Turkish soap operas already have a rival: this is ‘Saimdang’, the Korean series that brings k-drama to the 16th century

In January 2018, Nova introduced Turkish soap operas to Spain with the successful ‘Fatmagül’, starring Beren Saat and Engin Akyürek. Five years later she performs the same movement with the Koreans. On Monday, April 24, at eleven o’clock at night, ‘Saimdang: daily light’ lands on its programminga love story that transcends the barriers of time and that has all the ingredients of the genre: passion, hatred, jealousy, intrigue, secrets… It is a reinterpretation of the life of Shin Saimdang, a Korean artist, calligrapher and poet (1504-1551).who is often named as a model of Confucian ideals and who has the honor of being the first woman to appear on a 50,000 won banknote in her country.

Seo Ji-Yon, the protagonist, is a young art professor at the University of Seoul who must certify the authorship of a very old painting. She is married to a successful man and lives with her little son and her mother-in-law in a luxurious neighborhood. Upon her request, her life falls apart and she is forced to flee to Italy. There, in a palace, she finds a diary written 500 years ago, and the portrait of a woman with whom she bears an extraordinary resemblance, named Saimdang. Through its pages, discover the heartbreaking story of that young woman, a highly talented painter, daughter of a high official of the King, belonging to the Joseon dynasty, who falls in love with the prince, Lee Gyeom. Her love is reciprocated but they run into the fierce opposition of the monarch…

Cast ‘Saimdang: Diary of Light’

As in ‘Fatmagül’, the fiction has weighty actors in South Korea: Lee Young-ae, who plays the teacher and the artist, is well known in her country for titles such as ‘Sympathy for Lady Vengeance’ (2005), by Park Chan-wook, acclaimed director of ‘Decision to leave’. The soap opera, recorded in 2017, marked the return of the actress in a big way since at that time she only made a short and gave her voice to the cartoon series ‘YooHoo and Friends’. She stayed away to dedicate herself to her family (she is married with two children).

The prince is embodied by Son Seung-heon, an all-round artist who, in addition to starring in several series and movies (She worked with Bruce Willis on ‘Sky Combat’, 2018)She is a model, singer and a regular on entertainment programs in her country. Also in the cast are Park Hye-su, Yang Se-jong, Yoon Ye-joo, Choi Chul-ho and Choi Jong-hwan.

The filming of ‘Saimdang: diary of light’

One of the challenges of this blockbuster, which It has been sold to countries such as the United States, Japan, China, the Philippines and Thailand, was to portray that last dynasty of Korea, in which Shin Saimdang lived. To do this, the team moved to the city of Gangneung, where the artist was born, and was not only able to record in the spectacular natural spaces that it still preserves, where flowers, rain, black bamboo forests and snow are other protagonists. , also sneaked into Ojukheon, the residence in which he lived and which in South Korea is more equally known for being the birthplace of the politician and scholar of the period Joseon Yulgok, his son. It is one of the most important tourist attractions in the country. If the locations are spectacular, no less so is the wardrobe, luxurious and colorful, which is in keeping with that imperial era. The hanboks, traditional Korean costumes worn by Lee Young-ae, have been designed by Han Eun-hee, who counts the wife of the country’s president among her clients.

Directed by Yoon Sang Ho and written by Park Eun-ryung, who formed the same tandem in the series ‘Go! Mrs Go!’ (2011), the telenovela is produced by Group8 Inc. & Emperor Entertainment Korea Ltd. The team includes Leonardo Recalti (one of the producers of ‘Domino’, by Braian de Palma).