Park Cheol PD, Who Opened the Golden Age of Main TV Drama, Passes Away

'What Is Love' with Kim Soo-hyun Achieves Average Viewership Rating of 59.6%
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Park Cheol, the producer who directed the drama "What Is Love (1991~1992)," passed away on the 13th at the age of 82.

Born in Miryang, Gyeongnam, the late Park graduated from Korea University Law School and entered the broadcasting industry through KBS's open recruitment. He moved to MBC in 1969 and first collaborated with now veteran writer Kim Soo-hyun (77) in 1972 on the drama "Stepmother." Originally scheduled to air for six months, the show was extended to 411 episodes until December 1973 due to viewers' support.

Later, Park and writer Kim created the dramas "Selling Happiness (1978)" and "Love and Truth (1984~1985)" together, and with "What Is Love," they ushered in a golden era for home dramas. The story empathetically depicted the female lead entering her in-laws' household and wisely transforming the patriarchal values of the family, achieving an average viewership rating of 59.6%. The highest rating was 64.9% for the episode aired on May 24, 1992, the second highest ever after "First Love (April 20, 1997)" which recorded 65.8%. The drama also gained significant popularity in China, marking the first major success for a Korean drama there.

The two continued to collaborate on dramas such as "Because I Love You (1997~1998)." Park also directed Kim Jung-soo's "Mother's Sea (1993)" and "Salted Mackerel (1996)," as well as Park Hee-sook's "Sorry for Loving You (1998)." At the age of 70 in 2008, he demonstrated his enduring talent by directing the drama "My Ex-Wife Lives Next Door."

Park was also known as the father-in-law of Hollywood actor Wesley Snipes. His daughter, Na-kyung, met Snipes while studying in the United States in 1997 and married him in 2003.

The funeral is being held at Korea University Hospital Funeral Hall Room 205 in Anam-dong, Seongbuk-gu. The funeral procession will take place at 8:30 a.m. on the 15th, and the burial site is Skyan Memorial Park in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province. Surviving family members include his wife Kim Nam-hyun, son Kyung-yeon, daughter-in-law Patty Lim, and daughter Na-kyung.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.