Drama Review: My Name Is Kim Sam Soon

My Name Is Kim Sam Soon
Number of Episodes: 16
Main Cast: Kim Sun-Ah, Hyun Bin, Jung Ryeo Won, Daniel Henney
Korean Wiz Link: http://www.koreanwiz.org/at/drama-kimsamsoon.html

One of the things I wanted to do with this blog is share drama reviews. For sure, this 2005 MBC drama goes at the top of my list of dramas to check out. The drama is about Sam Soon (played by Kim Sun-Ah), a feisty pastry chief, who gets dumped by her longtime boyfriend on Christmas Eve. About to turn 30, she is unmarried, overweight, and finds the chances of meeting someone to marry growing dim. In addition, she is strapped by the name Sam Soon, which in Korea is considered a "country bumpkin" name. In fact, one of her life goals is to change her name to Hee Jin. She takes a job as a pastry chief for a restaurant owned by Hyeon Jin-Heon (played by Hyun Bin). Jin Heon is the rebellious son of a wealthy hotel owner, who is angry that her son chooses to run his own restaurant rather than work for her hotel. Jin Heon, cocky and arrogant, is aloof and sarcastic towards women and his mother’s repeated attempts to find a wife for him. However, it is clear that his still harbors unresolved feelings for his first love, who suddenly left Korea for the United States without explanation three years ago. While Jin Heon is cool towards the idea of marriage, Sam Soon still hopes for the chance to meet someone and marry. As she explains, "Life is like crossing the ocean in a row boat and it is too difficult to row by yourself."

Sam Soon is such a wonderful character- average looking, middle-class, and easy to admire and relate to. She is strong, tough, and committed to her work, yet still vulnerable when it comes to matters of the heart. And, as most women can relate to, she is always worried about her weight and is always trying the latest diet, but can’t resist ordering extra syrup in her latte and sneaking a late night snack! For first-time drama watchers, this drama is vogue and still packed with classic Korean culture issues, like getting the parents’ approval for a relationship. The drama is smart, funny and packed with great dialog and banter between the main characters. It also carries a great overall message about having love and respect for yourself. The drama was very popular in Korea, with a rating of over 50% for the final episodes. In an adoption related note, Daniel Henney, who plays an American doctor in the drama, is the real life son of an Korean adoptee. In the drama, his character is also the son of an adoptee.

**Currently, this drama can be watched online on AZN TV.