'The King and the Queen' and 'Empress Myeongseong' writer dies: Jung Ha-yeon, master of epic historical dramas

[Financial News] Writer Jung Ha-yeon (real name: Jung Yeon), who left a major mark on Korean broadcasting by writing epic historical dramas such as 'The King and the Queen' and 'Empress Myeongseong,' died on the afternoon of the 1st. The writer was 82.

According to the Korea TV and Radio Writers Association and the family, the late writer was born in 1944 in Anak, Hwanghae Province. An alumnus of Yonsei University's Yonhee Theater Art Research Club, the writer took a first step into the literary world in 1968, when 'Echoes' won in the one-act play category at the Seoul Shinmun Shinchunmunye Literature and Art Awards. That same year, 'The Rainbow Falls' was selected in a new-playwriting contest run by the magazine Sedae and Shilhum Theatre Company, and the following year 'Phantom Murder' was selected in a full-length play contest held by the National Theater and the Kyunghyang Shinmun, drawing attention in theater circles from an early stage.
In the 1970s, the writer expanded into the film industry in Chungmuro, writing numerous screenplays, including 'A Love Story' (1971), 'Dating Class' (1971) and 'That's You' (1974), starring and directed by actor Shin Seong-il, as well as 'The Rocking Horse and the Lady' (1976) and 'Bottom of the Ninth' (1977). After working on radio dramas, the writer went on to write scripts for 'Hometown Legends' and 'TV Literature Hall,' beginning a full-fledged career in broadcasting.
The late writer's talent shone in sweeping historical dramas. Starting with 'Jang Nok Soo' (1995), the writer followed up with successive hits on large-scale epic historical dramas, including 'Jo Gwang-jo' (1996), 'The King and the Queen' (1998–2000), 'Empress Myeongseong' (2001–2002), 'Shin Don' (2005–2006) and 'Insu, the Queen Mother' (2011–2012), cementing a reputation as the undisputed master of historical dramas.

The writer also demonstrated exceptional skill in contemporary dramas, not just historical ones. The so-called 'Desire series' of melodramas, depicting people's unrestrained desire for success and their downfall, won a broad following. The series included 'The Dancing Gayageum' (1990), 'Desire on the Sand' (1992), 'Sea of Desire' (1997) and 'Flames of Desire' (2010).
Works praised for their portrayal of characters' inner lives and subtle emotions included 'A Wife' (2003), about a husband who ends up with two wives after losing his memory, and 'A Sweet Life' (2008), which explored the value of life through a middle-aged couple in crisis and young people adrift.
In 2004–2005, the writer penned the EBS cultural history series 'Count of Myeongdong' and 'Marronnier Trees Still Stand,' which explored the social climate of the time and life on university campuses through the stories of 1960s cultural figures and young people, including poet Kim Ji-ha, novelist Kim Seungok and student activist Kim Jung-tae. The late writer's final work was the MBC drama 'Let's Hold Hands and Watch the Setting Sun,' which aired in 2018.
The late writer received the Dong-A Theatre Award and the Baeksang Arts Awards' Playwriting Award (1973 and 1979) for plays including 'The Road to the Marronnier.' The writer also won the 1999 KBS Drama Awards' Best Writer award and the 2000 Korea Broadcasting Producers' Award for Best Writer for the acclaimed work 'The King and the Queen.'
The wake will be held in Room 5 of the funeral hall at Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital in Hannam-dong, Seoul, from 9 a.m. on the 2nd. The funeral procession is scheduled for the 4th.
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