(Not Exactly KPop) The three greatest upsets in Korean drama matchups

The small beating the big, the few winning against the many are legends and something which do not occur easily.

1.

The greatest upset of Korean drama matchups is "Purity" beating "White Night 3.98" in 1998.

Since it occurred too long ago, most people won't be familiar with this story.

Long story short, KBS' Purity, a melodrama with few casts and little expenses starring Ryu Shiwon (then a star of melodramas) and Myung Sebin, defeated White Night 3.98, a drama supposedly involving a North-South Korean spy rivalry encompassing the Koreas, China , Central Asia and Russia , trying to steal a super fast warplan with a speed of Mach 3.98. It starred Lee Byunghun , Shim Eunha, Choi Minsoo and numerous others (including Song Hyekyo in a very minor role).

It was a fishing trawler against an aircraft carrier, with the latter outspending the former about 10:1, but long story short, Purity sank White Night 3.98. Melodrama worked during the year 1998 when a lot of Koreans were suffering from a major economic crisis.

2.

The Greatest Upset of drama matchups in the 21st century is the matchup between Love in Moonlight (KBS) and Moon Lovers : Scarlet Heart Ryeo (SBS).

Ryeo featured Lee Joongi, Kang Haneul, Lee Jieun, Hong Jonghyun, Nam Joohyuk, Byun Baekhyun(EXO) and many others. It was invested by a Chinese company and also YG. with a well known Chinese original.

Moonlight featured Park Bogum, Kim Yoojung ... and others.

Ryeo spent at least $15 million . That's 'at least'.

Moonlight, produced by KBS itself, spent around $5 million.

a 3-1 difference.

But the battle was decided in the first episode, focusing on IU and Baekhyun, which was seen as a sitcom by the viewers who turned to Moonlight.

Park Bogum became Korea's biggest star.

Ryeo did a bit batter in the end, but it was too little and too late. SBS has never attempted any major drama projects since then because the failure of Ryeo was so hurting.

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3.

Another great upset occurred on 2019. Curiously, it was not a matchup between dramas which were aired at the same time.

Arthdal Chronicles was Korea's first real attempt on fantasy world dramas, starring Song Joongi, Jang Donggun, Kim Jiwon and others.

It spent at least $50 million, unheard in Korean production history.

and, lo and behold, a lot of people raised questions that it was too like the Game of Thrones adapted to Korea.

It showed lots and lots of kinks, and it became so big that after airing the second installment, its staff had to stop and wait till the third part was completed.

To fill the gap , Hotel Del Luna was entered, starting .... the aforementioned Lee Jieun, who had gained a Grand Prize in singing but despite of My Mister, was not seen to be someone who could lead a drama.

Hotel Del Luna was basically made with the leftovers from Arthdal . With no major stars other than IU, she basically led the drama from the beginning to the end.

After HDL ended, the final installment of the "FIRST PART" of Arthdal aired, with no major stir.

Hotel Del Luna was TVN's highest rated program in 2019.

Arthdal spent $50 million, while HDL , mostly using Arthdal's equipments and staff, cost maybe 1/5 of it.

Probably the greatest upset in tvn's history ever.

Quote from bbgc

Ryeo, I learn did well in China. So if at all there was a financial hurt to SBS, that could be because SBS did not get the Chinese earnings for the drama.

What is the connection between Arthdal and HDL? - Is it the same production company or anything such - given the drastic difference in genres/settings etc., I can't see how HDL reused Arthdal's material?

And Yeo Jin Goo, deserves better than to be dismissed as 'not a major star'. Sure he is not Song Joongi, yet he had done major lead roles by the time of HDL as compared to Kim Yoo Jung at the time of Moonlight.

Still good for IU, if you credit her for carrying the entire drama by herself.

You often do the opposite of backhanded compliments to IU - what is the forehanded insult :)

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Lee Jieun is quite remarkable . I won't replay the whole record ; just one thing that she held the entire Kpop at bay for seven long years all by herself, a feat unlikely to be repeated anywhere on earth.

HDL used Arthdal's computer and other equipment when they were not used. Basically, if Arthdal had not been made HDL would not have been made.

There is a famous incident in Chinese movie history. The director Wong Kar-wai was filming the movie Ashes of Time with lots of stars and budget, but Wong's style was haphazard (He filmed scenes , and arranged them without context) so the stars were stuck in a wasteland until Wong felt like filming again.

Jeffrey Lau, an actor in Ashes of Time but also a movie director on his own, decided to film a quick movie using the staff and equipment Wong had assembled. So a cheap, cheesy comedy called "The Eagle Shooting Heroes" was filmed in one month; it was intended to be ridiculous and nonsensical, and it did reasonably well, and it eventually did better than the main movie "Ashes of Time" itself.

While there was a plan to film Hotel Del Luna for quite a while, without using the assets intended for Arthdal, Hotel Del Luna would not have seen the light of day. From the start it was to be an afterglow of Arthdal, although in this case the afterglow consumed the main body.

Yeo Jingoo appeared in a bunch of works but till then he did not have a hit of his own. Kim Yoojung had been quite better known for a longer period of time.

To recount her damages to Kpop, it is impossible to not remind the people about Lee Jieun's accomplishment.

Quote from bbgc

Unless embedded like Ashes of time-Eagle shooting heroes, AC & HDL are not comparable. It is entirely normal business for production houses to reuse equipment, technology, even content. So seems too much of a stretch to allege that HDL would not have happened without AC.

Anyway.. peripheral topic and subjective opinion.

Planned or accidental, she has achieved good success in acting - incrementally and looks good for greater things.

As to your theory about her Kpop impact, it is an interesting thing, but can't really be proved either way - that she hampered Kpop's international spread or that Kpop would have achieved global fame faster and more, but not for her.

All I can say is Koreans and people in general, enjoy art for the pleasure it brings them and do not take into consideration the choices have on the international spread of the genre.

They might do so if emotionally involved, like the crazy ARMYs/BLINKs who stream, buy and promote, never mind whether they enjoy the song or not, it is a cult activity for them.

But the involvement is with a group or idol and not on Kpop as a industry.

Yet I reckon that IU will be long remembered in Korea, than a bunch of temporarily successful Kpop groups, simply because in human memory melodies/ballads persist across years and generations, than do bops and beats -however virally successful they are when released.

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Placing her in the history of KPop, or world culture, is going to be difficult but people like her, like Chief Joseph, Pancho Villa or Robin Hood, do not easily disappear from people's mind. Lee Jieun existed in the KPop world for many years without becoming part of it, something is quite rare in anywhere on earth.