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My Lovely Sam Soon

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My Lovely Sam Soon
Promotional poster
Hangul
내 이름은 김삼순
Literal meaningMy Name Is Kim Sam-soon
Revised RomanizationNae Ireum-eun Gim Samsun
Genre
Based onMy Name Is Kim Sam-soon
by Ji Soo-hyun
Written byKim Do-woo
Directed byKim Yoon-cheol
Starring
Opening theme"Be My Love" by Clazziquai
Ending theme"She Is" by Clazziquai
Country of originSouth Korea
Original languageKorean
No. of episodes16
Production
ProducerKim Sa-hyun (MBC)
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time70 minutes
Production companyMBC Production
Original release
NetworkMBC TV
ReleaseJune 1 (2005-06-01) –
July 21, 2005 (2005-07-21)
Related
Ako si Kim Samsoon (Philippine adaptation)
Janji Jaya (Indonesian adaptation)

My Lovely Sam Soon (Korean: 내 이름은 김삼순) is a 2005 South Korean television series based on the internet novel of the same title by Ji Soo-hyun, which was published on March 9, 2004.[1][2][3][4][5] Touted as the Korean version of Bridget Jones's Diary, it starred Kim Sun-a (who gained 15 pounds for the role),[6] Hyun Bin, Jung Ryeo-won and Daniel Henney. The series aired on MBC from June 1 to July 21, 2005 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 (KST) for 16 episodes.

"Sam-soon" is an old-fashioned name in Korean culture. It is translated as "3rd daughter" (sam (삼) is three, soon (순) is meek or feminine).

The romantic comedy-drama series was a huge hit, with an average viewership rating of 37.6% and its peak rating of 49.1% (for the finale) makes it one of the highest-rated Korean dramas of all time.[7][8] It also won numerous awards, including the Baeksang Arts Awards Grand Prize for TV and the Grand Prize at the MBC Drama Awards for Kim Sun-ah.

An abridged 8-episode version of the series was released on Wavve on September 6, 2024 which is part of the platform's "New Classic Project".[9]

Synopsis

[edit]

Kim Sam-soon (Kim Sun-a) is loud and brash, yet insecure about her weight. She has always been embarrassed by her old-fashioned first name, and nearing her 30th birthday, she dreams of changing it. She is an excellent baker with a fervent passion for making desserts. On Christmas Eve, Sam-soon gets dumped by her cheating boyfriend (Lee Kyu-han) and loses her job. One of the witnesses to her public humiliation is Hyun Jin-heon (Hyun Bin), the owner of upscale French restaurant Bon Appetit. Upon recognizing her talent, Jin-heon hires her as Bon Appetit's new pastry chef. From their first meeting, the two have an antagonistic relationship (she calls him the equally old-fashioned "Sam-shik"), and sparks fly.

Jin-heon is the son of a wealthy hotelier (Na Moon-hee), and his mother constantly nags him about succeeding her in the hotel business. She also keeps setting him up on matchmaking dates, saying his niece Mi-joo (Seo Ji-hee), who hasn't spoken a word since the childhood trauma of her parents' deaths, needs a mother figure. When Sam-soon finds herself in need of ₩50 million (approximately US$50,000) to prevent the foreclosure of her mother's house, Jin-heon proposes a deal: in exchange for the money, she agrees to become his pretend girlfriend. They draw up a complicated contract, of which the most important stipulation is that they should never fall in love for real. But as they spend more time together, Sam-soon and Jin-heon grow closer and gradually fall for each other. But just when things are going well, Jin-heon's ex-girlfriend Yoo Hee-jin (Jung Ryeo-won) returns from the United States.

Hee-jin had suddenly left Korea years ago, right after a car accident that had killed Jin-heon's older brother, his sister-in-law and a motorcyclist, and left Jin-heon (who was driving) seriously injured. Though Jin-heon's leg eventually recovered, emotional scars remained, a mixture of sorrow, guilt, and anger at Hee-jin's abandonment. But what he didn't know was that Hee-jin had been diagnosed at the time with stomach cancer, and she'd broken up with him because she didn't want to add to the tragedy he was already experiencing. Now in remission, she returns to Korea to ask for a second chance, followed by her Korean-American doctor Henry Kim (Daniel Henney), who is in love with Hee-jin and eager to learn his roots. Upon learning the truth, Jin-heon reconciles with Hee-jin.

Broken-hearted, Sam-soon resigns from Bon Appetit, and she and her older sister Yi-young (Lee Ah-hyun) decide to open an online pastry business using Yi-young's settlement from her recent divorce. Meanwhile, Jin-heon can't stop thinking about Sam-soon and realizes that he wants to be with her. After several run-ins in which he sabotages her blind date and immaturely invents reasons to see her, he finally confesses his love for Sam-soon. After a difficult break-up with Hee-jin, Jin-heon proves to Sam-soon's mother and sister that he's serious about her and the couple begin dating happily.

Then Hee-jin asks a final favor of Jin-heon, to accompany her back to the U.S. to rejoin her parents there. Sam-soon is initially resistant, but later gives her blessing when Jin-heon reassures her that this journey will be a form of closure for him and Hee-jin. He promises to return after one week. Sam-soon goes once again to the city clerk's office to have her name changed, but finally believing that her name is special and an important part of her identity, changes her mind at the last minute and tears up the papers.

Two months pass, with no calls or letters from Jin-heon, and Sam-soon has given up on him and gone on with her life.

When Jin-heon eventually returns to Korea, she gives him the cold shoulder. But the misunderstanding is cleared up when two months' worth of postcards gets delivered to Sam-soon's house; as they had been sent to the wrong address all this time. Jin-heon had spent the two months traveling and inspecting hotels all over America; in his desire to be a man worthy of Sam-soon, he is finally ready to take up the reins as his mother's heir. Whatever obstacles come their way (including his mother's continuing benign disapproval of their relationship), Sam-soon and Jin-heon decide to face the future together, doing their best at work and love, and living life to the fullest.[10]

Cast

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Main

[edit]
  • Kim Sun-a – Kim Sam-soon, 30-year-old pastry chef
  • Hyun Bin – Hyun Jin-heon, 27-year-old owner of Bon Appetit restaurant
  • Jung Ryeo-won – Yoo Hee-jin, Jin-heon's ex-girlfriend
  • Daniel Henney – Dr. Henry Kim, Hee-jin's doctor

Supporting

[edit]
People around Sam-soon
  • Maeng Bong-hak – Sam-soon's father
  • Kim Ja-ok – Park Bong-sook, Sam-soon's mother
  • Lee Ah-hyun – Kim Yi-young, Sam-soon's sister
  • Lee Kyu-han – Min Hyun-woo, Sam-soon's ex-boyfriend
People around Jin-heon
  • Na Moon-hee – Na Hyun-sook, Jin-heon's mother
  • Kim Sung-kyum – Jin-heon's uncle
  • Seo Ji-hee – Hyun Mi-joo, Jin-heon's niece
  • Yoon Ye-hee – Yoon Hyun-sook, CEO Na's assistant
Restaurant staff
  • Yeo Woon-kay – Ms. Oh, manager
  • Kwon Hae-hyo – Lee Hyun-moo, chef
  • Han Yeo-woon – Lee In-hye, Sam-soon's assistant
  • Kim Hyun-jung – Jang Young-ja, dining room captain
  • Kim Ki-bang – Ki-bang, kitchen assistant
Others
  • Lee Yoon-mi – Jang Chae-ri
  • Won Jong-rye – Chae-ri's mother

Reception

[edit]

Some critics believe its huge success was due to the show's focus on the life of a single woman in her late twenties. Particularly, the heroine's chubby physical appearance and frank, flawed yet lovable personality broke long-held Korean drama stereotypes, greatly increasing its popularity due to its resonance with many Koreans.[11]

Ratings

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Ep. Original broadcast date Title Average audience share
Nielsen Korea TNmS
Nationwide Seoul Nationwide Seoul
1 June 1, 2005 Life Is Like A Box Filled With Bonbon Au Chocolat 17.4% 17.8% 18.3% 19.2%
2 June 2, 2005 Shall We Try Dating? 22.9% 24.2% 21.3% 23.1%
3 June 8, 2005 How Does One Write A Love Contract? 28.5% 29.2% 27.8% 29.6%
4 June 9, 2005 Over The Rainbow 31.2% 32.1% 32.7% 30.8%
5 June 15, 2005 Love Is Supposed To Be Childish 35.3% 36.5% 35.4% 38.9%
6 June 16, 2005 The Calories Of A Kiss, The Calories Of Love 35.1% 36.1% 35.1% 38.2%
7 June 22, 2005 Madeleine, In Search Of Lost Time 35.0% 35.9% 35.6% 38.0%
8 June 23, 2005 Daddy, Why Is My Love Life So Hard? 37.7% 39.1% 37.7% 39.8%
9 June 29, 2005 You Played With My Heart As If It Were A Toy 37.4% 39.2% 40.7% 43.8%
10 June 30, 2005 My Name Is Kim Hee-jin 39.9% 40.3% 41.7% 43.5%
11 July 6, 2005 Don't Say It Was A Mistake. This Is The Second Kiss. 43.4% 44.7% 44.2% 46.2%
12 July 7, 2005 What's The Big Deal? I've Only Just Turned 30! 42.8% 44.0% 44.6% 46.5%
13 July 13, 2005 The Way To Break Up With Her 45.0% 46.8% 44.7% 46.9%
14 July 14, 2005 The Elements Of A Romance 44.0% 45.1% 44.1% 46.9%
15 July 20, 2005 The Rules Of Romance 46.0% 47.8% 47.9% 50.2%
16 July 21, 2005 Love Like You've Never Been Hurt Before 49.1% 51.1% 50.5% 53.4%
Average 36.9% 38.1% 37.6% 39.6%
  • In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.

Original soundtrack

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My Lovely Sam-soon
Original Soundtrack
Soundtrack album
ReleasedJune 18, 2005 (South Korea)
GenreSoundtrack
LabelUMG Korea

The My Lovely Sam-soon soundtrack was released on June 18, 2005.[12] Korean electronica band Clazziquai contributed two songs to the soundtrack: "Be My Love" and "She Is", the former of which became the show's theme song. The show's popularity brought the group increased media and public attention.

My Lovely Sam-soon OST
No.TitleArtistLength
1."Bonbon O Chocolat I" 2:40
2."Be My Love"Clazziquai4:39
3."She Is"Clazziquai3:54
4."WFS" 2:26
5."Goodbye"Jo Yong-won4:33
6."Farewell Without Farewell"Ji-sun from Loveholic3:47
7."Bonbon O Chocolat II" 2:24
8."Goodbye II" 3:28
9."Can't Let Go of Love"Just3:53
10."Gravity" 2:14
11."Inside My Heart"Kim Jung-eun4:28
12."Be My Love (Inst.)" 4:47
13."She Is (Inst.)" 4:40
14."Bonbon O Chocolat III" 2:32

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Recipient Result
2005
Mnet Asian Music Awards
 Best OST "She Is" by Clazziquai Won
Grimae Awards
 Best Actress Kim Sun-a Won
MBC Drama Awards Grand Prize (Daesang) Kim Sun-a Won
Top Excellence Award, Actor Hyun Bin Won
Top Excellence Award, Actress Kim Sun-a Won
Excellence Award, Actress Jung Ryeo-won Won
Best New Actor Daniel Henney Won
Popularity Award, Actor Hyun Bin Won
Popularity Award, Actor Daniel Henney Nominated
Popularity Award, Actress Kim Sun-a Won
Popularity Award, Actress Jung Ryeo-won Nominated
Best Couple Hyun Bin and Kim Sun-a Won
Best Couple Daniel Henney and Jung Ryeo-won Nominated
2006
Baeksang Arts Awards[13]
 Grand Prize (Daesang) for TV My Lovely Sam-soon Won
Best Actress (TV) Kim Sun-a Nominated
Best Screenplay (TV) Kim Do-woo Won
1st Seoul International Drama Awards[14]
 Best Miniseries My Lovely Sam-soon Won
Best Actress[15] Kim Sun-a Nominated

International broadcast

[edit]
  • The series first aired in Japan on cable channel KNTV from August 15 to October 4, 2005.[16] Reruns followed on satellite channel Wowow beginning July 6, 2006 on Thursdays at 8 p.m.,[17] on the Fuji TV network as part of its Hallyu Alpha programming block beginning February 1, 2010,[18][19] and on cable channel DATV.[20]
  • It first aired in the Philippines on the GMA Network from February to April 2006, during which it received a peak viewership rating of 40.2% and an average viewership rating of 34.9%, placing it among the top ten highest rated Asian dramas to air in the country.[21] It was rebroadcast on GMA Network in 2009 and again in 2015.
  • In Thailand, it first aired on ITV beginning September 23, 2006, with reruns on Channel 7 from August 11 to September 16, 2008.[22]
  • In Indonesia, it first aired on Indosiar beginning April 8, 2006, with reruns on antv from April 21 to May 27, 2007.
  • In Sri Lanka, it began airing on Rupavahini dubbed in Sinhalese under the name Hithata Horen in September 2018.[23][24]

Stage adaptation

[edit]

A stage adaptation (which was based more on the original novel than the TV series) ran at the Sangmyung Art Hall in Seoul from January 21 to September 25, 2011.[25]

Remakes

[edit]

References

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  1. ^ "김삼순의 에피소드, 대부분 내 경험담" (인터뷰) 소설 <내 이름은 김삼순>의 작가 지수현씨. OhmyNews (in Korean). June 19, 2005. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  2. ^ '내 이름은 김삼순'이 궁금하다 - 베일에 쌓인 사람: '...김삼순' 원작 소설가 지수현. Woman DongA (in Korean). July 2005. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  3. ^ "All About My Name Is Kim Sam Soon Novelist Ji Soo Hyun". My Korean Corner. January 30, 2013. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  4. ^ "소설 Translation: My Name Is Kim Sam Soon Prologue". My Korean Corner. February 4, 2013. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  5. ^ 내 이름은 김삼순. Aladin (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  6. ^ "Kim Sun-a Gains Weight to Win Hearts" Archived May 10, 2021, at the Wayback Machine. The Chosun Ilbo. July 20, 2005. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
  7. ^ "My Name Is Kim Sam-soon Tops Ratings" Archived May 10, 2021, at the Wayback Machine. The Chosun Ilbo. July 20, 2005. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
  8. ^ "Top 50 highest-rated TV dramas of all time" Archived December 25, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. Electric Ground. December 8, 2010. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
  9. ^ "'My Lovely Sam Soon' returns after 2 decades, targeting GenZers". The Korea Times. 2024-09-06. Archived from the original on 2024-09-19. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  10. ^ "KOREAN TV DRAMA REVIEWS: 내 이름은 김삼순 (My Lovely Sam-Soon)". Twitch Film. October 21, 2005. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
  11. ^ "MBC Drama Sparks Kim Sam-soon Syndrome". The Chosun Ilbo. July 4, 2005. Archived from the original on October 16, 2012. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
  12. ^ "My Lovely Sam Soon OST (MBC TV Series)" Archived March 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. YesAsia. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
  13. ^ "42nd Baeksang Awards Nominations (+Winners)" Archived September 8, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Twitch Film. April 14, 2006. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  14. ^ "Drama category winners - 1st SDA 2006"[permanent dead link]. Seouldrama.org. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  15. ^ "류시원, 제 1회 '서울드라마어워즈 2006' 사회". starnews. Archived from the original on September 10, 2017. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  16. ^ "Ｋｎｔｖ ドラマ 私の名前はキム・サムスン". Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  17. ^ "My Lovely Sam-Soon: Company Credits". Internet Movie Database. Archived from the original on June 12, 2015. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
  18. ^ Kim, Lynn (February 10, 2010). "Korean actresses keep Hallyu doors open after Yonsama". 10Asia. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
  19. ^ "Kim Suna Holds First Fan Meeting in Japan and Hints at Film Role". KBS Global. January 27, 2010. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
  20. ^ "韓流・華流イケメン見るなら！-Datv". Archived from the original on March 3, 2015. Retrieved November 26, 2014.
  21. ^ Santiago, Erwin (May 29, 2009). "AGB Mega Manila TV Ratings (May 26–28): Three Kapuso shows occupy top slot in the primetime race". Philippine Entertainment Portal. Archived from the original on January 6, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
  22. ^ กระทู้เฉพาะกิจ สืบเนื่องจากรีวิวซีรีส์ My Name is Kim Sam Soon "ฉันนี่แหละ...คิมซัมซุน". Pantip.com (in Thai). March 22, 2010. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  23. ^ "Family Series - Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation". Archived from the original on June 26, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  24. ^ "Hithata Horen - Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation". Archived from the original on October 6, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  25. ^ "My Name Is Kim Samsoon gets adapted for the stage". Dramabeans. January 2, 2011. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  26. ^ Dimaculangan, Jocelyn (June 25, 2008). "Ako si Kim Samsoon airs pilot episode on June 30". Philippine Entertainment Portal. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
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