THE first episode of Winter Sonata went on air in South Korea, four months ahead of the highly anticipated 2002 FIFA World Cup in the country and Japan. Korea then, was still recovering from the 1997 Asian financial crisis.
The KBS TV drama series however did not become a major hit until its release in Japan the following year. The cult following soon spread through China and South-East Asia. Even Yoon Suk-ho, the producer of the tear-jerker romance that pioneered hallyu (Korean wave) drama, had no idea what the series was about to lead to in Asia as a whole.
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