Jo Hyun Jae

Jeong Woo-Seong and Cha Seung-Won

2010 Korean dramas

I’ve been paying close attention to 2010 Korean dramas, especially those scheduled for broadcast in the second half of the year.  Of the list I scrutinized, most already have broadcast dates and cast of actors (some are currently showing.)  KBS2’s “Iris 2″ (title: “Athena”) will have Jeong Woo-Seong and Cha Seung-Won heading the cast, with the female lead still to be announced.  It is supposed to be the sequel to “Iris” and it is also about terrorist acts and threats to the Korean peninsula and the world.  But with a whole new cast, it is actually a totally different drama.  Production for “Athena” is scheduled to begin in June in Italy and Switzerland and continue onto six other different countries, including Singapore and New Zealand.  The TV series will be shown during the latter half of this year.

We had hoped JHJ might land one of the lead roles in “Iris 2″, oh, well………Maybe the casting director thinks JHJ is too good-looking, or rather, not tough-looking, not gritty enough.  But if you look like a secret agent, then you are not a good secret agent. (Know what I mean?) 

There is another drama (MBC’s “Dae Mul” [Big Fish]) that we were secretly hoping would sign JHJ as the male lead, since the female lead is Ko Hyun-Jung who plays a woman who is trying to become South Korea’s first female president.  Interesting scenario!  But then we found out the male lead is a gigolo, so we said NO THANKS!  The role went to Kwon Sang-Woo who plays a “male socialite” who is ordered to create a scandal to bring down the woman making the big time in Korean politics.

Then there is all this buzz in chatrooms about the SBS period drama on the legendary doctor which stars Kim Hee-Seon (working title: “Faith”.)  The male lead is supposed to be a toss-up between JHJ and Lee Jun-Ki.  I was sceptical from the first: what role could fit both JHJ and LJK?  I’m not keen on JHJ pairing up with KHS for his first comeback drama.  She can’t act and she is more or less over the hill.  Then it is rumoured that LJK has landed the role.  And next thing KHS says she has not yet decided whether to accept the offer.  Since JHJ will not be in it, then it has nothing to do with us.

Father Andrea

Our new Contributing Editor prissymon sent us an interesting e-mail last week:

“I was doing some research work which is totally unrelated to JHJ when I stumbled upon Father Andrea of St. Lazarus Village (your post August 28, 2009).  He is Andrew Kim Tae-Gon, the first Korean Catholic priest. 
 
In your post you wrote that there is a date under his name 1821 -1846, but that you don’t know if he lived in that place during those years or whether he only lived such a short life.  The answer: he lived a very short life. 
 
During Kim Tae-Gon’s time, Catholics were persecuted, tortured and killed in Korea.  Kim was trained in Macau and ordained in Shanghai.  And in 1846, at the age of 25, the Young Father Andrew was tortured and beheaded near Seoul on the Han River.  On July 5, 1925, he was beatified along with 78 other Korean martyrs. In 1949 the Holy See named him the principal patron of the Roman Catholic clergy in Korea. He was canonized in 1984.  His designation is “Saint Andrew Kim Tae-Gon”, and he has a statue in the yard of Myeong-Dong Cathedral. ”

(Left) JHJ as Fr. Andrea in “Love Letter.  (Right) Fr. Andrea’s house in St. Lazarus Village

So it’s not a coincidence after all!  The scriptwriter really did her homework when she gave the JHJ character the name of Andrea in “Love Letter”.  This really impresses me, but what impresses me more (and amazes me too) is the untiring energy and curiosity of JHJ fans about everything connected to him.  So Fr. Andrea has a statue in the yard of Myeong-Dong Cathedral — I must find it when I go there again in June.  It makes it all the more meaningful and poignant to know there was a real Fr. Andrea.

Potato Boy

A Hong Kong JHJ fan R recently made an interesting discovery.  She was passing by a bakery which was very crowded, and, out of curiosity, she went in to see what goodies there were.  And guess what?  She saw some bread labelled “Potato Boy” (Chinese name: Seo Dong Yo – exactly as in the name of the drama.)  She immediately took a photo with her cell phone (see above left.)  The pastry chef or the owner must be a JHJ fan.  It seems JHJ’s influence permeates everywhere, even in the most unlikely places.

P.S. The above was written before I left L.A. on the evening of March 10 (L.A. time). On the way to H.K., I missed JHJ’s 100-day countdown on March 11 as I was crossing the International Dateline, several articles on various Korean media similar to the one we posted on March 11, and also the Official JHJ Fan Club’s announcement of a special contingent to welcome JHJ out of the army on June 19. And in the course of my journey I went to Seoul. Yes, I was in Seoul yesterday morning, not because I miss JHJ so much (although I do.) I was supposed to fly non-stop from L.A. to H.K., but we had to make an unscheduled stop at Vancouver because of a medical emergency. A passenger who had a stroke had to be taken to hospital. When we took off again, the captain announced we’re going to Seoul. Seoul? Is it June already? Apparently our plane had to dump fuel before landing in Vancouver and could not re-fuel to the full because (in the captain’s words) they’re not ready for us (after all, it was 3 a.m.) In any case, there had to be a change of crew (both cockpit and cabin) because the law does not allow them to work beyond certain hours. My husband quipped: “We’re going to your favourite city. Happy?” Yes, and no. We’re not allowed to disembark at Incheon, so by the time we finally reached H.K. in the afternoon of March 12, we’re been on that plane almost 23 hours (for a 15 1/2-hour flight.)