Pure 19 [열아홉 순정 ]

Pronounced:

yeol-ah-hop-soon-jeong

Starring:

Goo Hye-Seon (Seo Dong's Song; Nonstop 5), Lee Min-Woo (Invitation, Kaist), Seo Ji-Seok (Ireland, Mr. Goodbye), Lee Yun-Ji (Goong Palace, Nonstop 4), Choo So-Young (Hello God, More Beautiful Than Flower)

Directed by:

Jeong Seong-Hyo (Pearl Necklace, Purity); Hwang In-Hyeok (Goodbye Solo, More Beautiful Than Flower)

Produced by:

Lee Deok-Geon (Into the Storm, Peculiar Woman Peculiar Man)

Written by:

Goo Hyeon-Sook (You Are a Star, Cherry Blossom Love)

Dates Airing:

May 22, 2006 - January 12, 2007

Time Airing:

M - F 8:25 PM (Korea)

Episodes:

167 episodes (35 minutes per episode)

Genre:

Romantic Comedy

Official Website:

[Korean]

Related links:

Soompi Thread

Synopsis

Yang Gook-Hwa (Goo Hye-Seon) is a nineteen-year-old Korean woman from Yanbian, China, who comes to Seoul to marry a man 10+ years her senior after just a few meetings, but on her way to Korea, her soon-to-be husband dies in an accident, so his nephew, Woo-Kyeong (Lee Min-Woo) goes to the shipdock to meet her. After learning the tragic truth, Gook-Hwa, who is supposed to head back to China, decides to give Korea a try. She begins looking for a job so she can send money back to her aunt and uncle who raised her back in Yanbian.

Gook-Hwa eventually lands a job as a secretary at a communications company, but her bold personality and accident-prone tendencies keep clashing with her new boss, Yoon-Hoo (Seo Ji-Seok), who is also the son of the company president. Yoon-Hoo's ill-temper is common knowledge at the company, as he has fired twelve secretaries before Gook-Hwa, for petty mistakes such as wiping his desk with a rag instead of paper towel, or not cleaning the coffee mug perfectly. Yoon-Hoo is admired by his long-time friend Shin-Hyeong (Choo So-Young), who is also Woo-Kyeong's classmate and current colleague. As Woo-Kyeong watches over Gook-Hwa by teaching her how to navigate through the Seoul way of living, he begins to develop a romantic fondness for the young and lovable Gook-Hwa. Meanwhile, Yoon-Hoo also appears to be opening his heart toward the naive but alluring Gook-Hwa, despite the mishaps she brings into his life...

Review

There's something magical about this drama. Maybe it's the familiar but charming fairytale backdrop, or maybe it's the comical but sensational portrayal of 'Gook-Hwa' by Goo Hye-Seon, or perhaps it's the solid performance among the veteran actors coupled with the dazzling chemistry among the younger generation, but this drama is just too cute to ignore. Goo Hye-Seon who made her debut as an internet beauty contestant has already shown her many talents through singing and show hosting in the last couple of years, but she finds new success as a leading actress in this wholesome drama, and she shares some fantastic comedic moments with fellow new-comer, Seo Ji-Seok as the two are a delight to watch on screen. Lee Yun-Ji and Lee Min-Woo once again shine in their roles opposite Goo and Seo.

The drama is a first daily drama to surpass the 40% viewership mark in recent years, and through this top-rated daily drama, KBS is once again a winner in this category as it has been for the past few years. Don't miss this gem!

Rating:

Did You Know?

Yanbian is in China's Jilin province, in the north-eastern part of China. Yanbian is designated as a Korean autonomous prefecture due to the large number of ethnic Koreans living in the region. About 40% of the population of Yanbian are ethnic Koreans (60% in the capital, Yanji) who migrated there after the wars. Yanbianese-Koreans are generally bilingual, and signs in Yanji are in Chinese with Korean translation. Yanbian University is the only university in China that teaches courses at 12 colleges in Korean. Source: wikipedia.org

Goo Hye-Seon, Lee Yun-Ji and Seo Ji-Seok won the 'new actor/ actress' award during 2006 KBS acting awards for their roles in "Pure 19". Veteran actor Shin Gu (who plays the grandpa) also wins for 'best actor award' and actor Lee Han Wui (playing 'Mr. Ko') wins 'best supporting actor'...

Credits:

graphic by: starlette*
*edited by moogles