''Seoul 1945'' () is a 2006 South Korean period television series starring

Ryu Soo-young Ryu Su-young (born Eo Nam-seon on September 5, 1979) is a South Korean actor. He made his first appearance on television as a college student on a cooking show in 1998, then starred in the controversial film '' Summertime'' (2001). This was follo ...

, Han Eun-jung, So Yoo-jin, Kim Ho-jin, and Park Sang-myun. It aired on KBS1 from January 1 to September 26, 2006, on Saturdays and Sundays at 21:30 for 71 episodes. Set around 1945 right after Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule when the nation was engulfed by ideological turmoil, the story revolves around the rivalry between Suk-kyoung (So), a renowned pianist and daughter of a rich pro-Japanese politician, and Hae-kyung (Han), a headstrong servant; both women love Woon-hyuk (Ryu), whose ambition to become a lawyer gets thwarted due to his political ideology.

Plot

The series takes place during turbulent times in Korea, spanning from the end of the Japanese occupation to the eventual split of the country into North and South. The story revolves around the lives of four young adults who grew up together. Choi Woon-hyuk (

) is a child prodigy born into a family of poor miners; Kim Hae-kyung ( Han Eun-jung) is the eldest daughter of

tenant farmer A tenant farmer is a farmer or farmworker who resides and works on land owned by a landlord, while tenant farming is an agricultural production system in which landowners contribute their land and often a measure of operating capital and ma ...

s; Lee Dong-woo ( Kim Ho-jin) is the heir to a wealthy, well-connected family; and Moon Suk-kyung ( So Yoo-jin) is the only child of an affluent and powerful political ally of Japan. In a blend of personal choices and circumstances beyond their control, each individual embarks on different paths that reflect the chaotic nature of the time as well as their true character. As their paths collide, love, friendship, loyalty, vengeance, moral conscience, and ideology become driving forces to irrevocably change the course of their lives.

Cast

Main characters

as Choi Woon-hyuk ** Kim Seok as young Woon-hyuk * Han Eun-jung as Kim Ke-hee / Kim Hae-kyung ** Ko Joo-yeon as young Kim Ke-hee / Hikaru * So Yoo-jin as Moon Suk-kyung / Yukei ** Park Eun-bin as young Suk-kyung * Kim Ho-jin as Lee Dong-woo **Kim Soo-min as young Dong-woo * Park Sang-myun as Park Chang-joo ** Ko Kyu-pil as young Chang-joo

Supporting characters

* Jang Hang-sun as Kim Pan-chul, Ke-hee's father * Go Doo-shim as Jung Hyang-geum, Ke-hee's mother * Jo An as Kim Ma-ri / Kim Yeon-kyung, Ke-hee's sister *Jung Han-yong as Choi Eun-kwan, Woon-hyuk's father *Lee Deok-hee as Jo Soon-yi, Woon-hyuk's mother *

Park Shin-hye Park Shin-hye (, born February 18, 1990) is a South Korean actress. She gained recognition as a child in Korean drama, television series ''Stairway to Heaven (2003 TV series), Stairway to Heaven'' (2003) and ''Tree of Heaven (TV series), Tree o ...

as Choi Geum-hee, Woon-hyuk's older sister *Yoon Hye-kyung as Choi Eun-hee, Woon-hyuk's younger sister ** Jin Ji-hee as young Eun-hee * Kim Yeong-cheol as Baron Moon Jung-kwan, Suk-kyung's father * Lee Bo-hee as Ame Kaori, Baron Moon's mistress * Hong Yo-seob as Moon Dong-ki, Suk-kyung's uncle *Kim Kyung-sook as Yoon Jung-ja * Choi Jong-won as Lee In-pyung, Dong-woo's father * Kim Se-ah as Jo Young-eun, Dong-woo's governess * Jo Soo-min as Mal-hee *Son Jong-beom as Park Sung-joo *Lee Byung-wook as Oh Chul-hyung *Lee Gun as Kim Ki-soo *Han Min as Choi Song-hee *Kwon Sung-deok as

Syngman Rhee Syngman Rhee (; 26 March 1875 – 19 July 1965), also known by his art name Unam (), was a South Korean politician who served as the first president of South Korea from 1948 to 1960. Rhee was also the first and last president of the Provisiona ...

*Yoon Seung-won as Jung Bong-doo * Lee Mi-young as Ji Kye-ok *Shin Hyun-tak as Jung Dol-yi *Kim Dong-hyun as Chang Taek-sang *Kim Hyo-won as Pak Hon-yong * Shin Goo as

Lyuh Woon-hyung Lyuh Woon-hyung (; 25 May 1886 – 19 July 1947), also known by his art name Mongyang (), was a Korean independence movement, Korean independence activist and Korean reunification, reunification activist. Lyuh was a prominent figure in the Pro ...

*Park Chul-ho as chairman

Kim il Sung Kim Il Sung (born Kim Song Ju; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he led as its first Supreme Leader (North Korean title), supreme leader from North Korea#Founding, its establishm ...

*Song Yong-tae as vice chairman *Park Yong-jin as North Korean officer *Hyun Won as North Korean officer *Jang Dong-jik as South Korean soldier * Kim Ji-young

Awards and nominations

Controversy

At a press conference held in June 2006, 254 right-wing conservative groups accused the state-run KBS network of distorting history. They complained that ''Seoul 1945'' had a left-wing bias, with its portrayal of

as "a Japanese collaborator whose lust for power leads him to abandon a unified Korea, while characters of the Left are usually portrayed as considerate and concerned for the future of the nation," and that the drama accuses Rhee and others of involvement in the assassination of the center-left leader

. They asked for a halt to the broadcast and threatened a campaign to boycott the television subscription fee. In July 2006, Rhee In-soo, adopted son of South Korea's first president

, and Jang Byung-hye, daughter of former prime minister Jang Taek-sang, filed a lawsuit against the producers of ''Seoul 1945'', claiming that the drama distorts history and belittles the achievements of their late fathers. In May 2007, Seoul Central District Court dismissed the lawsuit, stating that since the drama is based on fiction rather than historical facts, KBS is not responsible for

defamation Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...

of character. In its ruling, the court said, "Such a description is part of artistic expression, which should be respected in producing soap opera that is based on fiction rather than facts." The court also said since there are historical documents that support the idea that former President Rhee was pro-Japanese and pro-American, the drama did not seriously distort facts.

References

External links

''Seoul 1945'' official KBS website
*{{hancinema drama, Seoul_1945, Seoul 1945 2006 South Korean television series debuts 2006 South Korean television series endings Cultural depictions of Syngman Rhee Korean Broadcasting System television dramas Korean-language television shows South Korean action television series South Korean historical television series Television series set in Korea under Japanese rule