Korean Drama About Hwang Jin-yi to Air in Japan

Korean dramas have been quite popular in Japan ever since the successful Winter Sonata (2002), starring Bae Yong-joon and Choi Ji-woo.

Since its airing, Japanese Winter Sonata fans have been visiting the filming sites and attending fan conventions to meet their favorite Korean stars.

While Korean dramas still fair fairly well in Japan, some have voiced concerns that their popularity has been dwindling to a degree, as other serials aired in Japan after Winter Sonata have not been as explosively popular as their predecessor.

But hopes are high for other Korean dramas to prove a big hit, such as Hwang Jin Yi, a successful KBS historical drama series, starring Ha Ji-won.

It will be broadcast in Japan on NHK's terrestrial or free-to-air channel.

Hwang Jin Yi is scheduled to air on NHK every Saturday at 11:10 p.m. beginning October 11.

The series is based on the life of Hwang Jin-yi, one of the most graceful 16th century female entertainers, or “gisaeng” who was also a poet, musician and dancer.

Hierarchical positions were strictly distinguished and back then, and “gisaeng” were considered low class.

The focus of the drama is the difficulties that Hwang experienced due to her social class.

The series was first aired on NHK's satellite channel BS2 from April, and captured the highest viewer ratings out of all the programs aired during the same time slot.

Thanks to its popularity, NHK decided to air it on a free-to-air channel, although according to NHK officials it is very rare for a show to be moved from satellite to terrestrial broadcasting.

Hwang Jin-yi has provided a continuous stream of inspiration for Korean novelists, drama producers and filmmakers.

Although historical facts about her life are sketchy at best, the Korean entertainment industry has dealt with her story from various perspectives.

The drama to be aired on NHK this October was first broadcast in Korea in late 2006 and in Taiwan in 2007.