Lee Yoon-jung

Lee Yoon-jung (, born January 31, 1974) is a South Korean television director and producer.

She started her broadcasting career in television station MBC in 1997.

She garnered attention for her distinctive directing style, particularly in short dramas like "Taereung National Village" and drama Beating Heart.

Lee is best known for directing the popular drama Coffee Prince.

Lee's dream of working in broadcasting was ignited during her middle school years as she watched director Hwang In-roe's MBC drama What Do Women Live by?.

Upon completing high school, she decided to pursue a bachelor's degree in Journalism and Broadcasting at Yonsei University.

Throughout her four years in college, she actively participated in theater clubs and school broadcasts, gaining valuable practical experience.

During her senior year, she prepared her resume and applied to various media broadcasting and advertising companies, only to face rejection from all of them.

This experience was incredibly tough and led her to question her own abilities.

Lee eventually hired and joined MBC's drama production department in 1997.

During the early 2000s, when compared to other departments, there were few female directors in drama departments.

During this time, Lee worked as an assistant director of MBC Best Theatre, assisting director Kim Jin-man in Writer Jung Yoo-kyung's The Story of My Fiancée (2001) and assisting director Kwon Suk-jang in Writer Ki Seung-tae's Stamp on the Heart (2001).

She also served as an assistant to directors Jang Geun-Su in sunday morning drama Something About 1% (2003) and Choi Lee-seop in daily drama Pretty Woman (2003 South Korean drama) (2004).

Her big breakthrough came in February 2005 when she became the main director of MBC Best Theatre Magic Power Alcohol, becoming the first female director at MBC.

By the end of 2005, including Lee, there were only two female directors at MBC, four at KBS, and none at SBS.

Lee received high praise for her directing skills for her next work in the weekend drama Beating Heart, especially for the 'Wind' episode.

MBC had a lot of confidence in her and entrusted her to direct the four-part mini-series Taereung Athletes' Village, which was the first work for the revived MBC Best Theatre after a six-month hiatus.

Her unique directing style gained a lot of attention.

Written by Hong Jin-ah, the drama portrays the lives of national athletes at the Taereung National Village.

The main characters include Lee Dong-gyeong (Lee Sun-kyun), a swimmer facing age-related challenges; Bang Bang-ah (Choi Jung-yoon), an archer struggling with a slump; Hong Min-ki (Lee Min-ki), a passionate judo athlete; and Jeong Maru (Song Ha-yoon), a talented but socially inexperienced gymnast.

The story revolves around their successes, frustrations, trials, and relationships in a competitive environment.

The athletes navigate the complexities of youth, shedding tears over their sacrifices and facing temptations of new love.

In 2007, Lee became assistant director of Ahn Pan-seok's Behind the White Tower. Writer Lee Ki-won wrote the script based on renowned Japanese novelist Toyoko Yamasaki's representative work Shiroi Kyotō.

Through a satirical lens, it explores themes of malpractice and power struggles in Hospital.

The narrative follows two doctors portrayed by Kim Myung-min and Lee Sun-kyun, highlighting their contrasting paths and personalities.

It received praise for its exceptional acting (particularly by Kim), as well as its well-crafted writing, direction, and its intelligent and uncompromising storytelling, which avoided melodrama and romance.

In 2007, Lee reunited with Lee Sun-kyun and Kim Chang-wan for her feature-length television mini-series debut with the television series Coffee Prince. The series was written by Lee Jung-ah and Jang Hyun-joo, based on the novel of the same name written by Lee Sun-mi (novelist).

The drama tells the story of Go Eun-chan (Yoon Eun-hye), a woman who disguises herself as a man to find employment, and Choi Han-gyeol (Gong Yoo), a wealthy young entrepreneur.

They form an unexpected romantic connection, with the man initially unaware of the woman's true gender.

It aired on MBC's Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 (KST) from July 2 to August 28, 2007, consisting of 17 episodes.

Hailed as a hit for its high ratings, the drama received positive reviews from critics and won multiple awards.

Lee received praise for her distinctive and artistic directing style, as well as the success of the drama itself.

In 2009, Lee reunited with Lee Sun-kyun in television series Triple.

It aired on MBC from June 11 to July 30, 2009, on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 (KST) for 16 episodes.

It revolved in an aspiring figure skater, Lee Ha-ru (Min Hyo-rin), who moves to Seoul and reunites with her stepbrother Shin Hwal (Lee Jung-jae).

She moves in with Hwal and his two roommates, Kang Hyun-tae (Yoon Kye-sang) and Jo Hae-yoon (Lee Sun-kyun).

Ha-ru's new figure skating coach, Choi Soo-in (Lee Ha-na) turns out to be Hwal's estranged wife.

Triple get low viewers rating, due to delayed first episode and competition from a soccer game.

However Lee was praised for her unique emotional speaking style and distinctive characters.

The intertwined love lines of the six characters further piqued curiosity.