For today’s Offstage we are sharing the career of an incredible screenwriter that has brought many of our favourite stories to the small screen. Let’s talk about Park Hye Ryun.
Beginnings
Park Hye Ryun started as a screenwriter for the series ‘Nonstop 5’, this drama ran for 257 episodes and she was part of the screenwriting team.
Her next project was ‘Not Alone’ which aired on SBS between the end of 2004 and the beginning of 2005.
‘Stranger than Paradise’ and ‘Get Karl! Oh Soo-jung’, were her next projects for SBS. These two dramas aired in 2006 and 2007, respectively. The second drama became one of the most watched productions written by her at time, having a national viewership of 13.3%.
In 2008, she was part of the writers for the movie ‘Hellcats’. This is the only big screen production she has participated in so far.
Breakthrough
‘Kimchi Cheese Smile’ was Hye Ryun’s next production. This drama aired on MBC in 2008. One of her most well-known works is the K-drama classic ‘Dream High’, airing in 2011. This drama had some top rated actors who were in the beginnings back then, including Suzy, IU, Kim Soo-hyun, 2PM’s Ok Taec-yeon, among many other well-known artists.
She continued on with ‘I Can Hear Your Voice’ in 2013 airing on SBS, this drama earned her highest national viewership with 18.8%. It also became one of the most loved K-drama classics. Its main cast included well-known actors like Lee Bo-young, Lee Jong-suk, Yoon Sang-hyun and Lee Da-hee.
She followed this classic with ‘Pinocchio’ in 2014, this drama starred Lee Jong-suk and Park Shin-hye, and became a national success. This drama is also considered a K-Drama classic.
Latest works
She was one of the co-writers for the short drama ‘Page Turner’ which aired in KBS2 in 2016, this drama had just 3 episodes and gained praise for its storyline and acting. Check the trailer below.
She was joined by Suzy and Lee Jong-suk as main actors, in her drama ‘While You Were Sleeping’. This production aired in 2017 on SBS and earned a viewership of 8.3%.
Her latest production aired on tvN in 2020. ‘Start-Up’ starred Bae Suzy, Nam Joo-hyuk, Kim Seon-ho and Kang Han-na, and gained a lot of popularity internationally for its well-written plot and story. Check the trailer below.
Park Hye-Ryun is an incredible writer, who is able to create stories that connect with viewers’ emotions. We are looking forward to seeing her next production.
