Shin Won-ho (director)

Shin Won-ho (born August 28, 1975) is a South Korean director and television producer. He directed the 2004 sitcom Old Miss Diary, entertainment Star Golden Bell, and Happy Sunday – Qualifications of Men. Moving to CJ E&M in 2011, he directed tvN's anthology series Reply.

In 2010, he received the 47th ABU Awards Entertainment Category Award and the 17th Korea Entertainment Arts Awards Best Entertainment Program Award. In 2011, he won the 23rd Korea PD Awards Entertainment Award. In 2014, he received the 7th Korea Drama Festival Directing Award. In 2016, at the 52nd Baeksang Awards, he won the Best Directing Award in the TV category.

Education
Shin Won-ho was born in Seoul on August 28, 1975. Despite wanting to major in entertainment at Hanyang University, his homeroom teacher and father compelled him to choose a science major in high school. He paid attention to getting into college due to Garak High School being a new school. Eventually, his father submitted the application form for a science major.

Shin enrolled in Seoul National University's College of Engineering, majoring in Chemical Engineering. He volunteered with a film company as staff and completed his studies in Chemical Engineering in 2001, earning a Bachelor degree. He also pursued a minor in Communications.

Career in KBS
Shin applied to KBS during the 27th KBS Open Recruitment and joined as a staff member in KBS Entertainment. He said, "For jobs that require creativity like PD, there are advantages (as a chemical engineer)." Shin He began his career as an assistant director in the network's variety department. His first work was The World is Now.

In 2002, he was assistant director to Lee Myung-han in the show "Declaration of Freedom Today is Saturday – The War Of Roses." The program revolved around male entertainers and female college students who would meet and find a mate at a mountain lodge. It was during this program that Shin collaborated with fellow assistant director Na Yeong-seok and Lee Woo-jung, who served as the main writer. Together, they gained recognition as a group known as the Yeouido Research Institute, later also known as Lee Myung-han's division.

In 2002, when Lee Myung-Han was in charge of directing "Super TV Sunday is Fun", his juniors took on the responsibility of directing each segment of the show. Shin Won-ho directed "Kung Kung Ta", while Na Young-seok directed Let's Go! Dream Team - Season 1.

In 2004, Shin took on the role of assistant director for the quiz show "Star Golden Bell". Concurrently, he was also assigned as an assistant director for the KBS daily sitcom "Old Miss Diary", which was directed by Kim Seok-yun. The sitcom aired from November 22, 2004, to November 4, 2005.

Shin made a comeback to the entertainment industry as the main director of "Heroine 6", a sequel to Heroine 5. Heroine 6 was one of the segments of the show "Happy Sunday", produced and directed by Lee Myung-han. Shin took over as the director when Lee Myung-han and Na Young-seok were working on another segment for "Happy Sunday". The show aired on KBS 2 from May 8, 2005, to April 29, 2007.

From 2009 to 2011, Shin held the position of the main director for the variety show Happy Sunday—Qualifications of Men. During this time, he was honored with the 'Korea PD Award for Best Entertainment Work' as well as the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award in the Broadcasting and Video Grand Prix at the Korea Contents Awards. Additionally, he received recognition at the 17th Korea Entertainment and Arts Awards, where he was awarded the Best Entertainment Program and the 47th ABU Award in the Entertainment category.

In 2011, Shin submitted his resignation letter to KBS and transferred to CJ E&M.

Career in CJ E&M
After his move, Shin focused on exploring new possibilities in reality programming, drawing from his experience at KBS. In November 2011, news speculated that Shin's comeback would be a reality program. However, tvN Director Song Chang-eui suggested Shin try directing a drama with a drama writer. Shin declined the offer due to concerns that his role would be diminished if a drama writer took over, reducing him to a "Jjiksae" (an insignificant figure). He expressed his willingness to take on the project only if he could have the opportunity to create a fresh version and test it out. Eventually, director Song Chang-eui agreed to his condition, and Shin formed a production team including writer Lee Woo-jung and other entertaintment writers. Together, they created "Reply 1997," Shin's first work at CJ E&M.

In April 2012, tvN revealed that Shin Won-ho was directing a drama titled Reply 1997, scheduled to air in June. Lee Myung-han served as executive producers, with Lee Woo-jung as the scriptwriter. This project was significant for Shin Won-ho, as it marked his first work at CJ E&M after transferring from KBS in July of the previous year. After a month-long delay, the first self-produced drama by tvN, Reply 1997, was broadcast on July 24, 2012.

Reply 1997 revolves around six friends from Busan. The story timeline shifts between their past as high school in 1997 and their present reunion in 2012, where a couple gets engaged. The show explores the growing popularity of fan culture in the 1990s with K-pop groups like H.O.T. and Sechs Kies.

Reply 1997 depicts the IMF crisis and the political situation of that time. Being a cable drama, it had the freedom to present a detailed and realistic portrayal of the era, while also having an exciting romantic storyline. Reply 1997 initially attracted viewers in their 30s, but gained popularity among a wider age range, including people in their 50s. The drama's storytelling approach with memory, nostalgia, and retro elements appealed to different generations. Additionally, the success of Reply 1997 sparked a revival of 1990s popular culture and a retro craze.

In April 2013, tvN announced the second installment of the Reply series: Reply 1994. Despite having the same writer, director, and producer as Reply 1997, is not a prequel. It maintains the concept of a coming-of-age drama with 1990s nostalgia but introduces a new plot and characters. Initially, Lee Woo-jung and Shin Won-ho planned to set the first Reply series in 1994, the year they were college freshmen. However, after casting Eun Ji-won from Sechs Kies, they changed the year to 1997. This decision was influenced by the peak popularity of H.O.T. and Sechs Kies fandoms in 1997, which created a contrast to the struggling Korean economy during the IMF crisis.

Reply 1994 (2013) depicts the lives of college students hailing from various provinces who share a boarding house in Seoul. The drama features an ensemble cast including Go Ara, Jung Woo, Yoo Yeon-seok, Kim Sung-kyun, Son Ho-jun, Baro, Min Do-hee, Sung Dong-il, and Lee Il-hwa. The drama reached a record-breaking viewership rating of 14.3%. Lee and Shin Won-ho, gained a lot of attention because of this success.

In October 2015, Lee Myung-han, the director of tvN, announced a lineup of dramas to celebrate tvN's 10th anniversary, which began in November with the third installment of the Reply series called Reply 1988. The drama features an ensemble cast including Lee Hye-ri, Ryu Jun-yeol, Go Kyung-pyo, Park Bo-gum, and Lee Dong-hwi. Set in 1988, the story revolves around five friends and their families who live in the same neighborhood called Ssangmun-dong, Dobong District, Northern Seoul. The drama aired every Friday and Saturday from November 6, 2015, to January 16, 2016, on tvN, totaling 20 episodes. Its final episode achievied an 18.8% nationwide audience share, making it the sixth highest rated drama in Korean cable television history and highest rated television drama at the time of airing.

Reply series, Reply 1997 (2012), Reply 1994 (2013), and Reply 1988 (2016), were all successful in terms of viewership and popularity, despite the challenging Korean climate for seasonal dramas. Lee Myung-Han further explained the success of the Reply series with black swan theory.

In May 2016, Shin and Lee Woo-jung started planning for black comedy drama Prison Playbook. She served as creator, the writer was junior writer from Reply Series, Jeong Bo-hoon. The drama depicts the story of superstar baseball player Kim Je-hyeok, who became a criminal overnight and thrown to prison, and the lives of the people living in prison with him. The series became one of the highest-rated series in Korean cable television history.

Following the success of Prison Playbook, Shin collaborated once again with Lee Woo-jung in creating the television series Hospital Playlist. It is the second installment of the Wise Life series, following Prison Playbook (2017–18). Shin, who had partnered with Lee Woo-jung on all his previous dramas for tvN, again joined forces with the director. They also reunited with two actors from their past dramas, Jung Kyung-ho from Prison Playbook, and Yoo Yeon-seok from Reply 1994. The series also features Jo Jung-suk, Kim Dae-myung, and Jeon Mi-do. These doctors, who are in their forties, work at the Yulje Medical Centre, and their friendship was established during their time in medical school.

The first season of the show was broadcast on tvN every Thursday from March 12 to May 28, 2020. Following their television airing, each episode was made available on Netflix in South Korea, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and English-speaking countries. By the end of the first season, it had achieved the status of being the ninth highest-rated Korean drama in cable television history at the time. The second season was aired from June 17 and September 16, 2021. According to Nielsen Korea, the first episode garnered 10.007% viewership, setting a network record for the highest premiere ratings.

Shin gave a lecture on the subject of 'the production process and behind-the-scenes of broadcasting programs' at the 'SAC Youth Broadcasting Writer Camp' held at the Sakarirang Hall in the main building of Seoul National University of Arts.

As of January 2023, Shin joined CJ E&M subsidiary Eggs is Coming.

Personal life
Shin married his wife in 2005. In 2018, he mentioned that they had two daughters in elementary school, one was in 5th grade, while the other was in 2nd grade (born in 2009).

Recurring cast

 * Notes
 * 1 Main Character
 * 2 Supporting character
 * 3 Cameo appearance only