Hero (2009 TV series)

Hero

Promotional poster for Hero
Genre Comedy, Action, Drama
Written by Park Ji-suk
Directed by Kim Kyung-hee
Lee Dong-yoon
Starring Lee Joon-gi
Yoon So-yi
Uhm Ki-joon
Baek Yoon-sik
Country of origin South Korea
Original language(s) Korean
No. of episodes 16
Production
Producer(s) Lee Jae-dong
Location(s) South Korea
Running time 70 minutes
Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 (KST)
Broadcast
Original channel Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation
Original run 18 November 2009 – 14 January 2010
Chronology
Preceded by Heading to the Ground
Followed by The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry
External links
Website

Hero (Hangul: 히어로; RR: Hieoro) is a 2009 South Korean action-comedy television series about passionate reporters working for a third-rate newspaper who fight against corruption and inequality in society.[1] Starring Lee Joon-gi, Yoon So-yi, Uhm Ki-joon and Baek Yoon-sik, it aired on MBC from November 18, 2009 to January 14, 2010, on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 16 episodes.[2][3][4]

Synopsis

Jin Do-hyuk (Lee Joon-gi) lost his parents at an early age, after they were killed in a hit and run car accident. His older sister Do-hee (Jang Young-nam) raised him, though she is immature and impulsive, and often takes Do-hyuk's money if he has any. Do-hyuk wants to become a journalist like his father, and his dream job is to work at the prestigious newspaper Daese Ilbo. But because of their poor financial situation, Do-hyuk is unable to attend college. Instead, he gets hired at the tabloid Monday Seoul, famous for its scandalous articles and ruthless paparazzi. Still, the optimistic and energetic Do-hyuk does his best and uses any means necessary to cover a story.

Joo Jae-in's (Yoon So-yi) father was a police officer who died in the line of duty when she was a young girl. Since then, she has wanted to follow in her father's footsteps, and graduates at the top of her class at the police academy. Now the lead detective of the station's homicide team, Jae-in always plays by the book. She's a bundle of contradictions: a tough cop who catches criminals with her martial arts skills, but feminine and elegant like her mother and wears pink pajamas at home; she bravely and carefully sneaks into a crime scene, but turns shy in front of her crush. Jae-in likes Kang Hye-sung (Uhm Ki-joon), a highly respected journalist working for the Daese Ilbo. She doesn't know quite what to make of Monday Seoul's Jin Do-hyuk, and initially ignores and despises him. But the more she gets to know him, her respect for Do-hyuk and romantic interest grows.

Quick-witted and cold-hearted Kang Hye-sung covers his newspaper's business/economy section. He is dating Choi Ho-kyung (Shin Ju-ah), the daughter of Choi Il-doo (Choi Jung-woo), president of Daese Ilbo's parent company Daese Enterprise. Often, Hye-sung spins news stories to favor Il-doo and the Daese Enterprise. Il-doo views Hye-sung somewhat like his right-hand man and hopes that Hye-sung will someday become his son-in-law. Sure enough, he and Ho-kyung get engaged. But when Hye-sung notices Jae-in and Do-hyuk becoming closer, he starts feeling jealous.

Former mobster Jo Yong-deok (Baek Yoon-sik) was the leader of the Double Axe Gang prior to his 15-year jail sentence. His gang members have abandoned him, his wife has remarried, and he is estranged from his daughter Yu-ri (Yoon Seung-ah), a college student. On the day of his release, Yong-deok finds that the only people waiting for him outside the prison are one last loyal underling, Bong Sang-chul (Jo Kyung-hoon), and the reporter Jin Do-hyuk, who's there to interview him. With nowhere to turn to and hungry for revenge, Yong-deok suddenly decides to start his own newspaper named the Yongdeok Ilbo, which he plans to use to settle old scores with Daese Ilbo. When Monday Seoul goes out of business, Yong-deok makes the proposal that Do-hyuk join him. Filled with new dreams, passion and ambition, Do-hyuk later transforms into a reporter with a strong sense of justice, who speaks up for the downtrodden in society.[5]

Cast

Main characters

Supporting characters

Do-hyuk's older sister, the mother of Jin Sol and Jin Jung.
10-year-old daughter of Do-hee.
6-year-old son of Do-hee.
President of Daese Enterprise and owner of newspaper Daese Ilbo. He single-handedly developed Daese into one of Korea's top companies, but has his eye set on acquiring absolute power.
Il-doo's daughter. She was Do-hyuk's high school classmate and first love, and is engaged to Hye-sung.
Yong-deok's daughter.
Second-in-command of the Double Axe Gang. Formerly a follower of Yong-deok's, he has been watching the latter carefully since Yong-deok was released from prison. Chil-sung is envious of Il-doo's trust in Hye-sung.
Hae-sung's mother. She worries that her son's glamorous fiancee Ho-kyung is too privileged for their way of life.
Daese Ilbo photographer and Hye-sung's trusted sidekick.
Jae-in's mother and the owner of Tesoro Coffee House. Myung-hee is elegant and sensitive, but a little naive. She raised Jae-in as a single mother after her husband was killed in the line of duty.

Production

Kim Min-jung was originally cast as the female protagonist Joo Jae-in.[8] But a shoulder injury during the filming of her previous project, baseball melodrama Strike Love in April 2009, developed into calcific tendinitis, a condition characterized by crystalline calcium phosphate deposits on the tendons. Kim neglected to treat it and went on to train at an action school for Hero, aggravating her condition. Despite laser therapy, 30 percent of her tendons were damaged, which caused pain and inflammation in her right arm, rendering her unable to use it. Kim withdrew from the drama one week before November 11, 2009, the supposed premiere date.[9] [10][11] This development pushed the airing date to November 18, and Kim was replaced by Yoon So-yi.[12][13]

The Hero staff conducted an online contest from September 30 to October 11 for an invitation to the drama's location shoots and other promotional activities. Out of the 341 who applied, 10 Korean fans and 2 overseas fans from China and Taiwan were chosen.[14]

Awards

Ratings

Date Episode Nationwide Seoul
2009-11-18 1 5.4% 9.0%
2009-11-19 2 4.9% 8.6%
2009-11-25 3 4.4% 8.7%
2009-11-26 4 3.9% 8.4%
2009-12-02 5 5.1% 9.0%
2009-12-03 6 4.7% 8.7%
2009-12-09 7 3.6% 8.2%
2009-12-10 8 4.0% 7.5%
2009-12-16 9 8.3% 8.5%
2009-12-17 10 3.8% 7.7%
2009-12-23 11 6.4% 8.4%
2009-12-24 12 5.7% 7.9%
2010-01-06 13 5.3% 9.4%
2010-01-07 14 5.0% 8.8%
2010-01-13 15 4.2% 9.7%
2010-01-14 16 4.7% 9.4%
Average 4.9% 8.6%

Source: TNS Media Korea

International broadcast

Though the drama received low ratings domestically,[16] it was sold to four countries in Asia: Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. Even before airing, Japanese distributor Digital Adventure purchased the rights for the drama in November 2008 upon seeing its initial script.[17]

References

  1. ↑ Kim, Lynn (27 October 2009). "MBC's Hero unveils teaser poster". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-09-01.
  2. ↑ Han, Sang-hee (27 October 2009). "Lee Joon-gi to Take a Lighter Role as Reporter". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2012-12-02.
  3. ↑ Yoon, Hee-seong (28 October 2009). "PREVIEW: MBC TV series Hero". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-09-01.
  4. ↑ Wee, Geun-woo (17 November 2009). "Lee Jun-ki says Hero is the perfect fit". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-09-01.
  5. ↑ Kim, Linda (23 November 2009). "REVIEW: MBC TV series Hero starring Lee Jun-ki". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-09-01.
  6. ↑ Park, Kun-ouc (8 October 2009). "Photos of Lee Jun-ki's new drama Hero unveiled". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-09-01.
  7. ↑ Lim, Hye-seon (16 October 2009). "Lee Jun-ki turns waiter in drama Hero". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-09-01.
  8. ↑ Kim, Lynn (20 October 2009). "Photos of Lee Jun-ki in Hero unveiled". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-09-01.
  9. ↑ Lee, Hyo-won (2 November 2009). "Kim Min-Jung's Role on TV Soap in Jeopardy". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
  10. ↑ Park, So-yeon (3 November 2009). "Kim Min-jung leaves Hero". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-09-01.
  11. ↑ Lim, Hye-seon (15 October 2009). "Lee Jun-ki's Hero premiere date pulled up". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-09-01.
  12. ↑ Moon, Yong-sung (4 November 2009). "Yoon Soy-yi picks up Hero". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-09-01.
  13. ↑ Kim, Jessica (6 November 2009). "Lee Jun-ki's Hero premiere pushed back". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-09-01.
  14. ↑ "MBC '히어로' 서포터즈 30:1 경쟁률 속 선발, 인기 견인차 될까?" [MBC Hero Supporters 1 out of 30 Selection, Will It Be A Hit?]. Newsen (in Korean). 13 October 2009. Retrieved 2013-09-01.
  15. ↑ Park, So-yeon (31 December 2009). "Ko Hyun-joung wins grand prize at MBC Acting Awards". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-09-01.
  16. ↑ Km, Lynn (15 January 2010). "Lee Jun-ki's Hero ends with low ratings". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-09-01.
  17. ↑ Park, So-yeon (21 December 2009). "Lee Jun-ki drama Hero sold to 5 countries". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-09-01.

External links