''Sad Love Story'' () is a 2005

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 television drama series starring

Kwon Sang-woo Kwon Sang-woo (in Korean: 권상우, ''Kweon Sang-u''; born August 5, 1976) is a South Korean actor. He rose to stardom in 2003 with the romantic comedy film ''My Tutor Friend'' and the melodrama series ''Stairway to Heaven''. Career Kwon Sang ...

Kim Hee-sun Kim Hee-sun (born June 11, 1977) is a South Korean actress. She rose to fame in the 1990s with leading roles in television series such as ''Men of the Bath House'' (1995), ''Propose'' (1997), ''Wedding Dress'' (1997), ''Forever Yours'' (1998), ' ...

and

Yeon Jung-hoon Yeon Jung-hoon (born November 6, 1978) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for generational epic '' East of Eden'' (2008), crime procedural ''Vampire Prosecutor'' (2011-2012) and the domestically popular weekend drama ''Pots of Gold'' (2013 ...

. It aired on MBC from January 5 to March 17, 2005 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 20 episodes.

Plot

From the moment they meet, Jon-young (

) and the blind Hye-in (

) share an instant connection. Young and naïve, they believe that nothing can change their love. Life, however, pulls them in opposite directions. Jon-young is sent 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 ...

, while Hye-in immigrates to America. Misleadingly informed that Jon-young is dead, Hye-in struggles to begin a new life alone. Years later, Hye-in returns to Seoul. With her eyesight restored, she is now a singer happily engaged to her producer Gun-woo (

). Everything changes though when Gun-woo's composer friend turns out to be none other than Jon-young. He instantly recognizes her, but Hye-in has never seen Jun-young before. When love is no longer simple and blind, can Hye-in and Jun-young still find their way back to each other? This series is a series of love, death and suspense.

Cast

;Choi/Seo family *

as Seo Joon-young / Choi Joon-kyu **

Yoo Seung-ho Yoo Seung-ho (; born August 17, 1993) is a South Korean actor who rose to fame as a child actor in the film '' The Way Home'' (2002). Since then, he has starred in many television series and movie films as a child and teenager. After his two-yea ...

as young Joon-young *

as Joon-young's son *

Na Young-hee Na Young-hee (, born September 20, 1961), born Bang Suk-hui, is a South Korean actress. Na was born in Boeun, North Chungcheong Province, South Korea. Filmography Film *Note: the whole list is referenced. Television series Awards * 2021 ...

as Seo Hyang-ja, his mother *

Lee Young-ha Lee Young-ha (born January 17, 1950) is a South Korean actor. He was a theater actor from 1969 until 1977, when he made his onscreen debut. Best known for his leading roles in ''Pillar of Mist'', ''We Are Going to Geneva Now'', and ''Only Becaus ...

as Choi Joon-il, his father ;Park family *

as Park Hye-in ** Kim So Eun as young Park Hye-in *

Jin Hee-kyung Jin Hee-kyung (born September 7, 1968) is a South Korean actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such a ...

as Audrey / Lee Mi-sook, her aunt ;Lee family *

as Lee Gun-woo *Jo Kyung-hwan as Lee Kang-in, his father *Lee Yeon-soo as Lee Soo-ji, his handicapped, older sister *

Lee Jong-won Lee Jong-won (born September 25, 1969) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Television series * ''Love Is Blue'' (SBS, 1994) * ''The Last Match'' (MBC, 1994) * ''Partner'' (MBC, 1994) * ''Our Sunny Days of Youth'' (KBS2, 1995) * ''The Sce ...

as Oh Sang-jin, Soo-ji's husband ;Cha family *Kim Yeon-joo as Cha Hwa-jung **

Go Ah-sung Go Ah-sung is a South Korean actress. She began her career as a child actress, notably in '' The Host''. Her other notable works include ''Snowpiercer'' (2013), ''Samjin Company English Class'' (2020), as well as the TV dramas '' Master of Stud ...

as young Hwa-jung * Lee Mi-young as Hwang Min-kyung, her mother *

Kang Nam-gil Kang Nam-gil (born August 27, 1958) is a South Korean actor. Kang made his acting debut as a 9-year-old child actor in 1966. He later transitioned to adult roles in 1981 with ''Let Us Love'' written by Kim Soo-hyun (and dropped out of Hanyang U ...

as Cha Chang-man, her father, a taxi driver ;Extended cast *

Jung Woo Jung Woo (born Kim Jung-guk on January 14, 1981) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in the drama ''Reply 1994'' (2013) and ''You're the Best, Lee Soon-shin'' (2013). Career Jung Woo made his acting debut in 2006, and began ...

as Lee Min-ho, a small-time gangster who likes Hwa-jung *

MC Mong Shin Dong-hyun ( ko, 신동현; born September 4, 1979), better known by his stage name MC Mong ( ko, MC몽, links=no), is a South Korean hip hop recording artist, record producer, radio personality, actor and television personality who is kno ...

as Jang Jin-pyo, Joon-young and Gun-woo's friend * Lee Hyun-woo as Jang-ho, guitar player *

Lee Da-hee Lee Da-hee (born March 15, 1985) is a South Korean model and actress. Her breakout role was in the 2013 SBS courtroom drama ''I Can Hear Your Voice.'' She is also known for her role as Kang Sa-ra in '' The Beauty Inside'' (2018) and Cha Hyeon i ...

as Kang Shin-hee, Gun-woo's NYC friend *

Choi Ran Choi Ran (born November 30, 1960) is a South Korean actress. She made her acting debut in 1979 and became best known as a supporting actress in television dramas, notably those written by the Hong sisters Hong Jung-eun (born 1974) and Hong ...

as Sook-ja *

Hong Seok-cheon Hong Seok-cheon (born February 3, 1971) is a South Korean actor, television personality, restaurateur and member of the dissolved Democratic Labor Party. He caused considerable controversy in his home country when he came out as gay in 2000, a ...

as Charlie *

Yang Geum-seok Yang Geum-seok (born January 22, 1961) is a South Korean actress. Filmography Film Television series Variety show Awards and nominations References External links

* * * 1961 births Living people South Korea ...

as Gun-woo's deceased mother *

Baek Bong-ki Baek Bong-ki (born December 16, 1980) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in the noir film ''Once Upon a Time in High School'' (2004) and the military sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational com ...

as Yong-chul * Kim Hee-jung as Choi Joon-il's girlfriend *

Ha Seok-jin Ha Seok-jin (born March 4, 1982) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in TV drama series: ''Radiant Office'' (2017), '' Drinking Solo'' (2016), ''Shark'' (2013) and ''4 Legendary Witches'' (2014), for which he received two nom ...

as Ha Seok-jin *

Kim Sung-oh Kim Sung-oh (born September 15, 1978) is a South Korean actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as ...

Production

The series originally cast actor

Song Seung-heon Song Seung-heon (; born October 5, 1976) is a South Korean model and actor. He has acted in various television dramas, notably ''Autumn in My Heart'' (2000), '' ''East of Eden' (2008), '' ''My Princess' (2011), ''Black'' (2017), ''Player' ...

to play the character Gun-woo. Song had already filmed several scenes overseas and recorded songs for the soundtrack, when a draft-dodging scandal involving him broke out, causing him to enlist in the

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require a ...

. On short notice,

was selected as his replacement. Partly shot overseas with a budget of , it was one of the most expensive

Korean drama Korean dramas (; RR: ''Han-guk deurama''), more popularly known as K-dramas, are television series in the Korean language, made in South Korea. They are popular worldwide, especially in Asia, partially due to the spread of Korean popular cultu ...

s of the mid-2000s. It received average 16.3% ratings in South Korea. It attracted much attention when it was broadcast in Japan and Middle East.

International broadcast

The series aired in Japan on

Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network Sys ...

in August 2005 every Saturday at 4:00 p.m. where it received ratings around 10%. According to a poll conducted by

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Compan ...

variety show ''SMAP Station'' in May 2007, ''Sad Love Story'' ranked as the sixth most popular Korean drama in Japan.

References

External links

''Sad Love Story'' official MBC website
* {{Works by Kim Jong-hak Production 2005 South Korean television series debuts 2006 South Korean television series endings Korean-language television shows MBC TV television dramas South Korean romance television series South Korean melodrama television series Television series by Kim Jong-hak Production