1. Overview
Lee Kyung-hee, born on July 26, 1969, is a prominent South Korean screenwriter widely recognized for her contributions to television dramas. Her career, which began in the early 1990s, is marked by a distinctive style that delves into complex human relationships, often exploring themes of love, loss, societal issues, and the struggles of marginalized individuals. Lee Kyung-hee is celebrated for her ability to craft emotionally resonant narratives and develop deeply nuanced characters, earning her critical acclaim and numerous awards throughout her career. Her works frequently provide social commentary, particularly on topics like class divides, terminal illness, and the challenges faced by those living with HIV/AIDS, making her a significant figure in the landscape of Korean television.
2. Early Life and Education
2.1. Birth and Early Life
Lee Kyung-hee was born on July 26, 1969, in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. Details regarding her specific early life and family background are not widely publicized, but her later career would reflect a keen observation of human struggles and societal dynamics.
2.2. Education and Debut
Lee Kyung-hee pursued her academic training at the Korea Broadcasting Writers Association Education Center, graduating from its 7th class. Her entry into the broadcasting writing field began with an honorable mention in the 1991 MBC Best Theater contest for her work titled 폭설PokseolKorean (Heavy Snow). She officially debuted as a television drama screenwriter with the 1995 MBC drama 인연InyeonKorean (Fate).
3. Career and Major Works
Lee Kyung-hee's career spans several distinct phases, from her early experimental works to her critically acclaimed melodramas and her later explorations of family and modern themes.
3.1. Early Career (1997-2002)
Lee Kyung-hee began her active television drama writing career in the late 1990s, initially penning projects that often served as star vehicles for popular actors. Her early works include Model (1997), an SBS series starring Kim Nam-joo and Jang Dong-gun. In 1998, she wrote for the MBC Best Theater anthology with "So-young's Mom? and Other Stories" and contributed to the MBC Sunday morning drama I Only Know Love, which aired until 2000.
In 2000, she wrote the KBS weekend drama Kkokji, also known as Tough Guy's Love, featuring Won Bin, Lee Jong-won, and Jo Min-ki. This was followed by the KBS 2TV Monday-Tuesday miniseries Purity (also known as Pure Heart) in 2001, starring Ryu Jin and Lee Yo-won. During this period, she also contributed to the KBS Drama City anthology series, writing episodes such as "Happier Than Heaven" and "Days Filled with Sunlight" in 2002. These early projects laid the foundation for her distinctive narrative style.
3.2. Breakthrough and Critical Acclaim (2003-2005)
Lee Kyung-hee achieved a significant turning point in her career with the 2003 KBS 2TV Monday-Tuesday miniseries Sang Doo! Let's Go to School. This comedy-drama marked the successful acting debut of singer Rain, who played a young father working as a gigolo to pay for his daughter's medical bills, only to return to high school where his first love is his teacher. Lee was praised for leveraging Rain's screen presence and charisma, crafting a character evolution that minimized his lack of acting experience. The drama, which also starred Gong Hyo-jin, Lee Dong-gun, and Hong Soo-hyun, along with director Lee Hyung-min, received widespread acclaim.
In the same year, Lee wrote Breathless (also known as Running After a Dream or I Run), an MBC drama directed by Park Sung-soo. While not as popular as Sang Doo! Let's Go to School, Breathless explored the "class divide" theme with a more mature perspective through the story of a factory worker and a middle-class journalist. This work further demonstrated Lee's ability to challenge conventional genre rules. In 2004, she penned another KBS Drama City episode, "My Older Brother," which featured Lee Min-ki as an immature young father.
Her reputation was solidified with the 2004 KBS Monday-Tuesday miniseries I'm Sorry, I Love You. This drama gained immense popularity both online and on television, earning significant critical acclaim. Starring So Ji-sub in his breakout performance opposite Im Soo-jung, the plot intertwined themes of overseas adoption, birth secrets, terminal illness, and a love triangle. Despite its melodramatic premise, Lee's focus on the characters' pain and emotional conflicts made them remarkably realistic. Viewers and critics lauded her well-written script, which found beauty in human tragedy. Known by fans as "MiSa" (a portmanteau of its Korean title), the series became a rare "mania drama" (a term for TV series with a strong online following) that also achieved high ratings. It swept the 2004 KBS Drama Awards, and at the 41st Paeksang Arts Awards in 2005, So Ji-sub won Best TV Actor, and Lee Kyung-hee was nominated for Best TV Screenplay. She also received the Excellence Award in Drama from the Korean TV and Radio Writers Association in 2005 for I'm Sorry, I Love You.
3.3. Emotional Depth and Social Commentary (2005-2009)
Following the success of I'm Sorry, I Love You, Lee Kyung-hee took a brief hiatus before contributing to the 2005 MBC weekend drama Beating Heart. This experimental series featured an omnibus format, with Lee writing the "Outing" segment alongside director Kim Jin-man. This segment starred Bae Jong-ok as a middle-aged woman facing marital problems who encounters a doppelgänger of her college boyfriend, played by Ji Sung.
Her next major project was the 2005 KBS 2TV Monday-Tuesday miniseries A Love to Kill, which reunited her with Rain, cast as a K-1 fighter seeking revenge against an actress, played by Shin Min-ah, who he believes drove his brother to attempted suicide. Despite the stylish cinematography by director Kim Kyu-tae, the drama was considered a critical misstep and garnered disappointing ratings.
Lee Kyung-hee then reunited with Sang Doo! Let's Go to School alum Gong Hyo-jin for the 2007 MBC Wednesday-Thursday miniseries Thank You. This drama centered on a single mother living on a small island with her grandfather, who has dementia (Shin Goo), and her HIV-positive daughter (Seo Shin-ae), whose lives are disrupted by a cynical doctor. Lee cast Jang Hyuk in his acting comeback after his mandatory military service. Despite initial low hype due to Jang Hyuk's past scandal, the heartwarming story, well-developed characters, and strong performances under director Lee Jae-dong led to solid ratings, securing the number one spot in its timeslot. Critics hailed Thank You as one of her finest works. The drama also received the 10th Special Media Award from Amnesty International for its "frank, yet sensitive portrayal of a young HIV patient and her family and friends," addressing a sensitive subject previously untouched in TV dramas and promoting respect for AIDS patients and other underprivileged members of society. Lee won Best TV Screenplay at the 44th Paeksang Arts Awards in 2008 and the Drama category award at the 20th Korean TV Writers' Awards in 2007 for Thank You.
In 2009, Lee returned to the genre of traditional melodrama with the SBS drama Will It Snow for Christmas?. Directed by Choi Moon-suk and starring Go Soo and Han Ye-seul, the story of rekindled childhood love faced stiff competition from the blockbuster spy series Iris and did not achieve high ratings.
3.4. Modern Melodrama and Evolving Themes (2012-Present)
Lee Kyung-hee continued to explore complex relationships and themes in her later works. She conceived the antihero protagonist of the 2012 KBS 2TV Wednesday-Thursday drama The Innocent Man with Song Joong-ki in mind. The Korean title, "A Nice Guy the Likes of Which You Would Never Find Anywhere in the World," hints at the story of a man who endures prison for the woman he loves (Park Si-yeon), only to be betrayed when she marries a business mogul. He seeks revenge by intentionally approaching her step-daughter (Moon Chae-won), creating a tangled web of love and conflict. Lee skillfully used the dualism of good and evil, love and revenge, to create her most cohesive and thematically strong drama to date, complemented by director Kim Jin-won's meticulous direction. The cast, especially Song Joong-ki for his nuanced portrayal, received widespread praise, and The Innocent Man maintained high ratings throughout its run.
In 2014, Lee reunited with director Kim Jin-won for Wonderful Days, a KBS weekend drama spanning 50 episodes-her first time writing a long-form series. Starring Lee Seo-jin and Kim Hee-sun, the plot centered on a prosecutor who returns to his hometown after 15 years, attempting to reconnect with his estranged family and friends.
Her later works include the 2016 KBS 2TV Wednesday-Thursday drama Uncontrollably Fond, starring Kim Woo-bin and Bae Suzy. In 2019, Lee ventured into cable television with her first project for a pay TV network, Chocolate, which aired on JTBC. This marked an evolution in her career, adapting her style for a different broadcast environment.
4. Writing Style and Thematic Focus
4.1. Recurring Themes and Messages
Lee Kyung-hee's screenwriting is characterized by a profound exploration of human emotions and societal issues. A recurring theme in her works is the intricate nature of love, often intertwined with elements of loss, sacrifice, and redemption. She frequently depicts characters grappling with profound pain and emotional conflicts, making their struggles feel realistic despite often melodramatic plotlines. Her narratives delve into the complexities of family relationships, the challenges of social class divides, and the struggles of marginalized individuals.
Dramas like I'm Sorry, I Love You highlight the beauty found in human tragedy and the impact of secrets and terminal illness on relationships. Thank You stands out for its sensitive portrayal of a young HIV patient and her family, advocating for respect and understanding towards underprivileged members of society. In The Innocent Man, she explores the dualism of good and evil, love and revenge, showcasing the moral ambiguities of her protagonists. Her storytelling often carries an underlying message of empathy and resilience, emphasizing the strength of the human spirit in overcoming adversity.
4.2. Critical Reception and Evaluation
Lee Kyung-hee has garnered significant critical acclaim throughout her career for her distinctive storytelling and deep character development. Critics and viewers alike have praised her ability to craft emotionally intense narratives that resonate deeply with audiences. Her scripts are often noted for their realism, even when dealing with dramatic or "over-the-top" storylines, a testament to her focus on the internal pain and emotional conflicts of her characters.
Her work on I'm Sorry, I Love You was particularly lauded for its well-written script that found beauty in human tragedy. Thank You was considered by some critics as arguably her finest work, praised for its heartwarming story and well-drawn characters, as well as its brave handling of sensitive social issues like HIV/AIDS. While her dramas are generally well-received, some works like A Love to Kill have been noted as critical misfires with disappointing ratings, indicating that not all her projects achieved universal acclaim. Nonetheless, her consistent ability to create compelling and thought-provoking narratives has solidified her reputation as one of South Korea's most respected screenwriters.
5. Awards and Recognition
Lee Kyung-hee has received several prestigious awards for her contributions to television drama screenwriting:
- 2005: Korean TV and Radio Writers Association: Excellence Award in Drama (I'm Sorry, I Love You)
- 2007: 20th Korean TV Writers' Awards: Recipient, Drama category (Thank You)
- 2008: 44th Paeksang Arts Awards: Best TV Screenplay (Thank You)
6. Other Professional Activities
Beyond her prolific writing career, Lee Kyung-hee is also involved in academia. She serves as a professor at Doowon Technical University College, where she imparts her knowledge and experience by teaching television writing to aspiring screenwriters.
7. Filmography
The following is a comprehensive, chronological list of television dramas written by Lee Kyung-hee:
| Year | Title | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 인연InyeonKorean (Fate) | MBC | Debut work |
| 1997 | Model | SBS | |
| 1998 | MBC Best Theater: "So-young's Mom? and Other Stories" | MBC | |
| 1998-2000 | I Only Know Love | MBC | |
| 2000 | Kkokji (Tough Guy's Love) | KBS | |
| 2001 | Purity (Pure Heart) | KBS2 | Monday-Tuesday miniseries |
| 2002 | Drama City: "Happier Than Heaven" | KBS2 | |
| 2002 | Drama City: "Days Filled with Sunlight" | KBS2 | |
| 2003 | Sang Doo! Let's Go to School | KBS2 | Monday-Tuesday miniseries |
| 2003 | Breathless (Running After a Dream) | MBC | |
| 2004 | Drama City: "My Older Brother" | KBS2 | |
| 2004 | I'm Sorry, I Love You | KBS2 | Monday-Tuesday miniseries |
| 2005 | Beating Heart: "Outing" | MBC | Segment |
| 2005 | A Love to Kill | KBS2 | Monday-Tuesday miniseries |
| 2007 | Thank You | MBC | Wednesday-Thursday miniseries |
| 2009-2010 | Will It Snow for Christmas? | SBS | Drama Special |
| 2012 | The Innocent Man | KBS2 | Wednesday-Thursday drama |
| 2014 | Wonderful Days | KBS2 | Weekend drama |
| 2016 | Uncontrollably Fond | KBS2 | Wednesday-Thursday drama |
| 2019 | Chocolate | JTBC | Friday-Saturday drama |