# Winter Sonata (2002)

> A woman on the verge of marrying her longtime partner is drawn back into the past when she meets a man who looks just like her first love.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/11695

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 20
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: romance, drama
- Created by: Yoon Eun-kyung, Oh Soo Yun, Kim Seon-soo
- Network: KBS2
- Cast: Bae Yong-jun, Choi Ji-woo, Park Yong-ha, Park Sol-mi, Lee Hae-eun, Ryu Seung-soo, Song Ok-suk, Jeong Dong-hwan
- TMDB rating: 7.9/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0395057/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: sentimental, wistful, bittersweet, melancholic, tender

## What critics say

Viewers broadly praise Winter Sonata as a sweeping, emotionally resonant romance with memorable performances and music, though its melodrama is sometimes seen as dated.

## Synopsis

Winter Sonata (2002) is a South Korean romance drama series created by Yoon Eun-kyung, Oh Soo Yun and Kim Seon-soo for KBS2. Over twenty hour-long episodes, a woman named Jeong Yoo-jin (Choi Ji-woo), about to marry her longtime lover, encounters a man who looks just like her first love. Kang Joon-sang (Bae Yong-jun) anchors the story as the sensitive figure from her past, while Park Yong-ha plays Kim Sang-hyeok, a man whose steady devotion complicates the pull of memory. The engine of the series is simple and emotional: a heroine must decide whether the love she remembers can compete with the life she has built, and each episode lingers on glances, letters, misunderstandings and the weight of years apart. Set in a snowy Korean landscape, the show unfolds with the lush, sentimental style of classic k-drama melodrama, foregrounding longing, nostalgia and the ache of unfinished romance. Its storytelling is patient and tender, with a bittersweet, wistful register. Fans of Crash Landing on You, My Love from the Star and Your Name will find resonance in its fated reunions and tearful devotion.

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