Lee Yoon-jung

Lee Yoon-jung (Korean: 이윤정, born January 31, 1974) is a South Korean television director and producer. She started her broadcasting career in television station MBC in 1997. She garnered attention for her distinctive directing style, particularly in short dramas like "Taereung National Village" and drama Beating Heart. Lee is best known for directing the popular drama Coffee Prince.

Lee's dream of working in broadcasting was ignited during her middle school years as she watched director Hwang In-roe's MBC drama What Do Women Live by? [ko].

Upon completing high school, she decided to pursue a bachelor's degree in Journalism and Broadcasting at Yonsei University. Throughout her four years in college, she actively participated in theater clubs and school broadcasts, gaining valuable practical experience. During her senior year, she prepared her resume and applied to various media broadcasting and advertising companies, only to face rejection from all of them. This experience was incredibly tough and led her to question her own abilities.

1997–2014: Career at MBC as Assistant director and director

Lee eventually hired and joined MBC's drama production department in 1997. During the early 2000s, when compared to other departments, there were few female directors in drama departments. During this time, Lee worked as an assistant director of MBC Best Theatre [ko], assisting director Kim Jin-man [ko] in Writer Jung Yoo-kyung's The Story of My Fiancée [ko] (2001) and assisting director Kwon Suk-jang in Writer Ki Seung-tae's Stamp on the Heart [ko] (2001). She also served as an assistant to directors Jang Geun-Su in sunday morning drama Something About 1% (2003) and Choi Lee-seop in daily drama Pretty Woman [ko] (2004).

Her big breakthrough came in February 2005 when she became the main director of MBC Best Theatre [ko] Magic Power Alcohol [ko], becoming the first female director at MBC. By the end of 2005, including Lee, there were only two female directors at MBC, four at KBS, and none at SBS. Lee received high praise for her directing skills for her next work in the weekend drama Beating Heart, especially for the 'Wind' episode.

MBC had a lot of confidence in her and entrusted her to direct the four-part mini-series Taereung Athletes' Village [ko], which was the first work for the revived MBC Best Theatre [ko] after a six-month hiatus. Her unique directing style gained a lot of attention. Written by Hong Jin-ah, the drama portrays the lives of national athletes at the Taereung National Village. The main characters include Lee Dong-gyeong (Lee Sun-kyun), a swimmer facing age-related challenges; Bang Bang-ah (Choi Jung-yoon), an archer struggling with a slump; Hong Min-ki (Lee Min-ki), a passionate judo athlete; and Jeong Maru (Song Ha-yoon), a talented but socially inexperienced gymnast. The story revolves around their successes, frustrations, trials, and relationships in a competitive environment. The athletes navigate the complexities of youth, shedding tears over their sacrifices and facing temptations of new love.

In 2007, Lee became assistant director of Ahn Pan-seok's Behind the White Tower. Writer Lee Ki-won wrote the script based on renowned Japanese novelist Toyoko Yamasaki's representative work Shiroi Kyotō. Through a satirical lens, it explores themes of malpractice and power struggles in Hospital. The narrative follows two doctors portrayed by Kim Myung-min and Lee Sun-kyun, highlighting their contrasting paths and personalities. It received praise for its exceptional acting (particularly by Kim), as well as its well-crafted writing, direction, and its intelligent and uncompromising storytelling, which avoided melodrama and romance.

In 2007, Lee reunited with Lee Sun-kyun and Kim Chang-wan for her feature-length television mini-series debut with the television series Coffee Prince. The series was written by Lee Jung-ah and Jang Hyun-joo, based on the novel of the same name written by Lee Sun-mi [ko]. The drama tells the story of Go Eun-chan (Yoon Eun-hye), a woman who disguises herself as a man to find employment, and Choi Han-gyeol (Gong Yoo), a wealthy young entrepreneur. They form an unexpected romantic connection, with the man initially unaware of the woman's true gender. It aired on MBC's Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 (KST) from July 2 to August 28, 2007, consisting of 17 episodes. Hailed as a hit for its high ratings, the drama received positive reviews from critics and won multiple awards. Lee received praise for her distinctive and artistic directing style, as well as the success of the drama itself.

In 2009, Lee reunited with Lee Sun-kyun in television series Triple. It aired on MBC from June 11 to July 30, 2009, on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 (KST) for 16 episodes. It revolved in an aspiring figure skater, Lee Ha-ru (Min Hyo-rin), who moves to Seoul and reunites with her stepbrother Shin Hwal (Lee Jung-jae). She moves in with Hwal and his two roommates, Kang Hyun-tae (Yoon Kye-sang) and Jo Hae-yoon (Lee Sun-kyun). Ha-ru's new figure skating coach, Choi Soo-in (Lee Ha-na) turns out to be Hwal's estranged wife.

Triple get low viewers rating, due to delayed first episode and competition from a soccer game. However Lee was praised for her unique emotional speaking style and distinctive characters. The intertwined love lines of the six characters further piqued curiosity. Lee also praised for still showed outstanding skills in completing sensational scenes and sets. The filming location around Hapjeong-dong, which served as the backdrop for the drama, has become a popular spot. Additionally, the gallery cafe 'Etoir,' located in a quiet alley in Seogyo-dong, has gained popularity as well.

In 2012, Lee reunited with director Kwon Seok-jang as the assistant director for the medical drama Golden Time, following their previous collaboration on the MBC Best Theatre [ko] in 2003. The drama, written by Choi Hee-ra, achieved great success and was extended for an additional three episodes.

In 2014, Lee Directed the first work of 2014 MBC Drama Festival, two-part one-act drama 4teen [ko] based on Japanese author Ira Ishida's growth novel '4teen' (Fourteen).

In April 2014, according to broadcasting officials, Lee Yoon-jung planned to leave MBC and work for another broadcasting company as a freelance director. Lee confirmed her resignation in May and became freelance director.

2014–2022: Career at CJ E&M as freelance director

Lee's first project after leaving MBC was reunion with Lee Jung-ah, the writer of drama Coffee Prince, and Choi Kang-hee, who worked together in 2005's weekend drama Beating Heart, in the cable channel tvN's Friday-Saturday drama Heart to Heart. The drama tells the story of a mental healing romance between Go Yi-seok (Chun Jung-myung), an attention-seeking obsessive-compulsive doctor, and Cha Hong-do (Choi Kang-hee), a socially-avoidant patient who experiences facial flushing when she receives attention. Choi Kang-hee's character disguises herself as an old man and speaks in the Jeolla-do dialect throughout the series. It aired on tvN from January 9 to March 7, 2015, on Fridays at 20:30 for 16 episodes.

Her second project was television series Cheese in the Trap, adapted from a webtoon of the same name, serialized on Naver Webtoon from 2010 to 2016, although it featured an original ending since the webtoon had not been completed at the time of filming. Starring Park Hae-jin, Kim Go-eun, Seo Kang-joon, and Lee Sung-kyung, it aired on the cable network tvN on Mondays and Tuesdays for 16 episodes from 4 January to 1 March 2016. Cheese in the Trap achieved great success in both South Korea and China. Its distribution rights were sold to China for an impressive $125,000 per episode, making it the most expensive cable series at that time. The drama received accolades for its authentic portrayal of university student life, but faced backlash for deviating from the original webtoon by giving excessive attention to the second male lead and presenting an original ending that was rushed and left many viewers perplexed.

In 2017, Lee was chosen as mentor for the 2017 O'PEN Writers Contest and was assigned to direct the drama based on the winning script. Lee participated in the final script review process and came across script "Anthology" by Shin Ha-eun, which she found to be the most captivating script she had ever read. The script moved her so deeply that she expressed a desire to meet Shin once the contest concluded.

Afterwards, Lee personally invited Shin Ha-eun, to join the writing team for her upcoming drama Argon, alongside Joon Young-shin and Joo Won-gyu. This eight-episode mini-series centers around Team Argon, an investigative television program dedicated to uncovering the truth. The show explores the dynamic between Kim Baek-jin (played by Kim Joo-hyuk), a meticulous news anchor, reporter, and leader of Team Argon, and Lee Yeon-hwa (played by Chun Woo-hee), a temporary employee with aspirations of becoming a reporter. Argon was broadcast on tvN every Monday and Tuesday at 22:50 (KST) from September 4 to 26, 2017. The drama garnered positive reviews for its intelligent writing, compelling acting performances, and realistic depiction of the media industry. The series was one of Kim Joo-hyuk's last projects before his death on October 30, 2017.

In November 2017, Lee collaborated with Shin Ha-eun once again as the director for a one-act drama titled Anthology (Collection of Poem), which was Shin's winning script from the 2017 O'PEN Writers Contest. The drama starred Shin Eun-soo and Lee Jae-won. Anthology broadcast on January 6, 2018, in 2018 tvN Drama Stage, as the sixth installment out of ten episodes.

In 2019, Lee worked together again with Joon Young-shin to adapt Joo Won-gyu's novel, "Anti-Human Declaration," into a drama. It was developed and produced by Studio Dragon for OCN and titled The Lies Within, starring Lee Yoo-young and Lee Min-ki. The series aired from October 12 to December 1, 2019, marking Lee's first venture into the mistery genre.

In 2022, Lee co-wrote and co-directed television series Summer Strike with Hong Moon-pyo. The series stars Kim Seol-hyun and Im Si-wan and is based on a webtoon with the same title, written by Joo Young-hyun. Produced by GTist, the series serves as Genie TV's original drama of and is available for streaming on its platform and on OTT media service Seezn. It also aired on ENA from November 21 to December 27, 2022, every Monday and Tuesday at 21:20 (KST).

2022: Career at Studio Trii, Imaginus as producer

On June 20, 2022, Trii Studio (트리 스튜디오), was established with producer Kim Jin-yi as CEO. In March 2024, Lee Yoon-jung and Director Lee Na-jeong was reported to be part of Trii Studio as creator.

Prior to that, in February, 2024, it was reported that Trii Studio (트리 스튜디오) was a label under Imaginus, which is a production house established by Choi Jin-hee, former CEO of Studio Dragon. Their upcoming project the Hong sisters' OTT drama Can This Love Be Translated?, starring Kim Seon-ho and Go Youn-jung. It was reported that preparations for drama production are scheduled to conclude in June 2024, after which filming will commence promptly, with some scenes being shot in overseas locations like Italy. The objective is to wrap up filming by early 2025.

Beside admiring the work of MBC senior director Hwang In-roe, she also learned a lot from director Ahn Pan-seok, her ten-year batch senior at MBC. She mentioned that she is heavily influenced by both directors.

I was influenced by every word my seniors said, including basic thoughts on dramas and specific directing methods on set. I wonder if I would be where I am today without Hwang In-roe. I worked with senior Ahn Pan-seok when I was an assistant director. It may be disappointing for others to hear this, but I learned more in the 2-3 months I worked with Ahn Pan-seok than in the 6 years and 10 months I spent as an assistant director."

She expressed her aversion to creating a drama solely centered around action and reaction, as well as her desire to avoid evoking shallow emotions in the audience. She was also reluctant to resort to a conventional puppet show or adhere to a standardized storyboard. As an example, she disliked the typical approach in dramas where the protagonist abruptly changes course by screeching the car and making a U-turn when faced with a critical decision. She didn't consider the conventional approach inherently flawed, but she aimed to offer a different perspective to discourage the audience from easily accepting such actions.

Lee's work emphasizes the active perspective of female protagonists in the story, challenging the stereotypes seen in previous romantic comedies where female leads were often portrayed as overly arrogant or solely focused on love, controlled by male characters. In Lee's dramas, the female protagonists stand out by following their own unique paths and taking action, even when they are not in the spotlight. For example, Hong-do of Heart to Heart, who has social phobia, assertively expresses her feelings albeit secretly to Doo Soo over seven years of delivering side dish. Female characters of Taereung Athletes' Village [ko] like Bang Soo-ah and Jeong Ma-ru also fearlessly pursue love. These dramas break away from objectifying or restricting female protagonists to passive roles.

Her works are usually referred to as 'coming-of-age dramas'. Despite the fact that the main characters are adults, her works embody the theme of personal growth. These formulas is evident in her dramas. Firstly, all the main characters in her dramas experience growing pains, including going through pain, trials, crises, and failures. However, these experiences are portrayed with a calm yet warm perspective, evoking empathy from viewers. Secondly, Lee effectively uses rain as a symbolic tool to express the refreshing essence of youth. The mise-en-scène of youth running in the rain is consistently present throughout her filmography. Additionally, Tearliner has become inseparably linked to Lee's dramas. Tearliner initially collaborated with Lee as the music director for Taereung Athletes' Village [ko] in 2005, and has since worked on various projects, including Coffee Prince and MBC Drama Festival 4teen [ko]. Their collaboration continued until Heart to Heart and Cheese in the Trap.

Aside from Tearliner, Lee has formed successful collaborations with various talented individuals in the drama industry on multiple occasions. She partnered twice with director Kwon Seok-jang, working on the productions of Stamp on the Heart [ko] and Golden Time. Lee and writer Lee Jung-ah also teamed up twice, working on both Coffee Prince and Heart to Heart. Furthermore, Lee collaborated with writers Joon Young-shin and Joo Won-gyu for the dramas Argon and The Lies Within respectively. Additionally, Lee collaborated with writer Shin Ha-eun twice, for mini-series Argon and one-act drama Anthology.

Lee and Actor Lee Sun-kyun, worked together in multiple projects. Their first collaboration took place in the four-part mini-series Taereung Athletes' Village (2005). In 2007, they reunited for medical drama Behind the White Tower and television series Coffee Prince. They joined forces once again in 2009 for the television series Triple. In 2012, they collaborated in the medical drama Golden Time. Lee also worked thrice with actor Kim Chang-wan, including the weekend drama Beating Heart, the medical drama Behind the White Tower and the youth-drama Coffee Prince. Lee also worked twice with actor Lee Sung-min, in the television series Triple and the medical drama Golden Time. Additionally, Lee worked with actor Lee Min-ki twice, for Taereung Athletes' Village [ko] in 2005 and The Lies Within (2019). Another notable collaborator is actress Choi Kang-hee, with whom Lee worked twice. They first worked together in the weekend drama Beating Heart, and later teamed up again for tvN's drama Heart to Heart.

Television series