October 21, 2015
Good news, Pinoy hallyu enthusiasts: PTV Korean Entertainment Incorporated (PKEI) has announced plans to produce a TV show showcasing both Filipino and Korean actors.
“We are trying to direct a drama series that includes actors from the Philippines and Korea… hopefully this idea could change the pace,” said the PKEI officials through an interpreter at a recent conference.
A SCENE From ‘Legendary Doctor’
The company is also raring to put up a travel show relevant to Filipinos. “We’ll travel across the Philippines, and look at the famous tourist attractions and visit beautiful places here,” the representatives said.
PKEI revealed they are set to release five Koreanovelas in the country including the romance-drama 90 Days Of Love (2006) and the Hallyu historical-drama-action-romance Jumong (2006).
There’s also the South Korean drama series titled The Legendary Doctor based on real-life events about a famous Korean doctor named Hur Jun. The lines of the characters will be dubbed in Filipino.
Set in Joseon (a Korean kingdom which lasted from 1392-1897), it starts from when Hur Jun (played by Jun Kwang-ryul), an illegitimate child of the governor of Pyong Ahn Do (a region in Northern Korea), was working as leader of a smuggling ring. When he got caught, his father arranged for him and his mother (played by Jung Hye-sun) to leave for Kyung Sang Do (a region in Southern Korea). But then his mother fell ill so Hur Jun had to seek the help of a local physician named Yoo Ui-tae (played by Lee Soon-jae). Jun became interested in medicine thereafter and trained under Dr. Yoo, ultimately rising up to become the emperor’s physician.
PKEI said the scenes were shot on location in a “traditional Korean village” where a lot of Korean movies and TV series were also filmed.
‘Legendary Doctor’
Asked how the show differs from The King’s Doctor (currently airing on another channel), PKEI officials said Legendary Doctor is “traditional.”
PKEI officials said Legendary Doctor will appeal to the Filipino market given the similarities of Filipino and Korean culture in terms of showcasing love for family.
When it aired in Korea (1999-2000), the show copped rating as high as 27 percent.
The cast of Legendary Doctor includes Jun, Lee, Jung, 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), among many others. The actors might visit the Philippines before the year ends.
Legendary Doctor premieres Nov. 7, 9:15 p.m. on PTV-4 (People’s Television Network). Each episode runs for 45-minutes Saturdays and Sundays. (With report from Jojo P. Panaligan)
HERE COMES MR. O HITS OVER .5 MILLION VIEWERSHIP. From its unmatched sports activities protecton of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and PBA D-League season, top quality news and public affairs programs and educational programming for telecourse in public schools, PTV-4 is tasked to provide timely information about the government’s activities. But since it is part of a wider system of catering to the people’s entertainment needs, it has upgraded by airing entertainment alternatives, with great success.
Since PTV-4 started this, the viewership of Here Comes Mr. Oh, PTV-4’s Koreanovela drama-comedy airing on weekdays from 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., has since escalated from 100,000 in its initial telecast in November 3, 2014 to over 600,000 now and the numbers are steadily rising.
During its airing in South Korea, the television drama got extended for nine more episodes when the ratings went higher that the targeted 20 percent viewership share. The show’s reel sweethearts Lee Jang Woo and leading-lady Oh Yeon So denied being a real-life couple.
Here Comes Mr. Oh tells the tale of an unemployed and less-educated son-in-law who has a good heart as he attempts to save his parents-in-law from the greedy first son-in-law.
It bills first rate Korean actors where you can expect good humor, even drama, despite the over-all Tagalog dubbed scripted words.
Leading the cast is Oh Jar-yong (Lee jang Woo) as the gregarious and good-natured fellow who stands up to his conniving brother-in-law Jin Yong Seok (Jin Tae Hyun) in the latter’s plot to steal the estate of his wife’s family. This dramedy also essays a story of two different men who married two sisters. The twist of the plot will show how Jaryong saves his in-laws from an impending financial doom.
Aside from Here Comes Mr. Oh, the Koreanovela on primetime A Daughter Just Like You which is airing on weeknights from 8:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. and here is another Koreanovela will follow. The next feature series is entitled Legendary Doctor which is shown on November 7 on Saturday and Sunday from 9:15 p.m. to 10 p.m.