Writer: Jayati Bhardwaj (Delhi, India)

Editor: Ankita Panda (Kolkata, West Bengal, India)

Shin Won-ho (신원호) is a popular South Korean director and television producer known for directing and producing the Reply series and the Hospital Playlist series. He is a chemical engineering major with a strong passion for film directing, which has manifested in his active pursuit of opportunities to explore his talents. He has participated in multiple projects, including directing variety shows, drama series, and music videos.

This article explores the shows he has directed, and I want the readers to experience the beautiful world of the recurring themes of— fellowship, spirituality, flashbacks, romance, downbeat climax, loyal friendships, and anti-humor. These elements are visible through Director Shin Won-ho’s creations. Some of my recommendations are:

_{Picture Credits: Naver}

Reply Series

_{Picture Credits: K-Series Addict (on X)}

Reply (응답하라) series is an anthology that revolves around a group of friends and their coming-of-age story, as the timeline of the show keeps on shifting from past to present. The recurring question that can be found across all three series is — who will the main female lead choose and end up with? As the stories steadily progressed, I kept thinking of different theories, trying to unravel the suspense, and found myself giddy with the romance and friendship tropes that were famous during that era. 

The first of the anthologies to air was Reply 1997, which aired in 2012, followed by Reply 1994 in 2013, and lastly, Reply 1988, which aired in 2015.

Reply 1997 (2012)

_{Picture Credits: Prime Video}

The plot of Reply 1997 revolves around six friends who attended a high school in Busan in 1997 and, after years, reconnected in 2012 during a class reunion dinner. The timeline smoothly shifts back and forth between their past—when they were 18-year-old high schoolers in 1997 — and their present as 33-year-old adults at their high school reunion dinner in 2012.

The characters meet in high school, become friends, share fun and awkward moments, have embarrassing crushes, graduate, and eventually drift apart. And then they reconnect over dinner and try to catch up on all the parts of each other’s lives they’d missed.

_{Image Credits: IMDb}

Reply 1997 is a coming-of-age drama that showcases the era between 1997 and 1999, with K-pop and its rise in fan culture as a vital theme. The narrative circles around Sung Shi-won, played by Jung Eun-ji, and her five friends. Shi-won is a courageous and fierce high schooler obsessed with the K-pop boyband H.O.T. and wishes to marry her favorite member, Tony. 

Another important character on the show is Yoon Yoon-jae, played by Seo In-guk, Shi-won’s childhood best friend and neighbor. He is among the most handsome boys at school, with a stellar academic record —unlike Shi-won, who struggles to rise from the bottom of her class. Hoya, as Kang Joon-hee, is Yoon-jae’s best friend and is known for his gentle personality.

_{Video Credits: Ani-Hongo}

Mo Yoo-jung, played by Shin So-yul, is a fan of a rival K-pop boyband, despite Shi-won considering Yoo-jung to be her best buddy. Yoo-jung is known for her fickle nature and her tendency to fall in love easily. Do Hak-chan, played by Eun Ji-won, is a transfer student from Seoul who is into sports and holds an absurdly extensive collection of pornography. Bang Sung Jae, played by Lee Si-eon, is the group’s gossiper.

Reply 1994 (2013)

_{Picture Credits: IMDb}

Reply 1994 revolves around the lives of boarding house residents back in the early 90s Seoul. The boarding house is owned by the parents of one of the main characters, Sung Na-jung, played by Go Ara. The plot revolves around the residents of Shinchon Boarding House — Sseureki, played by Jung Woo; Chilbong, played by Yoo Yeon-seok; Samcheonpo, played by Kim Sung-kyun; Haitai, played by Son Ho-jun; Binggeure, played by Baro, and, finally, Jo Yoon-jin, played by Min Do-hee. All of them, including Na-jung, belong to the countryside, except Chilbong, who was born and brought up in Seoul.  

The show revolves around them figuring out how things work in the big city, ranging from nightclubs to metros, etc., and trying to make it to the popular group or be a part of the ‘in’ crowd. At the same time, they explore the passion and power that one has when one is young and how one faces challenges that revolve around moving to a whole new place, finding “their” people, and learning the art of adulting. 

_{Video Credits: CJEntertainmentUSA}

The show’s timeline takes place from 1994 to 2013 while exploring all the critical events that impacted the Korean population during this time, such as the death of Kim Il Sung, the fear of impending war, the fall of the Daewoo Group, the tragedy of the Sampoong Department Store collapse, K-pop, and more. 

Reply 1988 (2015)

_{Picture Credits: AsianWiki}

Reply 1988 is a story that revolves around a small neighborhood in Ssangmundong, Seoul. The main focus is on five teenagers of the same age and their families in the late 1980s and 1990s. The show takes the podium to highlight the problems one faced back then by exploring a typical day or a few in the lives of people living in that era. 

The main plot revolves around five childhood friends and their problems; it’s their coming-of-age story — where they struggle, have good times, and grow older. Sung Deok-sun, played by Lee Hye-ri, is the middle child who longs for her family’s attention and affection and struggles with her grades.

_{Video Credits: tvN DRAMA}

On the other hand, Kim Jung-hwan, played by Ryu Jun-yeol, struggles with expressing himself and is wholly devoted to football. Sung Sun-woo, played by Go Kyung-pyo, is an ideal teenager and well-loved in the neighborhood. He is the class president and a responsible child who grew up sooner than he should have; however, he is a reliable son. 

The fourth friend is Ryu Dong-ryong, played by Lee Dong-hwi, whose biggest struggle is being in the same school as his Vice-Principal father and not getting attention and affection from his busy mother. He is a street-smart character; however, he struggles at school. The last of the five friends, Choi Taek, played by Park Bo-gum, is a professional Baduk (go game) player who dropped out of school.

_{Picture Credits: IMDb}

Reply 1988 is a 20-episode-long show, each lasting longer than an hour. It allows us to experience the past and reignite the warmth, honesty, kindness, and togetherness that once came so easily to people; this is one of the core teachings of this drama. It inspires us to be brave, care for ourselves and others, and love without expecting anything in return. If only I could erase my memories and watch this show again for the first time, I would do so in a heartbeat. This show is an experience that I’d love the readers to explore.

Prison Playbook (2017)

_{Picture Credits: IMDb}

Prison Playbook (슬기로운 감빵생활) is a 16-episode-long show, each episode lasting 90 minutes. It revolves around a Baseball pitcher, Kim Je-hyuk, played by Park Hae-soo, who became a convicted felon after defending his sister from a sexual assault. He is sentenced to a year in prison because he caused deadly injuries to his sister’s assailant while protecting her.

His character is focused and assertive when playing baseball; otherwise, he is inept at everything else. I frequently asked myself, “What is wrong with him?” However, this serves and adds to the recurring humorous theme of the show. The characters are well-written, and the show delves artfully into exploring their personalities and point-of-views, leading the viewer to understand and empathize with them.

_{Video Credits: Ani-Hongo}

The narrative of this show examines the perspectives of the prisoners who are wrongly there and made poor decisions. It’s just not the prisoners that are being focused on; the storyline shines a light on the struggles of the wardens, correction personnel, the staff at the prison, and their families. 

Through the warm, character-centered comedic style, the storyline guides the viewer through the most hilarious, sad, and heartbreaking themes. The series is meaningful and thought-provoking as it makes the viewers contemplate their life decisions and, at the same time, some ethical questions. Prison Playbook is one of the wittiest dark comedy shows out there, and I hope the readers enjoy this as much as I did.

Hospital Playlist (2 seasons) (2020-2021)

_{Picture Credits: IMDb}

Hospital Playlist (슬기로운 의사생활) revolves around the lives of five doctors in their 40s who have been friends since they were in medical school and now work in the same hospital, Yulje Medical Centre, but in different departments — Lee Ik-jun played by Jo Jung-suk, Ahn Jeong-won played by Yoo Yeon-seok, Kim Jun-wan played by Jung Kyung-ho, Yang Seok-hyeong played by Kim Dae-myung, and Chae Song-hwa played by Jeon Mi-do. While at work, they are passionate doctors and professors; however, once they clock out of work, they are together having dinner or practicing as a band. 

Ik-jun is an assistant professor in the general surgery department, specializing in liver transplants. He is also a single father to one of the cutest children in K-drama history, Woo-joo, played by Kim Joon. Ik-jun is a cheerful and humorous character who is quite popular amongst the patients and the staff at the hospital.

_{Video Credits: Netflix K-Content}

The second character is Ahn Jeong-won, who is the son of the hospital’s founder and an assistant professor of pediatric surgery. His patients love him for the compassion and rational demeanor he portrays. He secretly wishes to be a priest, which adds more depth to his character. 

Kim Jun-wan is an associate professor in the cardiothoracic surgery department, who, unlike Ik-jun and Jeong-won, is feared and dreaded by his subordinates, but they also look up to him. He is incredibly skilled and hardworking, but has a cold demeanor. He is also Ik-jun’s childhood friend and is well acquainted with his family and history.

_{Picture Credits: IMDb}

Yang Seok-hyeong is an obstetrics and gynecology assistant professor who is a big-time introvert, making people perceive him as distant and disconnected; however, he is warm-hearted and pays attention to people around him and his patients. He is filled with empathy and cares tremendously about his mother. 

And lastly, the only female presence in the group is Chae Song-hwa. She is an associate professor of neurosurgery; she is considered the perfect doctor because of her incredible knowledge and skills, accommodating demeanor that enables the patients to feel at ease, and lively personality. She is one of those people who love to sing but cannot; I relate to her except for the delusion that I can sing, while our girl Song-hwa still gets a chance to make her dreams come true. 

_{Picture Credits: IMDb}

Hospital Playlist is a light-hearted show that explores various themes that bring tense and sad moments. However, it jumps back to its bright self — the narrative constantly gives hope and tries to convey the main themes and messages of being considerate towards others, not jumping to conclusions by putting yourself in their shoes, and blocking the natural flow of human emotions to appear indifferent.

The series emits comfort, and the actors perform catchy and heartwarming songs at the end of every episode. The show is a reminder that life is meant to be joyous and fun, and we must take the initiative to bring that ray of sunshine into our lives.

Currently, another incredible work by director Shin Won-ho is being aired. Resident Playbook (언젠가는 슬기로울 전공의생활) is a spin-off of the Hospital Playlist series starring Go Youn-jung as Oh Yi-young, Shin Si-ah as Pyo Nam-kyung, Kang You-seok as Um Jae-il, Han Ye-ji as Kim Sa-bi, and Jung Joon-won as Goo Do-won. Unlike the Hospital Playlist series, this show focuses on the lives of young residents in the obstetrics and gynecology department. It airs every Saturday and Sunday.

_{Video Credits: Netflix K-Content}

So, which of his works are your favorites? Tell us in the comments!