Makjang writer makes grand exit from dramaland
by javabeans
Remember the hilariously outlandish case of Aurora Princess? The one with the crazy writer and the nonsensical plots and drama-filled behind-the-scenes antics? Go on, I’ll wait for you to finish catching up on that story; it’s worth it, I promise.
Well, writer Im Sung-han is at it again, and by “it” I mean writing both her dramas and her real life in as grandiose a makjang fashion as humanly possible, pulling out all the histrionic stops along the way. I can’t believe half the stuff I’m reading about her, but I won’t deny that it’s vastly entertaining.
The nutshell version: On April 23, MBC announced (seemingly out of the blue) that it would not be giving Im Sung-han any more dramas. They didn’t mean they just hadn’t contracted more work with her, or that there were no current plans in the pipeline; they literally declared, “We will not now, or in the future, work with writer Im Sung-han again.”
Bold words! Not to be outdone, Im Sung-han quickly issued a statement, which basically said, “Well I wasn’t going to write anymore for you anyway.” MBC retorted, “We will never EVER do another Im Sung-han drama.” And Im snapped back, “I RETIRE. FOREVER AND EVER.”
Okay, backing up a bit for some context: After Aurora Princess wrapped with so much hullaballoo (there were constant news headlines about illogical storylines, angry cast members, angry viewers, angry audience petitions), it was mind-boggling for MBC to give Im another show right away. Everybody seemed to be in agreement that the writing quality of Aurora was rubbish (you’d find no arguments that she was merely misunderstood or unfairly maligned), and yet, she was getting constant work. How did that make sense?
For what it’s worth, Im’s dramas have historically performed well, starting with See You Again and Again in 1998 (273 episodes!) and continuing with other long-running series like 2004’s Mermaid, 2004’s daily Lotus Flower Fairy, 2005-06’s weekend makjang Heaven, 2011’s New Gisaeng Story, and then Aurora Princess in 2013. Most were with MBC, with a couple at SBS. Her stories are frequently outlandish and her plot points randomly thrown in without rhyme or reason, but she knows how to push buttons. Accordingly, viewers have tuned in. She was called the Makjang Icon for her outrageous plot turns and the controversies that always accompanied her, but wore that title with aplomb for the most part.
It wasn’t until Aurora that the backlash started to hit, though that could also be because Aurora was apparently the craziest show thus far. Perhaps viewers finally hit a tipping point with her character killing sprees (coining the term “Im Sung-han’s Death Note”), or they found her demands for more episodes to be a distasteful grab for more money. Or perhaps they were willing to put up with makjang stories on their screens as long as the behavior behind them weren’t so wildly unprofessional. And we saw what happened there.
In usual Im Sung-han fashion, her newest daily drama, Apgujeong Baek-ya (Apgujeong is a neighborhood; Baek-ya is the heroine’s name) drew criticism and censure pretty much right away. It premiered in October 2014 and is nearing the end of its 149-episode run; by the end of this week, the show will have aired 134 episodes.
I haven’t been following it too closely, but I have constantly seen the title in headlines over its months-long run and rolled my eyes, figuring, “I see she’s at it again.” (Fun fact: This is the show parodied on Persevere, Gu Hae-ra’s Episode 9, where the bratty idols are hit with the writer’s curse after badmouthing her behind her back.) It was the usual stuff: criticism for overly makjang stories (ridiculous and nonsensical, merely meant to be provocative), unsuitable dialogue, more instances of her capricious Death Note. Lather, rinse, repeat.
So this latest barrage of news surprised me with its abruptness, since there doesn’t appear to be a particular catalyst. It makes me think that MBC and Im Sung-han got into a royal fight behind the scenes and raced to control the content of the media discussion. Or maybe MBC is trying to capitalize on last-minute promotion to ramp up interest in the final weeks of broadcast?
It seems silly for them to do that after declaring so firmly that they’re never doing a show with Im again… but then again, one of the most hilarious quotes comes from MBC’s drama department director Jang Geun-soo, who actually said, “Two years ago [I said] we would not work any more with writer Im Sung-han so it’s a bit shameless to not have kept that promise, but we really won’t do another Im Sung-han drama again.” Really really!
Im Sung-han declared via her management that it was her plan all along to quit writing after Apgujeong Baek-ya, which was totally going to be her last project, and she’d only ever intended to do ten dramas and leave dramaland without regrets. So there.
I have no idea whose story is true and who’s just pulling things out of thin air, and frankly neither MBC nor Im Sung-han have behaved professionally, but all I know is that I am vastly entertained and actually look rather fondly on the whole ordeal. What better way to prove makjang exists than to show by example, and live it in everything you do?
Apgujeong Baek-ya is scheduled to conclude its run on May 15, and then I suppose we’ll see no more of writer Im Sung-han. Or will we?
Via Star News, X Sports News, TV Daily, Joy News, Seoul Shinmun, MBN
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Tags: drama production
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1 crazedlu
April 23, 2015 at 8:13 AM
Lollllll. Wow. Bye, Im Sung-hannn. Ick. I think this is a case of good riddance.
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Dr. Hwata
April 24, 2015 at 10:33 AM
Hmm ... We really differ in our tastes or responses.
Knowing nothing about the writer or her past opus or anything JB reports here, I have been thoroughly enjoying Baekya from the start. Her crisp and articulate lines pale other K-dramas that, in my opinion, aim very high but cannot always summon words to express its ideas properly. (I guess this is where training and education in trade makes a difference.) Also, I like how she builds up her plot in Baekya piece by piece to turn it into a mass that is much larger (not smaller) than the sum of all its pieces.
All things considered, and being able to appreciate K-dramas in its original language, I wouldn't say good riddance. Far from it, I hope the writer will continue her career elsewhere.
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2 riya
April 23, 2015 at 8:16 AM
Hahahahaha :D
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3 kimchikay
April 23, 2015 at 8:20 AM
You know, I think she'd be an interesting case study. I almost envision this woman in gypsy robes sitting at a desk surrounded by papers furiously scribbling away her plot-lines. She still uses ink and scrolls because technology is beneath her lol
I bet she projects a bit of her crazy in these shows - maybe more than a bit hahah
I only watched one show of hers and that was New Tales of Giseang which I actually liked!!! Yeah it was makjang but it wasn't the worst I've seen.
Anyway, I'm sure this isn't the last of her - she'll be BACK.
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kororo
April 23, 2015 at 1:51 PM
+1 New Tales of Giseang was an enjoyable makjang :), i was totally into it from star to finish. Didn't watched any of her other work but if she plots something like New Tales of Giseang I might watch it.
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Sam
April 23, 2015 at 2:50 PM
New Tales of Gisaeng was my first drama over 20 episodes that I watched from start to finish, and I really enjoyed it at the time :) I have to admit, a lot of the appeal was the hot lead (I haven't seen him in anything besides his tiny role in Faith *sad face*), because the female lead was incredibly annoying. I didn't realise how nasal she was until I Do, I Do.
But the drama itself wasn't bad until the last maybe 10 episodes. That ghost storyline was ridiculous! And the ending felt very rushed with all the marriages and problems after. I remember the girl annoyed me because she wouldn't give the guy any affection after marriage LOL. It was like, "Hello! Have you seen him?! Your hot husband wants to give you a kiss before he goes to work. Stop resisting and acting all proper now!" XD
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4 Kokoli
April 23, 2015 at 8:21 AM
Is it nok I should be emberest, I actually enjoyd the ginseang story??
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5 pastryajumma
April 23, 2015 at 8:22 AM
Wow. New tales of Gisaeng is one of my all-time favorite dramas and has my top OTP. I loved that one but then makjang is my favorite genre.
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stringofpurls
April 23, 2015 at 12:42 PM
Maybe you should try one of her dailies and then tell me what's happening in it! I don't know if I can even try her stuff out.
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6 Sour Grapes
April 23, 2015 at 8:23 AM
And now let's make this into a k-drama. A black comedy about a nutty scriptwriter who reins over broadcasting companies because she is a ratings queen.
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museofmanymasks
April 23, 2015 at 9:01 AM
+1
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soprection
April 23, 2015 at 9:28 AM
+100000000
I'm sure she's not the only one. Time for King of Dramas 2.
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mashimomo
April 23, 2015 at 11:32 AM
YES WWAD?!
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kellie
April 23, 2015 at 11:42 AM
Her current title is very similar to the title of Lee Go-eun's imaginary drama in KoD: Gyeonsong Morning meet Apjugeong Midnight Sun.
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sunnyl
April 24, 2015 at 4:12 AM
Yes! I miss Anthony! and yes to A comedy about a nutty scriptwriter- and don't forget her strange (short?) marriage too.
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koala
April 23, 2015 at 9:56 AM
quick somebody find a producer!
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MikoD
April 23, 2015 at 9:57 AM
That I'd love to see.
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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉
April 23, 2015 at 12:05 PM
Anthony should produce it!
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dfwkimchi
April 23, 2015 at 10:08 PM
We'll get Anthony from KOD to produce it!
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Patch
April 24, 2015 at 3:52 PM
I was thinking the same thing!
Throw in a romance with her sarcastic best friend/love interest who alternates between egging her on and rolling his eyes and I'm there!
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7 kanz
April 23, 2015 at 8:30 AM
Im Sung Han writer-nim and MBC Drama Department, thank you for providing me entertainment and laughs in otherwise a boring usual day today. JB, thank you for translating everything and providing your insights! I LOL'ed so hard and tried to keep my straight face and sanity...
Writer-nim, enjoy your retirement!! :)
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8 Mandelbrotr
April 23, 2015 at 8:31 AM
Drama drama is fun only when its a drama I'm not watching. (Bad for Doctor Stranger and Myung Wol the Spy) In reality you really couldn't write the kind of drama that comes out of real life.
Thanks for sharing, JB.
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9 z
April 23, 2015 at 8:40 AM
Ha! I actually really liked New Tales of Gisaeng Story, super loved the otp too. But yes, the story also went sideways towards the end when the story focused on ghost swapping bodies, hahaha, it went from makjang to comedy. It was my love for the otp that made me finished watching the drama till the end.
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10 Alessar
April 23, 2015 at 8:41 AM
I feel like this could be the basis for a comedy or reality show:
The Real Drama Writers of Seoul.
:P
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11 Kiara
April 23, 2015 at 8:45 AM
LOL such a major diva. Almost root for her for pissing off MBC.
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Mandy
April 23, 2015 at 10:59 AM
Haha I was going to make a similar comment but you already did so +1.
I will shit myself laughing if MBC actually goes back on their word. I'd love to see their excuse for that.
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Kiara
April 23, 2015 at 1:45 PM
It's like the bad breakup of the year and each trying to have the last word.
MBC : "I'm breaking up with you."
Writer Im: "I broke up with you first"
MBC : "I hate you"
Writer Im : "I hate you more"
MBC: "I'll hate you forever"
Writer Im :"I'll hate you infinity and beyond"
Buzz Lightyear: "Shut the heck up both of you"
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Mochi's fan
April 24, 2015 at 4:01 AM
Omg @Kiara thanks for the laughs. That was so hilarious!!! :D
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12 kellie
April 23, 2015 at 9:00 AM
Wasn't there something about a censorship committee that threatened to blackball her current drama for censorable content and that's why MBC got antsy?
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13 be
April 23, 2015 at 9:08 AM
Huahahaha this is so funny. I can't believe this is really happened.
But in all seriousness what's wrong with MBC management lately? They're so unprofessional from how they handle Lee Taeim-Yewon scandal and now this.
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Tara
April 23, 2015 at 11:48 AM
Couldn't agree with you more. I'm still aghast at how Yewon has gotten away with practically getting Lee Tae-im blacklisted (and gaining way more jobs like We Got Married)...with MBC and Dispatch really stirring the pot with creating that bs of a story to protect their interests in WGM. So freakin' transparent, y'all.
Thank goodness for whoever leaked that video to disprove the lies...wish someone would do the same here, Im Sung-han seems like quite out there.
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Nessie
April 23, 2015 at 2:00 PM
From what I've read floating online, MBC actually wanted to use that video as noise marketing for WGM. They didn't intend for things to go so extreme. So it was intentional that they revealed that video. However the plan backfired and things got out of hand.
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14 Mia
April 23, 2015 at 9:23 AM
So clearly, the "King of Dramas" has a spinoff ready made, the writing team just needs to reunite to make it - everybody ready for that Anthony Kim cameo??
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MikoD
April 23, 2015 at 9:59 AM
Seriously? Is this a real thing?
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Mia
April 23, 2015 at 11:46 AM
No, but it should be... the comedy writes itself.
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dfwkimchi
April 23, 2015 at 10:13 PM
+1 - that was the first thing i thought after i read the article above.
Didn't realize that a broadcasting company crazy enough to work with writer-nim again after Princess Aurora! LMAO!
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15 bean
April 23, 2015 at 9:24 AM
I have a feeling she'll be back but she's going to come back in the most dramatic way possible.
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omo
April 23, 2015 at 10:17 AM
She becomes a ghost writer.
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museofmanymasks
April 23, 2015 at 6:28 PM
lol that'd be even funnier
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16 Sajen
April 23, 2015 at 9:44 AM
I remember that story, I thought it was hilarious. I remember wondering what writer Im Sung-han was on and where I could get some.
Personally I think this new drama is simply a contest between MBC and writer Im Sung-han to see who can be crazier.
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17 Elle
April 23, 2015 at 9:51 AM
It all sounds funny (and fun) to me. She should stick around if only to entertain us. There are more than enough mediocre dramas in the dramaverse. We can stand a few spectacularly bad dramas as opposed to more splendidly boring ones & she seems to fill that niche, lol!
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18 Daisy
April 23, 2015 at 9:55 AM
I heard that It was due to her husbands death that led to her writing more out of control stories.. It sorta makes sense since The gisaeng drama was actually pretty good & not over the top. Princess Aurora was also written after her spouses death. Maybe it's her way of coping with it? Not sure if it's true though.
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19 saranga
April 23, 2015 at 10:07 AM
i read about this yesterday and i totally approve.
it's really sad that a writer can only use her gift to write these sorts of shows. makjangs all have their own place, but im sung-han's brand of makjang is just—unreasonable. and infuriating. it takes "억지" in makjangs to a whole new level (where no common sense and logic exist).
thing is, i really believe that writers are what they write, largely speaking. some of the philosophies iterated by some of her characters make me wonder if they're just the writer's own personal views, or else why does every character in said drama end up agreeing with such preposterous views? at the risk of being spiteful, did her husband's suicide unhinge her completely?
i remember watching see and see you again with my family when i was young, and i don't think that show that could be branded as makjang. it was a pretty clean, chaste entertaining family drama overall, though not without its own flaws. that and miss mermaid are two of several shows that stand out for me in my childhood drama viewing experience. i remember them fondly, flaws and all. it's both sad and satisfying to see how the writer could end up like this.
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Tara
April 23, 2015 at 12:09 PM
Couldn't agree with you more...very well said. I'm actually embarrassed to admit that my mom was a fan of Aurora Princess and the current Apgujeong Midnight Sun...despite all that crazy shiz. I Think it's no question to think that his suicide had a part in her writing coming off the rails like that.
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Rovi
April 23, 2015 at 12:27 PM
Well her writing was way off the rail even before she married for money.
I couldn't believe my mother fell for "Dear Heaven / Love in Heaven", and got to know the yummy that is Kang Ji-seop...
(P.S. was "Dear Heaven" Han Hye-suk (the birth mother who had Lee Tae-gon as stepson)'s last drama? I haven't seen her in any works ever since...)
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20 fab
April 23, 2015 at 10:16 AM
Gisaeng Story was actually pretty tame, I am surprised that her other soaps were outrages.
The whole ordeal is pretty entertaining indeed. And yeah, it's time for a drama about the drama writers go through. I'm nominating Min-ja- no I mean Kim Mi-kyung for the role. :D
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21 SuziQ
April 23, 2015 at 10:33 AM
More craziness...
Never say Never. Or Forever.
Those words will come back and haunt you.
Money talks and bulls... walks.
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22 Lolo
April 23, 2015 at 10:52 AM
Makjang its really frustrating i hate that genre
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Rovi
April 23, 2015 at 12:38 PM
But without makjang it's deadly dull and boring.
Come to the Philippines. One network (which I really hate for its mediocrity and loser attitude) literally has everything of makjang dramas, which (this place's dramas as a whole) I think must've been inspired by Latina telenovelas which were all the rage then, starting with "Marimar"
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Averic
April 23, 2015 at 3:45 PM
Haha, I totally agree! I'm also from PH by the way.
That's why I stopped watching teleseryes because they're too makjang (even by the usual K drama standards) and as they get more extensions, the makjang-iness gets worse.
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glowry
April 24, 2015 at 5:42 AM
Makjang usually is a must especially for dailies or weekend drama..
I think Ugly Alert is one of the raaaaaare dailies that manage to stay away from makjang.. But then the ratings is pretty low..
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Dakchigo
April 24, 2015 at 6:57 PM
"Cheer Up, Mr. Kim!" and "My Dear Cat" were pretty light on makjang as well.
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23 fab
April 23, 2015 at 11:17 AM
On another note, although this is a bad example, it's good to know writers got to some extent freedom in their work as opposed to execs control their creativity just to cater to certain viewers.
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24 jodie
April 23, 2015 at 11:22 AM
After reading this I read a little bit more on the drama and writer Im... (or ex-writer Im)
She has quite a dramatic life besides writing drama (and it's kind of sad and strange and scary)
From Wikipedia:
Im met assistant director Son Moon-kwon[15] while filming Dear Heaven, and the couple married in January 2007. They later collaborated on Ahyeon-dong Madam (like the protagonists, Im and Son also had a 12-year age difference), Assorted Gems, and New Tales of Gisaeng.[16]
On January 21, 2012, the 40-year-old Son committed suicide by hanging himself from a staircase with a necktie, at his house in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province.[16] Im was the one who found him, and she requested the police that the death be kept a secret from his family and colleagues. News about Son's death broke nearly a month later on February 13.[17][18]
In March 2012, Son's family filed a ₩50 million lawsuit against Im for psychological injury because she told them of his death three weeks after the fact, and held the funeral secretly, preventing an opportunity for family and friends to pay their respects. In an interview, Son's sister alleged that her brother and Im were married in name only (in order to further Im's career), and never lived together in their five years of marriage.[19] Finding it suspicious that Im lied to them that their son had died of a heart attack, and doubting the authenticity of his will,[20] Son's parents asked the police for a re-investigation, in case of foul play. In October 2012, prosecutors cleared Im over her husband's death, and officially ruled Son's death a suicide.[21] The psychological injury lawsuit is ongoing.
EEEP.....
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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉
April 23, 2015 at 12:03 PM
she told them of his death three weeks after the fact
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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crazedlu
April 23, 2015 at 12:59 PM
Whoa. Seems her dramas are a bit of a reflection of her own life. I hope this craziness doesn't take her down the same path as her husband.
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museofmanymasks
April 23, 2015 at 6:27 PM
...... o_0
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HANI
April 24, 2015 at 1:27 AM
It was her?
I remembered reading articles when the families sue & asking for re-investigation. I think entertainment weekly also covered it too.
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sunnyl
April 24, 2015 at 4:16 AM
Assorted Gems is the best, IMO. And actually I enjoyed the Makjang Dear Heaven too.
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25 Calzeralzer
April 23, 2015 at 11:48 AM
The bad thing is now that I have read both of these articles I want to go back and watch her work.... I want to see these crazy situations play out. I have never been able to watch the long makjang type dramas, so I will probably never actually get around to watching them but these articles did entertain me quite a bit. I kind of don't want her to disappear, so we can continue to see the drama behind the dramas...
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bean
April 23, 2015 at 1:40 PM
LOL ikr. after reading so much about princess aurora last year i wanted to watch it just to see all the crazy play out... but im not a masochist, so.
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26 pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉
April 23, 2015 at 12:02 PM
Probably the one case where real life is crazier than any drama...
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Rovi
April 23, 2015 at 12:18 PM
But the REAL question is...
Which is DRAMA???
And which is REAL LIFE???
*insert suspense music*
Find out more in the next episode of...
*TV whiteout and long beep sound*
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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉
April 23, 2015 at 1:16 PM
mwahaha, good question.
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27 Rovi
April 23, 2015 at 12:08 PM
Finally. The trash has settled in the bin for real. And I hope for the sakes of our mental capacities they stick to their words or there'll be hell to unleash. Plus, recently I've been not liking MBC as much as I don't really approve of KBS as well...
"Miss Mermaid" was the first drama I knew (though I didn't know that she wrote it) plus the first time to know of Jang Seo-hee. All I knew then was that it had high ratings, though didn't know the story at all (it was renamed "Irene" here in my place), but didn't know it would've been that long...hmm, I think the network cut some scenes out (which is the usual treatment by the 2 leading networks for imported foreign dramas, snip-snapping off scenes deemed unimportant by management...)
My mother really enjoyed "Dear Heaven / Love In Heaven", and was surprised to learn that it written by this trashy person. Plus I first caught a glimpse of her Death Note in that drama when the lead's foster mother's friend died suddenly due to "brain tumor". XP
And now, YES! Voila la poutain. And I hope for her the sake of propriety her niece join in the retirement spree as well, as she is obviously riding along her aunt's "popularity" or otherwise, and didn't even deserve to be called an "actress".
The next news should be hw this woman will find a source of income, since that money she greedily took will run out faster than you can say "karma"
---
Now I don't know which one is more amusing to "watch": this trash among all trash...or the Huang father-son vs. SME debacle.
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Tara
April 23, 2015 at 12:16 PM
Yes!!! Someone else who thinks the same about that niece of hers!!! Good gosh, she is such a wooden actress a la JSY, and it's no wonder that she only gets acting gigs when her dear aunt is writing. I think the increased visibility of her character (becoming a bigger character than MBC might have thought) could also have played a role. Blech, nepotism.
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Rovi
April 23, 2015 at 12:24 PM
Nah, JSY is loads way better than that cursed niece.
Now before anyone can misunderstand me, at least JSY worked her way up through hard work and talent (or rather, the lack of one...), unlike some people with infamous work portfolios inside the industry and actually got in because "ISH is my aunt".
The nerve...
Such a bitch. I wouldn't be surprised if she's in "Apgujeong Midnight Killing Spree" as well...she should be the one to die in ep.149, and make it look like there's ep.150 when in fact it's the last episode.
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pogo - sailing HMS Queen of Tears and HMS Sailboat Lovely Runner🍉
April 23, 2015 at 1:16 PM
re: the Exo issue, am I the only one who finds it hilarious that they lost two members last year and are set to lose a third, and their newest album is apparently called......wait for it.... EXODUS.
What's not so hilarious though, is the laundry list of injuries suffered by the member who's due to exit now. And the lack of proper recovery time for earlier injuries which worsened with their punishing schedules.
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Rovi
April 24, 2015 at 9:14 AM
Psh, the LudaKris supporters coined that one on Twitter (the EXOdus
starring Kris as Moses & LSM & KYM as the successive Pharoahs...I just rode along and said "SME: Who Is Next?").Of course the immature 14-yr.old high school bitches calling themselves EXO-L's are at it again, calling Tao names & traitor and doing a serious case of volte-face. Such snakes. K hope they get chopped up and drank as medicinal wine, those future dropout bitches...when will their senses ever wake up...
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28 velvetstuff
April 23, 2015 at 1:13 PM
Well then. LMAO this is so childish...
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29 Oh No
April 23, 2015 at 1:43 PM
I bet she will be trying to suck up to SBS pretty soon.
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30 Miky
April 23, 2015 at 2:01 PM
she won't be missed,at least i won't miss her works still i hint she will not stay too long away from the pen&paper....
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31 hipployta
April 23, 2015 at 3:41 PM
I actually liked Gisaeng Story...though the ghost was a VERY confusing and WTF plot point
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32 Aigoooo
April 23, 2015 at 3:54 PM
She's like the Jerry Springer of Kdramas. We all know her work is trash but like witnessing an accident, you just can't look away.
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33 Trina
April 23, 2015 at 5:32 PM
I only watched start to finish is Assorted Gems. I watch halfway and did not finish New Tales of Gisaeng as it was the WTF halfway and boring.
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34 evelynray
April 23, 2015 at 11:19 PM
I didn't know that 2011’s New Gisaeng Story was written by Im Sung-han, but i enjoyed this show. It was my first long drama over 20 episodes! Thanks to this show, Soo Hyang became my fav actress! :P But, wow, i didnt kn ow that this writer wrote long-running shows...
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35 anneakemi
April 23, 2015 at 11:38 PM
I watched New Gisaeng Story, and unfortunately for me, I found the story boring. I expected the female lead's journey in becoming a Gisaeng to start rather quickly in the drama, but it didn't happen right away until I was maybe 1/3 into the drama. So I thought the storyline was very slow... Maybe it could've been better if there were less episodes.
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36 iatetoomuch
April 24, 2015 at 12:16 AM
I'll always have Assorted Gems from Im Sung Hwan ❤️. Will pretend amnesia for the last few episodes, but boy, how that drama brought warmth to my heart
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37 Eliza Bennet
April 24, 2015 at 1:05 AM
Thank you for this. Good information and an entertaining read.
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38 Abbie
April 24, 2015 at 11:35 AM
Bwahahahahaha! This is so ridiculous and hilarious and entertaining! I just can't with this writer. What is her deal? Makes me want to go watch one of her dramas now.
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39 Rossy
April 24, 2015 at 5:34 PM
I'm one of those who has enjoyed her dramas for quite some time. She's the one who used to work with her husband and had quite the dramatic scandal regarding his death. The extreme craziness actually started after his death, she doesn't have anyone to ground her and keep her crazy scenes short and far in between like in the past.
I honestly have been hanging by a thread on this last drama, but just when I'm about to throw the towel she gets back on track..... I feel like a fool!?
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40 Dakchigo
April 24, 2015 at 7:00 PM
Is anybody watching "Apgujeong Midnight Sun"? Can somebody provide a quick recap of the craziest things that happened for us non-Koreans?
That drama seemed to have the craziest character names. She's not named Baek-ya--her surname is actually Baek and her name is the weirdly monosyllabic Ya. I chuckle whenever I hear the characters call her Ya-ya. (Not to mention, Jo Na-dan and Jo Ji-ah. And who the heck names their sons, Hwa-eom and Moo-eom.)
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Rovi
April 28, 2015 at 5:40 AM
I didn't even think that the baekya (lit. "white light", stands for "midnight"; I already read that it was also the lead's name) would stand for Baek Ya. WTF?
I think Jo Na-dan and Jo Ji-ah stand for "Jonathan" & "Georgia".
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41 bd5
April 25, 2015 at 2:17 AM
"Her stories are frequently outlandish and her plot points randomly thrown in without rhyme or reason, but she knows how to push buttons. Accordingly, viewers have tuned in. She was called the Makjang Icon for her outrageous plot turns and the controversies that always accompanied her, but wore that title with aplomb for the most part."
- This kind of stuff hasn't stopped some K-dramas from being huge hits.
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42 dahae
April 26, 2015 at 2:36 PM
I have seen all her recent work, and Midnight Sun has been her most rational series. No spirits, dog dying ( I was crying when Hunk died in Aurora) and cancer cells. I have a feeling that MBC must had a hard time controlling Midnight Sun from going crazy. She is crazy, but she is a good writer, at least this time. Never say never again.
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43 mumie
June 19, 2015 at 2:41 PM
we never ever ever getting back together..
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44 Panja
September 12, 2020 at 5:21 PM
I am here because apparently she will make her grand comeback as a drama writer
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