First Love (drama)
Encyclopedia
First Love is a 66-episode television drama produced and broadcast by KBS2 between September 1996 and January 1997 on Thursday nights. It stars popular actors Bae Yong Joon and Choi Su Jong.
When Chan Woo (Bae Yong Joon) finds out that his high school crush Hyo Kyung (Lee Seung Yeon) is seeing his own brother Chan Hyuk (Choi Soo Jong), his heart falls to the ground. But not all is rosy between Hyo Kyung and Chan Hyuk, as Hyo Kyung's rich gangster father and uncle are unhappy about their precious girl and niece dating a poor aspiring artist, and wreak havoc in their relationship. When a mysterious accident by Hyo Kyung's uncle leaves Chan Hyuk in a paralyzed state, Chan Woo plots revenge against Hyo Kyung's family by joining the underground world of the mafia. Waiting patiently in the wings is Suk Hee (Choi Ji Woo) who has never given up on her love for Chan Woo.
Eventually, Chan Woo returns back to studying law, giving up his revenge plan and his position in the company as his older brother pleads forgiveness for his first love and also because he remembered his promise to Suk Hee. Chan Woo's close friend in university, Hyong Ki, also harbored feelings for Suk Hee because of her kind nature and caring attitude towards friends. Hyong Ki somehow acted as a bridge in the relationship between Suk Hee and Chan Woo.
Synopsis
Ranked as the highest-rated Korean drama of all time, First Love scored a monstrous 65.8 percentile in TV ratings during its broadcast in 1996 to 1997. Written by the late Jo So Hye whose filmography includes Mothers and Sisters and Paper Crane, the drama features a star-studded cast that includes Bae Yong Joon, Choi Soo Jong, Choi Ji Woo, Lee Seung Yeon, and Cha Tae Hyun, all appearing before their heyday. Depicting the afflictions of youth, the drama brings you the moving story of two brothers, Sung Chan Woo and Sung Chan Hyuk, who live in the poor suburbs of Seoul with their father, trying to get through the hardships of life. Bae Yong Joon plays the younger brother of Choi Soo Jong, a rebellious law student who gives up a promising career and joins a gangster so he can seek revenge on his family's suffering. A classic triangle love story, the drama sees the two brothers in love with the same woman (played by actress Lee Seung Yeon).When Chan Woo (Bae Yong Joon) finds out that his high school crush Hyo Kyung (Lee Seung Yeon) is seeing his own brother Chan Hyuk (Choi Soo Jong), his heart falls to the ground. But not all is rosy between Hyo Kyung and Chan Hyuk, as Hyo Kyung's rich gangster father and uncle are unhappy about their precious girl and niece dating a poor aspiring artist, and wreak havoc in their relationship. When a mysterious accident by Hyo Kyung's uncle leaves Chan Hyuk in a paralyzed state, Chan Woo plots revenge against Hyo Kyung's family by joining the underground world of the mafia. Waiting patiently in the wings is Suk Hee (Choi Ji Woo) who has never given up on her love for Chan Woo.
Eventually, Chan Woo returns back to studying law, giving up his revenge plan and his position in the company as his older brother pleads forgiveness for his first love and also because he remembered his promise to Suk Hee. Chan Woo's close friend in university, Hyong Ki, also harbored feelings for Suk Hee because of her kind nature and caring attitude towards friends. Hyong Ki somehow acted as a bridge in the relationship between Suk Hee and Chan Woo.
Cast
- Bae Yong JoonBae Yong JoonBae Yong-joon , is a South Korean actor best known for his roles in numerous television dramas and one of the first kkonminam icons. He is known as Yon-sama to his Japanese fans.- Early and private life :...
as Sung Chan-woo - Choi Soo JongChoi Soo JongChoi Soo Jong is a South Korean actor. Choi made his debut in 1987 as a young actor in the TV soap opera ‘Love Tree’. He has appeared in movies, television and as an MC on various award shows. He has received worldwide recognition for his leading roles in several highly successful shows...
as Sung Chan-hyuk (Chan-woo's brother) - Lee Seung-yeonLee Seung-yeonLee Seung-yeon is a South Korean actress. Lee's career as an actress was especially noted in the film 3-Iron.Lee took third place in the 1992 Miss Korea beauty pageant....
as Lee Hyo-kyung - Song Chae Hwan as Sung Chan-ock (Chan-woo's sister)
- Choi Ji Woo as Kang Suk-hee (Suk-jin's sister)
- Park Sang Won as Kang Suk-jin
- Park Sang Min
- Lee Hae Young as Park Shin-ja
- Lee Kyung Shim
- Son Hyun Joo as Ju Jung-nam (guitarist)
- Bae Do Hwan as Oh Dong-pal
- Park In Hwan
- 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)
- Jun Yang Ja as Chairman Jun (Suk-jin's mother)
- Park Jung Soo as Shin-ja's mother
- Kim Tae WooKim Tae WooKim Tae-Woo is a K-pop singer, originally the lead singer of popular boy band g.o.d.. Kim was born in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, the third in a family of one son and two daughters. He attended Kyunghee University in the Post Modern Music Department.He debuted in the K-pop industry as the...
as Park Hyong-ki (Chan-woo's classmate) - Song Hye KyoSong Hye KyoSong Hye-kyo is a South Korean model and actress. She gained popularity through television dramas such as Autumn in My Heart , All In , Full House , and The World That They Live In ..-Career:...
as Jung Ah {Hyo-Kyung's friend} - Cha Tae Hyun
Ratings
It remains as the top one on the top rated Korean dramas:- First Love (KBS2, 1996) - 65.8% (1997-04-20)
- What Is Love? (MBC, 1992) - 64.9% (1992-05-24)
- The SandglassSandglass (Korean drama)Sandglass is a Korean drama dealing with South Korea's politically turbulent recent past, airing on SBS in 1995. The drama lasted 24 episodes, and is one of the highest-rated dramas in Korean history.-Synopsis:...
(SBS, 1995) - 64.5% (1995-02-06) - Huh Joon (MBC, 1999) - 64.4% (2000-06-27)
- A Sunny Place of the Young (KBS2, 1995) - 62.7% (1995-11-12)
See also
- List of Korea-related topics
- List of Korean television shows
- Contemporary culture of South KoreaContemporary culture of South KoreaThe contemporary culture of South Korea developed from the traditional culture of Korea, and on its own path away from North Korean culture since the division of Korea in 1948. The industrialization and urbanization of South Korea, especially Seoul, have brought many changes to the way Korean...