Modern Farmer (Korean Drama)

I just finished watching this KDrama. And ya, I really needed to write about this one.

Of course, this drama is not perfect and it might be really lacking a lot of things. The entertainment value might be behind some other dramas too. Yet, I had to write about this one. Why?
Well because for one thing, after i finished watching it, after the final episode was over, i felt myself being sad that I won't get to see these characters anymore. I won't get to see the character's everyday and see their future lives from that point on ward.
To that extend, those characters had become like a bunch of people I know, like family, like the people from our locality, neighbors... The characters in Hadurok Ni Village had become so close to me. It really felt like I lived among them in Hadurok Ni village for a few days and now it's time to go home. So it was sad to part with them. The goodbyes were said with a sad face.

And I feel that if any program can make you love the characters in it, it's actually a really big thing. Not many Movies/Dramas/Series can do that. So hats off to Modern Farmer, which actually made me (I am sure it's the same for others who have watched this drama) feel like I actually live there among those people.

Maybe it's because each character actually feel real, and just like someone from our neighborhood. Like the people we see everyday. Or because, they are simple village people, with simple worries and funny personalities. Anyway it is, each character in the Hadurok Ni village is now printed in our hearts. Man Go ajjushi, Sang Duk oppa, Harabboji (grand pa), Han ajjushi, Sang Eun, Kim Soon Boon ajjumma, Yoon Hye Jung ajjumma, Bul Ja/Hwa Ran shhi, Yoon Hee unni and our four modern farmer boys, everyone now just feels like long lost family. (To the extend that it feels weird to just say their name without adding 'ajjushi', 'ajjumma' and 'unni', 'oppa'). And I really feel like I am leaving some acquaintance behind and going somewhere far away...

Anyway, for now, let's look at the story and character of the drama...

Credits :

Written by : Kim Ki Ho
Directed By : Oh Jin Seok

Story :

Lee Min Ki, Kang Hyuk, Yoo Han Chul and Han Ki Joon were once really hit band, named 'Excellent Souls' (ExSo for short). But now after 8 years, they have become nobodies and their band has been dispersed. And now everyone is blaming them for using EXO's name and plagiarizing the name, when Lee Min Ki is protesting that their name was the original and first formed. Lee Min Ki is the only one in the band still trying to peruse music.  Kang Hyuk, who had supposedly betrayed the band by punching the president of the entertainment company which was going to release the band's album, has now become a medical student following his family path. Yoo Han Chul has become a regular office worker who gets ordered around by his seniors without any mercy. And Han Ki Joon is now going to crap schools and studying hard to write civil service exams.

Lee Min Ki is in debt and being chased by loan sharks. He is given 3 months time by a loan shark boss to repay the debt. Around that time Min Ki's grand mother passes away and leaves a large area of land in his village to Min Ki. Min Ki decides to sell the land and pay the debt, but the price for that land in the village is so less that it won't even make 1000 won for the whole land. But he hears that the land is good for cabbage cultivation. And after reaching Seoul, he realizes that cabbages are really costly in the market. So Lee Min Ki researches on Cabbage cultivation and realizes that he can make really great amount of money through cabbage cultivation, repay the debt and even release an album by his own money. So Lee Min Ki try to persuade his friends to come with him to cabbage cultivation.

Yoo Han Chul receives a shocking information that he is suffering from stomach cancer, that too last stage. The doctor tell him that he will die in about a year. Han Chul is devastated, and he is sick and tired of still getting ordered around by his seniors in office. So he quits office and agrees to go with Min Ki for cabbage farming. Han Ki Joon also joins in. And Kang Hyuk comes with them even when he is not invited, because he thinks it will be fun.

So the four men arrive in Hadurok Ni village. On arrival they are met with many funny hardships. And Min Ki is shocked to see that his first love from Kindergarten, Yoon Hee nuna, is now not only the village head of Hadurok Ni village, but also a struggling single mother, and a totally country woman.
The boys' house burn down and hence they get to stay with Yoon Hee nuna's place. Kang Hyuk is getting interested in Yoon Hee nuna in a romantic sense, but Lee Min Ki and Yoon Hee nuna's relationship seems to be the mutual one, even though Min Ki doesn't realize feelings at all.
Mean while, Yoo Han Chul fall in love at first sight with Lee Seo Yeon, who has supposedly come to the village to draw murals. Han Chul follow her around all the time, as he want to at least date a girl once before dying. But real So Yeon is actually really different from what he can see. Seo Yeon actually came to the village to find the hidden treasure. She had heard from a guy that he had buried a big sum of money on one of the fields in Hadurok Ni. So every night she try digging in every field to find the treasure, but in vain.
Also, Han Ki Joon, saves the illegal worker, by the nickname Bul Ja (short for 'Bulpop Jareja' meaning 'illegal worker') from a police raid. She is too grateful to him that she falls for him. But Ki Joon tries to avoid her and find her embarrassing as she brings him gifts. That is until he see that she is pretty...
The villager, Sang Duk is also having a difficult time by his mother insisting him to get married, and his ex-girlfriend, Mi Young, who is now a divorcee, coming back to live in the village.

Characters : 

(I am adding all the relationship terms 'ajjushi'/'ajjumma'/'oppa'/'unni'/'nuna' here, because as I said above, as these characters feels so real and close that it feels weird to just call them by their name, so I will talk about them as they get called in the drama. If anyone doesn't know the meanings of these words please visit click here to see the meaninges).

Lee Hong Ki as Lee Min Ki : The leader of 'Excellent Souls' band. A bit childish in nature, but a big dreamer. He is the one who wants to go in the path of music till the end. Min Ki, is kind hearted and a good human being. He is loyal and a good friend. He takes care of people in genuine ways. He is still in love with Yoo Na, who was once really close to him. He will keep his loyalty to her, but he is feeling something to Yoon Hee nuna, which might be just more than pity.

Park Min Woo as Kang Hyuk : A playful, fun loving type guy. He is good looking and smart and sort of crazy at times. His parents want him to be a doctor like everyone else in the family, but Hyuk just want to have some fun. He will do something if it feel like it will be fun. He lost his mother 8 years back, and he was really close to her. Yoon He nuna feels similar to his mother for him. So he falls in love with Yoon Hee nuna. But she never takes him for serious as he is always joking around.

Lee Si Eon as Yoo Han Chul : A not-so much-good looking guy, with just normal personality. He was already sick and tried of his life, and then he gets detected with cancer, and the doctor tells him that he has just one more year to live. He comes to cabbage farming to just make money and release album before he die. And then, he see Lee Seo Yeon and falls in love with her on first sight. Han Chul is a honest and innocent sort of person, so his love is like that too. Strong and unwavering and irritatingly pushy.

Kwak Dong Yeon as Han Ki Joon : Youngest of the four boys. He is an 'always happy' sort of boy. Han Ki Joon's family wants him to study and pass Civil Service exams. But his dream is music, and hence he follow his 'hyung's and come down to the village. He had no idea that he will get a love story there, that too with an 'illegal worker'.

Lee Han Nui as Kang Yoon Hee : Lee Min Ki's first love, while in Kindergarten. She is now the village head and a struggling single mom. She is the sort of person who will hide her pain and work hard to keep others happy. She is strong and support not just her family, but also everyone else in the village, all by herself and still always keep a smile on her face and don't take emotional support from anyone. That's why Hyuk and Min Ki tell her that it's okay to depend on them and take their support when she needs it, instead of enduring everything by herself.

Han Bo Reum as Han Yoo Na : Min Ki and Yoo Na were once in in a 'some' relationship (not just friends, but not yet dating). Yoo Na became a famous singer, while Min Ki just didn't get success. So Yoo Na feels like not achievable dream for Min Ki now. Still he keeps his feelings for Yoo Na and believes that one day he will climb up to where she is and then will have her. Yoo Na, also wish for that and is waiting for that. But then, Yoo Na is hiding something from Min Ki.

Kwon Mina as Lee Seo Yeon : Seo Yeon comes to the village saying she is there for the volunteer work to draw murals on the walls of the village. But actually she came to find the hidden treasure in the village. She was a bar girl in Seoul, and one of her customer tells her about the money he buried in the field of Hadurok Ni village. That man gets in to an accident and goes in to coma state. But Seo Yeon, leaves her job in Seoul, and comes down to Hadurok Ni and dig up fields every night in search for the buried money. But it's not that easy, as Yoo Han Chul falls in love with her and follow her around all the time.

Han Joo Hyun as Bul Ja/ Song Hwa Ran : She is an illegal worker from Yanbain, China. She works for the Hwan family, and since she did not tell them her name, Soon Boon ajjumma named her Bul Ja in short of 'Bulpop Jareja' meaning 'Illegal Worker'. So everybody in the village calls her Bul Ja. Bul Ja lives working hard, doing all sort of odd jobs, like catching snakes to sell. She gets saved from police raid  by Han Ki Joon once. And she falls in love with him. She brings him gifts and even tells him her real name, Song Hwa Ran. But Ki Joon feels she is irritating and embarrassing. That is until, Bul Ja/Hwa Ran removes her bangs covering her face, and show how pretty she is.

Lee Han Wi as Kang Young Shik : Yoon Hee's uncle. This ajjushi has a knack of getting hurt on a daily basis. He even get hit in the eye by a cow's tail while feeding it. He seems to be lacking luck. Or else how else would he get that kind of a wife. :- D

Lee Il Hwa as Yoon Hye Jung : Yoon Hee's aunt, Kang Young Shik's wife. She is a total fragile and cute sort of lady. Childish and soft hearted. She is a bad cook, and she her hobby is fusion cooking. She feels normal food is boring and hence try different crazy types of recipes to the horror of the family members. They doesn't tell her the cooking is bad and endure the food, because once anyone tell her food is bad, she breaks down and cry for two months straight. So everyone just pampers her and doesn't criticize her for anything, and tell her that her instant noodles is the best, so that they don't have to endure the crazy recipes.

Kim Jae Hyun as Park Hong Gu : Yoon Hee's half Brother. He is still in High School, but is really a mature and tough sort of guy. Hong Gu thinks he is the one responsible that his sister's life to be the way it is now. So he is really really protective towards his sister, and hence stand up against Min Ki and other guys. Min Ki is even a bit scared of Hong Gu, even when Hong Gu is way younger than Min Ki.



Hwang Jae Won as Kang Min Ho : Yoon Hee's son. He is really sad about not having a dad, and always suffer from bullying in school for being a child out of wedlock. But he suffers everything and never complain, thinking it will just hurt his mother more. He loves his mom a lot and does not want to see her sad.




Seo Dong Won as Park Sang Duk : A farmer in Hadurok Ni. He is a constant drunkard. According to himself, he started drinking while in elementary school. Drinking is in his blood. Yet Sang Duk is a nice guy with a bit hero natures. Sang Duk oppa is 40 years of age and still single, and this worries his mother. His mother's wish is to get him married. But Sang Duk oppa is totally not the type that can easily woo woman. He is reserved and his only interests are farming and alcohol. So all of his blind dates fail. And that is when Mi Yong, his ex-girlfriend, arrive back in village.

Jung Shi Ah as Yoo Mi Yong : Mi Young unni and Sang Duk oppa were once really steamy couple of the village. They had dated long and strong. Then Mi Yong get admission in college in Seoul and moved to soul. Then she cheated on Sang Duk oppa and they had broke up. Now, Mi Young Unni has divorced her husband, and lost all her money. She is struggling hard with a sick father and young daughter (who is so irritating and stubborn). Mi Young unni opens a coffee shop in the town near the village and comes back to the village to live. And she finds out that Sang Duk oppa is still single.

Jo Sang Gun as Park Deuk Chool / Grand pa : Sang Duk oppa's grandfather, and the eldest person in the village. Harabojji (grandpa) has a real knack in gambling games and wins with stunning records in every gambling games. He also is a master of Taekwondo, and can even take 20 strong men down. Harabojji also likes to eat chocolate bars. But his teeth is not strong enough to chew almonds in the chocolate bars. So he spits the almonds out and store in a cup, and offers to any unfortunate guy who does not know the origin of the almonds.

Kim Bu Seon as Lee Yong Nyo / San Duk's mom : Her life time wish is to get her son married. So she will let any young girl in to the house and brag about her son to any young girl she meets. She also takes in Lee Seo Yeon to the house in the hope that she can make her her daughter-in-law. She hates Mi Young, though. Young Nyo ajjumma feels that Mi Young did such a terrible thing by cheating on Sang Duk oppa, and Mi Young is the ultimate vamp in her eyes.This ajjumma would rather die than let Mi Young be the wife of Sang Duk oppa.

Park Yong Soo as Hwang Man Go : A farmer in Hadurok Ni. Not just any farmer. He is considered as the god of farming. Everything Man Go ajjushi plants grow up really well, and he knows even the tiny details of farming. Man Go ajjushi looks way too older for his age, so old that people mistake his sister for his daughter and his mother for his wife. And according to others, he had looked like that since middle school. Man Go ajjushi also has a pricky personality, and hence give  lot of trouble to the Seoul boys.

Oh Young Shil as Kim Soon Boon : Man Goo ajjushi's mother. Soon Boon ajjumma looks really young for her age, and is such a pretty lady.  She is the loud speaker of the village, and spread every rumor. She start with 'this is really a secret, so don't tell anyone...' and tell every secret to everyone. And then blame others for not keeping the secret. Soon Boon ajjumma is the one who spread the rumor about Bul Ja and Ki Joon all over the village.

Joo Woo Ri as Hwang Yi Ji : Man Go ajjushi's little sister. She is a sort of modern girl for a villager and likes to do make up and dress up and spend money on her appearance. She doesn't stick on one job and always change her dream of what to be. And hence Man Go ajjushi doesn't have much expectations from her.


Maria as Diana : Man Go ajjushi's wife. She is a pretty Russian woman. It's a whole lot of mystery how she became 'Man Go Ajusshi's' wife though. Bust she try to adjust well with the family and is a loving wife and mom. She gets really depressed when she realize that her son is embarrassed about her being a foreigner.


Lincoln Paul Lambert as Hwang Min Gook : Man Go Ajjushi's son. The four Soul boys are actually really shocked to see little handsome Min Gook is the son of old looking Man Goo ajjusshi. Man Goo goes to same class as Yoon Hee nuna's son Min Ho. Min Gook is sort of embarrassed that his mother is a foreigner and his father looks too old for his age. But because of his dad's efforts he soon overcomes that and loves his parents.

Kim Byong Ok as Han In Ki : The apple farmer in Hadurok Ni. He is a mute. But was not mute from the beginning. He used to be a singer in the past. But he had given up singing due to miserable past and lost his voice due to trauma. Hence he hate music and anything related to music. So Han Ajjushi gives really hard time to the Seoul boys as they are musicians. Han ajjushi is totally against his daughter Sang Eun practicing music too.

Park Jin Joo as Han Sang Eun: Han Ajjushi's daughter. Her dream is to be a girl group idol member. But her dad cuts off her hair every time he see her singing. Despite her dad's protests Snag Eun continues to sing. She even

has a web program on music. she believes that music is the only way by which she can escape from the village. But everyone tells her that she will need to do a plastic surgery to become an idol, as her looks are not enough. Only Hyuk tells her that a singer only need good singing ability, and that looks doesn't matter. For that she starts having a small crush on Hyuk.

Review :

The characters list makes it evident. As you can see, the list of characters is long. And each have a different personality. So all of them together did make a blast and actual living experience. Each character and their weird habits and personalities are so funny... I need not explain each character again. Just read the character list, you will realize how funny and versatile they are.

Modern Farmer is also really funny, situations are totally ROFL types. There was more than one time when I was actually getting tears because of too much laughing. That much funny. It's actually been a while since I watched something this funny.  All the actors are good comedians, but not just that...the story and way it's presented too... too much funny.

And unexpected crazy situations arise. Like who would have thought that Man Go ajjushi's wife would be a beautiful Russian woman? And we are talking about Man Go ajjushi here. Man Go ajjushi who is total country man, who looks way older than his age. And a Half-Russian-Half-Korean son, Min Gook. Total WTF situation.

Also there are times when the background music played totally blows the humor out to the next level. The time when the governor is hit by the deer, the back ground music is the song 'what a wonderful world'. If the situation was funny, the music makes it out of the world funny.

I do agree that they repeat a lot of jokes and makes it a bit tacky. I mean, the jokes and funny situations are funny for the first, second and third time. But it does get a bit lame after the fourth and fifth time. So the granpa's almonds situation, and Sang Duk and Mi Young getting rained by pee situation, and Mi Young finding Sang Duk always while he pee situation gets a bit lame after the first few incidents.

Still there continues to be really funny situations and adorable story lines. Like Ki Joon's little accidents with Bul Ja, and how Soon Boon ajjumma spreads the rumor of those two over the whole village. (And Ki Joon gets to take revenge from Soon Boon Ajjumma. LOL). And Han Chul's little love story. Lee Seo Yeon's character is funny as she speak saturi when she is being herself, and Seoul accent in front of people.

The whole hidden treasure, brings a bit of adventure to the story. It's a factor that brings together all of other things and makes the plot complete crazy.

To talk about the actors... Lee Hong Ki - same as usual, these sort of characters suits him. The childish playful type characters. He is born to play these type of characters, I think. A natural at it. Still having that cute side to be a hero. Well, we can see him in cool matured roles in other Kdramas and movies, but still I feel he is best as a bit childish humerus characters, like Jermy of You're Beautiful, or Lee Min Ki of Modern Farmer.
Park Min Woo - Had seen him last in 'Flowerboy Ramyun Shop', and what an improvement from a teenager to a kind of charming young man. I would really like to see more works from Park Min Woo, and do see a good potential in him. If he does well, he can even be the main lead. There is definitively a charisma in him.
Lee Si Eon - Loved him in Reply 1997, and loved him in this one too. A really natural actor.

But there are two special mentions needed.

Lee Ha Nui - If anyone had put me to gun point and told to believe that the person playing Yoon Hee unni is the same person who played Oh Sae Young chef in 'Pasta', I still would not have believed. But well, all the data says that it's Lee Ha Nui who played Yoon Hee unni. So unbelievable but... hey, it's true. What a transformation. The Miss Korea winner as a country lady. The elite chef, unbelievably pretty elite chef in Pasta, to the one feeding cow, wearing tacky village clothes to that village accent... WHAT A TRANSFORMATION!!!!! And I am damn sure that it's just too difficult for one and the same actor to feel like totally different persons in two different characters. So hats off to Lee Ha Nui, who showed what a true actor/actress can do.
Also, i would like to compliment her that she took this role where she has to shed all her beauty and look tacky. While being a Miss Korea winner, it is really commendable.

Another actor I want to mention is Kwak Dong Yeon. This young actor surprises me. He is too good of an actor for such a young age. I have seen him in his previous works and really appreciated his acting. In 'Modern Farmer', Dong Yeon is playing a character that is way older than Dong Yeon's actual age. Still he managed to carry out that in a pretty good way. Well, if we do know his actual age, we will feel a bit, 'he feels like a high school kid' at times. But if someone who doesn't know Dong Yeon is just 18 years old, will totally not feel that. He has done that well with Ki Joon's character.

'Modern Farmer' is more of a comedy drama than a Romantic drama, but still if we talk about romance in it, both the support love stories were cute. The way Han Chul and Seo Yeon, the total mismatch, finally makes their way to be a couple is kind of sweet.

And ya, I loved Ki Joon and Bul Ja/Hwa Ran. Their love story had that capturing capacity. When Ki Joon gets separated from Hwa Ran and he finds their photo which say 'sarang hamnida' (i love you) in Hwa Ran's room, and he break in to tears.. That one moment is enough to make that love story's impact so big that it will stay in our hearts for ever. Their love story is one of the best that I have ever seen. But I do wish that the writers and director of the show could have given a more satisfying reunion for these two. I mean, they don't even show how Ki Joon and Hwa Ran meet again in Yanbian. That big heart touching reunion is totally skipped from the script. That is totally not done. Writers and directors should know that viewers would want to see that reunion so badly, and should have included that...

To talk about negatives, the main love story was not that interesting. There was no moment that actually stamps that love story to our hearts. No moment that makes our heart race. No definite moment that will capture us to the romance. So it falls a bit bland. And actually I felt Hyuk deserved Yoon Hee nuna than Min Ki.
And for the reason that we actually don't really feel anything for this main love story, the final episode feels long and boring.I feel that, all the excitement of the treasure finding and stuff and the boys getting album released should have been saved for the last moment, so as the end is strong. And the love story should have been wrapped up before that. But since it is not like that, the love story continues after all the bang excitement, the last episode does feel a bit bland. That is a big negative of this drama.

Also at times the drama lacks a proper firm composition, and feels loose and scattered. Well, there is no definite story, so it can get a bit draggy here and there. But it's okay...

It was still very entertaining and funny though. And teaches a bit or two about farming. But above all gives us a feeling that we have lived in that village among those characters. And we do get attached to those characters a lot.

And it still feels really sad to let go of them... So saying goodbye to them with a sigh and sad face...
Anyong...



My Ratings of this Drama : 8.5/10

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