[Kdrama Classics] Sandglass

MDL Link: http://mydramalist.com/korean-drama/1559/sandglass

Synopsis:

The Sandglass (The Hourglass) is a portrayal of two young men who are best friends and grow up during one of Korea's politically tumultuous periods, the 1970's up to the 1980's. Tae-soo (Choi Min Soo), tough and loyal, grows up to become a gangster and Woo-suk (Park Sang Won), smart with firm moral values, grows up to become a prosecutor. Hye-rin (Ko Hyun Jung), a beautiful and spirited daughter of a very wealthy casino owner, is a classmate of Woo-suk in college. Hye-rin is introduced to Tae-soo via Woo-suk and they subsequently fall in love.
One unforgettable subject that's dealt in the drama is the 1980 Kwangju rebellion when the head of the military junta that took over Korea after the assasination of President Park Chung-hee, General Chun Doo-hwan, sent paratroopers into Kwangju to put down the rebellion. What happened was the subsequent massacre of hundreds of innocent people. The horrific scenes based on true accounts, of those people being murdered, touched off a deep sense of shock and grief for the Koreans at that time (the mid 90's Korea still had not come to terms with what happened after governments muzzled the free speech). After this drama went on air, there were more films that were made dealing with this very subject, such as The Petal (1996) and Peppermint Candy (2000). It also put ex-President Chun Doo-hwan who was responsible for the massacre, in jail. You can probably say that Moreshigae was the turning point for the young budding democracy in Korea.

Cast:

Lee Jung Jae as Baek Jae-Hee (백재희)
Choi Min-soo as Park Tae-soo (박태수)
Park Sang Won (박상원) as Kang Woo-suk (강우석)
Ko Hyun Jung as Yoon Hye-rin (윤혜린)

Title: 모래시계 / Mo-rae-shi-gae
Also known as: Hourglass
Genre: Epic, drama, romance, action, crime
Episodes: 24
Broadcast network: SBS
Broadcast period: 1995-Jan-10 to 1995-Feb-16
Air time: Monday through Thursday 10:00 PM
Episode Ratings: Started at 30% and Ended at 64% ! Crazy !

Have you watched this? Do you plan to?

This show is now over 15 years old. But I plan to watch it! It has two of my favorite actors and I have heard RAVES about this show. It is one of the most popular shows in S. Korea of all time. Look at the ratings! The subject matter is also exciting and I heard the love story is great. It's on my PTW list and I will watch at some point. Check the MDL link above for stats, recommendations and reviews.