Back by popular demand, it’s Round 2 of: Show vs. Girlfriday. I thought I’d check in with Road No. 1 at the halfway point, to see how it’s progressed since we last faced off in battle. To be clear: this is an experiment of sorts—I have not watched Episodes 2-9, so that I could come at Episode 10 from a unique perspective. I wanted to see what’s changed, how the narrative is doing, and if it’s gotten any better, which it totally could have, right? Again, this isn’t a straightforward recap, since it’s a review.

Read the Road No. 1 Halftime Recap on Dramabeans.

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Category: News Watch | Tags: Kim Haneul, Road No. 1, So Ji Sub, Yoon Kye-Sang

A high-budget war epic commemorating the Korean War, Road No.1 spans several generations and sixty years, and commemorates the sixty years that have passed since the Korean War. It’s based around the historical “Route 1″, a national highway that served as the main passageway between North and South Korea during the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950.

From director Lee Jang-soo (Stairway to Heaven), co-director Kim Jin Min and writer Han Ji Hoon (Time Between Dog and Wolf), comes this gritty epic. Leading Kdrama stars So Ji-Sub (Sorry I Love You, Cain and Abel) and Kim Haneul (On Air, 90 Days Time To Love) portray star-crossed lovers who are torn apart by war, but who demonstrate that neither time, distance, nor misunderstanding can break their connection. Yoon Kye-Sang of Who Are You? co-stars as a young army officer while Choi Min-Soo is a hard-bitten commander. With a large-scale story and a 10 billion won budget, Road No.1 ably captures a pivotal period in Korean history and tells a tale of love, friendship and redemption in the shadow of war.

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Category: Korean Drama | Tags: Han Ji Hoon, Kdrama, Kim Haneul, Kim Jin Min, Korean, Korean War, Road No. 1, Road Number 1, Road Number One, So Ji Sub, Yoon Kye-Sang

Hyo Min

In a move unusual for Kdramas, taping of the highly anticipated Korean War epic Road No. 1 was completed in full before the first episode hit the airwaves (it premieres next Wednesday). It must be a relief for stars So Ji Sub, Kim Ha Neul, and Yoon Kye Sang’s abs to be able to promote the drama with the confidence of having seen the entire finished product. Check out the cast and crew’s finale party here, and see Kim making sure her dress doesn’t result in any embarrassing photos at a press conference for the series here.

The World Cup is playing havoc with drama ratings in Korea, and for now the Wednesday-night beneficiary is the new Baker King Kim Tak Gu. How will it hold up next week when the juggernaut Road No. 1 arrives? Meanwhile, for its 10th week in a row, the number-one drama in Korea is the saguek Dong Yi.

Two new weekend dramas begin on Saturday, running the spectrum from family romance to war drama. Please Marry Me is about four couples living under one roof, and Comrades has been getting quite a bit of press as the 60th anniversary of the start of the Korean War draws near. See the cast and posters for both new shows right here.

The upcoming Hong Sisters‘ fantasy-romance My Girlfriend is a Gumiho gained a new cast member from the pop music world: Hyo Min is the latest member of T-Ara to step into the acting spotlight on the new show. She’ll have a supporting role as a friend of the two main characters and daughter of a film stunt academy, where the drama is apparently partially set.

Oguri Shun just wrapped up the mountain-climbing flick Gaku, set on the perilous Yakugatake mountain range. In order to make the movie, he had to get adept at “vertical downhill,” which sounds really scary. He relied on the tight-knit crew so much that now that shooting’s over, he says he feels quite lonely…

And finally, Jang Geun Suk, who recently announced that he’s on a diet, will be dancing the pounds away at an all-night party to cheer on South Korea as they face Nigeria in the World Cup.

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Category: News | Tags: Baker King Kim Tak Gu, Comrades, Dong Yi, Gaku, Hong Sisters, Jang Geun Suk, Kim Ha Neul, My Girlfriend is a Gumiho, Oguri Shun, Please Marry Me, Road No. 1, So Ji Sub, T-ara, World Cup, Yoon Kye-Sang

Jiyeon

Road No. 1 producer Kim Jin Min described his unusual method for creating the war epic in a new interview, saying that unlike many Korean dramas, Road was completely written before shooting began in order to give as much time as possible to post-production. Most dramas are still shooting as episodes start to air, putting producers under pressure to cut corners and alter their stories as viewer reaction floods in. That’s the wrong approach for Road No. 1, says Kim: “the viewers own whatever goes on air but Korean dramas will never improve if you can’t shoot dramas in advance because you’re fearful of viewers’ response.”

In other Road No. 1 news, stars Kim Ha Neul, So Ji Sub and Yoon Kye Sang gave a joint interview describing their experiences on the set as shooting reaches the 80% completion mark. All seem to be ecstatic about the upcoming show, Kim saying that it’s the first time she’s received such a moving script. And although the tight production schedule didn’t allow for a lot of happy hours, Kim and So say they became very close friends after shooting their love scenes together…

It looks as though new DF addition Personal Taste will be a 16-episode drama after all. Although the popular romantic comedy has been such a commercial success that producers were considering a 4-ep extension, a crowded time slot and other issues will have the drama wrap up as planned.

Lee Bum Soo will marry Lee Yoon Jin in about a week, and he’s decided to make public his unique wedding invitations. Designed and drawn himself, the invitations feature a simple pencil drawing of the happy couple. If you’re still waiting for yours to come in the mail, you can get a sneak peek at the invites here.

After being shuffled around the calendar by the appearance and sudden postponement of I Am Legend, new noir drama Bad Guy finally has an air date set in stone (for now). Starring Kim Nam Gil, Bad Guy will premier in two weeks, following the finale of Prosecutor Princess.

Finally, a follow-up to the story of T-ara’s Jiyeon’s first kiss with Yoo Seung Ho. Evidently she fell for the masculine charisma of his music video persona, not realizing the goofball behind the image! Full story and video from Strong Heart are here.

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Category: News | Tags: Bad Guy, I Am Legend, JiYeon, Kim Ha Neul, Kim Jin Min, Kim Nam Gil, Lee Bum Soo, Lee Yoon Jin, Personal Taste, Prosecutor Princess, Road No. 1, So Ji Sub, Strong Heart, T-ara, Yoo Seung Ho, Yoon Kye-Sang

The posters are out for MBC’s epic war drama Road No. 1, starring So Ji-sub and Yoon Kye-sang as soldiers during the Korean War and Kim Haneul as the woman who comes between them.

Read more of “Road No. 1 posters released” on Dramabeans.

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Category: News Watch | Tags: Kdrama, Kim Haneul, Road No. 1, So Ji Sub, war drama, Yoon Kye-Sang