K-Drama Review: My Name Is Kim Samsoon
As someone who has been watching Korean dramas for the better part of the last decade, I’ve seen a lot. Sometimes it’s nice to go back and revisit the earlier dramas I watched to see if they are still interesting or if they were a watch one time and be done type of drama. One drama that I could watch a thousand times and it not get old is the drama My Name Is Kim Samsoon. If you’ve never heard of it, not to worry, The Kraze is ready to take you on a trip down classic K-Drama lane with minimal spoilers.
My Name Is Kim Samsoon, also known as My Lovely Samsoon, was a 2005 MBC drama that starred Kim Sunah and Hyun Bin. Kim Sunah played Kim Samsoon, a 30-year-old pastry chef who has caught her boyfriend of three years cheating. Rather than beg for her forgiveness, he tells her he plans on marrying the woman he was just with but wants to continue to see Samsoon on the side. In tears, Samsoon accidentally runs into the men’s room to collect herself. Hyun Jinhun, played by Hyun Bin, realizes her mistake and demands she comes out. The next day, the two run into each other again, and Jinhun discovers how well she can make cakes and hires her as his restaurant’s chief baker. The two are immediately at odds with each other.
Samsoon then discovers that her mother’s home will be foreclosed if they don’t pay $50,000. Jinhun decides to pay her the money if she agrees to become his fake girlfriend so his mother, played by Na Moonhee, can stop pressuring him to go on blind dates. Samsoon agrees, and Jinhun creates a contract with the rule that they don’t actually fall in love with each other. Naturally, they end up breaking that rule.
Just when everything seems to be going smoothly for them, Jinhun’s ex-girlfriend, Yoo Heejin (Jung Ryeowon), returns from the States with her doctor, Dr. Henry Kim (Daniel Henney). In classic K-Drama trope form, Heejin left Korea after discovering she had stomach cancer. Now that her cancer is in remission, she’s returned to Jinhun to beg for another chance. Unfortunately, Jinhun accepts Heejin, and Samsoon is left brokenhearted again.
She resigns from the restaurant and begins going on blind dates. As time passes, Jinhun realizes that he still has feelings for Samsoon. He breaks up with Heejin and goes out of his way to sabotage Samsoon’s blind dates. When he finally gets the courage to tell her how he feels, he finds her at a hotel with her ex-boyfriend. He stops her from doing anything she would regret and confesses. But this wouldn’t be a classic K-Drama if everything went smoothly. Samsoon isn’t ready to forgive Jinhun for all the heartache, so she puts him through many challenging moments to prove himself to her and her family.
Finally, she’s ready to move forward with Jinhun, but Heejin is back with a favor. She wants Jinhun to fly to the States with her as a final goodbye. Jinhun tells Samsoon that he’ll be back in one week, which quickly turns into two months. When he finally returns, he sees that Samsoon is on a blind date and realizes that all of his letters to her went to the wrong address. He explains the situation, and after a few intense moments, the pair get back together.
You’re probably wondering what makes this 17-year-old drama special? My Name is Kim Samsoon was a breath of fresh air that K-Drama lovers can watch often. Samsoon was an older woman that didn’t have the typical K-Drama looks and still ended up with the handsome, rich, younger lead. The emotions she felt when she realized the love of her life was not only cheating on her but decided to marry someone else were so palpable, just thinking about it can make someone’s heart break. Watching Heejin and Jinhun work through their past trauma to become a couple again is an emotional rollercoaster. Then when Jinhun realizes he wants to be with Samsoon, viewers can get angry like Samsoon for being made to feel like they are just the second choice.
Another reason that makes this drama so special is the soundtrack. Soundtracks don’t typically have a title song, but Clazziquai’s "She Is" can be heard during many vital moments during the drama. The song became so popular that it won the best OST during the 2005 Mnet Asian Music Awards.
My Name Is Kim Samsoon was remade into a Filipino drama called Ako Si Kim Samsoon in 2008 and a Thailand drama (My Name Is Bussaba) in 2020. There was also a stage adaptation in 2011.
If you’ve never seen this classic drama, you can watch it on Viki or Apple TV. Will it look dated? Absolutely. It’s from 2005 after all. But if you can look past the strange hairstyles and clothes, you’ll find that the storyline and the acting are so good, it’s timeless.