Korean Chick Lit Books Turned Into Dramas

A scene from the novel-based drama “My Sweet Seoul.” It will start airing June 6 at 9:55 p.m. on SBS. / Courtesy of CJ Entertainment

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia, Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporters

Chick lit books have always been popular among young Korean women, especially the ``Shopaholic'' series by Sophie Kinsella and ``The Devil Wears Prada'' by Lauren Weisberger.

Korean chick lit books are also gaining popularity, and two popular books are being turned into television dramas.

The glamorous world of the fashion industry will be the backdrop for the up-coming SBS drama ``Style," based on a novel written by Baek Young-ok, a former fashion reporter.

A producer from SBS said Tuesday it has finalized the purchase of the rights to turn ``Style" into a drama. The drama is expected to air by March next year.

There is no word yet on who will play the lead role in the TV soap. In ``Style," the main character is a 31-year-old female reporter at a fashion magazine. It gives an inside look at the world of fashion and luxury. It also deals with office politics, fierce competition in the fashion world and the luxury goods industry.



``Style'' has been likened to ``The Devil Wears Prada," a fictionalized account of a young woman's experience working for a top fashion magazine in New York.

The novel was chosen as the winner of Segye Ilbo's 4th World Literature Award last year. Baek has also published other works including ``It's All Roh Moo-hyun's Fault" and ``Cat Shanti.''

Along with ``Style,'' another popular book ``My Sweet Seoul,'' written by Jeong Yi-hyun, will be brought to the television screens June 6.

Dubbed as a ``premium drama,'' the best seller turned production will portray the life of a 31-year-old single woman Oh Eun-soo played by actress Choi Kang-hee.

The novel ``My Sweet Seoul'' first appeared as a series in the Chosun Ilbo back in 2005. The realistic storyline and detailed literary style grabbed the attention of young women in their mid-20s and 30s, and the author soon came out with the book version. Through the protagonist Oh, the book displays the story of her love and office life, friendship and family. The drama is expected to pick up the detailed and trendy life of Oh from the book.

The drama will follow the basic story line with additional plots along the way. Along with actress Choi, actors Lee Sun-kyun and Ji Hyun-woo will also appear as the main male characters.

Another interesting feature of the drama is the production crew. Park Heung-sik, the producer of the drama, will join writer Song Hae-jin and shooting director Choi Young-ta to create the drama version of the book. Park, Song and Choi have worked together for the movie ``My Mother, The Mermaid'' (2004) and they promised to bring movie-like scenes and backdrops for drama fans.

``My Sweet Seoul'' will be aired 9:55 p.m., June 6 on SBS.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr
sanghee@koreatimes.co.kr