Lee Eung-bok

Beginning in KBS Drama Department

Lee started his television career in 2001 after passing the 28th PD Public Recruitment at KBS, where he began working in the Drama Department.^[2][3] The following year, he contributed a chapter titled "Broadcasting company recruitment trends and industry trends in the broadcasting industry" to the book PD Who and How (2002), an introductory guide to the PD profession jointly written by 27 PDs from the three major broadcasting companies and an outsourced production company.^[4]

Directorial debut

In 2009, Lee made his debut as director with the KBS2 Monday-Tuesday drama Hometown of Legends - Forbidden Books, written by Bang Ji-young. The story centers on a cursed banned book that summons ghosts, depicting the extreme maternal love of Hyeon-deok (played by Kim Seong-eun) to save her son who read the book, and the secrets of Jeong-hee (played by Yoon Hee-seok) involved in the book's creation.^[5] The following year, Lee co-directed The Reputable Family (Myeongga) with Jeon Woo-seong, a historical drama written by Baek Young-sook and Yoon Young-soo. It was the first KBS historical drama to be restored from KBS2 to KBS1 and marked Cha In-pyo's debut in the genre. The drama focused on the true value of wealth by introducing the anecdote of Gyeongju's richest family, which practiced the spirit of noblesse oblige.^[6] In the same year, Lee also directed the KBS 2TV Drama Special Episode 7 titled The Great Gye Chun-bin, a romantic comedy melodrama co-written with Yoon Ji-hee, starring Jung Yu-mi and Jung Kyung-ho in his first one-act play since joining KBS in 2003.^[7]

Career breakthrough with youth drama

Lee's subsequent project was the musical drama Dream High, which aired in 2011. The series was the result of a joint venture established in January 2009 between Bae Yong-joon's agency KeyEast and Park Jin-young's JYP Entertainment,^[8] named Holym, with CJ Media joining the production in April 2010.^[9] Bae served as the creative producer, while Park handled the music and choreography.^[10] In the end of 2010, it was announced that the screenplay was written by Park Hye-ryun, and Lee co-directed the series with Kim Seong-yoon.^[11]Dream High featured a main cast of prominent K-pop idols, including Ok Taec-yeon and Jang Wooyoung (2PM), Bae Suzy (Miss A), Hahm Eun-jung (T-ara), and IU,^[10] alongside non-idol actor Kim Soo-hyun, who trained at JYP Entertainment for three months for his role.^[12] Both Bae Yong-joon and Park Jin-young also appeared in the drama; Bae in a four-episode guest role—marking his return to television after three years—and Park in his acting debut.^[13][14]

In 2012, Lee co-directed School 2013, the fifth installment of KBS's School series, alongside Lee Min-hong.^[15] The drama, written by Lee Hyun-joo and Go Jung-won, was well-received by young viewers, garnering double-digit viewership ratings and contributing to the recognition of cast members such as Kim Woo-bin and Lee Jong-suk both domestically and overseas.^[16]

Continued success

While still directing School 2013 in October 2012, Lee began preparing for his next project, the drama Secret Love. Lee was highly impressed by the script, which had won the KBS Miniseries Script Contest for writer Choi Ho-cheol in 2012, and spent nearly a year in preparation and meetings with Choi. Chief Producer Hwang Ui-kyung subsequently recommended writer Yoo Bo-ra to join the project.^[17] The writing was divided, with Yoo Bo-ra developing the emotional and feminine aspects, and Choi Ho-cheol focusing on the mystery and thriller elements.^[18]Starring Hwang Jung-eum, Ji Sung, Bae Soo-bin, and Lee Da-hee, the 16-episode series aired on KBS2 from September 25 to November 14, 2013.^[19] Secret Love received consistent positive reviews for its well-structured plot of revenge and desire, becoming the top Wednesday-Thursday drama with a peak viewership rating of 16%, successfully competing against Kim Eun-sook's The Heirs.^[20] The success of the drama was noted by Chief Producer Hwang Eui-kyung as significant, showcasing the positive outcome of taking a risk on promising new writers for a mini-series.^[21]

In 2015, Lee took on the role of director for Descendants of the Sun, which employed a full pre-production format, a departure from the typical Korean live-shoot schedule,^{[22][23][unreliable source?]} partly to meet China's government drama preliminary review requirements. Lee was reportedly drawn to the story as he sought solace following the Sewol Ferry disaster.^[24] The drama was adapted from Kim Won-seok's award-winning script "Doctors Without Borders", with Kim Eun-sook joined. as co-writer. It featured a star-studded cast including Song Joong-ki, Song Hye-kyo, Jin Goo, and Kim Ji-won.^[25][26][27]

Due to the scope of the project, including overseas filming, Lee enlisted directors Kang Myeong-chan and Kim Dong-sik for assistance, the latter having experience as a coordinator during the Korean filming of the movie Avengers.^[24] On September 28, 2015, the entire cast and crew, including the four main leads and supporting actors Kang Shin-il and Onew, embarked on a trip to Greece.^{[28][29][unreliable source?][30]} It was reported that the majority of the filming took place in Zakynthos, Arachova, Lemnos, and Navagio.^[31][32] Filming locations for the fictional war-torn region set in a remote part of the Balkan Peninsula to avoid diplomatic issues with Iraq.^[32] While in South Korea, the Mowuru Company base camp was situated at the depleted Taebaek Hanbo Coal Mine, and earthquake scenes were filmed at the Samtan Art Mine. Other locations included the Camp Greaves DMZ Experience Centre, which was formerly a US Army base camp during the Korean War and Seoul St. Mary's Hospital for the Haesung Hospital scenes.^[33]

The 16-episode series aired on KBS2 from February 24 to April 14, 2016,^[34] and was followed by three special episodes from April 20 to April 22, 2016. These special episodes featured highlights and memorable scenes from the series, provided insights into the drama's production process, featured behind-the-scenes footage, included commentaries from the cast members, and concluded with a final epilogue.^[35][36] The drama was a major success in South Korea, achieving a peak audience share of 38.8% and winning multiple awards, including the prestigious Grand Prize in television at the 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards. It was also recognized as the Most Popular Show of the year by the Korea Broadcasting Advertising Corporation.^[37] In March 2017, at the 29th Korea PD Awards, it received the Best TV Drama Award.^[38]

Moving to CJENM

Lee departed from KBS in August 2016 and subsequently joined CJ ENM Entertainment Division (later Studio Dragon).^[39] His first project after the move was a reunion with writer Kim Eun-sook for tvN's Friday-Saturday drama Guardian: The Lonely and Great God. The series revolves around the tale of a goblin and a girl who has the ability to see ghosts. The drama surpassed the 10% viewership mark within just two episodes. It commenced with a rating of 6.9% and increased to 8.3% in the second episode.^[40]

Two years later, Lee continued his successful collaboration with Kim Eun-sook with the historical drama Mr. Sunshine (2018).^[1]

Television series

Awards and nominations

State honors