Writer: Mansi Bisht (Delhi, India)
Editor: Arpita Jena (Baripada, Odisha, India)
In any drama, the direction plays an important role in setting the mood for the drama. They are responsible for how the drama will look on the screen. Director Jung Ji-hyun has directed some of the best dramas with visually pleasing scenes and aesthetic shots. Let’s take a look at some of his best works as a director:
Twenty Five Twenty One
Picture Credit: NETFLIX
This drama was released in 2022, starring Nam Joo-hyuk as Baek Yi-jin and Kim Tae-ri as Na Hui-do. The series follows these two young individuals who are trying to make sense of their lives while living their youth to the fullest despite all the difficulties life throws at them.
The nostalgia of the 90s is captured perfectly by the director Jung Ji-hyun. One of the best scenes in the series is the wide shot when there is a crowd who is protesting and both the characters find each other amidst that chaos. Both of them stand out perfectly in that shot.
Picture Credit: THE INDIAN EXPRESS
The heartwarming scenes, as well as heartbreaking scenes, evoke the feelings desired by the director. The cast also does their work perfectly, and each of the expressions and dialogue delivery comes out to be natural.
OST of the drama adds more charm to the drama. The drama successfully invokes the feeling of nostalgia, heartbreak, admiration, and wistfulness among the audience.
You Are My Spring
Picture Credit: NETFLIX
This drama was released in 2021 with Seo Hyun-jin as Kang Da-jeong and Kim Dong-wook as Ju Yeong-do. We meet Kang Da-jong, who has been unfortunate in relationships, and moves to a new house in order to start afresh.
There she comes across Ju Yeong-do, who is a psychiatrist holding a clinic just below her apartment. Although they don’t like each other much in the beginning, a murder puts them together and brings them closer than ever.
Picture Credit: NETFLIX
This is a story of healing and finding calm in chaos, when literally the world around you is collapsing, but you feel safe with that one person. Although at the core, drama focuses on healing but you can find sprinkles of comedy here and there.
With darker themes of childhood trauma and abandonment issues, this drama is not made for people who hate complex stories. Director Jung Ji-hyun again shoots the drama in such a way that all the shots are pleasing to the eye.
Picture Credit: THE FANGIRL VERDICT
If you are looking for a drama with murder mystery, romance, laughs, and heartbreaking scenes, then this drama is waiting for you.
The King: Eternal Monarch
Picture Credit: NETFLIX
Lee Min-ho starred as Lee Gon and Kim Go-eun played the role of Jeong Tae-eul. Woo Do-hwan as Jo Eun-seob was also loved by the audience. The stellar cast of this 2020 drama grabbed eyeballs with amazing acting and chemistry.
The drama explores the concept of time travel where two parallel worlds are depicted – the Republic of Korea (2020 world) and the Kingdom of Corea (very different from the present one). The Kingdom of Corea respects Lee Gon, the king.
Picture Credit: HELLOKPOP
A mysterious person once saved him from a fatal attack in childhood, who, without revealing their identity, left an ID card with the name ‘Jung Tae-eul’. Lee Gon goes on a search to find this mysterious person, and the drama of these parallel worlds unfolds in the 16 episodes.
The storyline of the parallel world also excited lots of people. The direction by Jung Ji-hyun made sure to capture the essence of different worlds.
Picture Credit: THE WORDY HABITAT
Although in the beginning, the travel from one world to another seemed confusing, but it later felt familiar. This drama is the perfect mix of fantasy and romance and would be loved by people who love fantasy dramas.
Search: WWW
Picture Credit: VIKI
This drama of 2019 featured Im Soo-jung as Bae Ta-mi, Lee Da-hee as Cha Hyeon, Jeon Hye-jin as Song Ga-kyeong, Jang Ki-yong as Park Morgan, Lee Jae-wook as Seo Ji-hwan, and Ji Seung-hyun as Oh Jin-woo. The story takes place when Bae Ta-mi, who loves her stable job, is fired one day while being used as a scapegoat for the company’s corruption.
Subsequently, she finds a job in the rival company and creates alliances to surpass Unicon’s director. In this journey, we witness her falling in love and fighting with workplace misogyny.
Picture Credit: NETFLIX
This drama is a breath of fresh air with strong female characters who save themselves and do not wait to be saved. The sociopolitical commentary of the drama on patriarchy and corporate corruption makes it a worthy watch.
The direction and cinematography present the drama with soft and sharp shots as the scenes require. The camerawork is also creative and allows the audience to watch the drama more attentively. For anyone who is looking for strong female characters, this drama is a must-watch.
Lie Hidden in My Garden
Picture Credit: VIKI
You will find Lim Ji-yeon playing Chu Sang-eun, Kim Tae-hee playing Moon Joo-ran, Choi Jae-rim as Kim Yoon-beom and Kim Sung-oh as Park Jae-ho.
Moon Joo-ran’s peaceful life is shaken up when a strange smell from her backyard catches her attention. This results in her investigating her husband and coming across with Chu Sang-eun. One night, the husband of Sang-eun dies and the suspicion arises towards Moon Joo-ran’s husband.
Picture Credit: FORBES
This 8-episode thriller drama will keep you on your toes with the mystery shrouded throughout the drama. The director of this drama skillfully shoots the artful spaces, and the music in the background is the final touch.
The slow pace of the drama will force you to watch all 8 episodes in one go. This is a perfect drama for people who want to watch a mystery.
We hope you like our recommendations. Which of these K-drama would you watch first? Do let us know in the comments.
2521❤️
Jung Ji-hyun is indeed a great director. I watched The King: Eternal Monarch, and the drama was sooo good. Every episode was amazing—the directing, camera work, acting, everything was perfect.
Jung Ji-Hyun has definitely directed a lot of iconic Kdramas..His direction has definitely given us a lot of strong and emotional stories especially 2521.
Director jung ji hyun’s work is really so incredible and worth watching as he is able to portray every scene of drama very well ❤️🩹 his work is exceptional the way he defines the scene on screen no one can do it. The king eternal monarch is one of my favourite drama of his work in this drama he portrays two parallel worlds beautifully and every can make you realise how creative thinking the director has specially the aesthetic scenes of this drama are really very good 😊. Thanks for giving reccomendation of his other drama in which we can see the more creative way of telling story on screen 😀.
My experience is thrilled to see a feature on the brilliant Director Jung Ji-hyun, who is truly responsible for some of K-Drama’s most iconic and aesthetically beautiful scenes.
This is a fantastic list, highlighting his diverse talent from the cozy mystery of You Are My Spring to the iconic visuals of Twenty Five Twenty One, making it a must-read for K-Drama fans!
What an incredible director to pull out such an fantastic drama like twenty five twenty one,the king of enternal monarch. Both drama were so good that it made me cry,laugh,and so many emotions..
Director Jung Jihyun really seems like a person with great insight in dramas. He really has such amazing dramas with fresh perspectives that will make you watch his dramas with anticipation. Seems like it’s time to give his dramas a watch, specially the Lies Hidden in my Garden.
This article did a great job highlighting Jung Ji-hyun’s versatility — from You Are My Spring’s emotional mystery to the nostalgic charm of Twenty-Five Twenty-One. It’s cool to see how she weaves deep stories about relationships and healing. Her direction really brings out character growth in a gentle but powerful way. Now I actually want to binge these dramas in order.
This was such an amazing compilation! Director Jung Ji Hyun truly has a gift for creating dramas that are visually stunning and emotionally gripping. The way her works blend storytelling, character depth, and cinematic beauty explains why so many viewers connect with them. Reading this made me appreciate her directing style even more, and now I feel like rewatching some of her classics!
HELLOOO the way this list has all my comfort shows 😭💗 his direction feels like poetry on screen. Twenty Five Twenty One still lives rent-free in my heart.
Every time I see ‘Directed by Jung Ji-hyun,’ I just KNOW I’m about to cry, fall in love, and rethink my life in HD 😭💫
I have watched almost of her drama. She really ahs a great gift for creating visually appealing dramas. Almost every dramas of hers has good stroytelling and excellent character depth. I hope she will keep delivering us more amazing works
This is a great list that highlights Director Jung Ji-hyun’s ability to use beautiful cinematography to tell deeply emotional and relatable stories.
Director Jung Ji-hyun’s filmography is genuinely impressive! From the beautiful nostalgia of Twenty Five Twenty One to the intense parallel worlds of The King: Eternal Monarch and the sharp social commentary of Search: WWW, his dramas consistently offer visually stunning cinematography and capture deep emotion. His direction is definitely a huge factor in the success of these beloved shows.
Twenty five twenty one is one of the best dramas i have ever watched. The director has done an amzing job
This was such an amazing compilation! Director Jung Ji-hyun truly has a gift for making every frame look like poetry on screen; her use of wide shots and creative cinematography is exactly why shows like Twenty Five Twenty One and The King: Eternal Monarch stay with you long after they end. I particularly loved how you highlighted the contrast between the 90s nostalgia in 2521 and the sharp, modern feel of Search: WWW—it really shows her incredible versatility. I’ve been meaning to watch Lies Hidden in My Garden, and after reading this, it’s definitely next on my list! Thanks for the great recommendations; I’d love to see more director-focused spotlights like this in the future.”
Jung Ji-hyun’s direction is truly remarkable! The way he balances emotions, aesthetics, and storytelling makes every drama visually stunning and engaging. Twenty Five Twenty One and You Are My Spring are definitely on my watchlist now—I can’t wait to see his other works too!
J
Ji hyun has some of the best dramas with such aesthetic shots especially 2521 the individual struggles of every character esp Na hui do & Baek Yi jin. Their friendship & everything. The ending was unexpected cuz I wasn’t expecting them to part ways but the important message about that ending was “Not everything has to work out & it’s okay sometimes to part ways without being bitter” . The king : Eternal monarch is one of my favs too cuz of Lee min Ho & then the concept of time travel in it