Dae Jang Geum (Drama - 2003) - 대장금

Connecting two worlds with the Korean language

2008/07/11 | Source | Permalink |

By Lee Ji-yoon

Recently Kim Jeong-young, lecturer of Korean at the University of Helsinki, Finland, received an unexpected present from one student.

"A student of mine gave me a set of "Dae Jang Geum" ("Jewel in the Palace") DVDs as a gift, saying it is the best drama he had ever watched", she said. The drama is about a female chef who cooks for the royal family during the Joseon Dynasty.

Although the number of students learning Korean there is only 20, far less than the number of those who learn Chinese or Japanese, the students who first started learning the Korean language just out of curiosity become a huge fan of the country and its culture, she said.

"The Korean alphabet is brand new for European students to learn. I feel proud when I see them studying hard for the difficult grammar test", she said.

The history of the Korean courses at the university goes back to 1937; it is the first Korean studies department established abroad. Every Korean class, including the ...| More

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Korean wave spreads to Iran

2008/07/07 | Source | Permalink |

By Shirley Han Ying
Journalist at Press TV, Iran-based English-language TV Network

From clothes to hairstyle, pop music to TV dramas, Korea has been affecting the life of many Asians in recent years, now even in Iran.

Mohammad Fazaeli turned on TV and started watching the tele-drama at home with his whole family. It was the latest hit series on Iranian State Television - a Korean blockbuster.

"Jewel in the Palace" ("Dae Jang Geum"), a soap opera about a cook who overcame hardships to become a royal palace physician in ancient Korea, was known as Yangom in Iran.

This drama along with "Emperor of the Sea" (Haesin) was among Fazaeli's favorites. "My family and I watch most of the Korean dramas aired on TV, and also the latest Korean and Asian movies popular in the world", said Fazaeli.

Iran was unclaimed ground until about a year ago, when MBC hit soap "Jewel in the Palace" ("Dae Jang Geum") was first aired there. The response was explosive. Since then, three out of Iran's...| More

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Lee Young-ae, Park Eun-hye, Han Ji-min... "One man's women"

2008/07/03 | Source | Permalink |

Inside of Director Lee Byeong-hoon's works, there are noticeable actresses.

Actresses such as Lee Young-ae, Hwang Soo-jeong, Park Eun-hye, and Han Ji-min have formed a upright image as a top star through Director Lee Byeong-hoon's historical dramas. Actresses that have gone through 'Midas' hands' are all brilliant.

MBC "Dae Jang Geum"is a rare work that has spread to the world. And Lee Young-ae is in the midst of that. Lee Young-ae, who has laid the foundation for her image as a court lady and a nurse in "Dae Jang Geum", became a national actress and a worldwide star.

Park Eun-hye is also a regular of 'Lee Byeong-hoon's historical dramas'. She fulfilled grave roles in "Dae Jang Geum" and "Yi San", and hardened her image as an all-around actress while acting in both historical and modern dramas. She said, "I am thankful to Director Lee. After "Yi San" ended, I went to him to thank him. He said that everything was good, so I was satisfied".

Hwang Soo-jeong also rose to stardo...| More

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