From The Straits Times    |

K-drama Winter Sonata to return with a sequel

The soap opera starred Bae Yong Joon (left) and Choi Ji Woo, and is about a woman whose lover suffers from amnesia. Image: ST

SEOUL – Winter is coming again. And that is great news for fans of the Korean TV series Winter Sonata, a huge hit both at home and abroad when it aired more than a decade ago.

“The staff, including scriptwriters and producers, of Winter Sonata will team up again for the sequel,” Park Yeong Seok, CEO of Pan Entertainment, said Tuesday in an interview with Yonhap News Agency.

The KBS soap opera starred Bae Yong Joon and Choi Ji Woo, and is about a woman whose lover suffers from amnesia. It was written by Yoon Seun Gyeong and Kim Eun Hee and directed by Yoon Seok Ho.

The synopsis of the new series is slated to be out next month, while the cast and the main producer have yet to be decided. Yoon is expected to take part as an executive producer.

Park told Yonhap: “I’m planning to have as many staff members from the first series take part in the new project as Winter Sonata is very meaningful in many ways.”

Aired on KBS 2TV from January to March in 2002, the drama was a big hit at home for its story of tragic pure love, beautiful images, catchy music and stylish clothes.

The drama helped to launch the Korean Wave in Asia and beyond, propelling lead actor Bae to great fame in the process.

In 2004, South Korean economic research centres estimated the economic impact of the drama at 3 trillion won (S$3.7 billion) including revenue from tourism.

This story was first published in The Straits Times on April 14, 2015. For similar stories, go to http://sph.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/television.