Lee Eung-bok

Lee Eung-bok (; born 1972) is a South Korean television director. His first work was Hometown of Legends – Forbidden Books for the KBS in 2009. He is also known for directing other popular shows such as School 2013, Secret Love (2013), and Descendants of the Sun (2016). After joining Studio Dragon, he continued his director career with works like Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016–17) and Mr. Sunshine (2018). In 2020, Lee directed his first Netflix original series, Sweet Home, which is based on the Naver webtoon of the same name by Kim Carnby and Hwang Young-chan. The series received positive reception, and a second season was released in 2023.

Career

Beginning in KBS Drama Department Lee started his television career in 2001 after passing the 28th PD Public Recruitment at KBS, where he began working in the Drama Department. The following year, he contributed a chapter titled "Broadcasting company recruitment trends and industry trends in the broadcasting industry" to the book PD Who and How (2002), an introductory guide to the PD profession jointly written by 27 PDs from the three major broadcasting companies and an outsourced production company.

Directorial debut In 2009, Lee made his debut as director with the KBS2 Monday-Tuesday drama Hometown of Legends - Forbidden Books, written by Bang Ji-young. The story centers on a cursed banned book that summons ghosts, depicting the extreme maternal love of Hyeon-deok (played by Kim Seong-eun) to save her son who read the book, and the secrets of Jeong-hee (played by Yoon Hee-seok) involved in the book's creation. named Holym, with CJ Media joining the production in April 2010. Bae served as the creative producer, while Park handled the music and choreography. In the end of 2010, it was announced that the screenplay was written by Park Hye-ryun, and Lee co-directed the series with Kim Seong-yoon. Dream High featured a main cast of prominent K-pop idols, including Ok Taec-yeon and Jang Wooyoung (2PM), Bae Suzy (Miss A), Hahm Eun-jung (T-ara), and IU, Both Bae Yong-joon and Park Jin-young also appeared in the drama; Bae in a four-episode guest role—marking his return to television after three years—and Park in his acting debut.

In 2012, Lee co-directed School 2013, the fifth installment of KBS's School series, alongside Lee Min-hong. The drama, written by Lee Hyun-joo and Go Jung-won, was well-received by young viewers, garnering double-digit viewership ratings and contributing to the recognition of cast members such as Kim Woo-bin and Lee Jong-suk both domestically and overseas.

Continued success While still directing School 2013 in October 2012, Lee began preparing for his next project, the drama Secret Love. Lee was highly impressed by the script, which had won the KBS Miniseries Script Contest for writer Choi Ho-cheol in 2012, and spent nearly a year in preparation and meetings with Choi. Chief Producer Hwang Ui-kyung subsequently recommended writer Yoo Bo-ra to join the project. The writing was divided, with Yoo Bo-ra developing the emotional and feminine aspects, and Choi Ho-cheol focusing on the mystery and thriller elements. Starring Hwang Jung-eum, Ji Sung, Bae Soo-bin, and Lee Da-hee, the 16-episode series aired on KBS2 from September 25 to November 14, 2013. Secret Love received consistent positive reviews for its well-structured plot of revenge and desire, becoming the top Wednesday-Thursday drama with a peak viewership rating of 16%, successfully competing against Kim Eun-sook's The Heirs. The success of the drama was noted by Chief Producer Hwang Eui-kyung as significant, showcasing the positive outcome of taking a risk on promising new writers for a mini-series.

In 2015, Lee took on the role of director for Descendants of the Sun, which employed a full pre-production format, a departure from the typical Korean live-shoot schedule, partly to meet China's government drama preliminary review requirements. Lee was reportedly drawn to the story as he sought solace following the Sewol Ferry disaster. The drama was adapted from Kim Won-seok's award-winning script "Doctors Without Borders", with Kim Eun-sook joined. as co-writer. It featured a star-studded cast including Song Joong-ki, Song Hye-kyo, Jin Goo, and Kim Ji-won.

Due to the scope of the project, including overseas filming, Lee enlisted directors Kang Myeong-chan and Kim Dong-sik for assistance, the latter having experience as a coordinator during the Korean filming of the movie Avengers. It was reported that the majority of the filming took place in Zakynthos, Arachova, Lemnos, and Navagio. Filming locations for the fictional war-torn region set in a remote part of the Balkan Peninsula to avoid diplomatic issues with Iraq.

The 16-episode series aired on KBS2 from February 24 to April 14, 2016, and was followed by three special episodes from April 20 to April 22, 2016. These special episodes featured highlights and memorable scenes from the series, provided insights into the drama's production process, featured behind-the-scenes footage, included commentaries from the cast members, and concluded with a final epilogue. The drama was a major success in South Korea, achieving a peak audience share of 38.8% and winning multiple awards, including the prestigious Grand Prize in television at the 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards. It was also recognized as the Most Popular Show of the year by the Korea Broadcasting Advertising Corporation. In March 2017, at the 29th Korea PD Awards, it received the Best TV Drama Award.

Moving to CJENM Lee departed from KBS in August 2016 and subsequently joined CJ ENM Entertainment Division (later Studio Dragon). His first project after the move was a reunion with writer Kim Eun-sook for tvN's Friday-Saturday drama Guardian: The Lonely and Great God. The series revolves around the tale of a goblin and a girl who has the ability to see ghosts. The drama surpassed the 10% viewership mark within just two episodes. It commenced with a rating of 6.9% and increased to 8.3% in the second episode.

Two years later, Lee continued his successful collaboration with Kim Eun-sook with the historical drama Mr. Sunshine (2018).

The Reputable Family 명가 Co-director with Jeon Woo-sung

KBS Drama Special - The Great Gye Chun-bin KBS 드라마 스페셜 - 위대한 계춘빈

Dream High 드림하이 Co-director

Dream High 2 드림하이 2 Co-director with Mo Wan-il KBS Drama Special - Glass Prison KBS 드라마 스페셜 - 유리감옥 School 2013 학교 2013 Co-director with Lee Min-hong

KBS Drama Special - My Friend Is Still Alive 내 친구는 아직 살아있다

Secret Love 비밀 Co-director

KBS Drama Special - Dreaming Man KBS 드라마 스페셜 - 꿈꾸는 남자 Discovery of Love 연애의 발견 Co-director KBS Drama Special - Cry Differently KBS 드라마 스페셜 - 다르게 운다

Descendants of the Sun 태양의 후예 Co-director

Guardian: The Lonely and Great God 쓸쓸하고 찬란하神 – 도깨비 Co-director

Mr. Sunshine 미스터 션샤인

Sweet Home 스위트홈 Co-director

Jirisan 지리산 I'm also against my relationship 나도 반대하는 나의 연애 Accolades Awards and nominations

State honors +Name of country, year given, and name of honorCountryAward CeremonyYearHonorSouth Korea 7th Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards2017 Prime Minister's Commendation