Yoo Je-won

Early careers

Yoo began his career in the broadcasting industry as part of the drama crew at the SBS network. In 2007, Yoo worked as assistant director for director Park Gung-ryeol [ko] on a 20-episode drama series called "Salt Doll [ko]," which was written by Park Eon-hee. Later that same year, collaborated once again with director Park Gung-ryeol and writer Park Eon-hee on the SBS drama Fly to The Sky [ko], which aired every Friday from August 24 to October 26, 2007, and consisted of 19 episodes.^[1]

In 2008, Yoo served as assistant for director Jang Yong-woo [ko] on the weekend drama I am Happy [ko]. The drama, written by Kim Jung-soo, was aired on SBS from February 10 to August 31, 2008.^[2] In 2010, Yoo worked as assistant director for Jung Eul-young [ko] on the renowned writer Kim Soo-hyun's drama Life Is Beautiful or La Vida es Bella [ko]. This 63-episode family drama aired in SBS from March 20, 2010, to November 7, 2010, every Saturday and Sunday.^[3]

2014–2020: Career as director

High School King of Savvy^[4] was Yoo's first drama series as director. The lighthearted rom-com, penned by Yang Hee-seung [ko], starred Seo In-guk, Lee Ha-na, Lee Soo-hyuk and Lee Yul-eum. it was broadcast on tvN from June 16 to August 11, 2014. Due to the drama popularity, an episode was added, extending it to 17 episodes,^[5] and a special broadcast with behind-the-scenes stories was aired on August 12, 2014. It was followed by the 25-episode makjang weekend drama Teras of Heaven (2014), starring Park Ji-young, Hong Ah-reum, Seo Jun-young and Jo Yun-seo. It aired on MBN from October 11, 2014, to January 3, 2015. The drama recorded the highest viewership rating (3.305%) for an MBN drama at that time, and this record remained unbroken until 2019.^[6][7][8]

In 2015, Yoo and Yang Hee-seung [ko] collaborated again on the fantasy drama Oh My Ghost.^[9][10] The drama was highly anticipated as it marked Park Bo-young's return to television after a seven-year hiatus, and she starred alongside Jo Jung-suk, Lim Ju-hwan and Kim Seul-gi. The drama portrays the love story between Na Bong-sun, an assistant chef with the ability to see ghosts, and her boss, the arrogant star chef Kang Sun-woo. Na Bong-sun is possessed by a virgin spirit one day, which completely changes her timid personality.^{[11][12][13][14]} The 16-episode drama series aired on tvN from July 3 to August 22, 2015.^[15][16] The series was a commercial and critical success, with a 7% rating that was the highest for a cable television drama at the time. Park Bo-young received the Excellence Award for Actress in a Miniseries at the 4th APAN Star Awards for her role.

After a two-year hiatus, Yoo returned with a time-travel themed fantasy drama series called Tomorrow, With You. Starring Shin Min-a and Lee Je-hoon, it was started airing on February 3, 2017, on cable channel tvN.^[17] However, this series didn't achieve the same level of success as Yoo's previous television series. Following that, Yoo worked as an assistant director under director Ahn Gil-ho on the tvN drama Stranger.

In 2018, Yoo reunited with Seo In-guk for a South Korean remake of the 2002 Japanese television series Sora Kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi. The Korean version was titled The Smile Has Left Your Eyes.^[18] Jung So-min and Park Sung-woong also joined the project. It was first aired on tvN on October 3, 2018.^[19][20]

In 2019, Yoo reunited with Park Bo-young in tvN drama Abyss, with Ahn Hyo-seop and Lee Sung-jae joining as her co-stars. The drama revolves around a man and a woman who are resurrected from death with different faces through a mysterious soul-reviving bead called Abyss.^[21][22][23]

In 2020, Yoo collaborated with writer Kwon In-woo on the fantasy melodrama Hi Bye, Mama!^[24] The drama was highly anticipated as it marked Kim Tae-hee's comeback after five years, and it also starred rising stars Lee Kyu-hyung and Go Bo-gyeol. The storyline depicts the 49-day reincarnation story of a ghost mother who reappears in front of her husband and daughter, who have already started a new life after overcoming the pain of bereavement. It aired on tvN from February 22 to April 19, 2020.^[25][26]

2021–present: Breakthrough, mainstream success

In April 2021, Studio Dragon announced that Yoo will be reunited with Shin Min-a, as director of Seaside Village Cha-Cha-Cha, a remake of 2004 South Korean film Mr. Handy, Mr. Hong.^[27] It was first announced on December 21, 2020, under the working title of Hong Banjang (홍반장) with Shin Min-a and Kim Seon-ho being offered the lead roles.^[28] In June, it was announced that the series English title is Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha and it will be available for streaming on Netflix.^[29][30][31] This is a healing romance drama about a realist dentist Yoon Hye-jin (Shin Min-a) and an all-rounder, Hong Banjang (Kim Seon-ho), a sea village called Gongjin. A genius variety producer Ji PD (Lee Sang-yi) then select Gongjin as setting for his new variety show. This 16 episodes drama were aired from August 28 to October 17, 2021, on tvN's Saturdays and Sundays at 21:00 (KST).^[32][33]

Branded as healing drama, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha received favorable reviews from domestic and foreign viewers.^[34][35] It became one of the highest-rated series on cable television history.^[36][37] It ranked first place during its entire run for eight weeks, and the last episode achieved 12.665% nationwide rating, with over 3.2 million views.^[38] Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha also one of 2021 most-watched non-English television on Netflix. According to FlixPatrol,^[a] the series placed number 8 on Netflix global chart. Netflix's one of its longest-running hits as it spent 16 weeks in global top ten ranking in more than 20 countries.^[40][41][42] It also remained on Netflix's Top 10 Chart for television shows for more than two months from its last episode.^[43][44]

On December 21, 2020, Kim Soo-hyun Drama Art Hall operated by Cheongju City Culture Industry Promotion Foundation, selected Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha as '2021 Good Drama of the Year'. Yoo as director, Shin Ha-eun as writer, and lead actors, are recognized in the certificate of award.^[45] It was selected by both the viewer evaluation team and expert group and it was praised as a "K-healing drama" that emerged during a period when provocative genre content was rampant, and was loved by viewers both domestically and internationally. The panel, describing it as a work that perfectly fits the criteria of a good drama pursued by the drama art hall, broadcast content that conveys warm stories about human nature and people's lives.^[46]

Yoo reunited with Yang Hee-seung [ko] for their third collaboration in the romantic-comedy drama Crash Course in Romance which premiered on tvN in January 2023. The series, starring Jeon Do-yeon and Jung Kyung-ho, revolved around a former national handball player who now runs a banchan shop, raising her high school daughter alone and celebrity math instructor at a popular private academy.^[47]

The drama Crash Course in Romance gained significant popularity during its airing. On March 5, 2023, the tvN drama concluded with an impressive audience rating of 17%, marking a substantial increase from its initial rating of 4.0% on the first broadcast. The drama consistently climbed in ratings, eventually surpassing four times its starting rating for the final episode. This remarkable performance was not limited to viewership ratings alone; the drama also garnered high topicality throughout its entire run. It held the top spot in topicality for eight consecutive weeks in the TV drama category. The second half of the drama witnessed a notable surge in both ratings and popularity.^[48]

According to Good Data Corporation, the drama consistently ranked first in the Top 10 TV Topicality Ranking for four consecutive weeks, securing a topical share of 23.8%.^[49] The program's initial topicality score was 9,654 points during its first week, and it reached a peak of 43,030 points, more than four times the initial score. Additionally, this work has set various records, including eight consecutive weeks in first place in the topical TV drama category, six consecutive weeks in first place in the TV-OTT integrated category, and six consecutive weeks with actor Jung Kyung-ho leading the TV topical performer category. Roh Yoon-seo also achieved first place in the TV topical performer category for five weeks. Furthermore, the program topped the TV search response for six consecutive weeks, held the first position in the TV topical VON category for seven weeks, and attained first place in the TV topical news category on five occasions.^[48]

Television series