OG K-dramas Featuring All-Time Fave K-Stars of Early 2000s [Updated 2023]
Long before Park Seo Joon, Song Joong Ki, Park Shin Hye and more of this generation's hottest Korean stars, fans went gaga over the OG K-drama celebrities Choi Ji Woo, Kwon Sang Woo and more!
From their early years in the industry, viewers witnessed how these first-generation icons blossomed to become sought-after A-listers who are considered the pillars of Hallyu.
Now, let's take a look back at the iconic K-dramas from our all-time favorite first-generation Hallyu stars!
Winter Sonata
The 2002 melodrama is definitely a big part of the Korean wave as it launched the careers of Bae Yong Joon, Choi Ji Woo, Park Yong Ha and Park Sol Mi to stardom.
Although it may look like a cliche K-drama, "Winter Sonata" illustrates a bittersweet ending after the two main characters endured an emotional agony.
"Winter Sonata" became such a huge hit in Korea and neighboring countries like Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, and the Philippines. Aside from it, the KBS series had an anime adaptation airing in 2009 in Japan with 26 episodes.
READ ALSO: 5 Most Emotional K-Dramas You Should Watch If You're Up For a Good Cry
Interestingly, it also opened a lot of opportunities for the lead stars, especially to Bae Yong Joon, who is now KeyEast's chairman that houses stars like Moon Ga Young, Kang Ha Na, "Penthouse" star Yoon Jong Hoon and more.
As for his co-star, Choi Ji Woo landed another hit series, "Stairway to Heaven."
Stairway to Heaven
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From one iconic K-drama to another, "Stairway to Heaven" is a well-loved series that stars now sought-after actors and actresses like Choi Ji Woo, Kwon Sang Woo, Kim Tae Hee, and Shin Hyun Joon. It is also one of the highest rating series in Korea after receiving an average viewership rating of 38.8 and 45.3 percent during the finale.
The 2003 Kd-rama also featured Park Shin Hye as the young Choi Ji Woo.
Full House
If there were an OG rom-com, that would be Song Hye Kyo and Rain's K-drama "Full House."
Released in 2004, everyone got so hooked on the funny yet highly complex relationship of Lee Young Jae and Han Ji Eun, who used to fight like cats and dogs.
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Interestingly, "Full House" had several adaptations, including Thai, Filipino, Chinese and Taiwanese, which only proves how mesmerized the viewers were by the K-drama's plot.
My Lovely Sam Soon
Long before Hyun Bin became everyone's biggest crush, he made millions of hearts flutter in the 2005 series "My Lovely Sam Soon" with co-star Kim Sun Ah. He took the role of Hyun Jin Hun, a restaurant owner who manages an establishment named Bon Appetit.
After the universe conspires, he meets baker Kim Sam Soon and hires her. "My Lovely Sam Soon" featured a love-hate relationship between the lead stars but ended up in a whirlwind of romance.
Do you know other OG K-dramas we forgot to mention? Tell us in the comments!
