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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, March 19, 2010

Medical drama 'OB & GYN' debuts


By Jeff Chung

The new SBS drama "OB & GYN" starring Seo-hee Jang is replacing the recently concluded "Will it Snow For Christmas?" at 7:45 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Jang, who won the 2009 SBS best actress award for her role in "Lure of Wife," has moved on to this 16-episode medical drama, a new trend in South Korean television.

"OB & GYN" is directed by Hyun-jik Lee, known for past series such as "Tazza," "Working Mom" and "Lobbyist."

Unlike some fairytale melodramas, Korean dramas currently reflect more current social issues. For example, in this new drama, Hyeyoung is a smart and talented obstetrician, but also a single woman who gets pregnant while dating one of her superiors at the hospital who's married.

As she agonizes over whether to have an abortion, she's pursued by two men: Sang Shik Lee — a pediatrician who becomes the only person to know of her pregnancy — and Jaesuk Wan, an obstetrician she has known since childhood.

Hyeyoung's affair is with Seo Jin Yoon, chief of the hospital's planning department. Yoon lives at work, has no interest in family life and lives separately from his wife.

Instead of a typical love triangle, Hyeyoung is now facing a love square as three men surround her life.

Hyeyoung is demoted and sent to a rural hospital after she performs an abortion on a patient who did not want to give birth to a second disabled child.

South Korean law deals with abortion and pregnancy differently than in the United States. For example, in the sixth month of pregnancy, a doctor in the United States will tell you the gender of the baby, whereas it is illegal for a doctor in South Korea to reveal the gender of the child. This may be because so many Koreans preferred boys over girls in past decades, which has now resulted in heavily weighted boys-to-girls ratio. While South Korean families once had an average of two to three children, it's becoming more common to have only one child, for reasons that include the rising cost of education and marriages being put off to later in life.

THIS WEEK’S K-DRAMA SYNOPSES

'Smile, Honey'
Episodes 37 and 38
Tonight at 7:45 p.m.: Geumja overhears Hyunsu and Jungin's conversation and finds out Manbok has cancer. She's furious with Sanghoon for keeping it a secret. Geumja finds out Jungin is preparing for a liver transplant and tells her she'll give her liver to Manbok. Joonbae presses charges against Sonyo. Tomorrow at 7:45 p.m.: Junggil is angry at Jungin for having him tested for a liver transplant. Geumja tells him it was her idea and that she has to do everything she can to save Manbok. Joonbae
is angry at Manbok for seeing Sonyo behind his back and giving her money. Junggil is hesitant about giving his liver to Manbok, and Junggyung is pessimistic about the outcome of the surgery.
'Love You 1,000 Times'
Episodes 33 and 34
Sunday at 6:45 p.m.: Sun-young tries to take Yoo-bin back by sneaking behind Hyang-sook's back. She falls sick when she fails. Se-hoon takes care of her. Eun-nim keeps getting in trouble with Hyang-sook for letting Yoo-bin see Sun-young. Gang-ho makes things worse by taking her side. There is chaos in both Chul's and Nan-jeong's houses after they tell their parents about the pregnancy. Sunday at 7:45 p.m.: Eun-nim bumps into Geum-ja. The meeting makes her think of Bubbles. Chul's and Nan-jeong's mothers
agonize over what to do about them. Eun-nim's dad starts his new job. Sun-young decides to go home if Se-hoon
ends his relationship with Yeon-he in front of her.
'Wish Upon A Star'
Episodes 11 and 12
Monday at 7:45 p.m.: Red gently turns down Tae-gyu's proposal by telling him he's the nicest and funniest person she knows, but she just can't think of him as anyone but her little brother. Gang-ha is bothered by Tae-gyu's proposal, and tells Joon-ha that Red is not suitable for Tae-gyu. Tuesday at 7:45 p.m.: Gang-ha's birth mother shows up and asks him for money. Out of a drunken rage, Gang-ha and Red nearly have an intimate moment. Red is shocked by Gang-ha's sudden action, and Gang-ha is overcome with regret. Jae-young asks her grandpa for help in marrying Gang-ha.
'Ob & Gyn'
Episodes 1 and 2
Wednesday at 7:45 p.m.: A hospital's emergency room gets busy with patients from a car accident. A pregnant woman starts to scream from pain and Hyeyoung goes into surgery right away. Other doctors try to stop her but she continues the surgery without even putting the patient under anesthesia. The surgery ends successfully within three minutes. Everyone is surprised by Hyeyoung's performance. Thursday at 7:45 p.m.: A famous Korean celebrity, Yoonjin Lee, goes into delivery but the chief doctor is unable continue when he sees the baby drenched in blood. Dr. Suh quickly takes his place and pulls the baby out. Everyone is shocked to see the condition of the baby, but Suh stays focused and the surgery ends successfully.