Dramabeans exclusive: Interview with City Hunter, Doctor Stranger PD Jin Hyuk
by javabeans
We’ve got a special treat for you guys today, and are excited to present to you our very own exclusive interview with one of dramaland’s hitmaker directors, PD Jin Hyuk, whom you may know from his string of popular dramas like Brilliant Legacy, Prosecutor Princess, City Hunter, Master’s Sun, and Doctor Stranger. I know, so many of our favorites!
As you may know, PD Jin was recently in LA to speak as a featured guest at KCON 2015. We were fortunate to hear his panel, and honored when he graciously agreed to an interview. We’d heard great things about him, and can now confirm firsthand that he’s as lovely, friendly, and thoughtful as we’d heard.
You probably don’t need us to tell you how much girlfriday and I geeked out to get to pick the brains of a famous PD (City Hunterrrrrrr!) and ask questions we’d always wanted to ask, from what it’s like working in the drama-making system to specific questions about characters and dramas and sequel opportunities.
We asked PD Jin about whether he knew about international response to his dramas and if he read much, and he explained that he didn’t know that sites like Dramabeans existed but that he’d be sure to read up on it. And we’ll be sure to send him this post, so if you have questions, comments, or just plain love to send his way, please do! (He reads English, so no problems there.)
Without further ado, let’s just dive right in:
RELATED POSTS
- Odds and Ends: The KCON 2015 wrap-up
- Dramabeans panels at KCON 2015: Talkin’ ’bout dramas, academia, fandoms, and lovefests
- Producers writer, Master’s Sun PD team up for new SBS drama
- Doctor Stranger: Episode 1
- Master’s Sun: Episode 1
- Behind the scenes with City Hunter
- City Hunter: Episode 1
- Prosecutor Princess: Episode 1
Tags: City Hunter, Doctor Stranger, Dramabeans exclusive, featured, interviews, Jin Hyuk, Master's Sun
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1 ranichan
August 25, 2015 at 8:05 PM
Waaa if you Pd for city hunter and briliant legacy then i am your fans! Hope you read it ?????
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Gisbourne
August 25, 2015 at 9:22 PM
Maybe my memories failing me but I don't remember City Hunter being that amazing of a show. It was pretty much a knock off version of Gaksital with considerably less talented leads and a faulty storyline
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renzillag
August 25, 2015 at 9:41 PM
While I respect your opinion on City Hunter, I will say that Gaksital came out after City Hunter so its not fair to call City Hunter a knock off.
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birdscout
August 25, 2015 at 9:43 PM
Yes, your memory is failing you.
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Jann
August 27, 2015 at 12:35 AM
+1
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mooses
August 25, 2015 at 10:05 PM
City Hunter aired a full year ahead of Gaksital so...
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Random
August 25, 2015 at 10:11 PM
Well it's the first drama that made me not dislike Lee Min Ho so...
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greentea
August 26, 2015 at 2:49 AM
Me too. That's the only drama that I've come to like Lee Min Ho.
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Reena
August 26, 2015 at 9:39 AM
City Hunter made me fall in love with Lee Min Ho... but The Heirs ruined it. lol... I liked him in Personal Taste though (his 2010 drama with Son Ye Jin).
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Karyn Amado
August 26, 2015 at 10:58 AM
Hahaha. Same here. Love him in City Hunter. But Heirs was a complete disaster.
lemondoodle
August 25, 2015 at 11:26 PM
City Hunter aired May 25, 2011 - July 28, 2011
Gaksital aired May 30, 2012 - Sept. 6, 2012
Yes, your memory is failing. Maybe try to remember before writing such comments next time.
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pogo 🍉
August 26, 2015 at 1:28 AM
lmao BURN
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Wag-a-muffin
August 26, 2015 at 9:28 AM
Let's do a fact check: City Hunter and Gaksital both had a hero whose father died before he was born? No, only City Hunter.
CH and G both had balding side kicks? Nope, only CH.
CH and G both had best friends who turned on them? Nope, just G.
CH and G were both current, time-wise? No, G was a period drama.
CH & G both had horse riding heroes? Nope, just G, whose hero rode a cool, masked horse.
CH & G both worked at the blue house? No, only CH.
CH & G both had brothers faking injuries? Nope, just G.
CH & G both had charismatic, handsome, young lead actors who hid their true identity?
Okay. I'll give you that one.
So you got 1 out of how many? Either you got on, thinking you were first and had to write SOMETHING in a hurry, before you had a chance to think it through. Or you consider your comment "witty." Either way, sad.
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pogo 🍉
August 26, 2015 at 10:09 AM
I think your reply is under the wrong comment? I agree with it though!
Grace
August 26, 2015 at 4:06 AM
Should've done your research first before commenting.
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rinoak
August 26, 2015 at 6:19 AM
Yeah, City Hunter was great and totally different than Gaksital, so you really shouldn't compare them.
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juniper
August 26, 2015 at 11:49 AM
It wasn't that great but I don't think the production was the objectionable part. I mean, it wasn't amazing, but it was professional the whole way through. The problem for me was in the writing and acting--the genre mixing was ridiculous and awful, and the veterans like Kim Sang-joong routinely blew LMH and friends out of the water while sleepwalking through their roles themselves. It was just really embarrassing to watch.
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2 mary
August 25, 2015 at 8:11 PM
When I saw what the post was about, I was spazzing for you girls. I know how much you loved CH and always praising the directorial touches during recaps. :) Reading those, that was the first time I noticed how a PD can elevate a drama too.
Can't imagine how you stayed coherent during the interview!
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namedx
August 26, 2015 at 3:23 PM
I'm still spazzing!! Yay, he mentioned the Master's Sun fan project!!! A-mazing!
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3 jam
August 25, 2015 at 8:11 PM
whoaaaa how awesome!!!! pd-nim, city hunter was just all sorts of fabulousness :)
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4 yayabean
August 25, 2015 at 8:19 PM
And you have video too! Aww ?
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5 AussieGrl
August 25, 2015 at 8:36 PM
Wow! So many good dramas, city Hunter and master's sun are two of my favorite dramas.
Sending you love from Australia :-)
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6 ananke
August 25, 2015 at 8:43 PM
I have always wanted to thank some of the writers and directors personally for all the joy and laughter (and tears) they bring into our lives. Here is my chance! Thank You PD Jin - we really are quite amazed by the crazy hours that go into bringing us our weekly episodes - you make it seem so easy! Best wishes for your future projects.
늘 건강하시고 행복하세요!
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pogo 🍉
August 26, 2015 at 10:11 AM
yeah, I'd like to say thanks to him too.
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7 Bili Bala Pabo Bara
August 25, 2015 at 8:45 PM
That PD is so humble and cute<3
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Sparkling
August 26, 2015 at 6:20 PM
I really loved those qualities, too and I liked that he tried to be as honest the industry allows him to. I admired the fact that he admitted that he would like to do things differently if possible and that the clash of opinions with the writer may have spoiled the overall result in a drama. I think it takes a lot of courage to admit such a thing even to oneself.
Anyway, I enjoyed all the dramas he has done that I watched and I hope to see more dramas at least as good as the older one. If all my dramas were at least that good, my Dramaland would be a great place!
PD-min, may you have a long and prolific career!
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8 crazylu
August 25, 2015 at 8:49 PM
Lollllllll to the "Doctor Stranger" path he would've taken over the writer. Seems the shipping war wasn't just between fans. Lol. I feel ya, PD-nim.
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Penny
August 25, 2015 at 9:25 PM
I was right up there with the ardent of most ardent Lee Jong Suk and Kamg Sora shippers but now that the PD explained exactly WHY they didn't go down that road I don't feel quite that bad. I can see why they wanted him to avoid falling for another girl after being crazy about Jae Hee in the first half of the show. If only they went with Kang Sora from the get go though..
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Cheryl
August 25, 2015 at 11:35 PM
I KNOW. I wasn't particularly fond of the drama, but I did like the inkling of that couple being together.
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pogo 🍉
August 26, 2015 at 8:33 AM
idk, the way he said it, I felt like it was a rationalisation he made himself accept, to come to terms with how the drama ultimately turned out.
Because a lot of the whole Jae Hee issue was just the writer forcing the issue, while the chemistry was more natural between Lee Jong-seok and Kang Sora. It's like the writer wrote the story into a corner when the other elements (acting, chemistry) didn't quite back it up.
But yeah, I suspect PD-nim did get a little of his own back, by making sure to show us what a Hoon/Soo-hyun oriented story could be like (all that skinship!). And come on, we've seen SO MANY dramas where the hero has to get over a first love. Dr Stranger could have been a far more interesting story if you had the hero getting over his guilt and adjusting to life in South Korea, with the nice South Korean girl being a part of that.
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Haifss
August 26, 2015 at 8:48 AM
Eventhough, I did not particularly like Han Seung-Hee persona, I am glad they went toward that road. It would not have made sense that he will switch after all the suffering and sacrifice they have endured.
I did love Oh Soo-Hyun and I wanted her to get the man of her dreams. Alas, it worked it for the best.
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lookingfordramacrack
August 26, 2015 at 12:48 PM
Omg the 'other road' revelation made my day! This is why I gave up the show...poor choice of heroine!
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greentea
August 26, 2015 at 2:55 AM
hahaha. I remember how crazy the shipping war was. I was team Soohyun. I feel you pdnim!
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9 Aaannie
August 25, 2015 at 8:51 PM
Awesome insight! Hope we can see more of this in the future!
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10 Dol
August 25, 2015 at 8:52 PM
PD Jin, thank you for your hard work creating great dramas! You've produced so many of my favorites as well as my all-time favorite: City Hunter. 감사합니다!
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11 casserole
August 25, 2015 at 8:53 PM
This interview was great! It really made sense what he said about Doctor Stranger. It did seem like Sora should have been the female lead, but the writers reasons were valid as we. Thank you so much for posting the video! It was a real treat. :-)
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12 czak
August 25, 2015 at 8:56 PM
Omg.. thank you for this great treat db and gf. Its feels like an advance bday present for me. Hehehe
anyway i love your dramas pd-nim. Especially city hunter and brilliant legacy. No words can explain how obsessed i was during those dramas run.
My question would be a little off but here goes: Is there a possibility that you'd do sports drama mub like last match...? I dont see enough dramas that show the life, struggles of athletes. They do romance dramas with a little hint of sports. But nothing like a full on main genre sports drama...
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13 Daehoney
August 25, 2015 at 8:58 PM
Wow, you're lucky DB! He's a good PD. Like someone mentioned above, directing can elevate a drama. It was probably the only redeeming quality from Doctor Stranger. The directing made the drama looked polished, despite the mess in storyline. City Hunter is my most favorite LMH's project. This PD excels more in action dramas, nevertheless I also enjoyed Master's Sun. Hope to see more of his works in the future.
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14 Ninetynein
August 25, 2015 at 9:01 PM
Great job ladies!!! Wonderful development of the site. I recalled you were mentioning about all different things that you would like to do as the site grow... One was the podcast, then the mystery theater 3000 view of the kdrama, now panelists at the KCon and to top that you interviewed a very awesome individual responsible in making the great quality crack that feeds us.
Kudos on your everlasting effort in branching out different angles of this great entertainment world. Keep up the wonderful achievement. I'm very proud to see how your site grow positively.
From one of your biggest fan and supporter.
99
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15 anne
August 25, 2015 at 9:01 PM
I don't know that it was same PD who directed brilliant legacy, city hunter, masters sun and doctor stranger. These dramas are few of my top fav dramas. Looking forward to his next project! Hopefully he will work with writer Park Ji Eun and create a very good drama. And he sorta hinting that he might work again with either lee seunggi, leeminho, so ji sub or lee jongsuk for his next project. Lee seunggi and lee min ho still can do one last drama though before they enlist. I think they decide to enlist next year.
And for doctor stranger, I'd always want lee jong suk end up with kang sora. T.T i think most ppl prefer their loveline too. The tension between SK and NK is somewhat that makes the latter story become too complicated and bit ridiculous.
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16 Lizzie
August 25, 2015 at 9:09 PM
I was definitely on the Kang Sora ship as well..lol This was such an interesting interview! Thank you DB and Jin Hyuk PD! I wish the industry was more aware of us international fans, but I suppose it is a little more difficult besides the ease of language issue but the time issue as well. While there are those of us who do stream shows occasionally or watch without subtitles it is difficult to be part of realtime comments especially when most of us wait for subtitles or re-watch with subtitles. I'm not sure what I am getting at here, only that it would be nice to get some recognition in some way..and if it could improve our experience that would be great too. So it was really cool hearing his reaction to the popularity of dramas and communities like DB. :)
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17 holli
August 25, 2015 at 9:17 PM
Wow...how exciting for you to be able to have a sit down with PD Jin Hyuk. Thank you for sharing, loved hearing his comments.
Wouldn't it be great if this was just the first of other interviews you would be able to get!!??
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18 ritaol
August 25, 2015 at 9:19 PM
He is so humble :-) Pd vs writer do exist hahaha
I feel bad for the Pd they are the one is being harass by everyone (viewers, writers , higher ups of the public stations because of ratings ...) waaaaa so stressful ~ Fighting PD Jin Hyuk!
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19 Aliceindramaland
August 25, 2015 at 9:20 PM
Can't believe that there might be a possible Master's Sun 2!!! One of my favourite dramas of all time :) Can't wait, I will look forward to it. Awesome interview! Thanks!
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namedx
August 26, 2015 at 3:05 PM
Love PD Jin-Hyuk! He was kind enough to take a snapshot of himself when he received the Soompi international fan project book for Master's Sun. Made our day, for sure! What a lovely, talented fella! Thanks for posting the interview, ladies. x
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20 belami-js
August 25, 2015 at 9:23 PM
It would be nice if they do Master's Sun 2 as he's saying! I loved this drama!
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21 Lenalunar
August 25, 2015 at 9:29 PM
This is so cool! I always feel like the kdrama creators never realize just how popular their dramas are internationally; they should be brought to more attention on sites like this. And i LOVE City Hunter, it was my first kdrama and will forever be held dear to my heart. Master's sun is probably second after that. Thank you PD-nim!
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22 sam
August 25, 2015 at 9:33 PM
PD Jin Hyuk seems really friendly and relatable, yet honest at the same time. A love ending wt Kang Sora, culturally, was the wrong way to go, but we were left wt such an empty ending with that love line. Truthfully I gave up mid way and I think I read the ending on Dramabeans. Oh well, You win some. You lose some. Nonetheless loved CH & MS! So I'm glad this PD loves his job and I hope he keeps finding great projects!
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23 Michiki
August 25, 2015 at 9:34 PM
PD Jin Hyuk , please cast Ji Chang Wook in your next drama project!
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pigsnout
August 25, 2015 at 10:23 PM
And Kang Sora!
(jk but she's a really good actress, I would like to see PD Jin Hyuk work with her again, this time as first lead)
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fantasy
August 25, 2015 at 10:54 PM
that would be my dream pair :) :) please please make that happened
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pogo 🍉
August 26, 2015 at 1:26 AM
YES to this! It would really be a dream pairing.....
(if I can't have a repeat of So Ji-sub/Gong Hyo-jin, this is totally the thing I want)
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kanz
August 26, 2015 at 1:16 AM
PD-nim, please cast Ji Chang Wook and Moon Geun Young next time!!
(my dream pairing)
I don't care if it's melo, romcom, thriller/action, noir or whatever genre.. just cast these two please!
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R
August 26, 2015 at 3:47 AM
Great idea :) !
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24 birdscout
August 25, 2015 at 9:41 PM
What a wonderful scoop! Thank you javabeans and girlfriday :) PD Jin Hyuk IS "lovely, friendly, and thoughtful". ^^ Hope he continues to enjoy his work because we kdrama fans certainly look forward to enjoying more of his dramas!
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25 Auntiemame
August 25, 2015 at 9:42 PM
It would be really interesting to hear how he motivates his actors. What does he tell them? Is there a favorite story/fable/adage/motto that he tells all his actors?
Thanks DB for a really interesting interview!
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