Sandglass (TV series)

Infobox kdrama/Header
title_name = Sandglass
size = 200px
caption = Screen shot for Sandglas
ko_name = 모래시계
ko_name_trans = Mo-rae-si-gaeInfobox kdrama
genre = Drama
producer = Kim Jong Hak
network = SBS
first_aired = Jan. 10, 1995
last_aired = Feb. 16, 1995
num_episodes = 24
timeslot = Monday through Thursday 10:00 PMInfobox kdrama/Namebox
title = Sandglass
hangul = 모래시계
hanja = 모래時計
rr = Moraesigae
mr = Moraesigae

Sandglass is a Korean drama dealing with South Korea's politically turbulent recent past, airing on SBS in 1995. The drama lasted 24 episodes, and is one of the highest-rated dramas in Korean history.

Synopsis

"The Sandglass" (The Hourglass) is the story of two men whose friendship is put to the test through the 1970's and 1980's, one of Korea's politically tumultuous periods. Park Tae-soo (Choi Min Soo), tough and loyal, grows up to become a gangster and Kang Woo-suk (Park Sang Won), smart with firm moral values, grows up to become a prosecutor. Yoon 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 Gwangju Democratization Movement when the head of the military junta that took over Korea after the assassination 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.

Cast

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

Production Credits

*Writer: Song Ji Na(송지나)
*Director: Kim Jong Hak(김종학)

Ratings

Trivia

*Traffic was visibly lighter and pubs reported slow business as government officials, students and office workers alike headed home early to watch Sandglass, each Monday through Thursday evenings.
*Sandglass remains one of the highest-rated TV series in Korean broadcasting history:
# 첫사랑 - First Love (65.8% / 1997-04-20 / KBS2)
# 사랑이 뭐길래 - What is Love? (64.9% / 1992-05-24 / MBC)
# 모래시계 - Sandglass (64.5% / 1995-02-06 / SBS)
# 허준 - Huh Joon (63.8% / 2000-06-27 / MBC)
# 젊은이의 양지 - Youth's Sunny Place (62.7% / 1995-11-12 / KBS2)
# 그대 그리고 나 - You and I (62.4% / 1998-04-12 / MBC)
# 아들과 딸 - Son and Daughter (61.1% / 1993-03-21 / MBC)
# 태조왕건 - Taejo Wang Geon (60.2% / 2001-05-20 / KBS1)
# 여명의 눈동자 - Eye of Dawn (58.4% / 1992-02-06 / MBC)
# 대장금 - Dae Jang Geum (57.8% / 2004-03-23 / MBC)

*A song, titled Zhuravli or crane, by a Russian singer Joseph Kobzon was featured in the show. Although many Koreans do not understand the lyrics, it is still one of the most widely recognized song in Korea thanks to the popularity of the show. The song actually moans the Soviet soldiers killed while defending their homeland and who later became cranes. The lyrics blends well with the theme of the show since one of the major plot devices of the show, the Gwangju Massacre, was used to mourn the dead who were caught in the middle of the tragedy. [http://blog.joins.com/media/folderListSlide.asp?uid=youngmo310&folder=10&list_id=7816637/ Link to the Korean Blog featuring the song and the Russian lyrics.]

*Many other songs featured in the show, like guitar rearranged version of Paganini Sonata Em by Oh Seung Kook, are almost instantly recognized by most Korean grown-ups and then teenagers who watched the show. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn983PBvs88&mode=related&search=/ YouTube link of Oh Seung Kook playing his version of Paganini Sonata EM.]

Awards

*31st Baeksang Awards (1995): Daesang (Grand Prize), Best Drama, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor (Choi Min Soo), Best New Actor (Lee Jung Jae)
*22nd Korean Broadcasting Awards (1995): Best Drama, Best Writer, Best Actor (Choi Min Soo)
*8th Producers Association Awards (1996): Daesang (Grand Prize), Best Drama

External links

* [http://wizard.sbs.co.kr/template/wzdtv/wzdtv_FormWatchProgramMgmt.jhtml?programId=V0000208651&menuId=134 Official Website]
* [http://www.asiaarts.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=56467 'History Cast Ashore' (UCLA Asia Institute)]
* [http://www.eyesofdawn.net The Sandglass English forum]