The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince
Encyclopedia
The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince (커피프린스 1호점, or Coffee Prince) is a South Korea
n drama
that began airing on July 2, 2007. It is based on the novel of the same name written by Lee Sun-mi. It stars Yoon Eun Hye
from Princess Hours
, Gong Yoo
from One Fine Day
, Lee Sun Gyun
from White Tower
and Chae Jung Ahn.
The drama is a love story between a tomboyish woman pretending to be a man and a young food empire mogul. It contains "pseudo-homosexual" elements, because the man does not initially know of the tomboyish woman's true gender.
) is the cocky son of a very rich family who runs a food corporation. He has never had a job and doesn't care for responsibility. Han Kyul is hung up on his first crush and certainly doesn't want to get married despite his family's requests. On the other hand, Go Eun Chan (Yoon Eun Hye
) is a 24-year-old tomboy
ish female who is often mistaken for a guy. She takes up every job possible—Taekwondo
teacher, waitress, food deliverer, etc.—and has the responsibility of taking care of her mother, who has trouble not spending money, and younger sister. Eun Chan accidentally meets Han Kyul twice, once on a delivery and once during a robbery. During the robbery, Eun Chan's delivery motorcycle ends up being damaged. Han Kyul, not knowing that Eun Chan is actually a girl, decides to hire Eun Chan as a false "lover" so that he can escape the blind dates arranged by his grandmother. Meanwhile, Han Kyul's cousin, Choi Han Seong (Lee Sun Gyun
), is an established music producer and his ex-girlfriend, Han Yoo Joo (Chae Jung Ahn), who Han Kyul has secretly loved for nine years, is a famous artist who studied in New York. The two were lovers for about 8 years, but their relationship ended when Yoo Joo broke up with Han Seong. Two years after they separate, their paths cross again when Yoo Joo returns to Seoul.
After getting an ultimatum from his grandmother, Han Kyul takes over a rundown old coffee shop, later renamed Coffee Prince, to prove his ability, both to his grandmother and Yoo Joo. In order to attract female customers, he only hires good-looking male employees. In a struggle with money, Eun Chan, whom Han Kyul has already mistaken as a boy, hides her gender to get a job at Coffee Prince. Soon, feelings start to spark between Eun Chan and Han Kyul. Because he's unaware that Eun Chan is a girl, Han Kyul starts to question his sexuality.
Due to the show's popularity, MBC extended the show by one episode. The additional episode does not continue or alter the storyline in any way. Instead is entirely dedicated as the making of the drama. The special was aired on August 28, 2007.
44th Baeksang Arts Awards
2007 MBC Acting Awards:
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n drama
Korean drama
Korean drama refers to televised dramas, in a miniseries format, produced in the Korean language. Many of these dramas have become popular throughout Asia and have contributed to the general phenomenon of the Korean wave, known as "Hallyu", and also "Drama Fever" in some countries...
that began airing on July 2, 2007. It is based on the novel of the same name written by Lee Sun-mi. It stars Yoon Eun Hye
Yoon Eun Hye
Yoon Eun-hye is a South Korean actress, singer, entertainer and model. She debuted as a member of girl group Baby V.O.X, staying with the group from 1999 to 2005...
from Princess Hours
Princess Hours
Princess Hours is a 2006 Korean drama starring Yoon Eun Hye, Joo Ji Hoon, Kim Jeong Hoon and Song Ji-hyo. It was based on manhwa Goong by Park So-Hee. It was broadcast from 11 January to 30 March 2006 on MBC.Princess Hours was one of MBC's most popular dramas of 2006, second only to Jumong...
, Gong Yoo
Gong Yoo
Gong Yoo is a South Korean actor.-Profile:Gong Yoo graduated with B.A. degree and is still working on his M.A. degree in performing arts at Kyung Hee University. He started his career in showbiz with small parts in dramas and films. He first lead role was in Hello My Teacher in 2005...
from One Fine Day
One Fine Day (TV series)
One Fine Day is a South Korean television drama starring popular actor Gong Yoo from The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince and Sung Yu Ri from First Love of a Royal Prince...
, Lee Sun Gyun
Lee Sun Gyun
Lee Sun-gyun is a South Korean actor.- Career :Lee studied theater at the Korea National University of Arts...
from White Tower
White Tower
-Geography and history:* White Tower of Thessaloniki, a monument and museum in Greece* White Tower of Tehran, Iran* White Tower of Tsarskoye Selo, landscape architecture element in Tsarskoye Selo, Russia...
and Chae Jung Ahn.
The drama is a love story between a tomboyish woman pretending to be a man and a young food empire mogul. It contains "pseudo-homosexual" elements, because the man does not initially know of the tomboyish woman's true gender.
Synopsis
Choi Han Kyul (Gong YooGong Yoo
Gong Yoo is a South Korean actor.-Profile:Gong Yoo graduated with B.A. degree and is still working on his M.A. degree in performing arts at Kyung Hee University. He started his career in showbiz with small parts in dramas and films. He first lead role was in Hello My Teacher in 2005...
) is the cocky son of a very rich family who runs a food corporation. He has never had a job and doesn't care for responsibility. Han Kyul is hung up on his first crush and certainly doesn't want to get married despite his family's requests. On the other hand, Go Eun Chan (Yoon Eun Hye
Yoon Eun Hye
Yoon Eun-hye is a South Korean actress, singer, entertainer and model. She debuted as a member of girl group Baby V.O.X, staying with the group from 1999 to 2005...
) is a 24-year-old tomboy
Tomboy
A tomboy is a girl who exhibits characteristics or behaviors considered typical of the gender role of a boy, including the wearing of typically masculine-oriented clothes and engaging in games and activities that are often physical in nature, and which are considered in many cultures to be the...
ish female who is often mistaken for a guy. She takes up every job possible—Taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
teacher, waitress, food deliverer, etc.—and has the responsibility of taking care of her mother, who has trouble not spending money, and younger sister. Eun Chan accidentally meets Han Kyul twice, once on a delivery and once during a robbery. During the robbery, Eun Chan's delivery motorcycle ends up being damaged. Han Kyul, not knowing that Eun Chan is actually a girl, decides to hire Eun Chan as a false "lover" so that he can escape the blind dates arranged by his grandmother. Meanwhile, Han Kyul's cousin, Choi Han Seong (Lee Sun Gyun
Lee Sun Gyun
Lee Sun-gyun is a South Korean actor.- Career :Lee studied theater at the Korea National University of Arts...
), is an established music producer and his ex-girlfriend, Han Yoo Joo (Chae Jung Ahn), who Han Kyul has secretly loved for nine years, is a famous artist who studied in New York. The two were lovers for about 8 years, but their relationship ended when Yoo Joo broke up with Han Seong. Two years after they separate, their paths cross again when Yoo Joo returns to Seoul.
After getting an ultimatum from his grandmother, Han Kyul takes over a rundown old coffee shop, later renamed Coffee Prince, to prove his ability, both to his grandmother and Yoo Joo. In order to attract female customers, he only hires good-looking male employees. In a struggle with money, Eun Chan, whom Han Kyul has already mistaken as a boy, hides her gender to get a job at Coffee Prince. Soon, feelings start to spark between Eun Chan and Han Kyul. Because he's unaware that Eun Chan is a girl, Han Kyul starts to question his sexuality.
Cast
- Yoon Eun HyeYoon Eun HyeYoon Eun-hye is a South Korean actress, singer, entertainer and model. She debuted as a member of girl group Baby V.O.X, staying with the group from 1999 to 2005...
as Go Eun-Chan - Gong YooGong YooGong Yoo is a South Korean actor.-Profile:Gong Yoo graduated with B.A. degree and is still working on his M.A. degree in performing arts at Kyung Hee University. He started his career in showbiz with small parts in dramas and films. He first lead role was in Hello My Teacher in 2005...
as Choi Han-Gyul - Lee Sun GyunLee Sun GyunLee Sun-gyun is a South Korean actor.- Career :Lee studied theater at the Korea National University of Arts...
as Choi Han Seong - Chae Jung Ahn as Han Yoo Joo
- Lee Eon as Hwang Min Yeop
Filming
The coffee shop is an old coffee shop located in Hongdae that was remodeled for the drama.Due to the show's popularity, MBC extended the show by one episode. The additional episode does not continue or alter the storyline in any way. Instead is entirely dedicated as the making of the drama. The special was aired on August 28, 2007.
Ratings
| Date | Episode | Nationwide | Seoul |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-07-02 | 1 | 14.4 (7th) | 15.5 (7th) |
| 2007-07-03 | 2 | 15.3 (7th) | 16.2 (7th) |
| 2007-07-09 | 3 | 18.1 (6th) | 18.6 (5th) |
| 2007-07-10 | 4 | 19.0 (4th) | 19.8 (4th) |
| 2007-07-16 | 5 | 19.3 (3rd) | 20.1 (2nd) |
| 2007-07-17 | 6 | 23.2 (2nd) | 23.9 (2nd) |
| 2007-07-23 | 7 | 25.2 (2nd) | 25.3 (2nd) |
| 2007-07-24 | 8 | 26.8 (2nd) | 28.1 (2nd) |
| 2007-07-30 | 9 | 25.2 (2nd) | 26.2 (2nd) |
| 2007-07-31 | 10 | 25.9 (2nd) | 27.3 (2nd) |
| 2007-08-06 | 11 | 28.4 (2nd) | 30.8 (1st) |
| 2007-08-07 | 12 | 29.9 (2nd) | 31.4 (2nd) |
| 2007-08-13 | 13 | 29.3 (2nd) | 32.1 (2nd) |
| 2007-08-14 | 14 | 28.1 (2nd) | 30.5 (2nd) |
| 2007-08-20 | 15 | 27.1 (2nd) | 29.0 (2nd) |
| 2007-08-21 | 16 | 28.5 (2nd) | 30.8 (1st) |
| 2007-08-27 | 17 | 27.7 (2nd) | 29.5 (2nd) |
| Average | 24.2 | 25.6 | |
Trivia
- The series was dubbed in Spanish and broadcast in Latin America in countries like Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru, & Venezuela with the name "El Príncipe del Café"
Awards and nominations
20th Korean Producers’ Award- Best TV drama
44th Baeksang Arts Awards
- BEST ACTRESS: Yoon Eun Hye (Coffee Prince 커피프린스 1호점, MBC)
- BEST NEW PRODUCER: Lee Yoon Jung (Coffee Prince, MBC)
2007 MBC Acting Awards:
- Top Excellence in Acting (Yoon Eun HyeYoon Eun HyeYoon Eun-hye is a South Korean actress, singer, entertainer and model. She debuted as a member of girl group Baby V.O.X, staying with the group from 1999 to 2005...
) - Excellence in Acting (Gong YooGong YooGong Yoo is a South Korean actor.-Profile:Gong Yoo graduated with B.A. degree and is still working on his M.A. degree in performing arts at Kyung Hee University. He started his career in showbiz with small parts in dramas and films. He first lead role was in Hello My Teacher in 2005...
) - Best PD Award (Kim Chang Wan)
- Nomination - Excellence in Acting (Chae Jung Ahn)
- Nomination - Excellence in Acting (Lee Sun GyunLee Sun GyunLee Sun-gyun is a South Korean actor.- Career :Lee studied theater at the Korea National University of Arts...
) - Nomination - Best New Actor (Lee Eon)
- Nomination - Best Drama
- Nomination - Best Couple Award (Yoon Eun Hye and Gong Yoo)
- Nomination - Best Couple Award (Chae Jung Ahn and Lee Sun Gyun)
- Nomination - Popularity Award (Gong Yoo)
- Nomination - Popularity Award (Yoon Eun HyeYoon Eun HyeYoon Eun-hye is a South Korean actress, singer, entertainer and model. She debuted as a member of girl group Baby V.O.X, staying with the group from 1999 to 2005...
)
External links
- Official Site of Korea Tourism - The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince
- Coffee-Prince.com
- "Coffee Prince" MBC site in English
- "Coffee Prince" DramaFever.com, North America only