Phillip Choi

Kyeong Seong Scandal is a mini-series drama that aired in Korea on KBS. "Kyeong Seong" was the name of Seoul in the 1930s, when Korea was colonized by the Japanese army. The historical drama depicts many sides of Seoul at that time. It was not only a battle field between independence movement activists and pro-Japanese people, but also a place where different cultural values between traditional and modern ways of life are co-existed.

This drama is called "a historical fusion drama" in Korea. "Fusion" in this context means that the drama has both sides of old and modern period. Its historical background is based on the period of Japanese occupation and characters' lives seem to be the same as the Korean people during colonial period. But viewers will feel very close to the characters in many ways because they have the similar thoughts and behaviors with modern viewers.

One of the unique features of this drama is that it takes a different step from other typical historical dramas. The concept of Korea's dark days in the 30's is re-interpreted in the drama with a comical and romantic touch. When Korean historical dramas are related to the period of Japanese rule, a large portion of them were doomed to be sad. But in this drama, viewers will experience a different point of view on the darkest era of Korea. Viewers will be surprised at the fact that this drama is a romantic comedy even though there are some elements of tragedy.

Seonwoo Wan is the one of the most notorious womanizers who alleges that he can seduce any woman within 10 minutes. The handsome, fashionable and rich boy doesn't have worries about the fate of his native country. He gambles with his colleagues on his ability to seduce Na Yeo-kyeong whose nickname is Jomaja (the last woman of Joseon Dynasty). She is recognized as a woman who doesn't care about her appearance and is not interested in dating a guy at all. She runs a small bookstore while she works as a volunteer teacher for poor children. She is a very determined woman and has a strong faith that her country will be liberated from Japan in the near future. Dating a guy for marriage is something that she can do only after the independence of her native land.

As plots develop, there are struggles and conflicts among characters. Seonwoo Wan doesn't take his bet seriously in the first place and never means to fall in love with her. But he comes to be in love with Yeo-kyeong and becomes a independent movement activist himself against Japan. Finally, Wan realizes that falling in love with Yeo-kyeong requires him to be changed into a whole different person from what he was and that is the first step for him to find the reason why he should keep leading his life in a gloomy and miserable period. Wan says "Love is the strongest and most effective strategy for independence and revolution."

Source: Wikipedia