Everything........Korea! Korean! :): Filiming Locations: Love Rain

How is love in the 1970s different from love in 2012?
Though the excitement and happiness of love may be the same no matter what year it is, the way people expressed and confessed their love in the 1970s may be strange to those living in the fast-paced year of 2012, but can seem all the more romantic.

The drama Love Rain (Sarangbi) has set the drama world abuzz thanks to the appearance of Jang Keun-suk (the hottest star of the Korean Wave as of 2012) and Yoona of Girls’ Generation, who together help tell the story of a love that transcends two different eras. What makes the drama even more unique and entertaining are the beautiful scenes in which watercolor paintings from the 70s are juxtaposed against refined advertisement-like graphics from 2012. Combining a classic love story with a trendy modern feel, Love Rain depicts a timeless and unchanging love sure to set viewers’ hearts aflutter.

<Poster courtesy of KBS>

Drama Information

Directed by:: Yoon Seok-ho
Screenplay by:: Oh Soo-yeon
Cast:: Jang Keun-suk, Yoona, Lee Mi-sook, Jung Jin-young
Aired on:: March 26, 2012 (Total 20 episodes)
Broadcasting channel:: KBS2TV
Production company:: Yoon’s Color http://www.yoonscolor.com/ (Korean)
Website:: http://www.kbs.co.kr/drama/loverain/ (Korean)

Synopsis

Seo In-ha is a university student majoring in Art in the 1970s. One day, he comes across Yun-hui sitting on a bench outside his window and is drawn to her beauty. He starts to paint her portrait, but looks up and finds that she is gone. He runs outside to look for her and bumps into her, falling head-over-heels in love. A quiet and beautiful student, Yun-hui is popular and has many admirers, one of which is In-ha’s friend Dong-uk.

After finding out his friend is interested in Yun-hui, In-ha tries to get her out of his mind, but his love only grows. During a university festival, he gets hurt from trying to save Yun-hui from a dangerous situation. Meanwhile, Yun-hui finds In-ha’s painting of her and realizes that he has feelings for her. In-ha continues to hide his feelings for the sake of his friend, but finally ends up confessing his love to Yun-hui. She returns his feelings and their love continues to grow, but one day, Yun-hui suddenly leaves for the United States to get treatment for a serious illness and In-ha leaves for his military service.

In Japan in 2012, Jung Ha-na (Yun-hui’s daughter) goes to Hokkaido to meet her mother’s first love and bumps into Seo Joon (In-ha’s son) at a train station. When the two bump into each other, Ha-na’s cell phone falls into Jun’s pocket. Realizing what happened, Ha-na starts looking for Jun in order to get her cell phone back. Since he’s in Japan for a photo shoot, Jun ends up changing his schedule frequently and Han-na misses him several times. When they finally meet, Jun asks Ha-na to take him to see the Diamond Snow (a phenomenon in which snow reflected under sunlight shines like jewels) in return for her cell phone, which she does. Later when she returns to Seoul, Ha-na sees flyers in the street covered with her picture. Surprised and upset, she goes to see Jun to find out if he made the flyer.

Meanwhile, In-ha is on his way to meet his son Jun and comes across Yun-hui, his first love from nearly 32 years ago.

Characters

Seo In-ha in 1970s and Seo Jun in 2012 played by Jang Keun-suk: Seo In-ha in the 1970s is an art student who loves music, plays guitar, and excels at musical composition. One day, he sees Yun-hui sitting outside the window and, as if drawn by an unknown force, starts painting her portrait. As he paints, he looks up and finds that she is gone. In-ha runs outside to find her and bumps into her, falling hopelessly in love.

Jang Keun-suk also takes on the role of Seo Jun as the drama fast forwards to 2012. Jun is a handsome photographer and a player who can seduce any girl in a matter of seconds. He refuses to believe in love since he grew up watching his father grieve the loss of Yun-hui, causing Jun’s mother much distress. Though Jun has a very successful career he is extremely self-centered and rude to those around him. One day, he goes to Japan for a photo shoot and constantly bumps into Ha-na, a girl he finds to be unpredictable.

Kim Yun-hui in the 1970s and Jung Ha-na in 2012 played by Yoona: Yoona plays Kim Yun-hui, a student in the 1970s majoring in home economics at the same university as Seo In-ha. With her long straight hair, porcelain skin, and big eyes, Yun-hui is adored by many of the male students on campus. She often sits on the bench in front of the School of Art; one day she bumps into In-ha and falls in love with him.

Yoona also play Jung Ha-na, the daughter of Yun-hui. Jung Ha-na is a kind, optimistic, and lively girl who is studying gardening at a Japanese college in the year 2012. She visits Hokkaido to look for her mother’s first love, but soon loses her cell phone and meets the arrogant Jun.

Seo In-ha in 2012 played by Jung Jin-young: Jung Jin-young plays Seo In-ha, the father of Seo Jun and a professor at the School of Art at Hankook University. Many years ago, In-ha fell into total despair after Yun-hui suddenly went overseas and stopped contacting him. Though he married Hye-jung and had a son, he was never able to get over Yun-hui and him and his wife got divorced. Seo In-ha tries to lead a quiet life, just hoping that one day he’ll be forgiven by those he hurt. One day in 2012, when he’s well into his 50s, he comes across Yun-hui, his unforgettable first love from many years ago.

Kim Yun-hui in 2012 played by Lee Mi-sook: Lee Mi-sook plays Kim Yun-hui as she appears in 2012. Yun-hui came down with tuberculosis when she was in university and suddenly left Korea to go to the United States for treatment. She ended up staying in the USA and falling out of touch with her friends. Later, she married a Korean exchange student and gave birth to her daughter Jeong Ha-na. After her husband passed away she moved back to Korea, raising Ha-na all by herself. For the past ten years she’s been living in Korea working as a tree doctor at an arboretum, cherishing the memory of her first love. One day, Yun-hui is reunited with In-ha on a rainy day much like the day on which the two first met 32 years ago.

Filming Locations

Keimyung University: Located in Daegu, Keimyung University appears as Hankook University, the setting of the first few episodes of the drama. The Daemyeong-dong campus of the university houses the School of Fine Arts and the School of Fashion. The campus boasts several old and exotic buildings and has been featured in a number of Korean dramas and movies.
Yeongju Museom Village: The Yeongju Museom Village is where In-ha of the 1970s and his friends go on a trip to prepare for one of their performances. Surrounded by a river on three sides, the village has been preserved as one of the nation’s top traditional villages and is beloved for its stunning riverside views (particularly at sunset). The single-log bridge, over which the main characters pass in the drama, served as the only gateway into the village for approximately 350 years. Today, the bridge has been restored to its original form.

☞ Click for more on Museom Village in Yeongju
Suncheon Open Film Set: The Suncheon Open Film Set is where the house of Yun-hui and the residential streets of the 1970s were filmed. The film set consists of about 200 buildings and streets recreating Korean life from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. It has been featured in numerous Korean movies and dramas such as “Love and Ambition,” and “East of Eden.” Located just 20 minutes away from the set is Suncheonman Bay, an ecological wetland famous worldwide.

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Hongdae (Hongik University Street): Famous for being a street of the young, Hongik University Street appears in the episode where Ha-na looks for a room to rent and the episode in which she finds a flyer with her picture on it. Seo Jun’s photo studio, the coffee shop, and the hospital run by his friend are also located in this area. The Hongik University area, known as ‘Hongdae,’ is symbolic of youthful arts and fashion and the celebration of subcultures and freedom. With small galleries, unique coffee shops, trendy stores, live clubs, and restaurants, Hongdae is always bustling with people.

☞ Click for more on Hongdae (Hongik University Street)
Jade Garden: Jade Garden appears as the arboretum where Ha-na’s mother works in episodes 5 and 6 and again in the scene in which Ha-na and her university senior have a talk. Located in Chuncheon, Gangwon-do Province, the Jade Garden Arboretum opened in April 2011 under the concept of a ‘small Europe in the forest.’ Jade Garden features 24 unique gardens including an English garden, an Italian garden, Wildflower Hill, and Sky Garden.
Konjiam Resort Arboretum: The Konjiam Resort Arboretum appears as the arboretum where Yun-hui works (7th episode through the last) and in the episode in which Seo In-ha comes to meet Yun-hui as well as the episode in which Seo Jun confesses his love to Ha-na. The arboretum is home to about 20 themed gardens, a monorail, and a visitors center and is part of the larger Konjiam Resort, a year-round resort complete with a ski resort, condominiums, a spa, and an outdoor swimming pool.

☞ Click for more on Konjiam Reosrt