Golden Bride () is a 2007

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

n weekend

television drama In film and television show, television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or docudrama, semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humour, humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms t ...

series starring

Lee Young-ah Lee Young-ah (; 李英雅) is a South Korean actress and model. She is best known for playing the role of Nguyen Jin Joo in ''Golden Bride'', a 2008 drama that was extended by 14 episodes due to its popularity. It was in the Top 3 Korean Dramas of ...

Song Chang-eui Song Chang-eui (born January 24, 1979) is a South Korean actor. Though better known as a musical theatre actor, notably in '' Hedwig and the Angry Inch'' and ''Gwanghwamun Love Song'', Song has also starred in television dramas such as ''The Sc ...

Choi Yeo-jin Choi Yeo-jin (; born July 27, 1983) is a South Korean-Canadian model-turned-actress. Career Choi Yeo-jin was born in South Korea, but after her parents divorced, they emigrated to Canada when she was in the first year of middle school. She dream ...

and

Kim Hee-chul Kim Hee-chul (; born July 10, 1983), better known mononymously as Heechul, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, presenter and actor. He is a member of the South Korean boy band Super Junior and has further participated in its subgroup Supe ...

. It aired on

SBS TV SBS may refer to: Broadcasting * SBS Broadcasting Group, Belgium, formerly many countries * Talpa TV, formerly SBS Broadcasting B.V., Netherlands ** SBS6, Dutch television channel ** SBS9, Dutch television channel * Special Broadcasting Service ...

from July 23, 2007 to February 3, 2008, airing every Saturdays and Sundays at 20:45 for 64 episodes. In response to its popularity, the series was extended by 14 episodes. The drama won the top prize at the Seoul Drama Festival on October 14, 2008 and the Special Drama Award at the International Drama Festival in Tokyo on October 22 of the same year. In Japan the drama began airing on cable channel KNTV in January 2008.

Plot summary

Several story-lines take place within the drama at the same time that ultimately all link up to one another.

Jin Joo and Jun Woo

Nguyen Jin Joo (

) is half-Korean half-Vietnamese, working at a matchmaking service between

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

and

, being the main

translator Translation is the communication of the Meaning (linguistic), meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The ...

. Raised near a

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

where she was taught Korean, her father abandoned her family 20 years ago, although her mother still longs for his return. Jin Joo works hard to earn money for a cure for her mother's

night blindness Nyctalopia (; ), also called night-blindness, is a condition making it difficult or impossible to see in relatively low light. It is a symptom of several eye diseases. Night blindness may exist from birth, or be caused by injury or malnutrition ( ...

. However, the doctor reveals her condition to be irreversible. As her final wish, Jin Joo's mother asks to be able to see Jin Joo's father one last time before she goes blind. In an act of desperation, she convinces her clients, Jun Woo's mother Jung Han Sook and aunt Kang Koon Ja (

Park Mi-sun Park Mi-sun (born March 10, 1967) is a South Korean comedian and TV host of variety shows, notably '' Quiz to Change the World'', '' Happy Together - Season 3'', and ''We Got Married''. In 1988, She made her official debut with a gold prize in ...

), to take her to Korea as Jun Woo's bride in order to find her father. They both agree, finding her more suitable than the other brides. Jin Joo travels to

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

, pretending to be Korean, and the two marry. Though their relationship had begun with a mutual agreement that it was a fake marriage and that they would secretly live as friends (which meant not sharing the same bed), Jin Joo's genuine effort to support him touches Jun Woo's heart and they eventually fell in love. With her mother's illness worsening, Jun Woo quickly begins to help search for Jin Joo's father.

Jun Woo, Ji Young and Young Min

Kang Jun Woo (

) met Ok Ji Young (

) at Seoul University and they were engaged. However, after Ji Young goes to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

to study abroad, she abruptly breaks off their relationship, not telling him it was due to her mother's financial problems. Jun Woo shortly rushes to Chicago and has a violent encounter with her that resulted in Ji Young calling the police. They violently beat Jun Woo and lock him up in an American prison for three months. This severely traumatized Jun Woo, causing him to develop a serious heart condition and

melancholia Melancholia or melancholy (from el, µέλαινα χολή ',Burton, Bk. I, p. 147 meaning black bile) is a concept found throughout ancient, medieval and premodern medicine in Europe that describes a condition characterized by markedly dep ...

. In an attempt to improve his health, Jun Woo's mother flies to Vietnam in search of a wife. Three years later, Ji Young marries Kim Young Min (

Song Jong-ho Song Jong-ho (; born October 5, 1976) is a South Korean actor. Song debuted as a runway model in Park Byung-chul's fashion show in 1995. His print and runway modeling career lasted until 1999, when he turned to acting. He is best known for his ...

). Although unaware of the family feud, Ji Young hides her past with Jun Woo, as well as her strained relationship with her wayward mother, whom she is ashamed of. This ultimately leads to the destruction of her marriage.

Han Sook, Ok Kyung and Sang Il

A lifelong cold war exists between Jung Han Sook (

Kim Mi-sook Kim or KIM may refer to: Names * Kim (given name) * Kim (surname) ** Kim (Korean surname) *** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties **** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948 ** Kim, Vietnamese ...

) and Yang Ok Kyung (

Kyeon Mi-ri Kyeon Mi-ri (born January 27, 1965) is a South Korean actress and singer. She is best known for her role as the antagonist Lady Choi in the hit period drama ''Dae Jang Geum'' (2003). Career Kyeon Mi-ri graduated from Seoul Traditional Arts H ...

), starting from high school where Ok Kyung steals Han Sook's boyfriend, Kim Sang Il (

Im Chae-moo Im Chae-moo (born September 2, 1949) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Television series Film Variety show Awards and nominations References External links * * * 1949 births Living people South Korean male film actors ...

), and marries him after faking a pregnancy. Their two sons Young Min and Young Soo grew up in a luxurious household while Han Sook's family struggled. The feud intensifies when Han Sook discovers that Young Min's new wife is Ok Ji Young, the woman responsible for Jun Woo's condition. Though from the outside Ok Kyung and Sang Il's marriage seems happy, there is a damaging past. 22 years ago, Sang Il had abandoned his family to go overseas, not contacting them for 2 years. This led to Ok Kyung to fall into depression and started drinking. When he returned, they resume their marriage as if nothing happened, but Ok Kyung secretly dreads what might have happened during his absence.

Sae Mi and Young Soo

Kang Sae Mi ( Han Yeo-woon) is Jun Woo's younger sister who works as a

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...

. By coincidence, she catches the eye of Kim Young Soo (

Kim Heechul Kim Hee-chul (; born July 10, 1983), better known mononymously as Heechul, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, presenter and actor. He is a member of the South Korean boy band Super Junior and has further participated in its subgroup Sup ...

), younger brother of Young Min, at a club. Rejected on the basis of being told that he is a rich playboy, Young Soo goes through several changes in order to impress her, much to the amusement of his family. After getting a job as the

security guard A security guard (also known as a security inspector, security officer, or protective agent) is a person employed by a government or private party to protect the employing party's assets (property, people, equipment, money, etc.) from a variety ...

at Sae Mi's modeling agency, Young Soo attempts to woo her again, but it's when he discovers her ambition to become an

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...

, Sae Mi softens after he encourages her to audition at his father's company. Their relationship finally blossoms after he helps her win a competition for a hotel gift card for Jin Joo and Jun Woo's

honeymoon A honeymoon is a vacation taken by newlyweds immediately after their wedding, to celebrate their marriage. Today, honeymoons are often celebrated in destinations considered exotic or romantic. In a similar context, it may also refer to the phase ...

, although Young Soo had mistakenly thought it had been for them. Sae Mi and Young Soo remain oblivious to the family feud for most of the drama series, but when it is discovered, they are inevitably affected.

Won Mi and Dong Gu

Kang Won-mi (

Hong Eun-hee Hong Eun-hee (born February 17, 1980) is a South Korean actress. Filmography Television series Variety/radio show Web shows Music video Theater Awards and nominations References External links * Hong Eun-hee at Namoo Actors N ...

) is Jun Woo and Sae Mi's older sister, the eldest of the siblings. Though in her early 30s, she is unmarried and is often rejected at

dating services Dating is a stage of romantic relationships in which two individuals engage in an activity together, most often with the intention of evaluating each other's suitability as a partner in a future intimate relationship. It falls into the categor ...

. She works as a

music teacher Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as primary education, elementary or secondary education, secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a res ...

to children, teaching the

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

. Heo Dong Gu ( Kim Kyung-sik) is a

law student Legal education is the education of individuals in the principles, practices, and theory of law. It may be undertaken for several reasons, including to provide the knowledge and skills necessary for admission to legal practice in a particular j ...

who has for years tried to woo Sae Mi by becoming her driver, although he is repeatedly turned down. In an attempt to win her over, Dong Gu asks Won Mi to help, getting them both into strange and hilarious situations. After joining the

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

and keeping in contact with her only through letters, Dong Gu falls in love with Won Mi instead, although at this time Won Mi begins dating a

dentist A dentist, also known as a dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry (the diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the mouth, oral cavity and other aspects of the craniofaci ...

Cast

as Kim Young-min *

as Nguyen Jin-joo *

as Kang Jun-woo *

as Ok Ji-young *

as Kim Young-soo * Han Yeo-woon as Kang Sae-mi *

as Jung Han-sook (Jun Woo's mother) *

Kang Shin-il Kang Shin-il (born November 26, 1960) is a South Korean actor. Kang graduated from Kyung Hee University with a degree in electronic engineering, but he soon put aside his studies and spent most of his time in Daehangno, Seoul's theater district, ...

as Kang Woo-nam (Jun Woo's father) *

as Kang Won-mi (Jun Woo's older sister) *

as Yang Ok-kyung (Young Min and Young Soo's mother) *

as Kim Sang-il / Richard Kim (Young Min's father) *

as Kang Koon-ja (Woo Nam's sister) * Kim Kyung-sik as Heo Dong-gu *

Như Quỳnh Lê Lâm Quỳnh Như ( or ; born 9 September 1970), known professionally as Như Quỳnh ( or ), is a Vietnamese Americans, Vietnamese-American singer. Performing Vietnamese popular music in the Overseas Vietnamese, diaspora, she is internation ...

(Jin Joo's mother)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{hancinema film, Golden_Bride, Golden Bride Seoul Broadcasting System television dramas 2007 South Korean television series debuts 2008 South Korean television series endings Korean-language television shows South Korean romantic comedy television series