories by stirring the plot well and hooking the viewers with the actors’ portrayal.
NOTABLE WORKS: The King: Eternal Monarch, Love in the Moonlight, Descendants of the Sun, Who Are You School 2015, Secret Love
The Chameleon Director: Lee Eung Bok
Lee Eung Bok’s portfolio boasts with great actors in various genres. Analyzing his works made me realize how he is quick to uptake in building the synergy of the love couple without forcing it, but by perfecting scenes that captured the characters well in their moments of falling in love.
NOTABLE WORKS: Mr. Sunshine, Sweet Home, Goblin, Descendants of the Sun, Secret Love, Discovery of Love, School 2013, Dream High 1 & 2
The Explosive Director: Yoon Sung Shik
As reflected on his noteworthy creations, Yoon Sung Shik can go on serious storytelling to perky narratives. His strength is he knows well when to place the hook on his stories and he makes the cast as a whole shine together.
NOTABLE WORKS: Mr. Queen, Hwarang, The King’s Face, Bridal Mask, Lee Soon Shin is the Best
The Storytelling Gurus: Jang Young Chul & Jung Kyung Soon
Expert in thrill-bending stories, married couple writers Jang Young Cheol and Jung Kyung Soon can switch to period and contemporary narratives at ease. They can do standard narration, but their gift to incorporate retrospective and deep messages is palpable.
NOTABLE WORKS: Vagabond, Empress Ki, Incarnation of Money, History of the Salaryman, Giant
The Romantic & Ruminative Director: Kim Sung Yoon
The string of dramas on his file screamed a lot about painful and patient love. PD Kim Sung Yoon can be charming with the light scenes, but he will throw you at a weep fest on the emotionally stirring scenes.
NOTABLE WORKS: Itaewon Class, Love in the Moonlight, Discovery of Love, Who Are You School 2015, Dream High
The Mischievous Romantic Screenwriter: Jung Hyun Jung
Jung Hyun Jung writer is my long lost friend from parallel universe who might have peeked on my very own love stories, thereby translating it in the TV screen. *chuckles What I like about him is how she creates those love frames that anyone can relate to. From the blooming romance, to sad goodbyes, and to love second chances. She is also great on lively ambiance and his screenplay is top notch.
NOTABLE WORKS: Romance is a Bonus Book, Five Enough, Discovery of Love, I Need Romance 1, 2 and 3, My First First Love 1 & 2
The Ardent Director: Kim Kyu Tae
Known for emotionally draining melodramas, Kim Kyu Tae induced witty humor in his directing, but never lost his focus in displaying the tearjerking scenes. He is excellent in capturing the love progression of the main couple.
NOTABLE WORKS: Moonlovers; Scarlet Heart Ryeo, It’s Okay, That’s Love, Padam Padam, That Winter The Wind Blows, Iris, Worlds Within, A Love to Kill
The Snappy Director: Jang Tae Yoo
I love how Jang Tae Yoo PD is flexible on historical dramas and modern dramas. Just ruminating on what he did in Tree With Deep Roots and My Love From The Star was fascinating. He deftly navigates the story without losing its footing and neatly wrapped everything to a plausible closure.
NOTABLE WORKS: HYENA, My Love From The Star, Tree with Deep Roots, The Painter of the Wind, Money’s Warfare
The Cheerful Orchestrator: Pyo Min Soo
The scenes captured in the stunning love lines of his works are lingering and engaging. The love couples he introduced to us have lived well in the setting he created so naturally that we were able to relate to them easily.
NOTABLE WORKS: The Third Charm, Full House, You’ve Fallen For Me, Producers, The World That They Live In, Which Star Did You Come From?
The Versatile Romantic Storyteller: Lee Na Jung
From poignant to fun, Lee Na Jung has scored noteworthy love stories from her camera lens. Her portfolio is a bit quiet but resounding just the same.
NOTABLE WORKS: Innocent Man, Oh My Venus, Fight For My Way, Love Alarm
The Innovative Writer: Song Jae Jung
Writer Song Jae Jung is unfazed in establishing realms where he can bring the viewers in awe and wonder. His impeccable skills to draw chimeric worlds swept me off my feet. He is a master of push and pull when it comes to inducing excitement.
NOTABLE WORKS: Memories of the Alhambra, W: Two Worlds, The Three Musketeers, Nine: Nine Times Travel, Queen In Hyun’s Man, Highkick through the Roof
The Nostalgic Writer/PD Tandem: Shin Won Ho & Lee Woo Jung
Giving us the elaborated “Reply Series” required thorough research and attention to details. A trip down to the memory lanes of our high school and college life as well as our growing up years in the local neighborhood was achieved to perfection by these wonderful duo. The Reply Series are kept dear in my heart and belong to the drama pills that aid me during rainy days.
Shin Won Ho and Lee Woo Jung also collaborated with the stunning friendship story of Hospital Playlist.
NOTABLE WORKS: Reply 1997, Reply 1994, Reply 1988, Hospital Playlist
The Period Drama Experts: Lee Byung Hoon, Shin Kyung Soo & Kim Geun Hong
These masters of acclaimed period dramas intricately wove the stories to present an elaborated picture of character driven stories based on historical setting. Through Lee Byung Hoon, Shin Kyung Soo and Kim Geun Hong’s dramas, I was forced to hit Korean history books as well leading me to a forced history lessons as well.
NOTABLE WORKS: Dae Jang Geum, Yi San, Flower in Prison, Dong Yi, Jumong, Horse Doctor, Six Flying Dragons, Tree With Deep Roots, Queen Seon Deok
The Resonating Director: Kim Won Suk
There’s something about the vibrancy of the cast portrayal in his stories that left a lingering effect in me. While he sprinkled comedic notes, he discussed the characters in detail so well that you can’t help but cheer on them. Kim Won Suk lead me at cheerful bliss in Sungkyunkwan Scandal and made me want to leave my regular job at Misaeng. *chuckles He is one complicated writer that you would surely love.
NOTABLE WORKS: Arthdal Chronicles, My Mister, Signal, Misaeng, Monstar, Sungkyunkwan Scandal, Partners
The Clever Screenwriter: Kim Eun Hee
I first noticed her at Phantom and since then, I’ve become her fan. For a girl, I like that she is valiant and polished in working mostly on thrillers with crime genre as premise. You have to sit on her dramas to understand what I am saying, but she is sure one intelligent writer worthy to stalk on. Her most recent achievement in Kingdom proves she’s worth stalking.
NOTABLE WORKS: Kingdom, Signal, 3 Days, Phantom, Sign
The Reliable Veteran Writer: Song Ji Na
Song Ji Na’s career spanned two decades of writing and she amazingly adapted to the changing times and was able to bring stories you won’t expect she could pull. Such was the case for Healer and Faith, which I thought was made by a young writer only to find out that it was conceived by a veteran writer. If you want a taste of reality and fantasy, then Song Ji Na’s dramas will be a perfect fit for you.
NOTABLE WORKS: Healer, Faith, The Legend, A Man’s Story, Kaist, The Sandglass, Eye of Dawn
The Perky Sisters-Writer Tandem: Hong Sisters
Now I am starting to miss these two. Most of their dramas are quirky and lovable. Although my most hated drama came from them, most of my favorites were also written by them. Such is the irony in K-dramaland. *wink
They are resident rom-com writer favorites and has created memorable love couples through the years.
NOTABLE WORKS: Hotel Del Luna, A Korean Odyssey, The Master’s Sun, The Greatest Love, You’re Beautiful, My GF is a Gumiho, My Girl, Sassy Girl Chun Hyang, Hong Gil Dong
The Midas Touch Director: Jin Hyuk
Jin Hyuk PD is sensitive in executing the written stories to moving pictures. That being said he is the kind of director that any writer would want to work with because he visualizes well the scenarios based on the written text. His projects are of different genres, but he can pull it off with breathtaking cinematography and yarning of the story.
NOTABLE WORKS: Sisyphus The Myth, The Legend of the Blue Sea, The Master’s Sun, City Hunter, Prosecutor Princess, Shining Inheritance, Doctor Stranger, On Air
Photos: KBS | SBS |MBC | tvN
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