Lim Sang-choon

The name 'Lim Sang-choon' is a pen name derived from the Chinese characters "想賰," which translates to "plentiful imagination." Lim adopted an androgynous pen name and maintains a private persona to mitigate potential biases related to gender and age.^[6] Her stated objective is to prioritize the narratives conveyed through her characters over personal recognition as an artist.^[7][8] Although her identity as a woman in her early 30s was revealed during the 2017 press conference for Fight for My Way, she reiterated her intention to remain anonymous and declined to disclose further personal details, indicating a preference to write under a different pen name should her anonymity be compromised. Consequently, she has not attended awards ceremonies to which she has been invited.^[7][9]

Prior to becoming a screenwriter, Lim worked at a company in her late 20s. She has stated that her aspiration to become a writer stemmed from observing the positive impact of dramas on viewers.^[10]

"I saw people smiling while watching dramas on their cell phones on the bus going home with their tired bodies. I thought I should write a drama that makes people happy."^[11]

She pursued screenwriting independently, studying existing scripts without formal training at a writer's education center. In 2013, Lim submitted her work to The 5th Drama Script Contest — Finding a Shooting Star in the Desert, with two of her scripts reaching the final screening.^[11] Despite her lack of formal training, she won the 'SBS Plus Award' at the contest.^[8] Subsequently, a producer who reviewed her scripts proposed a Chuseok special drama. In 2014, Lim debuted with the MBC Chuseok special drama "Lump in My Life." The drama, featuring actors Byun Hee-bong, Kang Hye-jung, Song Ok-sook, and child actor Kal So-won,^[12] depicts the reconciliation between a grandfather and granddaughter. The drama was also broadcast at the 2014 Short Drama Festival.^[13]

Another of Lim's scripts was adapted into a mini-drama for The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning's '2014 One-act Play Festival,' hosted by the Korea Communications Agency (KCA). The SBS Plus drama 'Dodohara' was directed by Yoon Ryun-hae. 'Dodohara' is a romantic comedy drama featuring Girl's Day's Yura, Shin So-yul, and Yoo Min-gyu, where a man and two women come together to create a fashion shopping mall.^[13]

Lim gained further recognition with KBS2 short drama Becky's Back in 2016. This four-episode Korean drama, starring Kang Ye-won, Jin Ji-hee, Kim Sung-oh, Choi Dae-chul, In Gyo-jin and Choi Phillip follows the return of Scarlet O'Hara Yang Baek-hee to the island of Seomwol-do after 18 years.^[14] It was well-received during its initial broadcast. Due to positive reception and viewer requests, KBS2 rebroadcast the director's cut of Becky's Back as a two-part series in March 2017, prior to the premiere of Lim's new drama Fight for My Way.^[15][16]

Fight for My Way, starring Park Seo-joon and Kim Ji-won, marked Lim's debut as a writer for a full-length drama series.^[8] Aired on KBS2 from May 22 to July 11, 2017, the series portrays the struggles of two childhood friends pursuing their career aspirations. The show achieved high viewership and topped the TV popularity index for three consecutive weeks. It was subsequently adapted into a manhwa.^{[17][18][19][20]}

In 2019, Lim returned with When the Camellia Blooms, a mini-series starring-series that stars Gong Hyo-jin, Kang Ha-neul, Kim Ji-seok, Son Dam-bi, and Kim Kang-hoon. Director Cha Young-hoon collaborated with Lim again after Becky's Back.^[21][22]

Aired on KBS2 on Wednesdays and Thursdays, the series achieved the highest ratings for a mini-series drama in 2019, with a single episode reaching 23.8%. It also achieved a high average rating of 14.83% across all episodes. The show received 10 nominations at the 56th Baeksang Arts Awards, winning four, including the Grand Prize for Television and Best Screenplay Award. It also won multiple awards at the 2019 KBS Drama Awards, including the Grand Prize for Gong Hyo-jin and Best Scriptwriting for Lim. The series, blending romantic comedy and thriller elements, was released on Netflix in South Korea and several other regions following its television broadcast.^{[b][23][24][25]}

Lim's works convey a message of comfort, depicting individuals who have lost sight of their self-worth and regain it through the support of others.^[7]

"I want to write something to cheer people on, like putting air in their bikes until the day I die."^[7]

In August 2022, Lim made a return with series under the working title Life (Korean: 인생; RR: Insaeng). It was later announced that Kim Won-seok would direct.^[26] In December 2022, production designer Ryu Seong-hie confirmed her involvement.^[27] The original Korean title, Pokssak sogatsuda (Korean: 폭싹 속았수다), was revealed on January 27, 2023. This Jeju language expression translates to "thank you for your hard work."^[28][29] The English title, When Life Gives You Tangerines, was announced on January 30, 2023,^[30] and is a word play on the proverb "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.^[31] The production cost of the series is reported to be around ₩60 billion.^[32][33] The series earned 8 nominations at the 61st Baeksang Arts Awards, winning four, including the Best Television Drama and Best Screenplay Award for Lim. Lim and the drama was also considered for Grand prize.^[34]

• South Korean Screenwriter