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My Name Is Kim Samsoon gets adapted for the stage

Beloved hallmark rom-com My Name Is Kim Samsoon is being revived, six years after the drama aired on MBC back in 2005. If you’re anything like me, that drama embodies everything that a good k-drama is about: heart, humor, and a cracktastic romance between two endearing leads.

It’s the drama that garnered 50% ratings at a time when those sorts of numbers were a thing of the past, and besides catapulting Kim Sun-ah and Hyun Bin to massive fame, it was one of the early dramas in a wave that changed what the k-drama heroine could be. Suffice it to say, it’s near and dear to many fans’ hearts.

This year it will be adapted into a stage play, based on the original novel of the same name, by author Ji Soo-hyun. If you’re new to k-dramas and haven’t seen Samsoon, it’s about a pastry chef with a foul mouth who is turning 30, and struggles with some of the most basic things all women face: how to lose weight, how to meet the right guy, how to ditch the wrong guy, and how to survive in a flailing economy with your dreams intact. Kim Sun-ah famously gained weight for the role, and was pitch-perfect as the first k-drama heroine I didn’t want to hit over the head with a reason stick, but actually wanted to be.

The stage adaptation doesn’t boast any big stars, so it looks like a smaller production, but I’m happy to see Samsoon being revived, in whatever form. My Name Is Kim Samsoon will premiere January 21 at Sang Myung Art Hall in Seoul.

Now I’m all nostalgic. Time to break out my DVDs.

Via My Daily

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It was a great drama!!!

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It did some for the kdrama heroine but not that much for the kdrama hero. :\

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I think Sam Shik was an awesome kdrama hero, esp with the way Hyun Bin played him. That flashback scene where he's hanging upside down in the carcrash scene, covered in blood, that scene still gets to me. There's another scene where Samsoon tells him it's over b/w them and to go home, there is this moment that passes over his eyes and that's when it hit me that he really does love SS and that Hyun Bin is a really good actor.

oh, and that scene where he kicks her green bicycle, that still makes me laugh.

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Yes, much of the character was sold by Hyun Bin's charisma, but I remember watching and literally wanting to reach in and strangle him to death (much like how I felt with both the leads of Playful Kiss). I know that his is probably one of the more realistic characters (in that he wasn't just the one thing - he was a combination of parts, good and bad, exemplary and flawed), but God, how I HATED him at some points and kept screaming, "Dump him Sam-soon-ah, DUMP HIM NOW!" Then he'd do or say something and I'd be like, "Aww!" So torn!

[SPOILER ALERT]
The one scene that really stands out is when he comes on Sam-soon with her slimy ex and the ex has her cell phone. He grabs the phone and says, "Take your hands off my woman. Don't touch anything that belongs to my woman." On the one hand - ugh and sexist pig much? On the other - hot! My heart and mind were very confused by this character.

Course, I could be projecting since I know someone like this in real life...

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completely get what you mean. what i felt about his samshik character (haha) was a very confusing mix. heady though! loved him nonetheless :D

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I completely agree with you especially after he'd acknowledged his feelings for Sam Soon and wanted to be with her but was not yet ready to end things with Hee Jin. But with all his flaws, he's still way better than Joo Won of Secret Garden.

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is this the same scene as when he kicked down the guys bar stool? coz that had me LOLing hard!!! gaaah *BRB fastforwarding through dvd highlights*

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I loved that scene also! he kicks it with so much frustrated malice!! lol

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Completely agree with yah there..

inasmuch as I am head over heels inlove with hyun bin in secret garden, I remember watching MNIKSS and literally having to stop & think how this guy fell for the girl. Like "what just happened? i didnt see any indications/ signs from him" I didn't feel the chemistry..

Is it just me or is Binnie's face totally different???? I cant watch SG with him on screen without going fangirl crazy :D

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I think one of the main differences why he looks diff is the HAIR.. lol.. the spike on MNIKSS kinda made him younger, more innocent.. the laid back, one sided, sleek hair on SG totally gave him a more mature look. =)

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Binnie is a lot thiner and he was 23 when that was made maybe he had baby fat

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It's not just you. I can stare at that man's face all day. Ha! Regarding KSS, I didn't feel it either between Hyun Bin and KSA. I was clueless as when/why he fell in love with her character. It was a great drama,but oddly enough,they didn't really have much chemistry going on.

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aww. I miss this drama. I'm so happy it will be revived again. ^^

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u know when ppl ask me what my top 3 kdramas i can never get the order right like never- cos of KSS -it always keeps changing depending on my mood if im feeling esp sappy (yep sappy thts a feeling now if u dint know :P) tht day id say cp, kss goong...but on a normal day there will be tie bt kss and cp for no1! i go back and watch this serial like a over and over again it never gets old! its just tht awesome! cant say tht for cp ( i know sacrilege right?) its kind gets blah-ish after a point i've noticed..u just tend to skip thru parts tht dont have gy or yeh in it...but with kss u watch the whole damn thing over and over again!

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I completely agree!!!! No matter how many times I rewatch MNIKSS I always laugh and cry along with Sam soon! Whenever I'm feeling a bit down, I go on dramafever and marathon MNIKSS! Ahhh makes me feel nostalgic maybe I should do a marathon of it today!

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i agree with the last thing you said. it's the same for me. if it's a MNIKSS re-watch, I also watch the whooole thing!

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Aahhh.... it's the drama that started my k-drama obsession...

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same here! All other dramas are now measured against MNIKSS.. i totally loved that show.

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same with me, KSS was my first k-drama and still one of my all time favorites.

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yeah me too...i fell in love wid kdramas coz of this one...my first one...i am glad the first one i watched was MNIKSS. What an amazing drama!!! Never seen anything as good as this one (followed by coffee prince and goong :P )
I watched this last month again for like nth time and it is still fun. Kim SUn-Ah is too good.

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KSS was my 2nd kdrama (the first being Full House). I think I was still in the full house zone when I watched it, so even though I liked it, I couldn't get into it as much. Recently, I was curious to rewatch it due to HB's recent appearance in SG, and I have to say it is sooooooo much better than full house. While the latter is cute and can withstand a second viewing, KSS is a kdrama classic that I feel I can watch many many times.

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Ha,ha Pugzilla, mine was the opposite-first MNKSS, then Full house. So, MNKSS started my Kdrama obsession!

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same here... and same with a thousand other k-drama fans! :)

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Me too..And dose to my broken Heart!

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Ha! I just finished marathon-ing this drama and now it got to play on the stage?

Nice.. Hope they can find another cutie actor playing Dr. Henry *swoon*

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I first discovered DB via the Drama Ratings page. When I read GF's description of MNIKSS as "the one to beat, in my heart of hearts" and her description of One Fine Day (which is my least favorite drama) as "akin to getting your eyes poked out", I thought to myself "I don't know who this GF person is, but I think we're on a similar wavelength and I think he or she is gonna make me laugh". So I decided to stick around and it turned out I was right.... and now, countless hours at DB (and laughs) later, I'm a bona fide DB addict.

Yes, we need more heroines like KSS. and GF. and JB. :D

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This is one of my fave K-drama in my history with K-dramaland ^_^ I've watched MNIKSS like more than 10x and I don't mind watching it again for the 50th time or so.

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"...Now I’m all nostalgic. Time to break out my DVDs."

I was about to say the same after I saw the picture of HB and KSA. :}

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this blog entry make us all nostalgic...

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I actually didn't like this drama that much and only finished it because of it raving reviews. That said, I feel like hyun bin's character in KSS is very similar to joo won in secret garden.

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I felt the same way. I'm thinking about rewatching it though... I don't know, I thought I would love it because of all the rave reviews, but it was just bla for me. Gahh, I want to love it..maybe I will give it another try. ..it does have hyun bin :)

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Yes I agree. I did not like this drama either. I thought I was the only one. I did not like the heroine either.

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I actually didn't like this drama that much and only finished it because of it raving reviews. That said, I feel like hyun bin's character in KSS is very similar to joo won in secret garden.

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My top drama of all time. It christened me to the world of Kdramas ;)

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Guess wat, I actually did watch the drama all over again a couple of weeks back. I happen to see my discs lying around with some old stuffs and as I remember the drama fondly, I figured I was just gonna watch a few episodes to while away the time, but before I knew it, I was marathoning the whole series all over again...like I did the first time. lol. It really doesn't feel like an old story...and it's trully a classic.

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I love this drama and the story.. One of the best in my drama list.. Kim Sun Ah is awesoMe and funny. HYUn Bin is charming and adorably cuTe. Love them to the bits!
I hope the stage versioN will be great:D

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I loved this drama and honestly I don't think it would have been the same with any other actor/actress. Binny and Samsoon were perfectly casted.

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actually, i am thinking how they will be able to put it on stage... KSA and HB are perfect as Sam Soon and Jin Hun respectively. I don't know how to look at Sam Soon played by a different actor - even if it's for stage...
still curious though and how i wish i have a chance to actually watch it.

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*gasp* I'm new to this kdrama addiction. I've heard lots of my lovely kim samsoon. But i didn't realise the hero guy was hyun bin!!!!! I'm so gonna buy the dvd! (big fan of sparkly suit joo woon! ^^)

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I love this drama!! Its my favorite all time!! It's funny b/c I actually love it the first time I watch it and then the second I watch it I thought it was even funnier!! I am currently watching it yet again!! The only drama I can watch more than two times!! Must see for anyone that havent seen it!!

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lovely, adorable and heart-warming drama. loved the chemistry between hyun bin and kim sun-ah (wish they'd gotten together!) and it really does stand the test of time.

hope the play will be just as successful!

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My favorite drama of all time :'D <3

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this drama has aged really well - who would've thought it was six years old!? even now, it's my favourite number one kdrama and the love triangle here is the only one that has ever felt substantial and threatening enough. hyun bin and kim sunah were SIZZLING together (the outtakes were hilarious!). only wish i live in korea so i get to watch this onstage!

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I started from this drama and ended loving Suna for many years now, wish she will have another drama this year that can reach 50% ratings!
Love you Suna!
Watch out for Fighting Spirit (Suna movie for 2011)

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The drama that is closest to my heart. The drama that changed my life.

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One of my all time favorite and seen multiply times.

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I watch MNIKSS whenever I fall into that sad phase. It gets me through and reminds me of the tough Samsoon that I look up to and always aim to be like. I've cut so much bullshit in my life because of her.

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same here

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First and best Kdrama for me too! No other Kdrama couple are as entertaining as Samsoon and Samshik. And Samsoon is still my favorite Kdrama heroine. I think I'm gonna join you guys for a re-watch!

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this post indeed generated a mnikk re-watch for everyone ey! joining you guys too! hahaha good way to start our 2011!

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Now I m nostalgic too!!! errr if my holiday wasnt ending today I would have started rewatching the whoe series again!!!

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Omgasdfghkl this is awesome news, even if I won't be able to watch the production. MNIKSS is my all time favorite kdrama! I love it to bits, for all the reasons girlfriday just mentioned, and also the glorious eye candy that was binnie and Daniel henney! Hahahah I have a fantasy of becoming a pastry chef b/c of this drama! :)))

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I finally got around to watching Kim Sam Soon and although the acting was great, I do not get the accolades for it at all. It was a good drama but it wasn't as great as people are saying it is or a drama that warranted 50%+ ratings. But that was just my opinion of it.

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My favorite k-drama, one of the few I can rewatch...n times :-)

What I really like on it is that there is no "evil" character in this drama, no plotting etc. There is also no uncurable disease interfering (well just as explanation for some past actions). This is just a story about dealing with love. A boy is cheating, another boy falls in love with a woman he doesn't want to fall in love, old love is coming back but can it be the same?

I liked all actors there, I think they all played well.
Only Daniel Henney didn't feel natural...

And I loved other characters - both moms, S sister and her relationship with the chef :-)

Just perfect drama for me :-)

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I agree with you on all points.

Because of the language barriers, my favorite Henry scenes were with KSS and the outtakes with him and KSA were very cute.

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Wow! 50% ratings?! That is Awesome!
Loved/Miss this drama!<3

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Too much Hyun Bin at once!!!! *flail*

I was hoping that Secret Garden would compare to MNIKSS... but at this point (up to ep 16) I think its falls behind because the heroine is not as cool/developed as Sam Soon...

Rawrrrrrr it had better redeem itself by the end!

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my favorite drama of all time, I recently bought (yes, bought!) my second set of dvds (first set wore out)! Am loving DB's recaps of Secret Garden so much and was just thinking what a great job they would have done recapping MNIKSS, I wish they had. Does anyone recall that there was supposed to be a US version made for NBC?

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when DB started recapping older dramas, i get so excited hoping that she or GF can do a recap of MNIKSS too sometime in the future. That would be really REALLY awesome (*ehem GF ehem*)

yeah i remember that news. guess it didn't push through... which, i think, is a good thing. (imho)

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MNIKSS was my first Kdrama, it holds a special place in my heart.

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tht was a great drama.wat actually caught my eye is the difference between Hyun Bin`s appearance on MNIKSS and on SG.as the articles are one on top of the other homepage on from secret garden and the other from MNIKSS.he looks more manly now:)

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I have this feeling My Name is Kim Sam Soon is going to be the next drama that'll have it's first episode recapped... Maybe.

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After watching a few Kdramas, I decided that KSS was my absolutely favorite character of all.

She is not perfect, but she was so true to herself and her ideals when she could have caved to Sam Shik about 10 times. Yes, she was maddening at times, but in a good way.

I think the strength of Kim Sun Ah's acting is the main reason for this, but also the character was extremely well drawn. I would have watched this movie if it were a monologue given by KSA.

Also, I think the chef and KSS's sister are hands down the most watchable second couple to ever appear on screen. I loved loved loved them together and in the 4 or 5 times I rewatched this one, I never fast-forwarded any of their scenes. (Although I just could not rewatch Hee Jin and Henry.)

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Now, how about some recaps JBeans! Ahihihi. I requested it long before but I don't think you have time for it. But its enough to know that you WANT to do it :) it's my fave drama. I love all four leads. Well, Henney was a little better than a wood acting but at least he was nice to look at!

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This was one of my earlier dramas and this was the first drama that I watched where "the other girl" isn't scheming and evil! She was pretty cool and likable. I was so surprised! Thought it was going to spark a revolution of non-bitchy 2nd female leads. But as you all know, this didn't really happen. Samshik (can't remember the character's real name) was, admittedly, a bit of an asshole, but it didn't ruin the drama.

I am always flipflopping between this drama and Delightful Girl Chunhyung for fave drama of all time.

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this is awesome! I love Samsoon. First got me addicted to kdramas.

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I'm very new to KDRAMAs (started July 2010) and watched MNIKSS in August. When I was watching I thought this feels like a classic, one of a kind show. However, I didn't fall in love with either of the leads. I remained at LIKE for both Sam Shik and Sam Soon. I drooled only for Henry and cried for Hee Jin. This show was really funny and well written, but somehow its not in my top 3.

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my very first k-drama that i watched @ used to be AZN channel in US. it is truly a classic drama and unforgettable of all times to treasure!

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Me too! I stumbled upon Attic Cat at first and was trying to figure out what it was and that's how I discovered the world of Kdramas on AZN. But it wasn't until I saw a few episodes of MNIKSS that I got addicted. I had to find the drama at a video store and watch the whole thing. It has definitely changed my life. It's still the best drama for me and KSS was an awesome character. I think I would've liked Secret Garden better if it was Kim Sun Ah.

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LOL...I just came back from Singapore.I hunted through so many stores looking for MNIKSS even though I upload current dramas now.

Just because I HAD to have it like in the hardcopy version.My 2nd KD after Goong.

Nostalgia..oh.

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Go MNIKSS! A play. Just how cool is that! Hope it does well.

My first Kdrama and the one that brought on the love for all things Kim Sun Ah. It's going to be my birthday present to myself this year.

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Aww, Hyun Bin back when he was still eating three square meals a day. :D

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right - and he even seemed kind of thin then.

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I remember the part when he's trying to get rid of the pig doll and how he eventually keeps it in his apartment and tells it to guard it while he's gone, and just as he's about to leave, he turns around and then says "I'll buy you something nice" XD

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It's my first kdrama and I just fell in love with Kim Sun Ah. What a remarkable actress!

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I'm really glad that I watch this drama...I even bought the DVD and definitely worth it. This is the only drama that I watch more than 2 times but still can make me laugh and sad at the same time.

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I'm confused about Hyun Bin's character there. Is it Jin-Heon or Sam Shik? o_O

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His character name is Hyun Jin Heon, but Sam Soon calls him Sam Shik (apparently the male version of Sam Soon).

(it started from episode 1. Sam Soon asked him to introduce her as Kim Hee Jin to the rest of the restaurant staff because she hates her name Sam Soon. When he asked her why, she asked back. "Why, would you want to be called Sam Shik?")

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I love this drama......because this drama reflect my life..........

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watching MNIKSS simultaneously while waiting for subbed SG eps to be uploaded.. so I can't help comparing the two dramas.. but i'm not feeling MNIKSS as much as I think i would have if i'd watched it before watching SG. i feel the chemistry between Binnie and HJW is so much more palpable than KSA and Binnie.. but i am enjoying MNIKSS, just not completely enthralled by it.

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