''Golden Bride'' () is a 2007

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

n weekend

television drama In film and television show, television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or docudrama, semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humour, humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional te ...

series starring

Lee Young-ah Lee Young-ah (; born October 23, 1984) is a South Korean actress and model. She is best known for playing the role of Nguyen Jin Joo in '' Golden Bride'', a 2008 drama that was extended by 14 episodes due to its popularity. It was in the Top 3 K ...

Song Chang-eui Song Chang-eui (born January 24, 1979) is a South Korean actor. Though better known as a musical theatre actor, notably in ''Hedwig and the Angry Inch'' and ''Gwanghwamun Love Song'', Song has also starred in television dramas such as ''The Scal ...

Choi Yeo-jin Choi Yeo-jin (; born July 27, 1983) is a South Korean-Canadian model-turned-actress. Career Choi Yeo-jin was born in South Korea, but after her parents divorced, they emigrated to Canada when she was in the first year of middle school. She drea ...

and

Kim Hee-chul Kim Hee-chul (; born July 10, 1983), better known mononymously as Heechul, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, presenter, and actor. He is a member of the South Korean boy band Super Junior and has further participated in its subgroup Su ...

. It aired on

SBS TV SBS TV (Seoul Broadcasting System Television) is a South Korean free-to-air television channel operated by Seoul Broadcasting System. The channel was launched on 9 December 1991. Unlike competing network MBC, SBS operates using a federalized ...

from July 23, 2007, to February 3, 2008, airing every Saturday and Sunday at 20:45 for 64 episodes. In response to its popularity, the series was extended by 14 episodes. The drama won the top prize at the Seoul Drama Festival on October 14, 2008, and the Special Drama Award at the International Drama Festival in Tokyo on October 22 of the same year. In Japan, the drama began airing on cable channel KNTV in January 2008.

Plot summary

Several story-lines take place within the drama at the same time that ultimately all link up to one another.

Jin Joo and Jun Woo

Nguyen Jin Joo (

) is half-Korean half-Vietnamese, working at a matchmaking service between

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

and

as the main

translator Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''trans ...

. She was raised near a

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

where she was taught Korean, and although her father abandoned his family 20 years ago, her mother still longs for his return. Jin Joo works hard to earn money for a cure for her mother's

night blindness Nyctalopia (; ), also called night blindness, is a condition making it difficult or impossible to see in relatively low light. It is a symptom of several eye diseases. Night blindness may exist from birth, or be caused by injury or malnutrition ( ...

. However, the doctor reveals her condition to be irreversible. As her final wish, Jin Joo's mother asks to be able to see Jin Joo's father one last time before she goes blind. In an act of desperation, she convinces her clients, Jun Woo's mother, Jung Han Sook, and aunt, Kang Koon Ja (

Park Mi-sun Park Mi-sun (; born March 10, 1967) is a South Korean comedian and TV host of variety shows, notably '' Quiz to Change the World'', '' Happy Together - Season 3'', and '' We Got Married''. In 1988, She made her official debut with a gold prize ...

), to take her to Korea as Jun Woo's bride in order to find her father. They both agree, finding her more suitable than the other brides. Jin Joo travels to

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, pretending to be Korean, and the two marry. Though their relationship had begun with the mutual agreement that it was a fake marriage, and that they would secretly live as friends (which meant not sharing the same bed), Jin Joo's genuine effort to support him touches Jun Woo's heart and they eventually fall in love. With her mother's illness worsening, Jun Woo quickly begins to help search for Jin Joo's father.

Jun Woo, Ji Young and Young Min

Kang Jun Woo (

) met Ok Ji Young (

) at Seoul University, and they were later engaged. However, after Ji Young goes to

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

to study abroad, she abruptly breaks off their relationship, not telling him it was due to her mother's financial problems. Jun Woo shortly rushes to Chicago and has a violent encounter with her that results in Ji Young calling the police. They violently beat Jun Woo and lock him up in an American prison for three months. This severely traumatizes Jun Woo, causing him to develop a serious heart condition and

melancholia Melancholia or melancholy (from ',Burton, Bk. I, p. 147 meaning black bile) is a concept found throughout ancient, medieval, and premodern medicine in Europe that describes a condition characterized by markedly depressed mood, bodily complain ...

. In an attempt to improve his health, Jun Woo's mother flies to Vietnam in search of a wife. Three years later, Ji Young marries Kim Young Min (

Song Jong-ho Song Jong-ho (; born October 5, 1976) is a South Korean actor. Song debuted as a runway model in Park Byung-chul's fashion show in 1995. His print and runway modeling career lasted until 1999, when he turned to acting. He is best known for his ...

). Young Min is unaware of the family feud, as Ji Young hides her past with Jun Woo, as well as her strained relationship with her wayward mother, whom she is ashamed of. This ultimately leads to the destruction of her marriage.

Han Sook, Ok Kyung and Sang Il

A lifelong cold war exists between Jung Han Sook (

Kim Mi-sook Kim Mi-sook (, born March 26, 1959) is a South Korean actress. Career Kim Mi-sook made her acting debut in 1979 and has since had a prolific career on television. Her notable roles in the 2000s include a divorcee making a new start in morning ...

) and Yang Ok Kyung (

Kyeon Mi-ri Kyeon Mi-ri (; born January 27, 1965) is a South Korean actress and singer. She is best known for her role as the antagonist Lady Choi in the hit period drama ''Jewel in the Palace'' (2003). Career Kyeon Mi-ri graduated from Seoul Traditiona ...

), starting in high school when Ok Kyung steals Han Sook's boyfriend, Kim Sang Il (

Im Chae-moo Im Chae-moo (born September 2, 1949) is a South Korean actor. He opened an amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a typ ...

), and marries him after faking a pregnancy. Their two sons, Young Min and Young Soo, grow up in a luxurious household while Han Sook's family struggles. The feud intensifies when Han Sook discovers that Young Min's new wife is Ok Ji Young, the woman responsible for Jun Woo's condition. Though from the outside Ok Kyung and Sang Il's marriage seems happy, they have a damaging past. 22 years ago, Sang Il abandoned his family to go overseas, not contacting them for 2 years. This led to Ok Kyung falling into a depression and drinking. When he returned, they resumed their marriage as if nothing happened, but Ok Kyung secretly dreads what might have happened during his absence.

Sae Mi and Young Soo

Kang Sae Mi ( Han Yeo-woon) is Jun Woo's younger sister who works as a

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin , . Models can be divided in ...

. By coincidence, she catches the eye of Kim Young Soo (

Kim Heechul Kim Hee-chul (; born July 10, 1983), better known Mononymous person, mononymously as Heechul, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, presenter, and actor. He is a member of the South Korean boy band Super Junior and has further participated i ...

), the younger brother of Young Min, at a club. Rejected on the basis of being told that he is a rich playboy, Young Soo goes through several changes in order to impress her, much to the amusement of his family. After getting a job as a

security guard A security guard (also known as a security inspector, security officer, factory guard, or protective agent) is a person employed by a government or private party to protect the employing party's assets (property, people, equipment, money, etc.) ...

at Sae Mi's modeling agency, Young Soo attempts to woo her again. It's only when he discovers her ambition to become an

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

that Sae Mi softens towards him, as he encourages her to audition at his father's company. Their relationship finally blossoms after he helps her win a competition for a hotel gift card for Jin Joo and Jun Woo's

honeymoon A honeymoon is a vacation taken by newlyweds after their wedding to celebrate their marriage. Today, honeymoons are often celebrated in destinations considered exotic or romantic. In a similar context, it may also refer to the phase in a couple ...

, although Young Soo had mistakenly thought it had been for them. Sae Mi and Young Soo remain oblivious to the family feud for most of the drama series, but when it is discovered, they are inevitably affected.

Won Mi and Dong Gu

Kang Won-mi (

Hong Eun-hee Hong Eun-hee (; born February 17, 1980) is a South Korean actress. Filmography Television series Variety/radio shows Web shows Music video appearances Theater Awards and nominations References External links * Hong Eun-hee at ...

) is Jun Woo and Sae Mi's older sister, the eldest of the siblings. Though in her early 30s, she is unmarried and is often rejected at dating services. She works as a

music teacher Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do origina ...

to children, teaching the

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

. Heo Dong Gu ( Kim Kyung-sik) is a

law student Legal education is the education of individuals in the principles, practices, and theory of law. It may be undertaken for several reasons, including to provide the knowledge and skills necessary for admission to legal practice in a particular j ...

who has for years tried to woo Sae Mi by becoming her driver, although he is repeatedly turned down. In an attempt to win her over, Dong Gu asks Won-mi to help, getting them both into strange and hilarious situations. After joining the

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

and keeping in contact with her only through letters, Dong Gu falls in love with Won-mi, although at this time Won-mi begins dating a

dentist A dentist, also known as a dental doctor, dental physician, dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry, the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. The dentist's supporting team aids in provi ...

Cast

as Kim Young-min *

as Nguyen Jin-joo *

as Kang Jun-woo *

as Ok Ji-young *

as Kim Young-soo * Han Yeo-woon as Kang Sae-mi *

as Jung Han-sook (Jun-woo's mother) *

Kang Shin-il Kang Shin-il (born November 26, 1960) is a South Korean actor. Kang graduated from Kyung Hee University with a degree in electronic engineering, but he soon put aside his studies and spent most of his time in Daehangno, Seoul's theater district, ...

as Kang Woo-nam (Jun-woo's father) *

as Kang Won-mi (Jun-woo's older sister) *

as Yang Ok-kyung (Young-min and Young-soo's mother) *

as Kim Sang-il / Richard Kim (Young-min's father) *

as Kang Koon-ja (Woo-nam's sister) * Kim Kyung-sik as Heo Dong-gu * Kim Ji-young as Maeng Man-deok * Như Quỳnh (Jin-joo's mother)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{hancinema film, Golden_Bride, Golden Bride Seoul Broadcasting System television dramas 2007 South Korean television series debuts 2008 South Korean television series endings Korean-language television shows South Korean romantic comedy television series