Drama Queen

Dea Jang Guem

Having seen many teledramas in the 16 years I’ve lived, I’ve come across so many which I’ve hated and so many which I’ve loved. Having been watching Oshin which was shown on Rupavahini at 6:30 most of the time I started loving dubbed teledramas. They were so different from the usual love – hate –fight- revenge seen on other channels. It was late in the year 2012 when “The great Dea Jang Guem” came on air in Sri Lanka in the form of Sujatha Diyani. It was already recognized in South Korea and so many other nations including Canada.

It is the story of a young orphan who lost both her parents due to political up rest in Korea (when South and North Korea were one nation). When her mother died she made young Jang Guem promise her that one day she’ll be the main housewife of the Royal Food Court and write what her mother gave in an envelope in the royal courts housewife dairies. Having promised this Jang Guem got into the Palace as a young housewife of age 8 -9 [ This happened when she helped the royal prince to be king(it’s quite a long story)this prince later on went onto become King Jungjong of Joseon.]

Having brilliant knowledge on food in Korea which she learned from her mother she was a loving child who loved to explore with her friend Yon San (later becomes a wife of the King and had a little princess).

At the age of about eighteen she is expelled from the palace for a mistake she did. She is sent to the royal gardens (it’s a palace where no one other than the worst of house wives are sent). Anyway here she meets Min Jeong-ho in the army library. She also grows to love medicine in this place and later she becomes a female physician and leaves the Royal food court.

The next bit is pretty simple actually. She falls in love ( which is not allowed for housewives – they could only marry the king and no other male) Min Jeong –ho really sticks with Jang Guem he even goes on to the extent of taking a challenge from the king who also is in love with her. And for your information Min Jeong-ho is an awesome martial artist as well a great army commander. At last they are sent out of the palace and they get married and have a little girl.

The thing you can learn from this teledrama is that no matter what happens you should never give up. Dea Jang Guem was able to grant her mother’s death wish and she even went onto become Korea’s first female physician and the first person to deliver a baby via Caesarean section because she never gave up. Trust me in this era in Korea women with ambition had no place in the world and this is what Min Jeong-ho keeps on saying. Even now we have this problem. No matter what we women do we are not appreciated and this is so unfair even in this male dominated world we need a special place. This teledrama is quite long with 60 episodes. Trust me it’s worth the watch. I encourage you to watch it.