There is no doubt 2008 was a roller-coaster ride of highs and lows for the South Korean entertainment industry.

The slowing global economy has caused the won's exchange rate to fluctuate from 950 to 1,500 to the dollar, which has added to difficulties in producing high-quality television dramas and movies.

While the Korean film industry continued gaining a foothold in the global film industry with blockbusters "The Chaser" and "The Good, The Bad and The Weird," there were many other films that just didn't make it to the red carpet, and fewer South Korean films overall were invited to the top film festivals compared to other years.

Korean dramas continue to grind out week after week, experimenting with new genres in an effort to find a niche audience. Meanwhile, the networks that produce the dramas are fighting small Internet companies and fans who upload current programming for free viewing. The online piracy has forced hundreds of Korean video stores throughout the United States to close, which means less income for Korean networks that provide the programming being illegally downloaded.

Actor Jung Woo Sung, who was a guest at the Hawaii International Film Festival this year, has been asked to star in a U.S. television series called "City Hunter," becoming the second K-drama star be cast on an American television show (The first was Kim Yun Jin of "Lost"). Fox Studios has an interest in the production and distribution, so you may possibly see Jung on Honolulu's Fox-affiliate KHON. Jung would then be the first native Korean male star in a U.S. TV series.

But the industry was rocked by tragic news, too, particularly the Oct. 2 suicide of actress Choi Jin Shil, who appeared in many top hit televisions shows and movies over her 20-year career. Actor Ahn Jae Hwan, who was believed to have insurmountable debt, also took his life this fall.

THIS WEEK'S K-DRAMA SYNOPSES

'THE FAMILY OF HONOR'

EPISODES 9 AND 10

Tonight at 7:45: Chairman Ha meets Lee Gang-suk, and asks for his help with the funding. Tae-young mistakenly assumes Young-in has a terminal disease. Soo-young helps Jin-ah at the gas station where she works. Gang-suk overhears Hyun-gyu and Dan-ah's conversation at the garden that Chairman Ha took him to. Tomorrow at 7:45 p.m.: Gang-suk and Chun-gab visit Daesung Group's construction site. Chairman Ha and Dong-dong fight over a comic book, prompting the family to say the chairman is a bit more relaxed and approachable. Young-in gets an abortion. Dan-ah comes to Young-in's house, and begs to make seaweed soup for Young-in.

'GLASS CASTLE'

EPISODES 7 AND 8

Sunday at 6:45 p.m.: Min-joo tells Joon-song she might like someone else. Hye-yong gets caught working part time. After a scolding, she runs away, only to be found later. Min-joo meets Suk-jin's daughter. Joon-song's mom meets with Joo-hee. Sunday at 7:45 p.m.: Joon-song tells his mom about Min-joo. Joon-song and Min-joo hang out and she enjoys his company. Suk-jin meets with Joon-song's mom. She asks him to leave her sister alone and he remembers how Joon-song's family mistreated him. After talking to Joon-song, Suk-jin realizes that Joon-song's serious about her.

'TAZZA'

EPISODES 17 AND 18

Monday at 7:45 p.m.: Upon learning of Ant King's release, Go-ni plans an escape from prison. With the sacrifice of his cell boss, Go-ni manages to get out of prison. But his plan to only be gone for a few hours goes awry and he ends up an prison escapee. Tuesday at 7:45 p.m.: Ant King trains Go-ni for their revenge against Ah-gui. Gwang-tae, Nan-sook's brother, gains information that could prove Go-ni's innocence, but his plan to blackmail Young-min backfires, and he ends up being kidnapped by Young-min. Go-ni recruits his cell mates to help him in the revenge plot.

'PAINTER OF WIND' SPECIAL

Wednesday at 6:50 p.m.-9 p.m.: 'Painter of the Wind' will be pre-empted by the Seoul Drama Awards show. Thursday at 7:45 p.m.: a special episode of 'Painter of the Wind' will be shown.