Four popular Korean dramas to be remade into musicals

By Kim Boram

SEOUL, Jan. 17 (Yonhap) — Popular Korean TV series will return to the stage as musicals to meet the rising demand from fans who long to enjoy their favorite shows in diversified formats.

The smash-hit rom-com “Crash Landing On You” (2019) with Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin in starring roles will come back in the form of a musical in September at COEX in southern Seoul.

The 16-episode “Crash Landing On You,” which aired simultaneously on the South Korean cable channel tvN and Netflix, is about star-crossed lovers from the two Koreas, depicting the political and geographical division on the Korean Peninsula.

It became one of the most popular South Korean TV series in recent years, marking the highest viewership for a drama series of the cable channel. It also topped the most-viewed Netflix charts in many Asian regions, including Japan.

Details of the musical production, including casting for the lead roles, have not yet been disclosed.

A musical adaptation of the 1994 medical thriller “M” will start its Seoul run next month at an arts theater in Dongguk University.

Starring Shim Eun-ha, the MBC TV series became the talk of the town for its suspenseful storyline involving abortion and its special visual effects featuring the green eyes of the main character.

M, the soul of an aborted child, enters the body of the young girl and controls her to seek revenge on the people who would not allow him to be born. It became one of the highest-rated TV series in the country, posting a viewership of 52.2 percent.

The musical version focuses on the relationship between M and its host, who tries to look for the truth behind the birth of M, with live music by a seven-member orchestra.

The musical “Another Miss Oh” based on the namesake 2016 romance comedy on tvN will be staged in March in Daehangno, central Seoul.

The original story features misunderstandings between a man who can see the future and two women sharing the same name Oh Hae-young.

It is the second run for the musical edition since its premier two years ago, which earned larger-than-expected popularity among local musical fans.

Another hit TV series, “Hotel del Luna” (2019), on tvN will be remade into a musical later this year.

The original series revolves around an elite hotel owner and manager of the namesake hotel only for ghosts, starring singer-actress IU and actor Yeo Jin-goo. It was one of the highest-rated Korean dramas on cable channels in that year.

brk@yna.co.kr
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