Winter Sonata Review

Winter Sonata tells the touching story of two high school lovers, Jun Sang (준생) and Yu Jin (유진), and their maturation through time. Though a modest hit in Korea, Winter Sonata proved to be the most successful Korean import to Japan, thus fueling more energy to the growing Halyu craze and stapling Bae Yong Jun (배용준) as one of the most prominent figures in Asia. The story begins like most Korean dramas with a flashback to the past; we are introduced to Jun Sang, who has recently been transferred to Yu Jin’s high school. Jun Sang, whose extroverted and mysterious behavior draws attention to his classmates, ends up falling in love with Yu Jin after defending her from an attacker. However, their short term love is cut short when Jun Sang supposedly dies in a car accident, leaving Yu Jin heart-broken and fixated on what seems to be her true love.

When watching Winter Sonata, many questions came into my mind. Primarily though, what allowed Winter Sonata, as opposed to other Korean dramas, to succeed outside the Korean peninsula? To me, I think it is holds the traditional Asian values of Confucianism; family is an important element, thus making the story easily be adaptable into Chinese or Japanese. Also, differing from western culture, Asians can easily relate to the characters lives and lifestyle. The target audience seems to be more diverse than the traditional drama. Especially in Japan and Taiwan, the new dramas are aimed toward the younger generation; these stories are usually very simplistic and childlike, whereas Winter Sonata assumes more from our audience and offers a deep and compelling story. Though the story of Winter Sonata can be enjoyed by any age group, it seems primarily popular toward middle aged ladies.

The story line is easy to follow as there are primarily four major characters; this allows for more character development. The characters are often extreme in their personalities and play polar opposites of one another. For example, Sang Hyuk always understands and takes his character’s image of being a nice guy to the extent that it is not believable. The same goes for Chae Lin, as she is always portrayed as what seems to be the villain, often wearing red colors. Her character seems to be the opposite of Yu Jin, who is the traditional conservative Korean girl. There is also the aspect of character duality, where Jun Sang personified anger and Ming Yeong (Jun Sang in the future) happiness. What might have attracted viewers is the idea of incestuous love, which is very much taboo in any society.

The drama also allowed other Asians to see another part of Korean culture. Korean men are often stereotyped to be very aggressive and womanizing, however, Winter Sonata showed the outside audience that there was a very soft side to the Korean culture. Very few non-Koreans know how similar Korean culture is to Chinese and Japanese culture and that it too uses Han Ja characters (한자). To me, it was especially interesting to see the Japanese audience fall in love with a Korean actor. Especially being a former Japanese colony, it could be deemed as a major milestone.

Basically, Winter Sonata is a touching story with unforgettable characters. It really plays on the idea of fate (which is still regarded heavily in Asian society), how Jun Sang and Yu Jin were childhood lovers, and that their love prevailed no matter how dire the consequences.


- Alex Liu