The Legendary Doctor brings daily Koreanovela to PTV-4

Saturday, 24 October 2015

Starting Nov. 7, PTV-4 airs The Legendary Doctor, every Saturday and Sunday from 9:15 p.m. to 9:45 p.m.

The series is a period Korean drama about the life of a real doctor, Heo Jun, of the Joseon era as portrayed by Jun Kwang-ryul.

It is a positive development that starting Nov. 2, PTV-4 will be airing a Koreanovela daily as Here Comes Mr. Oh is presently airing in the government network weekdays from Monday to Friday at 5:30 p.m. About urban family life, Here Come Mr. Oh is a dramatic comedy (dramedy) of an unemployed and less-educated son-in-law, who has a good heart. He attempts to save his parents-in-law from the greedy first son-in-law.

Here is a Koreanovela on primetime Make a Wish airing from Monday to Friday at 9 to 9:30 p.m. which is starting June 22. In the series, Make a Wish is a romantic drama about Han So-won (played by Oh Ji-eun) struggles to prove the innocence of her husband, who is framed for embezzlement and ends up in a vegetative state after an accident.

Philippine-Korean Entertainment Inc. (PKEI) president Jong-homo, vice chairman Song Hwa Jung and vice chairman Mi Ja-Soof launched The Legendary Doctor, its second drama series in the country. PKEI is the only entertainment company actively promoting Korean-made drama series dubbed in Pilipino in the country.

This is proof of PKEI’s good working relationship with the government news and public affairs channel. Pres. Jong-homo described it as “fun to work with.” The addition of drama series to the PTV4 programming is part of the network’ re-imagining thrust to upgrade itself in keeping with the country’s commercial networks.

With the launch of The Legendary Doctor, PTV-4 is convinced about the viability of the channel’s experiment to find out how Koreanovelas, when aired in a smaller network, widen its reach.

President Jong-homo revealed during the launch that PKEI has five more Koreanovelas to broadcast over PTV-4 to include the 2006-produced television shows, the historical-drama-action-romance Jumong and the romance-drama 90 Days Of Love.

“We also plan to enter into production featuring Korean with Filipino stars,” he added. PKEI also plans to produce a travel show. “We’ll travel across the Philippines and look at the famous tourist attractions and visit beautiful places here,” he revealed of future plans.

Directed by The Legendary Doctor director Lee Byung-hoon under the original title of Hur Jun, its story is set in Joseon, a kingdom in Korea that lasted from 1392-1897, primarily during the reign of King Seonjo. It took place 50 years after the death of Jang Geum who is reputed as the first female doctor in Joseon.

Hur Jun is the bastard son of the governor of Pyong Ahn Do, a region in Northern Korea. He gets caught while working as leader of a smuggling ring. His father and mother (Jung Hye-sun) arrange for him to be deported to Kyung Sang Do, a region in Southern Korea. But his mother falls ill so Hur Jun has to ask for the help of a local physician, Yoo Ui-tae (Lee Soon-jae). This makes him interested in traditional medicine and he asks to be trained by him. Because of the effectiveness of his cures, he rises up to become the emperor’s physician and becomes a legendary figure of alternative medicine.

Other actors in the cast are Hwang Soo-jung as Lady Ye-jin, Kim Byung-se as Yoo Do-ji, Jung Wook as Kim Min-se and Hong Choong-min as Lee Da-hee, Hur Jun’s wife.

Produced by MBC, The Legendary Doctor originally aired in South Korea from 1999 to 2000, with record-breaking television ratings of 64 percent.

It became such a strong commercial success that it was considered one of the turning points in Korean television drama, leading some Koreans to demonstrate interest in traditional Korean medicine after watching the show.

Internationally, it aired on Taiwan television in 2002 and Hong Kong’s TVB in 2005, after the finale of Dae Jang Geum (also directed by Lee Byung-hoon). Because of the similarities between the protagonists of both shows, The Legendary Doctor has often been called the male version of Dae Jang Geum.

And now The Legendary Doctor is to air in PTV-4. What kind of record will it establish in Philippine television history?

The Legendary Doctor is sponsored by 88 Hotspring Resort located at No. 9016 National Highway, Bagong Kalsada, Calamba City, Laguna. Contact 88 Hotsping Resort at mobile nos. 0917-9747888 for Globe, 0939-9355842 for Smart and 0927-5298888 for a Korean speaker.

A Korean-style resort known for its clear and odorless “Miracle Water” and its valuable therapeutic treatments effects complemented with 52 rooms, 10 outdoor swimming pools and hot spas, dining halls, a Korean restaurant (other cuisines available upon request), outdoor bars, massage parlors, fishing pond, horseback riding, lagoon, and a firing range.

What’s a better place to watch over PTV-4’s Here Comes Mr. Oh, Make a Wish and The Legendary Doctor.