Resigned from Funeral Company to Pursue Dream of Film Directing
Shocked by Release of Movie Sharing Story with Submitted Screenplay
After Quitting Writing, Opened Successful Academy... Top English Instructor Earning 40 Million Won Monthly
Completed Seven Works Without Break Since 'Ganggu Story'
Vivid On-Site Stories and Experiences of Success and Failure from Reporting Inspire Creations
Finished Writing Own Work 'Strong Woman Gangnamsoon'... Recognized as Leading Female Narrative Creator by Public
Writer Baek Mi-kyung said in response to a question about her background as a drama writer that money was not her goal, and even if she failed, she wanted to try new challenges. She continuously participated in contests and, after her debut, showcased her prolific creativity by releasing seven works over seven years. Photo by the writer
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] "Money was not the goal. Even if I failed or came in last, I wanted to try something new."
In an era where money is king and materialism rules, we have to watch even content chase after a 45.6 billion won prize. In this climate, Baek Migyeong’s emphasis on challenge over money comes across as an idealistic message. Yet, her eyes, which have embodied fierce and persistent challenges, failures, successes, and leaps forward, carry a unique determination along with the truth of a long journey. Having recently finished writing ‘Strong Woman Kang Namsoon,’ scheduled to air in the first half of next year, she quietly asked while discussing various themes and incidents she is considering for her next work: "Isn’t it interesting?"
The essential elements of ‘makjang dramas’?adultery, revenge, and desire?are powerful materials that breathe life into the plot as much as the savory MSG flavor captivates the tongue. In the past, audiences scolded makjang dramas but kept watching; now, they criticize society and say dramas don’t even match reality. In an era where news is more dramatic than dramas, the creation of narratives that transcend such times hides the fierce effort of fake that surpasses the real.
"Research is really important. Meeting various people gives me more inspiration. During the research for ‘The Lady in Dignity,’ I met many wealthy people. Although I didn’t use those stories in the drama, I got more interesting material."
Vivid field stories became the source for new works. Her next project, ‘Strong Woman Kang Namsoon,’ follows Kang Namsoon, the sixth cousin of Dobongsun who has superhuman strength, as she investigates new types of drug crimes centered around Gangnam. She said the story of a drug-experienced person she met during the wealthy research became part of the material.
Quit Job to Become a Writer, Story Stolen, Then Hit English Academy Jackpot
Baek, who majored in English literature at university, joined a large domestic general trading company after graduation and thrived as a career woman before submitting her resignation to write. “My dream was to be a film director. I studied screenwriting and focused solely on writing while preparing for contests.” While submitting works to various competitions preparing for her debut, she was shocked to see a movie made with the exact same story as her screenplay released. “It felt like my child was stolen. Even more, seeing that work succeed at the box office, I vowed never to write again and gave up writing.”
She soon put down the pen and opened an English academy in her hometown Daegu. But the academy became a huge success. She turned students who scored level 3 into level 1, and mid-level TOEIC students into the 900s. Her lectures spread by word of mouth, making her Daegu’s top instructor earning 40 million won a month. “Daegu is a city with very high educational enthusiasm. When students take mock exams, school teachers have answer keys but academy instructors don’t. When kids bring the test papers, we have to solve everything ourselves and teach, so if you don’t have skills, you can’t be an instructor. At that time, I got a perfect TOEIC score on my eighth try, but I kept missing 2-3 questions in Listening Part 3, so I focused on that part and got a perfect score. Using this method, I analyzed the types of questions level 3 students got wrong and taught them like personal training (PT). When these students improved to level 1, the academy exploded in popularity.”
One day, when the academy was doing well, the police contacted her for a drug case witness investigation. “At that time, we had a native English teacher who was the best at teaching. But this friend was caught growing marijuana at home. I even helped find a place for him and handled his immigration procedures, but he got caught growing marijuana there. It was so absurd, I wondered if that’s why his classes were so good? (laughs)” She says these experiences also helped with writing the current drama.
Seven Works in Seven Years... The Reason for Becoming a Writer Was a Year of Reflection Essays in High School
Although Song Dynasty poet Su Dongpo lamented the fleetingness of life and envied the endless Yangtze River, in the industry, more people envy her tireless creativity. Since the 2014 one-act drama ‘Ganggu Story,’ she has worked continuously on seven works over seven years. She says experience is the source of that creativity. “If meeting various people and experiences are the source, it probably started with the reflection essays I wrote nonstop in high school.” While attending Kyunghwa Girls’ High School in Daegu, she lived in a house adjacent to the school wall. It was a 20-minute walk door-to-door, but just crossing the wall took only a minute.
However, a sharp barbed wire guarded the top of the wall, so she looked down and started digging a tunnel. “After digging nonstop for three weeks, I managed to get inside the school. But the joy was short-lived. Once I started using the tunnel, it became a path and more users appeared. Eventually, the school wanted to find the culprit, so I confessed and wrote reflection essays for a year.” While thinking about what to write, she began writing her life story and the reason for digging the tunnel in a structured way. By chance, her Korean teacher who saw the essays said, “I’m looking forward to the next chapter.” The teacher asked about her dreams, and when she said she didn’t have any, the teacher encouraged her to try becoming a writer. That was the beginning.
“I Want to Keep My Writer’s Duty Without Losing Ratings”… Focused on Women as Minorities to Write Female Narratives
From ‘Strong Woman Dobongsun’ to ‘The Lady in Dignity’ and ‘Mine,’ the public regards her as the leading figure in female narratives. It all started with a challenge. “Dobongsun started with the idea of what if a woman was a superhero, and The Lady in Dignity was a story revealing the ugly side of the upper class through women’s desires, while also about humans finding happiness in life. Mine is set in a chaebol family but is about women fighting prejudice. The background had to be a chaebol family for human desires and appearances to be unrelated to money; there was no special purpose.” The protagonist of ‘Mine’ is a single mother, a stepmother, and a sexual minority. Seo Heesu (Lee Bo-young), who lovingly raises her husband’s son Hajun from his ex-wife, discovers her husband’s affair. The tutor of Hajun, Kang Jagyeong (Ok Ja-yeon), who is the biological mother of Hajun, becomes aware and awakens.
In a typical drama, a showdown between the rampaging Kang Jagyeong and Seo Heesu defending the family would be expected, but ‘Mine’ depicts them joining forces for the child, excluding the husband. “As soon as the female solidarity narrative started, ratings dropped sharply. Honestly, if I thought about ratings, it would have been better to go with Kang Jagyeong’s rampage and makjang story. It was a choice between ratings and the writer’s message. I think I fulfilled my duty as a writer when moderate ratings supported it. I don’t want to fail, but I hate not getting scores even more.” His stubbornness to portray motherhood beyond just giving birth?raising a child under ten years old to live as a dignified life form and a social human?was fully conveyed to viewers through the work.
Strictly adhering to a work routine of 10 to 7, working only from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., she explains that her vigorous creativity starts from maintaining her life cycle. “My brain’s energy doesn’t come out after 7 p.m. Instead, I focus during working hours, so I get less tired.” Like a skilled marathon runner maintaining her pace steadily, she is already preparing for the next project less than a week after finishing writing.
“I quit running the academy without regrets after 10 years. It seems like 10 years is a standard for anything. Now that I have seven works, maybe I can reach ten works by the 10th year. I still think my representative work hasn’t come out yet. I guess I will keep challenging new themes.” Her drama worldview, marked by challenges, continues to create new maps today.
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