Stairway to Heaven (TV series)
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| Stairway to Heaven (TV series) | ||||||||
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| Stairway to Heaven (천국의 계단, Cheon-guk ui Gyedan) |
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| Format | Soap opera Drama |
| Starring | Kwon Sang-woo Choi Ji Woo Kim Tae Hee Shin Hyun Joon |
| Country of origin |  South Korea |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Lee Jang Soo |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | Wednesday & Thursday nights at 9:55pm |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | SCS |
| Picture format | 1080i HDTV |
| Original run | December 3, 2003 – February 5, 2004 |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
Stairway to Heaven is a popular television drama in South Korea produced and broadcast by SBS between late 2003 and early 2004.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
A story about Jung Suh(Choi Ji Woo) and her best friend Song Joo(Kwon Sang Woo). As childhood friends, Jung Suh and Song Joo held a special bond within their friendship that blossomed into love. They were always by each other's side even when Song Joo's father dies and when Jung Suh's mother dies. After a few months, Jung Suh's father meets an actress and, soon, falls in love with her. The two get married and Jung Suh is very happy that her father is finally smiling, stating to Song Joo that she hasn't seen her father smile like that since her mother was alive. After her stepmother moves in, she brings her daughter and son, but when Jung Suh's father leaves for work, her stepmother shows her true nature: a cruel woman. She thwarts Jung Suh's attempts to study abroad and so Song Joo leaves to America to study abroad, leaving a sad Jung Suh behind. Jung Suh is left alone to suffer in the silent cruelty of her step sister, Yoo-Ri, and new step mother. Jung Suh's cruel stepmother plots for her own daughter, Yoo-Ri, to win the affections of Song Joo (who comes from a rich family) and thwarts any attempts of Jung Suh's to be with Song Joo. All the while, Jung Suh tries to be nice to her new step brother, Tae Hwa, who in return mistakes this friendship for affection. Tae Hwa falls in love with young Jung Suh.
Song Joo is in America for three years. On the night of his return, an excited Jung Suh rushes to greet him. A jealous Yoo-Ri, consumed with rage, hits Jung Suh with her car. Tae Hwa, still in love with Jung Suh, finds out what Yoo-Ri has done but sees the accident as a chance to run away with Jung Suh, who would otherwise return to Song Joo. Yoo-Ri and Tae Hwa, along with their biological father, are the only ones who know what has happened, and Tae Hwa's father agrees to cover up for his daughter. Jung Suh loses her memory, and Tae Hwa moves them away and changes their names. Song-joo and Jung Suh's father believe her to be dead.
Five years after the accident, Song-joo recognized Jung Suh on the streets. Jung Suh, who is now Kim Ji-soo (after being renamed by Tae Hwa), does not believe him and thinks that she is actually Kim Ji-soo. She and Tae Hwa are engaged and have been working in the clothing industry. After many close encounters with Song Joo, including being hired by his company to design a new clothing line for a new mall, Jung Suh regains her memory. However, by this time, Song Joo was already in a relationship with Yoo-Ri (carefully crafted by the stepmother), and out of respect, the kind Jung Suh turned down Song Joo when he proposed to her instead of Yoo-Ri, though she still loves him. She also had feelings of guilt regarding Tae Hwa, who was heartbroken at both Jung Suh's returning feelings for Song Joo and his own perverse actions of hiding her from her family for three years.
Jung Suh soon suffered a relapse five years after the accident. She was diagnosed with eye cancer, which explained her deteriorating eyesight. Jung-suh suffered the same fate with her mother, who did not want to get eye surgery. Jung Suh goes blind, and decides that she no longer wants Song Joo to see her, for he would surely be pained at the thought of her suffering. Tae Hwa, an artist, helps Jung Suh by forging real paintings to raise money for her surgery. However, Song Joo soon finds out that Jung Suh is ill, and Tae-Hwa and Song Joo team up to help Jung Suh. Tae Hwa finally gives up Jung Suh to be with Song Joo, who calls off his engagement to Yoo-Ri and marries Jung Suh. At their wedding, Tae Hwa and Yoo-Ri's father, Bil-su, revealed that it was Yoo-Ri who had hit Jung Suh, and Yoo-Ri is arrested. Jung Suh's stepmother is later renounced by Jung Suh's father and loses her sanity. She is sent to a mental institution.
Jung-suh later went for platative radiotherapy to kill the cancer cells in her eyes. However, had the cancer spread, she would have faced certain death.
Over the next few weeks, Jung Suh and Song Joo spend time together as husband and wife; Song Joo and Tae-hwa even become good friends. Jung Suh tells Tae-Hwa that her one wish would be to see Song Joo's face again, one last time. Both Song Joo and Tae-Hwa (separately) ask a doctor to allow them to give Jung Suh one of their corneas, but the doctor informs them that they are not allowed to take corneas from live donors. Song Joo leaves the hospital disappointed, while Tae-hwa thinks pensively about Jung Suh's last wish. He decides that he wants to grant that wish at all costs and begins to set in motion his plan. He creates fake pictures of him and a girl in France, writes letters to be sent later, and tells his friends and family that he will be going to Paris, France for his art and is not sure when he will be returning. What everyone does not realize is that Tae-hwa has decided to commit suicide in order to donate his cornea to Jung-suh. He drives one night, covers his eyes, and accelerates. After his death, Jung-suh has the operation and is able to see again. However, Jung-suh later found out that the cancer was already metastasis when she vomited in a conference. Though Song Joo wants her to pursue all chemotherapy treatments to live, she decides that she would much rather spend time with him than "die in a hospital." She also finds out about Tae-hwa's sacrifice for her and Jung Suh and Song Joo both cry. Jung-suh went to visit Yoo-Ri and her step-mother in jail and hospital respectively, shortly before her death. Jung-suh died days later at the seaside near her childhood house in the arms of Song-joo.
Song-joo played a tune which he had played with Jung-suh during their childhood days. At length, he stood up, asking Jung-suh if she could hear him.
[edit] Popularity
Stairway to Heaven stirred up fever and spurred thousands of viewers to flock to chat rooms and discussion forums to share their views and comments on the drama. Directed by Lee Jang-soo, "Stairway to Heaven" boosts fame of the four lead characters swiftly and has won the hearts of thousands of Korean drama fans worldwide. In Korea, "Stairway to Heaven" was the 3rd popular drama in Korea in 2004 and one of the most popular Korean dramas in Asian countries. This drama also become quite popular in some Latin American countries.
On its first week of airing in the Philippines the show garnered a relatively low 20% viewership, largely due to another Korean soap, Lovers in Paris ending on GMA Network's rival station, ABS-CBN. However, a markable increase in viewership happened upon the conclusion of "Lovers in Paris" with levels peaking at the 40% level. It was replayed in 2006 in the morning time. It was replayed again in Q, the sister network of GMA Network in the evening time.
In Chile the soap opera was popular enough that fans requested it run a tenth time.
[edit] Cast
| Character | Actor/Actress |
|---|---|
| Cha Song-joo (Cholo Cha) |
Kwon Sang-woo |
| Han Jung-Suh / Kim Ji Soo (Jodi Han/Jenna Kim) |
Choi Ji Woo |
| Han Yoo-Ri (Eunice Han) |
Kim Tae Hee |
| Han Tae Hwa / Han Chul Soo (Tristan Han/Charlie Han) |
Shin Hyun Joon |
| Han Soo Ha - father of Jung suh |
Ha Jae Young |
| Tae Mira - Tae Hwa & Yoo-Ri's mother (Maita Tae) |
Lee Hui Hyang |
| Han Pil Su - Tae Hwa & Yoo-Ri's father |
Jung Han Yong |
| Director Jang | Lee Cham |
| Young Song Joo |
Baek Sung Hyun |
| Young Jung Suh |
Park Shin-hye |
| Young Taehwa |
Lee Wan |
| Young Yoo-Ri |
Park Ji Mi |
[edit] Soundtrack
- Chopin, Piano Concerto No. 1 Op.11 E Minor 2nd Mvt : Romanza
- chun gook eh gi uk - Jang Jung Woo
- lette - Kang Woo Jin
- Ave Maria - Rebecca Luker
- geu gut man eun - Jang Jung Woo
- uhn je gga ji na
- na man eh nuh - Kim Hyun Ah
- Remember
- seul peun sarang
- ah reum da oon nuh eh ge - Moon Ji Hwan
- nuh reul ji kil gge
- bo go ship da (보고 싶다) - Kim Bum Soo
- ggeut ee ah nim eul
- chun gook eh gi uk - Park Mook Hwan
- se sang ggeut eh suh it suh do
- yak sok
- geu gut man eun - Park Mook Hwan
- Stairway To Heaven (taken from Led Zeppelin)
[edit] Trivia
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- The child Jung Suh is left handed, but when she grew up, she was right handed.
- Song-joo is heavily related to Lotte World in the series and many of the scenes take place there; Tae Wha even paints a picture there. The picture can still be seen by visitors to the amuement park.
- Other known names such as
- Stairs of Heaven,
- Stairs to Heaven,
- Stairways of Heaven,
- Heaven's Stairs,
- Paradise
- Steps in Paradise
- The green jacket wore by Choi Ji Woo being auctioned at charity function held by Jang Nara at a higher price.
- The house where Han Jung Suh lived as a child, is the same house from Beautiful Days and 100% of Anything
- During Kwon Sang-woo fans meeting with Japanese fans, he said Stairway to Heaven is his most memorable drama and Choi Ji Woo is his most memorable partner in drama.
- Even though they fight like cat and dog in the drama, both Choi Ji Woo and Kim Tae Hee are good friends that support each others work in reality.
- Its final rating in Korea is 45.3% and average in Korea is 38.8%.
- In episode 13, when Tae Mirah talks to the news reporters, Yugioh is playing in the background.
[edit] Quotes
- Song-joo: People who love each other end up reuniting. No matter how far apart they are, they will reunite in the end. Love is something that returns!
- Tae-hwa: Heaven is a land I cannot go to. In front of this mural all the love in the world even the love that can't be forgiven. I hope that it can all come true.
- Song-joo: Perhaps he may have loved her more than I did. However, this does not mean that I loved her any less.
[edit] See also
- List of Korea-related topics
- List of Korean television shows
- Contemporary culture of South Korea
- Lotte World
- Save Zone
- List of top rated Korean Dramas
