Sandglass (Korean drama)
Encyclopedia
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.
), 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.
A notable aspect of the series is its handling of the 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement, an event during which the head of the military junta (which had taken over South Korea after the assassination of President Park Chung Hee), General Chun Doo Hwan, sent paratroopers into Kwangju to put down the rebellion resulting in a massacre of hundreds of civilians. Still a taboo subject during the airing of the series, the violent scenes (based on individual accounts), resulted in shock and grief for the South Koreans at that time (the mid 90's South Korea still had not come to terms with what happened after governments muzzled the free speech) to the extent that after the drama had gone to air, there was a visible output of films dealing with the subject (such as The Petal (1996) and Peppermint Candy (2000)) and even influenced the prosecution of ex-President Chun Doo Hwan responsible for the massacre (he was finally jailed, decades after the incident).
Korean drama
Korean drama refers to televised dramas, in a miniseries format, produced in the Korean language. Many of these dramas have become popular throughout Asia and have contributed to the general phenomenon of the Korean wave, known as "Hallyu", and also "Drama Fever" in some countries...
dealing with South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
'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 1970s and 1980s, one of Korea's politically tumultuous periods. Park Tae-soo (Choi Min-sooChoi Min-soo
Choi Min-soo is a South Korean actor known for the "tough guy" image.- Biography :Choi was born in Seoul in 1962. Choi's family has been active in acting, and singing for over the last eight decades. Choi was born as the son of Choi Moo-ryong, a popular actor of the 1960s and 1970s, and Kang...
), 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.
A notable aspect of the series is its handling of the 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement, an event during which the head of the military junta (which had taken over South Korea after the assassination of President Park Chung Hee), General Chun Doo Hwan, sent paratroopers into Kwangju to put down the rebellion resulting in a massacre of hundreds of civilians. Still a taboo subject during the airing of the series, the violent scenes (based on individual accounts), resulted in shock and grief for the South Koreans at that time (the mid 90's South Korea still had not come to terms with what happened after governments muzzled the free speech) to the extent that after the drama had gone to air, there was a visible output of films dealing with the subject (such as The Petal (1996) and Peppermint Candy (2000)) and even influenced the prosecution of ex-President Chun Doo Hwan responsible for the massacre (he was finally jailed, decades after the incident).
Cast
- Choi Min-sooChoi Min-sooChoi Min-soo is a South Korean actor known for the "tough guy" image.- Biography :Choi was born in Seoul in 1962. Choi's family has been active in acting, and singing for over the last eight decades. Choi was born as the son of Choi Moo-ryong, a popular actor of the 1960s and 1970s, and Kang...
as Park Tae-soo (박태수) - Park Sang Won (박상원) as Kang Woo-suk (강우석)
- Ko Hyun Jung as Yoon Hye-rin (윤혜린)
- Lee Jung Jae as Baek Jae-hee (백재희)
Ratings
| episode | Seoul | Korea |
|---|---|---|
| ep. 1 | 30.7% | 29.8% |
| ep. 2 | 32.5% | 34.1% |
| ep. 3 | 36.6% | 35.9% |
| ep. 4 | 37.8% | 36.9% |
| ep. 5 | 40.3% | 40.1% |
| ep. 6 | 41.5% | 41.7% |
| ep. 7 | 43.2% | 43.3% |
| ep. 8 | 43.8% | 43.9% |
| ep. 9 | 44.1% | 44.0% |
| ep.10 | 45.9% | 46.5% |
| ep.11 | 47.0% | 47.9% |
| ep.12 | 48.3% | 48.7% |
| ep.13 | 48.5% | 48.9% |
| ep.14 | 56.6% | 55.7% |
| ep.15 | 59.1% | 59.6% |
| ep.16 | 60.0% | 60.3% |
| ep.17 | 60.1% | 60.2% |
| ep.18 | 60.2% | 60.1% |
| ep.19 | 60.3% | 61.6% |
| ep.20 | 60.6% | 64.1% |
| ep.21 | 63.4% | 65.7% |
| ep.22 | 63.3% | 64.4% |
| ep. 23 | 63.9% | 62.1% |
| ep.24 | 64.5% | 64.3% |
| average | 50.5% | 50.8% |
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:
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- A song, titled ZhuravliZhuravliZhuravli , composed in 1968, is one of the most famous Russian songs about World War II.The Dagestani poet Rasul Gamzatov, when visiting Hiroshima, was impressed by the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and the monument to Sadako Sasaki...
or crane, by a Russian singer Joseph KobzonJoseph KobzonIosif Davydovich Kobzon is a Soviet and Russian singer, known for his crooner style.-Early life:Kobzon was born to Jewish parents in the mining town of Chasiv Yar, in the Donbass region of Ukraine....
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 mourns the Soviet soldiers killed while defending their homeland and who later became cranes. The lyrics blend well with the theme of the show since one of the major plot devices of the show, the Gwangju MassacreGwangju massacreThe Gwangju Democratization Movement refers to a popular uprising in the city of Gwangju, South Korea from May 18 to May 27, 1980. During this period, citizens rose up against Chun Doo-hwan's military dictatorship and took control of the city...
, commemorates the dead who were caught in the middle of the tragedy. 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 in Em by Oh Seung Kook, are almost instantly recognized by most Korean adults and then teenagers who watched the show. YouTube link of Oh Seung Kook playing his version of Paganini Sonata in Em.
Awards
- 31st Baeksang Awards (1995): Daesang (Grand Prize), Best Drama, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor (Choi Min-sooChoi Min-sooChoi Min-soo is a South Korean actor known for the "tough guy" image.- Biography :Choi was born in Seoul in 1962. Choi's family has been active in acting, and singing for over the last eight decades. Choi was born as the son of Choi Moo-ryong, a popular actor of the 1960s and 1970s, and Kang...
), Best New Actor (Lee Jung Jae) - 22nd Korean Broadcasting Awards (1995): Best Drama, Best Writer, Best Actor (Choi Min-sooChoi Min-sooChoi Min-soo is a South Korean actor known for the "tough guy" image.- Biography :Choi was born in Seoul in 1962. Choi's family has been active in acting, and singing for over the last eight decades. Choi was born as the son of Choi Moo-ryong, a popular actor of the 1960s and 1970s, and Kang...
) - 8th Producers Association Awards (1996): Daesang (Grand Prize), Best Drama