Forget the Lee family saga, here are the real Korean dramas
Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Low Thia Khiang said on Monday (3 July) that the ongoing Lee family feud is a serious matter, not a ‘Korean drama show’.
So just how does reel-life match up to the real-life drama currently gripping our sunny red dot? Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore looks at some Korean shows which feature major sibling disagreements, as well as how the characters resolved them (if they did at all).
Naturally, since we are going to talk about the plots, there are going to be spoilers. Many, many spoilers.
Queen For Seven Days
“Queen For Seven Days” is a historical drama that tells the story about a young queen who was dethroned after seven days. It also tells the story of the complicated and tension-filled relationship between King Lee Yoong (played by Lee Dong-gun) and his half-brother, Lee Yeok (played by Yeon Woon-jin).
Older brother Lee Yoong is desperate to keep the throne for himself, and while Lee Yeok has always idolised his older brother, court politics have driven the brothers against each other. Both brothers are also in love with the deposed queen Shin Chae-kyung (played by Park Min-young).
Since the show is still airing, it remains to be seen how the story ends. Of course, you could just look up the real historical characters on Wikipedia.
The Heirs
“The Heirs” was one of the most hyped dramas in 2013, thanks to the good-looking cast and big names, such as Lee Min-ho, Park Shin-hye, Kim Woo-bin and Krystal of K-pop girl group f(x).
The drama follows the lives of rich, privileged high-school students and their families. The plots include a rich boy falling in love with a hardworking but poor girl, angst-filled high schoolers fighting over each other for dominance, and, of course, family drama.
Lee Min-ho plays Kim Tan, the illegitimate son of the boss of Korean conglomerate Jeguk Group. His older half-brother, Kim Won, played by Choi Jin-hyuk, exiles his younger brother to California from a young age because he is afraid that his younger brother will usurp his position as the heir to the family business.
They eventually combine forces to go up against their (evil) father, and the older brother takes the crown, with the younger brother supporting him in running the company. Hey, happy ending!
My Love From The Star
“My Love From The Star” featured a famous Korean actress played by superstar Jun Ji-hyun falling for a human-looking alien played by Kim Soo-hyun.
The famous Korean actress also has a totally friendzoned good friend played by Park Hae-jin, and that’s where the family drama comes in.
Park’s character, Lee Hee-kyung, has an older brother, Jae-kyung, played by Shin Sung-rok. Jae-kyung is a naturally terrible person pretending to be a good person, with a lot of hidden secrets that Jun’s character Cheon Song-yi stumbles upon by accident.
Even though he has been friendzoned to beyond the great beyond, the younger Lee sibling makes it his duty to protect Cheon, in the process pitting him against his older brother.
Hee-kyung eventually plays a huge part in entrapping his brother and getting him to confess to his crimes. Let’s just forget that Kim’s alien Gandalf also played a part.
Other honourable mentions:
There are also a host of other Korean shows that feature even more sibling drama, such as “Five Fingers” and “King of Baking, Kim Tak-goo”.
And if you want family drama in historical Korea, there are always saeguks like “Queen Seondeok”, “Moon Embracing The Sun” and “Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo”.
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