i read about this earlier. those two are beyond amazing. especially with the weather now on the track to turning nippy. <3

Lee Yo Won and Um Tae Young seemed to have put in much thought into their gifts. While DS are nice, jackets seem like something that the staff can truly use and that the actors truly cared about their well being and health.

goodness, they must be REALLY rich.. no matter how kind a person is.. if you don't have the means..

it's good to know people who have a lot are sharing their blessing with their others.

They must be earning a lot, then. :)

i always wondered what it'd be like working on a drama staff.
the long hours, endless nights, freezing cold or hot sticky weather...
it sounds like torture, but doing it and suffering with an entire cast sounds like there'd be so much bonding! i imagine i'd get the same fluffy feeling inside from when i did pit orchestra in high school.

Wow, it's really great to see how much Lee Yo-Won and Uhm Tae-woong care about their staff members, but I hope that Go Hyun-jung doesn't start feeling bad about her gifts, and that people don't start comparing their gifts because they were all doing it out of the kindness of their hearts.

I hate being cold so I think it's wonderful they are giving them something warm. I think the best gift would be cold hard cash rolled up tied with nice little pretty ribbons so people can buy what they want. I have a friend who rolls up 100$ notes with pink ribbons . It's fun and and useful at the same time.

awww, LYW AND UTW are so nice and caring.
LYW is not feeling well recently due to fatigue from filming QSD, I hope she gets well soon!!

Obviously I'm in the wrong line of work... how might one go about being part of a kdrama production cast? Especially if one does not speak Korean but still enjoys receiving gifts from rich people...

Yes, it's very nice of them. But i wonder why they have to buy jackets for 400-500 Dollars each? I don't know if veeery good jackets still have to cost that much unless they are from Chanel, Prada, etc. looks a bit like bragging with their money to me but maybe i'm just too skeptical..well it's a nice thought of them, showing they care for the stuff so i think even if they'd brag the crew can profit and there's nothing bad...

what a waste of money. make something specialand personal with little costs,then donate that 136k to the needy.

Back in her early days, Lee Yo Won was viewed as kind of a quiet, somewhat distant person among show crews. Since her comeback (and having a baby), she's done stuff like this for her staff.

Isn't Lee Yo Won currently shooting something else in conjunction with QSD? She's also known as a workaholic (then and now), but that reflects her passion for her work.

Kim Nam Gil's turn soon. Who feels like chicken tonight, like chicken tonight? :D

Padded jackets? That's a bit random, and although it's a thoughtful gift, everyone has different tastes in clothing. Oh well - this is still a really generous gift of them. It's a good example for the entertainment industry as well, since it emphasizes the importance of the staff in the production of a quality drama.

Nice. At least this time it's something useful.

Oh, just notice the price tag, lol. I'm guessing this jacket must be really amazing because no jacket should cost that much.

Did they really pay that much? Being celebrities and all, couldn't they just get some kind of sponsorship or get a major discount at least to pay for it?

My guess is that since most crew members tend to wear Northface padded coats in the winter, that's what they got. And yes, the nicer Northface coats would cost about $400-500 in Korea.

woww, i would definately work in the tech crew of a drama starring both lee yo won and Go hyun jung just for the ds and the jacket! LOL^^

If they got a major discount or such, people would say they pulled this for publicity, and that in fact, it came from the companies who wanted their names branded on the jackets, and not from the stars.

These jackets are really thoughtful. Very functional, and I'm sure they'll be used a lot. No doubt the two of them got really REALLY warm jackets in black or something, so that anybody could wear it, tastes and everything aside. I mean, it's for warmth.

I like when Korean stars do this. A bit expensive certainly, but it makes the cast and crew seem so much more like... a family, I suppose. And they can afford it, I'm sure.

So where do I sign up to work on this show? With all these stars giving gifts, I wouldn't mind a piece of their generosity.. Hahaha.

But seriously, I think that's so nice of them (: Those people are part of their success and it's good to know they acknowledge that.

50+ episodes are hard for everyone.

But the gifts of padded jackets are nothing new. Song Il Kook gave padded jackets (either Northface or Kolon) to all crews during Kingdom of the Wind shoots.

I dont think the stars did the giveaways as a form of publicity. We did not see the joyful and grateful crews' photos with the gifts plastered on the newswires frontpage.

I, for one, dont mind to receive gifts, either big or small, cheap or expensive and especially from Song. Its the thoughts that counts.

Every time I put on the padded jacket, I just imagine that his warm body hugging me ...hehehhehe

it would have been better if the jackets were padded with cash instead of whatever they pad jackets with, hehehehe!

"I dont think the stars did the giveaways as a form of publicity. We did not see the joyful and grateful crews’ photos with the gifts plastered on the newswires frontpage."

Yeah, it's really not. Workplace culture in a K-drama is more casual and less bureaucratic than in, say, American environments. Especially when you do a daeha/sageuk or a daily drama, it's really like a family. (Or if it's East of Eden, a hyperdysfunctional family.) Anybody remember the Yi San crew during the MBC Awards Show? It was like a party-within-a-party.

I know they are probably both rich but it's still good of LYW AND UTW to do it :-)

Wow, this is a very kind and generous gift she is passing out! Man, makes me want to work for the kdrama production team:=)

BTW: I love the color on Lee Yo-won. She looks very beautiful in the dress pictured above!

I agree with you (#12) - it's a nice gesture and everything but that money could of been spent better on helping people who really need help.......

"it’s a nice gesture and everything but that money could of been spent better on helping people who really need help……."

But that is a different gesture. She wanted to give something to her coworkers. It's also tied to culture. Nice clothes as a gift is kind of a Korean gesture. "Look good, feel good."

the crew can also be considered as 'needy'. they're paid only a fraction of the money the lead stars receive but work more hours than them. it is right and fair that they're taken care of first than the other needy people the stars don't work with.

filming so many episodes, the stars and crew are like family already. family must take care of their members first and foremost. i will feel bad if my parents will give their excess money to people they don't know and just give me enough to buy books when i need help with my tuition fees.

the stars' generosity towards their crew is highly commendable and should be emulated by the others with the same star power. it shows that they care for the staff and crew's well-being and not simply give them some cheap token for the sake of giving.

Just hand them the money. :)

Is this some kind of one-upmanship between the cast members? I feel bad for the remaining cast members who are not as rich and could not give nice things to the crew. Puts a lot of pressure and stress on others when you do stuff like this.

I don't think this was done for publicity at all. Also I am sure everyone who received a jacket was truly happy and pleased to get a gift.
If you were able to watch the daily filming and the off camera shots you would know that there were many times when everyone was shivering and wet and full of mud and misery. I was fortunate to see this every day on my TV and I felt so sorry for the actors waiting and waiting while shots were being set up. I also felt sorry for the crew who had a lot of hard work going on. They do become like a large family and the cameraderie and joking keeps them in good spirits.

I really am enjoying this drama even tho I know they take some liberties with the true history. It's pretty close most of the time to what happened. I saw a documentary the other day about the tower that was really built according to the plan we saw in the drama. In fact if i am not mistaken they built two towers. but not sure of that.

I've been reading about too many stories like this:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091022/ap_on_bi_ge/af_ethiopia_drought

so I guess hearing things like "the crew can also be considered as ‘needy’......" doen't sound too convincing right now..... :) like I said it's a nice gesture but I think that it's too extravegant to give $400-$500 jacket to people who earn money and don't have to worry about where the next meal will come from.......

Ok - I'll get off the soap box now!! :)

"but I think that it’s too extravegant to give $400-$500 jacket to people who earn money and don’t have to worry about where the next meal will come from……."

Sure. Have you donated?

belleza - I wouldn't be saying it if I haven't been and continuing to do so. You should too - in fact everyone who can should!!

LYW and UTW are really considerate and generous in giving....so lets not be nasty and mean to talk bad about them. True enough that the gifts just happen to cost more than usual but I am sure they are happy to be able to share it with the crew members given all their hard work and support. Other cast or crews who are not able to do so can always do their bits in their own ways or perhaps learn some life lesson from these two generous persons. Maybe in the future they can also do their bits for the lesser paid staffs. Of course LYW must also be a generous and charitable person to start with. Some who know her must remember that she has been actively involved in various charity organisation to help the less fortunate children in Vietnam. So all these sharing and caring is by no means just an act to please their fans but a sincere and kind gesture on their part to the people who is working with them especially the long series in Queen Seon Duk.

WOW IT SO GREAT...I LIKE BOTH OF THEM GO LEE YO WON & UHM TAE WOONG, MORE DRAMAS & MOVIES TO COME BOTH OF YOU....GOD BLESS YOU, GOOD LUCK & GOOD HEALTH...

I LOVE LEE YO WON

I LOVE YUSHIN & DEOKMAN...

I LOVE QUEEN SEON DEOK DRAMA ITS BEAUTIFUL AMAZING DRAMA.. I LOVE IT

wow your very talented kim nam gil i hope you have more drama with lee yo won ,kim nam gil your so very handsome and perfect and also for lee seong hyo your very cute i hope you have your own drama,kim nam gil I LOVE YOU..................GOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU ......CONGRATULATIONS..........

hi.....this is for my sister name is zabrina
his idol is kim nam gil,she always watching queen soen doek
i love kim nam gil it's be'coz he is very handsome perfect for lee yoo won,with beautiful face as ever......i hope that to of you have a drama series....
i wish that in person your in couple.......

GOD LUCK................MORE..........PROJECT............TO............COME.........

KIM NAM GIL and LEE YOO WON WE LOVE YOU .................

hellow,,,lee yoo won and kim nam gil i like the both of you as a couple in every drama sries i hope that i will see you both in person........gool luck and more project to come ..............WE LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!!!!!

hello,can u be my friend