Yoo Je-won

In this Korean name, the family name is Yoo.

Yoo Je-won (Korean: 유제원) is a South Korean television director best known for his television dramas series, including High School King of Savvy (2014), Oh My Ghost (2015), Abyss (2019) and Hi Bye, Mama! (2020). He has also gained popularity with his most recent hit dramas, two Netflix Simulcast Original Series, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021) and Crash Course in Romance (2023).

Yoo Je-won
유제원
Yoo Je-won 2019
Born	South Korea
Other names	Yu Je-won
Occupation	Television director
Years active	2007–present
Employers	SBS (2007–2012) Studio Dragon (2015–present) Showrunner (2023–present)
Notable work	Oh My Ghost Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha Crash Course in Romance
Spouse	Lee Shi-ra ​ (m. 2009)​
Korean name
Hangul	유제원
Hanja	劉諸元
Revised Romanization	Yu Jewon
McCune–Reischauer	Yu Chewŏn

Career

Early careers

Yoo began his career in the broadcasting industry as part of the drama crew at the SBS network. In 2007, Yoo worked as assistant director for director Park Gung-ryeol [ko] on a 20-episode drama series called "Salt Doll [ko]," which was written by Park Eon-hee. Later that same year, collaborated once again with director Park Gung-ryeol and writer Park Eon-hee on the SBS drama Fly to The Sky [ko], which aired every Friday from August 24 to October 26, 2007, and consisted of 19 episodes.^[1]

In 2008, Yoo served as assistant for director Jang Yong-woo [ko] on the weekend drama I am Happy [ko]. The drama, written by Kim Jung-soo, was aired on SBS from February 10 to August 31, 2008.^[2] In 2010, Yoo worked as assistant director for Jung Eul-young [ko] on the renowned writer Kim Soo-hyun's drama Life Is Beautiful or La Vida es Bella [ko]. This 63-episode family drama aired in SBS from March 20, 2010, to November 7, 2010, every Saturday and Sunday.^[3]

2014–2020: Career as director

High School King of Savvy^[4] was Yoo's first drama series as director. The lighthearted rom-com, penned by Yang Hee-seung [ko], starred Seo In-guk, Lee Ha-na, Lee Soo-hyuk and Lee Yul-eum. it was broadcast on tvN from June 16 to August 11, 2014. Due to the drama popularity, an episode was added, extending it to 17 episodes,^[5] and a special broadcast with behind-the-scenes stories was aired on August 12, 2014. It was followed by the 25-episode makjang weekend drama Teras of Heaven (2014), starring Park Ji-young, Hong Ah-reum, Seo Jun-young and Jo Yun-seo. It aired on MBN from October 11, 2014, to January 3, 2015. The drama recorded the highest viewership rating (3.305%) for an MBN drama at that time, and this record remained unbroken until 2019.^[6][7][8]

In 2015, Yoo and Yang Hee-seung [ko] collaborated again on the fantasy drama Oh My Ghost.^[9][10] The drama was highly anticipated as it marked Park Bo-young's return to television after a seven-year hiatus, and she starred alongside Jo Jung-suk, Lim Ju-hwan and Kim Seul-gi. The drama portrays the love story between Na Bong-sun, an assistant chef with the ability to see ghosts, and her boss, the arrogant star chef Kang Sun-woo. Na Bong-sun is possessed by a virgin spirit one day, which completely changes her timid personality.^{[11][12][13][14]} The 16-episode drama series aired on tvN from July 3 to August 22, 2015.^[15][16] The series was a commercial and critical success, with a 7% rating that was the highest for a cable television drama at the time. Park Bo-young received the Excellence Award for Actress in a Miniseries at the 4th APAN Star Awards for her role.

After a two-year hiatus, Yoo returned with a time-travel themed fantasy drama series called Tomorrow, With You. Starring Shin Min-a and Lee Je-hoon, it was started airing on February 3, 2017, on cable channel tvN.^[17] However, this series didn't achieve the same level of success as Yoo's previous television series. Following that, Yoo worked as an assistant director under director Ahn Gil-ho on the tvN drama Stranger.

In 2018, Yoo reunited with Seo In-guk for a South Korean remake of the 2002 Japanese television series Sora Kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi. The Korean version was titled The Smile Has Left Your Eyes.^[18] Jung So-min and Park Sung-woong also joined the project. It was first aired on tvN on October 3, 2018.^[19][20]

In 2019, Yoo reunited with Park Bo-young in tvN drama Abyss, with Ahn Hyo-seop and Lee Sung-jae joining as her co-stars. The drama revolves around a man and a woman who are resurrected from death with different faces through a mysterious soul-reviving bead called Abyss.^[21][22][23]

In 2020, Yoo collaborated with writer Kwon In-woo on the fantasy melodrama Hi Bye, Mama!^[24] The drama was highly anticipated as it marked Kim Tae-hee's comeback after five years, and it also starred rising stars Lee Kyu-hyung and Go Bo-gyeol. The storyline depicts the 49-day reincarnation story of a ghost mother who reappears in front of her husband and daughter, who have already started a new life after overcoming the pain of bereavement. It aired on tvN from February 22 to April 19, 2020.^[25][26]

2021–present: Breakthrough, mainstream success

In April 2021, Studio Dragon announced that Yoo will be reunited with Shin Min-a, as director of Seaside Village Cha-Cha-Cha, a remake of 2004 South Korean film Mr. Handy, Mr. Hong.^[27] It was first announced on December 21, 2020, under the working title of Hong Ban-jang (홍반장) with Shin Min-a and Kim Seon-ho being offered the lead roles.^[28] In June, it was announced that the series English title is Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha and it will be available for streaming on Netflix.^[29][30][31] This is a healing romance drama about a realist dentist Yoon Hye-jin (Shin Min-a) and an all-rounder, Hong Banjang (Kim Seon-ho), a sea village called Gongjin. A genius variety producer Ji PD (Lee Sang-yi) then select Gongjin as setting for his new variety show. This 16 episodes drama were aired from August 28 to October 17, 2021, on tvN's Saturdays and Sundays at 21:00 (KST).^[32][33]

Branded as healing drama, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha received favorable reviews from domestic and foreign viewers.^[34][35] It became one of the highest-rated series on cable television history.^[36][37] It ranked first place during its entire run for eight weeks, and the last episode achieved 12.665% nationwide rating, with over 3.2 million views.^[38] Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha also one of 2021 most-watched non-English television on Netflix. According to FlixPatrol,^[a] the series placed number 8 on Netflix global chart. Netflix's one of its longest-running hits as it spent 16 weeks in global top ten ranking in more than 20 countries.^[40][41][42] It also remained on Netflix's Top 10 Chart for television shows for more than two months from its last episode.^[43][44]

On December 21, 2020, Kim Soo-hyun Drama Art Hall operated by Cheongju City Culture Industry Promotion Foundation, selected Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha as '2021 Good Drama of the Year'. Yoo as director, Shin Ha-eun as writer, and lead actors, are recognized in the certificate of award.^[45] It was selected by both the viewer evaluation team and expert group and it was praised as a "K-healing drama" that emerged during a period when provocative genre content was rampant, and was loved by viewers both domestically and internationally. The panel, describing it as a work that perfectly fits the criteria of a good drama pursued by the drama art hall, broadcast content that conveys warm stories about human nature and people's lives.^[46]

Yoo reunited with Yang Hee-seung [ko] for their third collaboration in the romantic-comedy drama Crash Course in Romance which premiered on tvN in January 2023. The series, starring Jeon Do-yeon and Jung Kyung-ho, revolved around a former national handball player who now runs a banchan shop, raising her high school daughter alone and celebrity math instructor at a popular private academy.^[47]

The drama Crash Course in Romance gained significant popularity during its airing. On March 5, 2023, the tvN drama concluded with an impressive audience rating of 17%, marking a substantial increase from its initial rating of 4.0% on the first broadcast. The drama consistently climbed in ratings, eventually surpassing four times its starting rating for the final episode. This remarkable performance was not limited to viewership ratings alone; the drama also garnered high topicality throughout its entire run. It held the top spot in topicality for eight consecutive weeks in the TV drama category. The second half of the drama witnessed a notable surge in both ratings and popularity.^[48]

According to Good Data Corporation,^[b] the drama program has achieved remarkable success and recognition. In the drama division, it consistently ranked first in the Top 10 TV Topicality Ranking for four consecutive weeks, securing a topical share of 23.8%.^[50] The program's initial topicality score was 9,654 points during its first week, and it reached a peak of 43,030 points, more than four times the initial score. Additionally, this work has set various records, including eight consecutive weeks in first place in the topical TV drama category, six consecutive weeks in first place in the TV-OTT integrated category, and six consecutive weeks with actor Jung Kyung-ho leading the TV topical performer category. Roh Yoon-seo also achieved first place in the TV topical performer category for five weeks. Furthermore, the program topped the TV search response for six consecutive weeks, held the first position in the TV topical VON category for seven weeks, and attained first place in the TV topical news category on five occasions.^[48]

Personal life

On May 17, 2008, Yoo tied the knot with Lee Shi-ra. On this special day, Lee Hoon volunteered to host the wedding ceremony. In line with their reputation for great teamwork, a large number of cast members of drama I am Happy [ko] also attended the wedding ceremony. Kim Jong-seo serenaded the couple with a congratulatory song during the wedding.^[2]

Since they met in drama Oh My Ghost, Yoo was given the nickname Yoovely by Park Bo-young, a portmanteau of his surname and the English word "lovely."^[51]

Filmography

Television series

Television series director

Year	Title		Network	Credited as		Ref.
	English	Korean		Assistant Director	Director
2007	Salt Doll	소금인형	SBS	Yes	Park Gung-ryeol
	Fly to The Sky	날아오르다		Yes		[1]
2008	I am Happy	행복합니다		Yes	Jang Yong-woo	[2]
2010	Life Is Beautiful or La Vida es Bella	인생은 아름다워		Yes[c]	Jung Eul-young	[3]
2012	Rooftop Prince	옥탑방 왕세자		Yes[d]	Shin Yoon-sub Ahn Gil-ho	[52]
2014	High School King of Savvy	고교처세왕	tvN	No	Yes	[4]
	Tears of Heaven	천국의 눈물		No	Yes	[8]
2015	Oh My Ghost	오 나의 귀신님		No	Yes	[9]
2017	Tomorrow, With You	내일 그대와 숲		No	Yes	[17]
	Stranger Season 1	비밀의 숲		Yes	Ahn Gil-ho	[53]
2018	The Smile Has Left Your Eyes	하늘에서 내리는 일억개의 별		No	Yes	[18]
2019	Abyss	어비스		No	Yes	[23]
2020	The King: Eternal Monarch	더 킹: 영원의 군주		Yes[e]	Baek Sang-hoon	[54]
	Hi Bye, Mama!	하이바이, 마마!		No	Yes	[24]
2021	Doom at Your Service	어느 날 우리 집 현관으로 멸망이 들어왔다	tvN TVING	Yes	Kwon Young-il
	Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha	갯마을 차차차		No	Yes	[29]
2023	Crash Course in Romance	일타 스캔들		No	Yes	[55]
2024	Love Next Door	엄마친구아들		No	Yes	[56]

Web series

List of web drama(s)

Year	Title		Network	Credited as		Ref.
	English	Korean		Co-director	Main Director
TBA	First, for Love	첫, 사랑을 위하여	TBA	No	Yes	[57]

Casting

Yoo frequently re-casts actors whom he has worked with on previous dramas.

Recurring casts

Actor Work	Bae Hae-sun	In Gyo-jin	Jang Young-nam	Jo Han-chul	Jung So-min	Kang Ki-young	Kim Ji-hyun	Kim Sung-bum	Kwon So-hyun	Lee Bong-ryun	Lee Do-yeop	Lee Ho-jae[f]	Lee Sang-yi	Lee Yong-yi	Oh Eui-shik	Park Bo-young[g]	Seo In-guk[h]	Shin Min-a	Shin Hye-sun[i]
High School King of Savvy				Y		Y											Y		Y
Tears of Heaven		Y												Y
Oh My Ghost						Y		Y			Y				Y	Y	Y		Y
Tomorrow, With You				Y						Y								Y
The Smile Has Left Your Eyes			Y		Y		Y		Y								Y
Abyss					Y			Y	Y							Y	Y
Hi Bye, Mama!	Y											Y			Y
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha	Y	Y		Y			Y	Y		Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y			Y
Crash Course in Romance	Y		Y							Y			Y		Y
Love Next Door			Y	Y	Y

Awards and nominations

List of award(s) and nomination(s)

Year	Award	Category	Recipient	Result	Ref.
2021	Kim Soo-hyun Drama Art Hall[j]	Serial Drama Category – Good Drama of the Year	Yoo Je-won — Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha	Won[k]	[58]
2022	Asian Academy Creative Awards	National Winner (Korea) – Best Direction (Fiction)		Won	[59]
		Best Direction (Fiction)		Nominated	[60]

Notes

1. FlixPatrol is a portal that provide provides VOD charts and streaming ratings worldwide, includes the Netflix charts (Netflix TOP 10 or what is Trending on Netflix), iTunes charts, Amazon Prime charts and HBO charts. These charts are based on the official trending or the most popular movies and the most popular TV shows on VOD. TOP 10 lists are updated daily.^[39]
2. Good Data Corporation (굿데이터코퍼레이션은) is an online public opinion analysis service. It analyzes online information and public opinion by field, and provides TV topical broadcasting program, online topic ranking, and quality evaluation of performers and marketing effect analysis. TV topicality survey target series that were being aired or scheduled to be broadcast. Unlike the audience rating, which measures only the viewing time for the broadcast time, TV topicality is to diagnose the evaluation by examining, indexing, and analyzing the netizens' reactions that appeared in online news, blogs, communities, social media, and videos for one week after each program was broadcast.^[49]
3. with Seo Young-rok
4. Kim Na-young
5. with Jung Ji-hyun
6. Shin Hye-sun also worked with Yoo Je-won for 3rd time in Stranger Season 1
7. Park Bo-young also worked with Yoo Je-won for the 3rd time in Doom at Your Service
8. Seo In-guk also worked with Yoo Je-won for the 5th time in Doom at Your Service
9. Shin Hye-sun also worked with Yoo Je-won for 3rd time in Stranger Season 1
10. Kim Soo-hyun Drama Art Hall managed by Cheongju Cultural Industry Promotion Foundation is drama literature center, an exhibition space of drama writer Kim Soo-Hyun and her works
11. Drama’s network, director, writer and main actors are recognized in the award certificates, with tvN, Shin Ha-eun, Shin Min-a, Kim Seon-ho, Lee Sang-yi, Gong Min-jeung, and Kim Young-ok^[45]