South Korea · Drama · 1996
First Love
Binge Brief
- A 66-episode KBS2 weekend drama, broadcast on Saturday and Sunday evenings from 7 September 1996 to 20 April 1997.
- Its final episode reached 65.8 percent, the highest rating any Korean TV programme has recorded since machine measurement began in 1990.
- Choi Soo Jong, Bae Yong Joon and Lee Seung Yeon lead a story that starts in Chuncheon in 1975 and ends in 1992.
- Directed by Lee Eung Jin and Kim Jong Chang from a script by Jo So Hye.
Synopsis
Chuncheon, 1975. Lee Hyo Kyung, the daughter of the man who owns the town's cinema, calls on a classmate who has been off school and finds a sketchbook full of drawings. They belong to his older brother, Sung Chan Hyuk, and for the next five years the two fall in love over his pictures. Chan Hyuk's family is poor: a father who paints for the cinema, an older sister, Chan Ok, and a restless younger brother, Chan Woo, played by Bae Yong Joon.
In 1980 Chan Hyuk goes after the projectionist who tried to assault his sister, a screening goes wrong, and he has to run to Seoul with Hyo Kyung's father, Lee Jae Ha, and her gangster uncle, Song Wang Ki, on his heels. Three years pass without contact. Chan Woo pulls himself together and gets into law school, Chan Hyuk works in a factory to bring the family to the capital, and Hyo Kyung fails her university entrance exam. It is Kang Suk Jin (Park Sang Won) who tracks Chan Woo down and puts the two back in touch.
From there the drama is about what that love costs. Chan Hyuk agrees to enlist in the army as the price of his family's safety, a road accident later leaves him disabled, and Hyo Kyung, told he is dead, leaves for Paris. Chan Woo abandons the bar exam to pay for his brother's care and climbs inside a retail group with one goal, revenge on Lee Jae Ha. Choi Soo Jong plays Chan Hyuk, Lee Seung Yeon plays Hyo Kyung, Choi Ji Woo plays Kang Suk Hee and Song Chae Hwan plays Chan Ok. The story covers the years from 1975 to 1992 across 66 episodes.
Song Hye Kyo, near the start of her career, has a small part as Jung Ah, one of the students Hyo Kyung tutors, and leaves partway through the run.
Why it still gets watched
Most people who look up First Love now arrive through one number. The last episode, broadcast on 20 April 1997, drew 65.8 percent, and no Korean drama has come close since.
The second draw is the cast, read with hindsight. Bae Yong Joon made this six years before Winter Sonata, and Choi Ji Woo, his co-star in that later drama, is already here as Kang Suk Hee. Cha Tae Hyun is in the supporting cast, and Son Hyun Joo plays the man Chan Ok eventually marries.
What keeps people watching past the first few episodes is the brothers. The romance between Chan Hyuk and Hyo Kyung drives the plot, but the drama spends as much time on two sons of a poor family who keep giving things up for each other, and on how the younger one's grief turns into a campaign against the man he blames. It is slow, long and mostly sad. The finale settles the revenge story and leaves the love story open.
First Love cast
Best scenes
Spoilers aheadThe moments people come back for, and where to find them. Episode numbers and outcomes are named, so come back to this one after watching if you would rather not know.
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Forever plays for the first time Episode 14
Hyo Kyung waits for Chan Woo outside his law school and breaks down when she hears how Chan Hyuk has been living. It is the first time Stratovarius' "Forever" is heard in the drama.
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The enlistment form Episode 33
Hyo Kyung's father puts an army enlistment form in front of Chan Hyuk as the price of leaving his family alone, and Chan Hyuk agrees.
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The accident Episode 51
Chan Hyuk is hit by a truck while being chased and left in a coma. The driver says he ran into the road; Chan Woo does not believe it.
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Hyo Kyung turns back Episode 65
Hyo Kyung finally goes to find Chan Hyuk in the countryside, sees him on crutches at his easel, and leaves in tears without speaking to him.
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The last walk Episode 66
The brothers walk a country road together, and as Chan Hyuk goes on ahead, Chan Woo's narration closes their story over Rondò Veneziano's instrumental "Isole".
Themes and messages
Love across a class line. KBS described the drama as the first love of young people trying to get past the wall of social standing, and every obstacle Chan Hyuk and Hyo Kyung meet comes from her family's money and his family's lack of it.
Brothers. The other half of KBS's own summary is a strong bond between brothers. Chan Hyuk leaves school, works in a factory and enlists for his family; Chan Woo later gives up the bar exam for him.
What revenge leaves behind. Chan Woo gets the ruin he wanted, and the drama shows it doing lasting damage to both families rather than settling anything.
Interesting facts
The drama was planned at 52 episodes and extended to 66 as the ratings climbed.
According to KBS, the first episode opened at 35.1 percent, the drama passed 40 percent within a month, and it stayed first in the weekly ratings for eight months.
Casting took time. Chae Si Ra and Kim Hee Ae were both approached for Chan Ok and turned it down, and Shim Eun Ha was mentioned for Hyo Kyung before withdrawing. KBS extended the previous weekend drama, Men of the Bath House, by four months; it ended on 1 September 1996.
The Korean Broadcasting Commission issued a warning to the director over a long group-beating scene it judged too violent.
Kim Jong Hwan's "Reason for Being" was used as background music through roughly the first 20 episodes after the production team heard it at a street tape stall; the exposure took the little-known singer onto KBS's Gayo Top 10 chart.
Most of the story is set in the 1980s, but the hair, clothes and even restaurant prices are those of 1996, and a 1998 World Cup poster can be seen in the Paris scenes.
On the strength of the drama, Bae Yong Joon came first in a 1996 survey of the most liked advertising models.
Episodes
| Ep | Title | Air date | Status | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chan Hyuk, his younger brother Chan Woo and their older sister Chan Ok follow their father to a new home, and the family of four starts over. | 7 Sep 1996 | Aired | 35.1% |
| 2 | Years later the brothers are in high school, and on the way to paint, Chan Hyuk and Hyo Kyung see Chan Woo roar past with a gang on motorbikes. | 8 Sep 1996 | Aired | |
| 3 | Hyo Kyung is glad to find Suk Jin as free-spirited as ever, and her mother is delighted to hear the two have been meeting. | 14 Sep 1996 | Aired | |
| 4 | After a quarrel with Chan Hyuk in Dong Pal's junkyard, Hyo Kyung runs off in tears, and Chan Hyuk only watches her go although Dong Pal tells him to follow. | 15 Sep 1996 | Aired | |
| 5 | Suk Jin buries his father after a sudden death, while Chan Hyuk decides to start painting again in Dong Pal's junkyard. | 21 Sep 1996 | Aired | |
| 6 | Hyo Kyung cannot hide her joy that Chan Hyuk will paint again, and Chan Woo, out looking for Chan Ok, finds her collapsed outside the house. | 22 Sep 1996 | Aired | |
| 7 | Suk Jin meets Suk Hee at the airport on her return, and President Na orders his men to bring Chan Woo in. | 28 Sep 1996 | Aired | |
| 8 | Hyo Kyung leaves the house she grew up in for Seoul with a heavy heart, while Chan Woo watches her go from an alley. | 29 Sep 1996 | Aired | |
| 9 | In Seoul, Dong Pal gives Chan Hyuk Hyo Kyung's phone number and address, and Shin Ja secretly follows Chan Hyuk home. | 5 Oct 1996 | Aired | |
| 10 | Chan Woo walks out of the college entrance exam sure he has failed it, then slips out of the house while Chan Ok takes a call from their father. | 6 Oct 1996 | Aired | |
| 11 | Chan Woo is accepted to law school, the family packs for Seoul, and Shin Ja and Chan Ok say a tearful goodbye. | 12 Oct 1996 | Aired | |
| 12 | Chan Hyuk works in a factory and his father runs a street food stall, until Shin Ja turns up in Seoul without warning. | 13 Oct 1996 | Aired | |
| 13 | Suk Jin goes to the law school to look for Chan Woo and Suk Hee spots him, while Hyo Kyung's mother heads to Chuncheon when Wang Ki is jailed. | 19 Oct 1996 | Aired | |
| 14 | Hyo Kyung waits for Chan Woo to finish class and remembers him as the troublemaker he was in Chuncheon. | 20 Oct 1996 | Aired | |
| 15 | Chan Hyuk runs after Hyo Kyung too late, and a gang descends on his father's food stall. | 26 Oct 1996 | Aired | |
| 16 | Chan Hyuk finally stands in front of Hyo Kyung, who slaps him, and Chan Woo sets his sights on passing the bar exam. | 27 Oct 1996 | Aired | |
| 17 | Chan Hyuk goes to the hospital but fails to see Hyo Kyung, who hears from her uncle that someone was asking about her. | 2 Nov 1996 | Aired | |
| 18 | Hyo Kyung finds Chan Hyuk at his factory to tell him her feelings have not changed, while Suk Jin worries about where she has gone. | 3 Nov 1996 | Aired | |
| 19 | Hyo Kyung is touched by Suk Jin's flowers for her discharge, and Chan Woo turns down Suk Hee's request to help with a campus culture survey. | 9 Nov 1996 | Aired | |
| 20 | Suk Hee is furious at Chan Woo's refusal, and Hyo Kyung's mother asks Suk Jin to find a private tutor for her daughter. | 10 Nov 1996 | Aired | |
| 21 | Suk Hee is baffled that Chan Woo feels no need to apologise, and Hyo Kyung's father suggests Suk Jin tutor her himself. | 16 Nov 1996 | Aired | |
| 22 | Shin Ja is caught running from Dong Pal and blames herself, and Chan Hyuk's father despairs over his wrecked stall. | 17 Nov 1996 | Aired | |
| 23 | Hyo Kyung pictures herself in a wedding dress beside Chan Hyuk, and a broadcast that seems to know his family's story leaves Chan Woo uneasy. | 23 Nov 1996 | Aired | |
| 24 | Chan Woo goes to get an apology from Suk Hee and comes back feeling he owes her one, and Chan Ok is thrown when Jung Nam arrives in a temper. | 26 Nov 1996 | Aired | |
| 25 | Dong Pal almost lets a secret slip about Shin Ja, and Chan Hyuk coldly refuses to meet Hyo Kyung, telling her to study. | 30 Nov 1996 | Aired | |
| 26 | 1 Dec 1996 | Aired | ||
| 27 | Hyo Kyung's mother dislikes hearing that her daughter is seeing Chan Hyuk, and Chan Woo sets off for Chuncheon at daybreak and finds his brother there. | 7 Dec 1996 | Aired | |
| 28 | Men sent by Hyo Kyung's uncle chase Chan Hyuk again, and her father learns everything through her mother. | 8 Dec 1996 | Aired | |
| 29 | Hyo Kyung's father threatens Chan Hyuk's father to keep his son away, and Chan Woo visits Chan Hyuk's inn room to tell him all is well at home. | 14 Dec 1996 | Aired | |
| 30 | 15 Dec 1996 | Aired | ||
| 31 | Chan Woo is beaten after tracking down the uncle's men, and Suk Hee worries when he stops coming to school. | 21 Dec 1996 | Aired | |
| 32 | Chan Hyuk's father presses him to go to Hyo Kyung's family and promise never to see her again, while Dong Pal urges him back into hiding. | 22 Dec 1996 | Aired | |
| 33 | Hyo Kyung's father hands Chan Hyuk an army enlistment form, he agrees, and on the way back Wang Ki's men nearly catch him. | 28 Dec 1996 | Aired | |
| 34 | Chan Woo goes back to school, Hyung Ki tells Suk Hee he has returned, and the household settles once their father leaves hospital. | 29 Dec 1996 | Aired | |
| 35 | Chan Hyuk's father gives up his late wife's keepsake to pay for Chan Ok's wedding, and Chan Woo is uneasy about Chan Hyuk sitting down with a musician. | 4 Jan 1997 | Aired | |
| 36 | Chan Hyuk leaves his job while Chan Ok prepares for her wedding, and Suk Hee, at lunch on campus with her mother, spots Hyung Ki and Chan Woo. | 5 Jan 1997 | Aired | |
| 37 | With Chan Ok gone, the brothers spend a happy day with their father, while at a rest stop the musician searches for Chan Ok after she disappears. | 11 Jan 1997 | Aired | |
| 38 | Chan Ok is thrilled with the newlywed room her father and Chan Hyuk prepared, and Shin Ja and Dong Pal call on the couple after the honeymoon. | 12 Jan 1997 | Aired | |
| 39 | Hyo Kyung passes her exam and sets out to see Chan Hyuk, not knowing he has already joined the army. | 18 Jan 1997 | Aired | |
| 40 | Hyo Kyung apologises to Chan Woo while asking after Chan Hyuk, and Shin Ja visits the army camp, hurt that he left without telling her. | 19 Jan 1997 | Aired | |
| 41 | Suk Jin leaves to study abroad, and Hyo Kyung pleads illness to avoid the farewell but ends up racing to the airport. | 25 Jan 1997 | Aired | |
| 42 | Suk Hee gives Hyo Kyung the address of Chan Hyuk's unit, and Shin Ja is stung to hear Dong Pal is seeing Soo Jin. | 26 Jan 1997 | Aired | |
| 43 | Hyo Kyung goes to Chan Hyuk's base, where a visit from Dong Pal and Soo Jin has already left him missing her. | 1 Feb 1997 | Aired | |
| 44 | Hyo Kyung leaves without seeing Chan Hyuk, and the note she leaves tells him she still misses him. | 2 Feb 1997 | Aired | |
| 45 | Chan Woo finds his name on the list of successful candidates and visits Chan Hyuk, who congratulates him. | 8 Feb 1997 | Aired | |
| 46 | Hyo Kyung decides to study in Paris and then stays in Seoul after all, while Chan Hyuk reads about her plans in Chan Woo's letter and is crushed. | 9 Feb 1997 | Aired | |
| 47 | Hyo Kyung, supposedly abroad, turns up at visiting hours, and a detective comes looking for Suk Hee over a senior named Jang Dong Chul. | 15 Feb 1997 | Aired | |
| 48 | On leave, Chan Hyuk lingers outside Hyo Kyung's house, then goes to Dong Pal and asks him for money. | 16 Feb 1997 | Aired | |
| 49 | Suk Jin discovers Hyo Kyung is not in Paris, while she and Chan Hyuk spend time alone and confirm their feelings. | 22 Feb 1997 | Aired | |
| 50 | Hyo Kyung's father collapses when he learns she never left, and she hears her mother has flown to Paris to see her. | 23 Feb 1997 | Aired | |
| 51 | Chan Hyuk is hit by a vehicle and hospitalised, and when the driver claims he ran into the road, Chan Woo suspects Wang Ki's gang. | 1 Mar 1997 | Aired | |
| 52 | Chan Woo stays at his brother's bedside, their father takes to his bed, and the army rules Chan Hyuk discharged. | 2 Mar 1997 | Aired | |
| 53 | Hyo Kyung grieves that Chan Hyuk has still not woken, then arrives in Paris and looks at places to live with Suk Jin. | 8 Mar 1997 | Aired | |
| 54 | A doctor reports that Chan Hyuk is improving, and in Paris Hyo Kyung cannot stop worrying about him. | 9 Mar 1997 | Aired | |
| 55 | Hyo Kyung settles into Paris as Suk Jin heads back to Korea for his career, and Chan Hyuk throws himself into physical therapy to walk again. | 15 Mar 1997 | Aired | |
| 56 | The newly married Soo Jin and Dong Pal visit, Chan Woo returns from America on the same day, and he senses someone is following him. | 16 Mar 1997 | Aired | |
| 57 | Time passes: Soo Jin is expecting a baby, Suk Hee works at a broadcaster, and Chan Hyuk falls down a riverbank while painting. | 22 Mar 1997 | Aired | |
| 58 | Hyo Kyung returns to Seoul after five years, Chan Woo prepares for a fight with her father, and Suk Jin comes home too. | 23 Mar 1997 | Aired | |
| 59 | Suk Hee spots Chan Woo at a family dinner and hurries away, and Chan Woo keeps from Suk Jin and Hyo Kyung that his brother is alive. | 29 Mar 1997 | Aired | |
| 60 | The family is overjoyed to have Chan Woo home, and Jung Nam carefully suggests pairing Shin Ja with Chan Hyuk. | 30 Mar 1997 | Aired | |
| 61 | Suk Jin finds Chan Hyuk alive and demands to know what happened, and Chan Woo meets Suk Hee again. | 5 Apr 1997 | Aired | |
| 62 | Hyo Kyung's father and uncle discover that the executive they know as Director Sung is Chan Woo, and Chan Hyuk tells Shin Ja to marry someone good. | 6 Apr 1997 | Aired | |
| 63 | Hyo Kyung's father tells Suk Jin's mother that Suk Jin and Hyo Kyung have decided to marry, and Chan Woo goes to see Director Na when the tender is scrapped. | 12 Apr 1997 | Aired | |
| 64 | Losing the tender puts Hyo Kyung's father in hospital, and Hyo Kyung demands to know why Chan Woo never told her Chan Hyuk was alive. | 13 Apr 1997 | Aired | |
| 65 | Hyo Kyung goes to find Chan Hyuk but turns back in tears, and at their father's wish Chan Woo urges his brother to marry Shin Ja. | 19 Apr 1997 | Aired | |
| 66 | Chan Woo refuses Hyo Kyung's father a loan, and Chan Hyuk asks his brother to stop his revenge. | 20 Apr 1997 | Aired | 65.8% |
Soundtrack
| Track | Artist |
|---|---|
| Forever | Stratovarius |
| Reason for Being (존재의 이유) | Kim Jong Hwan |
| Until I Meet You (널 만날때까지) | Hwang Chi Hoon |
| Only You (내가 너만을) | Hwang Chi Hoon |
| Isole | Rondò Veneziano |
Awards
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | KBS Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actor | Choi Soo Jong | Won |
| 1996 | KBS Drama Awards | Excellence Award, Actor | Bae Yong Joon | Won |
| 1996 | KBS Drama Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Son Hyun Joo | Won |
| 1996 | KBS Drama Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Song Chae Hwan | Won |
| 1996 | KBS Drama Awards | Best New Actress | Lee Hye Young | Won |
| 1997 | 33rd Baeksang Arts Awards | Most Popular Actor (TV) | Bae Yong Joon | Won |
| 1997 | 33rd Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actor (TV) | Choi Soo Jong | Nominated |
Frequently asked questions
Is First Love the highest rated Korean drama of all time?
Yes, by single-episode rating. Its final episode on 20 April 1997 drew 65.8 percent, a figure no Korean programme has matched since ratings started being measured by machine in 1990.
Who is in the cast of the First Love Korean drama?
Choi Soo Jong plays Sung Chan Hyuk, Bae Yong Joon his brother Chan Woo, and Lee Seung Yeon plays Lee Hyo Kyung. Park Sang Won, Choi Ji Woo, Song Chae Hwan, Son Hyun Joo, Lee Hye Young and Bae Do Hwan head the supporting cast, and Cha Tae Hyun plays one of Chan Woo's friends.
How many episodes does First Love (1996) have?
66 episodes. They measure about 52 minutes each on the streaming copies, with a longer finale of about 67 minutes.
Is Song Hye Kyo in First Love?
Yes, in a small early role. She plays Jung Ah, one of the students Hyo Kyung tutors, and leaves partway through the drama. Her exact episodes are not listed in any source we could check.
Is First Love a 1996 or a 1997 drama?
Both. It premiered on 7 September 1996 and ended on 20 April 1997, which is why some listings file it under 1997.
Does First Love have a happy or sad ending?
Bittersweet. Chan Woo's revenge on Hyo Kyung's father succeeds and costs both families dearly, and Chan Hyuk tells Hyo Kyung to build her life with Suk Jin. The closing scene shows the two meeting again years later at the Dumulmeori ferry landing, without saying what happens next.
Where can I watch First Love (1996) with English subtitles?
In South Korea all 66 episodes stream on Wavve. We could not find an official release with English subtitles; Rakuten Viki, for one, does not list it. No episode is hosted or played from this page itself.
What songs are on the First Love OST?
The best-known track is Stratovarius' "Forever", which also plays over the final scene. Kim Jong Hwan's "Reason for Being" and two songs by Hwang Chi Hoon were used too, along with instrumentals by Rondò Veneziano; the track list is on this page.
Who wrote and directed First Love?
Jo So Hye wrote it. KBS credits Lee Eung Jin and Kim Jong Chang as directors.
Did First Love win any awards?
Yes. At the 1996 KBS Drama Awards Choi Soo Jong won Top Excellence Award and Bae Yong Joon won Excellence Award, and Bae added Most Popular Actor (TV) at the 1997 Baeksang Arts Awards. The full list is in the awards table on this page.
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