Sungkyunkwan Scandal (2010)

Quick Take: Sungkyunkwan Scandal. (2010), starring Park Min-young, Park Yoo-chun, Yoo Ah-in, and and  Song Joong Ki.  10/10.  20 episodes 60 min.

Synopsis: Set during the Joseon era, an educated girl from a poor family disguises herself as a boy in order to earn money copying manuscripts.  She ends up enrolling in the prestigious Sungkyunkwan Academy, which trains scholars for government positions.  Keeping the secret of her identity becomes increasingly difficult, but all ends well.

Review:  This is a familiar trope in K-dramas:  Girl disguised as boy catches the interest of a man who is not gay and can’t understand the attraction.  Sungkyunkwan Scandal is perhaps the best of the bunch; most of its cast — then just beginning their careers — have gone on to mainstream Hallyu success. I consider this drama to be one of the few that are Practically Perfect. Besides top-tier production, casting, and writing, it provides a balance of drama and comedy with clear-cut lines between good and evil and a satisfying ending.

Recommended.

Rewatchable - 5, Compelling - 5, Plot/ Story/Writing - 10,  Acting/Casting - 10, Production - 10,  Bonus - 10.  

Notes:

Park Yoo-chun

Like his co-stars, he saw his career flourish after Sungkwonsung Scandal, winning numerous entertainment awards. However, in 2015 and 2016 he was accused by four different women of sexual assault.  He was ordered by the court to pay one of them 50M won as compensation.  In addition, Park Yoo-chun was arrested in 2019 on suspicion of purchasing and using methamphetamine.  He was forced to publicly admit his guilt, after initially denying the accusations.   He has tried to make a comeback, with little success so far.

Park Min-young

 Since her breakthrough in Sungkyunkwan Scandal, Park Min-young has been the lead in many dramas, including City Hunter (2011), Healer (2014), What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim (2018), Her Private Life (2019), When the Weather is Fine (2020), Forecasting Love and Weather (2022), and Love in Contract (2022).

Song Joong Ki

in high school competed in short track speed skating at the national level, but gave it up because of an injury. He scored 380 out of 400 on his college entrance exam, gaining entrance to prestigious Sungkyunkwan University. He dropped out in his third year to pursue acting, but graduated later with a business degree. Sungkyunkwan Scandal was his breakthrough role, leading him to success as a leading man in such dramas as The Innocent Man (2012), Descendants of the Sun (2016), The Arthdal Chronicles (2019), Vincenzo (2020), and Reborn Rich (2022).

Yoo Ah-in

has been widely recognized for his dramatic acting ability. In 2016 he ranked second on Forbes Korea Power Celebrity list. He was named as one of the “Best Actors of 2018” by the New York Times, the only Asian on the list that year and first Korean actor ever so named. He is also known for his social and artistic activism. However, a 2023 drug scandal may end his career. See him also in films Burning (2018) and #Alive (2020), as well as dramas Secret Affair (2014), Six Flying Dragons (2015), Chicago Typewriter (2017), and Hellbound, Season 1 (2021). Because of his drug scandal, he was replaced by another actor in the second season of Hellbound.

Jin Tae-soo

A sad story is the actor who played the antagonist, the student council president who used dirty tricks to oppose Kim Yun-hee and her friends.  Jin Tae-soo played his villain role with relish and won critical notice for it.  However, he was arrested in 2011 for assaulting a taxi driver and two policemen while under the influence.  His last acting role was in 2013; he committed suicide in 2018.