South Korean tennis superstar Chung Hyeon arrived to a large crowd of fans at the Incheon International Airport last week after a record showing at the Australian Open in Melbourne catapulting him to celebrity status.
Born on May 19, 1996, Chung Hyeon was the first ever to reach Grand Slam semifinal. Chung had defeated former world No. 1 Novak Djokovic to get into the quarterfinals and beating Tennys Sandgren to get into the Grand Slam semifinal to meet legendary Roger Federer but decided to withdraw due to blisters on his foot.
Chung now has reached the top 30 rankings by the Association of Tennis Professionals, the highest ever for a South Korean. Chung had jumped from 58th to 29th, closing in on another Asian player, Kei Nishikori of Japan, who is currently ranked at 27th. Chung’s youth and newly celebrity status will give boost to the tennis industry in South Korea and he quickly became an idol for many youths interested in tennis.
Weekly Update
‘Rebel’
Episodes 15 &16
Today, 6:30 p.m.: Soburi’s mistaken blubber causes Gildong to face Eunuch Jawon. Gildong ends up facing off a bunch of the town’s hoodlums. Prince Chungwon meets Song Do-hwan and schemes to escape from his exile.
Today, 7:45 p.m.: Prince Choongwon returns to the capital in four years, as quite a different man. Gildong is enraged to hear rumors of Ga-ryong in a relationship with another man. Ga-ryong finally confesses her feelings.
‘Oh, The Mysterious’
Episodes 29 &30 (Mon);
31 &32 (Tues)
Monday, 7:45 p.m.: Jin-young is shocked when Pil-seung collapses after drinking water she gave him. Il-seung comforts her. Director Gook comes to the police station to give info on the Odong Blowfish Restaurant murder case. Director Gook gets closer to obtaining evidence against Lee Kwang-ho.
Tuesday, 7:45 p.m.: Soo-chil finds the truth about Jong-sam’s real identity, and orders to have him arrested. Prosecutor Kim comes to the rescue. Jong-sam leaves the department. Jong-sam comes across vital evidence. Pil-seong tries to reverse the case using the evidence held by Butler Cha.
‘Return’
Episodes 5 &6 (Wed);
7 &8 (Thur)
Wednesday, 7:45 p.m.: Dok-go Young reminds Ja-hye of the heinous things the men have committed with their parents at their back. Tae-suk warns the princes to remember that they did the murder together. Dok-go Young tells Na-ra she needs to find Joon-hee to prove her husband’s innocence. Joon-hee heads for the police station, saying he’d prove In-ho’s innocence.
Thursday, 7:45 p.m.: Everyone is suspicious of the murder location. Some question whether the corpse found is at Suh Joon-hee’s. Hak-bum denies knowing anything and works on an alibi. Dok-go is targeted, making him want to get to the truth even more. Dok-go and Ja-hye have power of tug-of-war over the case.
‘Bravo My Life’
Episodes 45 &46 (Fri);
47 &48 (Sat)
Friday, 7:45 p.m.: Joon-ho’s father tells Joon-ho to bring Hye-mi home. He’s forced to beg Hye-mi. RaRa’s condition deteriorates rapidly, to the point of being unable to recall Do-na’s name. Dong-woo changes the script to accommodate her. Bum-woo and Do-na make the news.
Saturday, 7:45 p.m.: Young-woong is heartbroken over RaRa’s condition. Dong-woo is in pain at thinking RaRa will leave. Bum-woo is on the verge of getting sued over an endorsement contract. RaRa reveals her condition to Hwa-im, to plead with her to leave Dong-woo be.
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Jeff Chung is general manager of KBFD TV, which televises Korean dramas with English subtitles. This column offers synopses of the dramas playing throughout Hawaii. Chung can be reached at 521-8066 or jeffchung@kbfd.com
