By Bayani San Diego Jr.
Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines–The quotation on his calling card says it all: “It’s a good story, man!”

South Korean director-producer Lee Hyung Min made it clear that “story is king” in the broadcast media.

He was one of the invited speakers in the “international co-production” workshop held in Makati recently. It was organized by the Korean Broadcasting Institute (KBI) and the country’s National Broadcasting Network (NBN).

Lee spoke on soap operas while his compatriots Tae Won Kim (“Jumong” producer) and Yong Don Lee tackled TV production and documentaries.

Lee produced the very popular Koreanovelas “Autumn Sonata” in 2001 and “Winter Sonata” in 2002.

A year later, he directed Asian superstar Rain in the comedy-drama show “Sang Doo, Let’s Go to School.”

Although Rain was already famous at the time, Lee told Inquirer Entertainment in an exclusive interview, the star had “remained down-to-earth.”

“We had a lot of fun on the set because it was a comedy show,” Lee said of the South Korean singer-actor-dancer who’s often compared to Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake. The director-producer described Rain as a “good son.”

“[He] wasn’t born with a silver spoon [in his mouth],” Lee related, “so he worked hard, starting at the bottom, as backup dancer for singer Park Jin-Young. He is a passionate and dedicated [performer]. He almost doesn’t sleep. He keeps practicing.”

Rain’s work ethic stemmed from a promise he had made to his mother before her death, Lee recalled. “He vowed to her that he’d become No. 1.”

As such, the director-producer said, Rain’s life story could be likened to a Koreanovela: “After his mom fell ill, he put her in the best hospital. But she checked herself out, saying, ‘My treatments cost more than what my son is earning.’ [Rain] persuaded her to return to the hospital.”

Rain top-billed “Full House,” which GMA 7 aired. He was included in Time magazine’s online poll of the 100 Most Influential People in the world and in People magazine as one of the Most Beautiful.

After “Sang Doo,” which won awards, Lee directed “Sorry, I Love You,” shot in Melbourne.

He admits that he’s partial to dark themes. In “Sang Doo,” Rain played a gigolo; “Sorry” was about white slavery.

“It’s important for TV dramas to show both the light and dark aspects of life,” Lee pointed out. “Real life is a mix of comedy and drama. I prefer real stories.”

He is not so keen on remaking old soaps and movies, a common practice in Philippine TV. He’d rather update classic stories.

Which was precisely what he did on his latest TV show, “The Snow Queen,” based on a Hans Christian Andersen tale.

“Snow Queen,” a hit in Japan, attracted a young demographic in Korea.

At the Makati workshop, Lee encouraged local TV producers and writers to go back to the classics.

He blamed the current “crisis” in Korean TV to a lack of creativity. (He mentioned that some viewers were turned off by the actors, mostly tapped from the modeling world, who “do not know how to act.”)

“In Korea, producers keep offering the same formula, the same old love stories,” Lee said. “The audience is looking for something new. A new kind of drama.”