Lovers in Prague

Lovers in Prague (Hangul: 프라하의 연인; hanja: 프라하의 戀人; RR: Peurahaui Yeonin) is a 2005 South Korean television drama series starring Jeon Do-yeon, Kim Joo-hyuk, Kim Min-joon and Yoon Se-ah. It aired on SBS from September 24 to November 20, 2005 on Saturdays and Sundays at 21:45 for 18 episodes.^[1]

It is the second of three TV series in the Lovers trilogy by writer Kim Eun-sook and director Shin Woo-chul. This was preceded by Lovers in Paris (2004), and the third, simply titled Lovers (2006), was not set in Europe like the first two.

Plot

The president’s daughter, Yoon Jae-hee (Jeon Do-yeon) is a Korean diplomat in Prague, Czech Republic. She has only recently recovered from a devastating break up five years earlier with Ji Young-woo (Kim Min-joon), the son of a prominent Korean businessman. Choi Sang-hyun (Kim Joo-hyuk) is a detective who goes to Prague searching for his ex-girlfriend Hye-joo (Yoon Se-ah). Hye-joo broke up with Sang-hyun over the phone from Prague and Sang-hyun cannot accept it.

Sang-hyun meets Jae-hee in Prague and misunderstandings abound. Eventually the two help each other and become friends. When they return to Korea love blossoms, but their respective exes and very different social status put it to the test.

Cast

• Jeon Do-yeon as Yoon Jae-hee
  She is the daughter of the President and a 29-year-old incumbent diplomat. She is always upright and enthusiastic. Even though her mother died when she was little, her angelic personality makes her loved by many people around her. However, she sometimes gives her bodyguards a hard time by giving them the slip and taking a trip. She has wanted to be a diplomat ever since she was little and when she was 24 years old, she finally passed the Civil Service Examination for Foreign Affairs. For her first assignment, she was sent to Paris. There, she met Young-woo and fell in love with him, but Young-woo went back to Korea at his father’s request and after five years never returned. After her duties were finished in Paris, she was assigned to work in Prague. At a time when her duties are almost finished in Prague, she unexpectedly meets a minor detective named Sang-hyun, who came to Prague looking for his ex-girlfriend. Just when she decides to forget her old love, Young-woo, who disappeared like a dream, and begin a new love with Sang-huon, Young-woo returns.^[2]

• Kim Joo-hyuk as Choi Sang-hyun
  He is an aging 34-year-old bachelor, who has worked as a minor detective for 8 years. He is a hot-tempered person whose actions are quicker than his rationale, so he is often asked to give a written explanation and given a pay cut. However, Sang-hyun who helps unfortunate children by using his own money, truly has a warm heart. His righteousness and integrity are strong enough when faced with a powerful person, but tender in front of a vulnerable person. His parents, who ran a flower garden, were killed by a hit-and-run accident on their way home from an early-morning flower market when he was an adolescent. After he dealt with the policemen who could not help him solve the hit-and-run case, he decided to become a righteous policeman and not to make a person like him suffer again. He met Hye-joo when he was sent to solve a robbery case and fell in love with her. For Hye-joo, who always wanted to study abroad, he cancelled his installment savings and ran into debt to send her to Prague for her studies. But, three years later he ends up receiving a good-bye letter from her. Finally, he goes to Prague to find her, but the Hye-joo he meets in Prague has become a totally different person. He meets Jae-hee who has been hurt by love just like him and eventually falls in love with her.^[2]

• Kim Min-joon as Ji Young-woo
  He is a 34-year-old outstanding public prosecutor and the son of the chairman of a leading conglomerate. Because of his father who has problems in his sexual relationship, he grew up without much family love and has a half brother. Not wanting to be under his father's shadow, he graduated from law school and passed the Judicial Examination. After he was exposed to the spotlight, he went backpacking in Prague to avoid everything. He met Jae-hee in there and fell in love with her. But, he found out that she is a diplomat and the daughter of a Presidential electoral candidate and has been apart from her for five years because of his father’s interjection. Finally when he sees her again, she says she has forgotten him and is in love with someone else. He really loves Jae-hee, but he can’t do anything about it, nor does he want to hurt her.^[2]

• Yoon Se-ah as Kang Hye-joo
  She doesn't remember her parents because she grew up in an orphanage from the age of six. When she saw the principal of the orphanage's daughter play the piano, she wanted to play as well. After graduating from high school, she earned enough money to go to a college and finally graduated from an evening community college. She taught children in a kindergarten, but this did not come naturally to her. One day, Sang-hyun appeared and seemed so nice and sincere. She wanted to live happily with a good man and she ended up falling in love with him, because he trusted her unconditionally and supported her a lot. She went to Prague to study with the help of Sang-hyun. Unfortunately she became pregnant. She knew she had made a wrong choice, but desperately wanted to be promoted to a higher position. She was intent on rising to the top, which made her decide to finally break up with Sang-hyun. Shortly afterwards, she realizes her mistake and yearns to be with Sang-hyun again. But, the fact that he won’t come back to her makes her sad. She looks fragile and vulnerable yet she does have a strong side to her.^[2]

• Lee Jung-gil as the President Yoon Jung-han
• Jang Keun-suk as Yoon Gun-hee
• Jung Dong-hwan as Ji Kyung-hwan (Young-woo's father)
• Ha Jung-woo as Ahn Dong-nam (Jae-hee's bodyguard)
• Yoon Young-joon as Suh Yoon-kyu
• Kim Seung-wook as Hwang Dal-ho (Sang-hyun's partner)
• Kim Na-woon as Shin Kwang-ja
• Andy as Ji Seung-woo (Young-woo's younger half-brother)
• Kwak Ji-min as Jung Yeon-soo
• Park Jae-min as Mrs. Young
• Won Duk-hyun as a student
• Shim Eun-kyung as a student
• Hahm Eun-jung as a student

Reception

Ratings for the drama averaged 26–27% (31% at its peak), partly due to Jeon's return to television after a three-year hiatus.^[2] At the 2005 SBS Drama Awards, Jeon Do-yeon was awarded the Daesang ("grand prize"), and Kim Joo-hyuk won Top Excellence Award. Kim also won Best Actor for TV at the 42nd Baeksang Arts Awards.^[3]

Ratings

Source: TNS Media Korea

Awards and nominations

References

External links

• Lovers in Prague official SBS website (Korean)
• Lovers in Prague at HanCinema
• Lovers in Prague at the Internet Movie Database