Winter Sonata (Korean: 겨울연가; RR: Gyeouryeonga) is a 2002 South Korean television drama series. It stars Bae Yong-joon and Choi Ji-woo. The show is part of a four-part series called Endless Love, which focuses on different seasons. The series was directed by Yoon Seok-ho. Most of the filming happened on the resort island of Namiseom and in Seoul. The drama aired on KBS2 from January 14 to March 19, 2002, on Mondays and Tuesdays at 9:55 p.m. (Korean Standard Time) for 20 episodes. It was also adapted into an anime series and a stage musical.

Synopsis

The story begins when Joon-sang (Bae Yong-joon), the son of a well-known musician, moves to Chuncheon, a small city in South Korea. Joon-sang is a very talented student who is treated kindly by his classmates and teachers. However, he is shy and does not speak much. He believes his biological father is dead and has serious disagreements with his mother, which makes him feel that no one truly loves him.

One day, while riding the bus to school, Joon-sang’s classmate Yoo-jin (Choi Ji-woo) falls asleep on his shoulder. Over time, the two become close friends. Later, Joon-sang convinces Yoo-jin to skip school with him. During this time, Joon-sang falls in love with Yoo-jin, who shares her kind and honest feelings with him. One day, when Joon-sang visits Yoo-jin’s home, he sees a photo in their family album. Their relationship ends suddenly when Joon-sang is seriously injured in a car accident. The accident causes brain damage, and he loses his memory of everything before the accident.

Joon-sang’s mother, who wants him to feel loved and respected, hires a hypnotist to help erase Joon-sang’s painful memories of being born out of wedlock. This process removes his memories of life before the accident. Joon-sang’s mother then moves to the United States with him, where he starts a new life under the name Lee Min-hyung. His friends and teachers are told that Joon-sang has died.

Ten years later, Min-hyung is a successful architect in the United States. He has no memory of his life in Korea and has become a kind and open-minded person. When he returns to South Korea, Yoo-jin sees him on the street, which makes her delay her engagement to her childhood friend Sang-hyuk (Park Yong-ha). She does not know that Min-hyung is now dating her friend and former rival, Chae-rin (Park Sol-mi). The story becomes more complicated when Yoo-jin’s design company is chosen to work on a project for Min-hyung’s architecture firm. She sometimes wonders if Min-hyung is her former love, Joon-sang.

After several months, Min-hyung falls in love with Yoo-jin, which makes Chae-rin angry. Chae-rin sees Yoo-jin as a problem and tries to get Min-hyung’s attention by lying about Yoo-jin. However, her plan is discovered when Min-hyung overhears a conversation between Chae-rin and Jin-sook.

Cast

• Bae Yong-joon as Kang Joon-sang / Lee Min-hyung
• Choi Ji-woo as Jeong Yoo-jin
• Park Yong-ha as Kim Sang-hyuk
• Park Sol-mi as Oh Chae-rin
• Lee Hye-eun as Kong Jin-sook
• Ryu Seung-soo as Kwon Yong-gook
• Kwon Hae-hyo as Kim seonbae
• Song Ok-sook as Kang Mi-hee, Joon-sang's mother
• Jung Dong-hwan as Kim Jin-woo, Sang-hyuk's father
• Kim Hae-sook as Lee Yeong-hee, Yoo-jin's mother
• Ha Ji-hye as Jeong Hee-jin, Yoo-jin's younger sister
• Jung Won-joong as Park Jong-ho, "Gargamel"
• Jang Hang-sun as Supervisor Min
• Lee Hyo-chun as Park Ji-young, Sang-hyuk's mother
• Park Hyun-sook as Lee Jeong-ah, Yoo-jin's colleague at Polaris
• Son Jong-bum as Yoo-jin's colleague at Polaris
• Yoo Yul as Radio broadcaster
• Maeng Ho-rim as Dr. Ahn
• Ha Jae-young as Jeong Hyeon-soo, Yoo-jin's father

Reception

Winter Sonata helped start the second wave of the Korean Wave and spread it to Japan and the Philippines. It helped improve how people in Japan saw South Korea and influenced fashion trends across East Asia. The series was very successful, with 330,000 DVDs and 1,200,000 copies of its novelizations sold. When considering the profits from tourism, the series contributed more than $27 billion. After the series aired, the number of visitors to Namiseom Island (where it was filmed) increased from 250,000 to over 650,000. A statue of the main characters stands on the island at the location where they first kissed.

The series made actor Bae Yong-joon a famous star in Asia, especially among middle-aged Japanese women. In 2004, when he visited Japan, more than 3,000 women were protected by 350 police officers at the airport to greet him. At the time, Japan’s prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi, said Bae was more popular in Japan than he was.

The series was also shown in the Philippines in 2003 by GMA Network as Endless Love II: Winter Sonata and became one of the most-watched shows in the country. This helped introduce the Korean Wave to the Philippines. Like in Japan, Bae Yong-joon became popular among middle-aged women there.

The series was successful in Asia and also in America.

In March 2026, it was announced that the drama would be re-released in Japan as a 2-hour 4K remastered film, combining all 1,400 minutes of the original television series.

Ratings

In this table, blue numbers show the lowest ratings. Red numbers show the highest ratings.

Original soundtrack

Also, the song "Moment" by Ryu, which is on his album Ryu 2, can be found on some bootleg versions of the Winter Sonata soundtrack.

International broadcast

The drama first aired in Japan on NHK in 2004. It was translated into Japanese and cut into 60-minute episodes. The final episode, which aired on August 23, 2004, had ratings of 20.6% in the Kanto region, 22.5% in Nagoya, and 23.8% in the Kansai region. The series as a whole had an average viewership of between 14% and 15%. Because many viewers wanted to watch the series in its original version, it was re-aired on NHK's satellite channel BS2 without changes. This version used the original Korean audio with Japanese subtitles and began on December 20, 2004.

The drama helped start the Korean Wave in Malaysia when it aired in 2002 on TV3. It was translated into Mandarin with Malay subtitles. PMP Entertainment later released the drama on VCD and DVD with the title Kisah Cinta Musim Salju, which means "Winter Love Story" in Malay. A Malay version of the theme song was also released with the title Sonata Musim Salju, meaning "Winter's Sonata."

The drama aired in Nepal on Kantipur Television Network in the mid-2000s. It was translated into Nepali. The drama helped start the Korean Wave in Nepal, and its lead actor, Bae Yong-joon, became very popular with women in the country.

In Indonesia, Winter Sonata was broadcast on SCTV in August 2002.

In 2006, the pan-Asian American network AZN Television acquired the rights to air Winter Sonata in a 24-hour event with other Korean dramas.

In Asia, the drama can be watched online through Iflix with subtitles in English, Indonesian, Malay, Simplified Mandarin, Sinhalese, Vietnamese, and Burmese.

Anime

An anime version of Winter Sonata first aired on Japan's SKY PerfecTV! on October 17, 2009. The series has 26 episodes with subtitles in both Japanese and English. Ahn Jae-hoon directed the anime, and Kim Hyeong-wan wrote it. The original Korean cast members, including Bae and Choi, acted as the characters. Park Yong-ha originally played "Sang-hyuk," but singer Kang Yo-hwan voiced the role. "Chae-rin" was acted by Lee Se-na instead of Park Sol-mi. In October 2011, Animax Asia broadcast the anime with Korean audio and English subtitles in South and Southeast Asia.

Korean Voice Actors:
– Bae Yong-joon as Kang Joon-sang / Lee Min-hyung
– Choi Ji-woo as Jeong Yoo-jin
– Park Yong Ha as Kim Sang-hyuk
– Park Sol Mi as Oh Chae-rin
– Ryu Seung-soo as Kwon Yong-gook
– Seon Jeon-hui as Kong Jin-sook, Catalina, and Marianne
– Bae Han-seon as Kim Jin-woo (Sang-hyuk's father)
– So Hye-jyeon as Kang Mi-hee (Joon-sang's mother) and Anne
– Yoon So-ra as Kim Yeong-hee (Yoo-jin's mother) and Mother superior
– Lee Young-yoo as Jeong Hee-jin (Yoo-jin's younger sister)
– Lee Jang-won as Park Jong-ho (teacher)
– Choi Seon-woo as Park Ji-young (Sang-hyuk's mother)
– Min-ji as Lee Jeong-ah
– Park Yeong-jae as Hang Seung-ryong and DJ (Sang-hyuk's colleague)
– Kim Chang as Kim Hyo-sook (Min-hyung's seonbae) and Jeong Hyeon-soo (Yoo-jin's father)
– Kim Gyu-sik as Dr. Ahn
– Seo-yeong as Jane
– Cho Gyun-joon as Manager Kim (Mi-hee's manager)
– Im Chae-hong as Claude
– Nam Do-hyeong as Louis
– Hong Seong-min as Chang
– Kim In-jeong as Manufacturing manager

Japanese Voice Actors:
– Masato Hagiwara as Kang Joon-sang / Lee Min-hyung
– Misato Tanaka as Jeong Yoo-jin
– Kazuma Horie as Kim Sang-hyuk
– Sayaka Kinoshita as Oh Chae-rin
– Fuminori Komatsu as Kwon Yong-gook
– Makoto Tsumura as Kong Jin-sook
– Mitsuru Takakuwa as Kim Jin-woo, Sang-hyuk's father
– Chika Mizuno as Kang Mi-hee, Joon-sang's mother
– Kaoru Katakai as Kim Yeong-hee, Yoo-jin's mother
– Michiko Komatsu as Jeong Hee-jin, Yoo-jin's younger sister
– Binbin Takaoka as Park Jong-ho, teacher
– Kikue Umimoto as Park Ji-young, Sang-hyuk's mother
– Tatsuya Kamijo as Radio DJ
– Aki Yasunaga as Lee Jeong-ah
– Seiro Ogino as Kim Hyo-sook, Min-hyung's seonbae
– Yasuhiro Mamiya as Dr. Ahn
– Kumi Tanaka as Jane
– Katsunori Kobayashi as Manager Kim, Mi-hee's manager
– Kenji Sugimura as Claude
– Ryo Agawa as Anne
– Yūto Suzuki as Louis
– Masanori Machida as Chang
– Koki Yamada as Manufacturing manager
– Kanako Hirano as Catalina
– Sayuri Sadaoka as Mother superior
– Rinko Hayashi as Marianne
– Keiichi Nakagawa as Jeong Hyeon-soo, Yoo-jin's father

Songs:
1. 最初から今まで (From the Beginning Until Now) – instrumental 2009
2. サラハムニダ:初めて2 (Sarahamnida: First Time 2)
3. たった一歩だけでも (Only One Step Alone)
4. いつでもただ君だけを (Forever for Her) – Lee Se-jun (Ending)
5. 聞きなれない声 (Not Used To Hearing Voice)
6. 凍りついた視線 (Frozen Eye)
7. To My Dearest
8. サラハムニダ:初めて2 (New Age ver.) (Sarahamnida: First Time 2 New Age ver.)
9. 逢いたい (I Miss You) – Yoo Hae-joon
10. Mystery Episodes
11. 氷の湖 (Ice Lake)
12. RUN
13. ソナタ(恋歌) (Sonata (Love Song)) – Kang Yo-hwan
14. 最初から今まで (From the Beginning Until Now) – Ryu (Opening)

Additional Songs:
1. 雪の森 (Snow Wood)
2. サラハムニダ:初めて2 (Humming ver.) (Sarahamnida: First Time 2 Humming ver.)
3. 届かない想い (Feelings Do Not Receive) – Kang Yo-hwan
4. 真冬の散歩道 (Winter Walking Road)
5. 記憶と願い (Memory and Wish)
6. 踊らないオルゴール (Music Box Do Not Dance)
7. サラハムニダ:初めて2 (Clarinet ver.) (Sarahamnida: First Time 2 Clarinet ver.)
8. Polaris
9. 思い出づくり (Making Memory)
10. Invisible Love
11. サラハムニダ:初めて2 (Classic ver.) (Sarahamnida: First Time 2 Classic ver.)
12. ソナタ(恋歌)(Strings Inst ver.) (Sonata Strings Inst ver.)
13. 君と永遠に (With You Forever) – Shin Min-chul (T-Max)
14. Believe You – Yoonji

**Cast Members

Musical theater

Winter Sonata celebrated its 10th anniversary by producing a new musical version that performed from September 27, 2011, to March 18, 2012. Yoon Seok-ho was the producer and art director. Yoo Hee-sung directed the stage (known for works like Mozart! and Pimagol Love Song), and Oh Eun-hee composed the music (known for Dae Jang Geum and Singin' in the Rain). Choi Soo-jin played the main role of Yoo-jin.

The musical first performed in Japan in 2006 in cities such as Sapporo, Tokyo, and Osaka. It attracted large audiences due to the participation of popular singer Im Tae-kyung. Later, from late 2010 to early 2011, it performed in Busan and Seoul. Im Do-wan directed the stage (known for Woyzeck), and Lee Ji-soo composed the music.

Cast members included:
• Im Tae-kyung and Lee Sang-hyeon as Kang Joon-sang / Lee Min-hyung
• Park Hong-joo and Im Kang-hee as Jeong Yoo-jin
• Lee Pil-sung as Kim Sang-hyuk
• Jiny as Oh Chae-rin
• Lee Jin-kyu as Kwon Yong-gook
• Kim Gyung-hwa as Kong Jin-sook
• Shin Bok-ja as Kang Mi-hee, Joon-sang's mother
• Yang Joon-mo as Spirit
• Nam Moon-chul as Dr. Oh, Chae-rin's father

Additional cast members included:
• Kim Tae-han as Kang Joon-sang / Lee Min-hyung
• Park Woo-ne and Choi Soo-jin as Jeong Yoo-jin
• Jeong Jae-hong and Kim Gyeong-soo as Kim Sang-hyuk

Video games

Two pachinko simulation games, Pachitte Chonmage Tatsujin 10: Pachinko Fuyu no Sonata and Pachitte Chonmage Tatsujin 15: Pachinko Fuyu no Sonata 2, were created by Hack Berry. They were released on January 25, 2007, and December 25, 2008, respectively, for the PlayStation 2. An enhanced version of the game, called Fuyu no Sonata DS, was released in Japan by D3Publisher on December 17, 2009. It was made for the Nintendo DSi.

In popular culture

In episode 5 of Da Capo II's first season, which aired on October 29, 2007, two main characters watch a movie titled Fuyu no Anata (冬のアナタ). This movie is the same as Fuyu no Sonata because they use the same font and characters. A poster for Fuyu no Anata shown in the Da Capo anime episode matches the cover of the first Fuyu no Sonata manga exactly. The Japanese anime Kaguya-sama: Love Is War uses music from a Korean drama's soundtrack. In the Family Guy episode "Candy, Quahog Marshmallow," Peter, Cleveland, and Joe become fans of a Korean drama named Winter Summer. This drama is a parody of Winter Sonata.