Vietnam and South Korea are enjoying cultural, financial and social prosperity in recent years. There has been over 5,000 South Korean companies investing and opening offices in Vietnam. South Koreans are learning Vietnamese and Vietnamese are now flocking to South Korea to learn Korean.
Vietnamese foreign language students are now the largest group of foreign students numbering over 20,000 overtaking the Chinese students at 15,000. Vietnamese students are learning Korean to get jobs in Vietnam with Korean companies that normally pay nearly double versus other domestic companies and work environment are usually much better. South Korean tourist are making their way to Vietnam as well.
In 2017, 2.4 million South Koreans visited Vietnam, a 56 percent increase over 2016. The South Korean visitor count for 2018 is outpacing 2017 figures by double digit. K-pop and K-dramas are a big hit in Vietnam and both countries are benefitting in many ways.
Weekly Update
Ms. Ma, Nemesis
Episodes 21 & 22; 23 & 24 (Sun)
Today, 6:45 p.m.: Ma Ji Won shows up in town. She appears in front of the townspeople and dares Ms. Ma to a bet. Eun Ji and Tae Gyu talk about the child that died 9 years ago. She insists that it was Soo Ji and not Min Seo, that had been murdered. Today, 7:45 p.m.: Ms. Ma is taken in to the police station, where she faces Tae Gyu and other police officers to verify her identity. Eun Ji tells Ms. Ma about her wariness about her husband, Jang Cheol Min. Ms. Ma confronts Cheol Min. Ms. Ma narrowly escapes her predicament with the authorities.
Where Stars Land
Episodes 17 & 18 (Mon); 19 & 20 (Tues)
Monday 7:45 p.m.: Soo Yeon gets injured after trying to help Moo Ja and has to take a short leave. Yeo Reum looks for Soo Yeon and begins to worry when she doesn’t see him all day. Soo Yeon wishes for a normal life with no special attention. Will he be able to continue working at the airport? Tuesday, 7:45 p.m.: While on his way to see Yeo Reum, Soo Yeon’s wrist device breaks down and he collapses. Eun Seob witnesses Soo Yeon’s fall. Yeo Reum runs into her high school friend at the airport, catching her completely off guard.
Heart Surgeons
Episodes 21 & 22 (Wed); 23 & 24 (Thur)
Wednesday, 7:45 p.m.: Soo Yeon and Tae Soo save a patient in a risky surgery. Soo Yeon makes it known to Hyun Il that she will not forsake Taesan Hospital. Hyun Il makes Seok Han an offer to oversee an operation for a leading presidential candidate. Thursday 7:45 p.m: Doctors are faced with the difficult decision of life and death, every day. Soo Yeon and Tae Soo pursue an operation, disregarding Seok Han’s order. Seok Han makes a deal with the presidential candidate, when his assistant’s life is put on the table. Tae Soo gets suspicious and volunteers to take part in Seok Han’s surgery.
Marriage Contract
Episode 3 (Fri); Episode 4 (Sat)
Friday, 7:45 p.m: Ji-hoon and Hye-soo agree to the fake marriage. They work out the details and they realize that they are both very stubborn. Mi-ran calls Hye-soo and asks if she really loves Ji-hoon. Ji-hoon persuades Hye-soo to stay at his place with Eun-sung, to look like a genuinely married couple. Saturday, 7:45 p.m.: Ji-hoon works to become a better person. In order to pull of this fake marriage, they make efforts to care for each other. Ji-hoon joins Hye-soo and Eun-sung at an amusement park to get to know Eun-sung. Mi-ran insists that she won’t sell out her own son to save her life.
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Jeff Chung is general manager of KBFD TV, which televises Korean dramas with English subtitles. This column offers synopses of the dramas playing throughout Hawaii. Chung can be reached at 521-8066 or jeffchung@kbfd.com.
