High Kick!

High Kick! (Korean: 거침없이 하이킥; RR: Geochimeopsi Haikik; lit. "High Kick without Hesitation" or "Unstoppable High Kick") was a South Korean situation comedy revolving around the life of the Lee family.[1][2][3][4] It aired in South Korea from Monday through Friday, in sitcom format.

High Kick!
Promotional poster
Genre	Situation comedy
Created by	Kim Byeong-wook
Written by	Song Jae-jeong Lee Young-chul Lee So-jeong Choi Jeong-hyeon Bang Bong-won
Directed by	Kim Byeong-wook Kim Chang-dong Kim Young-ki
Starring	Park Min Young Lee Soon-jae Na Moon-hee Jeong Jun-ha Choi Min-yong Park Hae-mi Shin Ji Kim Hye-seong Jung Il-woo Seo Min-jung Kim Bum
Opening theme	"Unstoppable High Kick" by Moogadang
Country of origin	South Korea
Original language(s)	Korean
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	167
Production
Producer(s)	Kim Jeong-wook
Running time	30 minutes
Production company(s)	Chorokbaem Media
Distributor	MBC
Release
Original network	MBC
Original release	November 6, 2006 (2006-11-06) – July 13, 2007 (2007-07-13)
Chronology
Followed by	High Kick Through The Roof
Related shows	High Kick: Revenge of the Short Legged
External links
Website

High Kick!
Hangul	거침없이 하이킥
Revised Romanization	Geochimeopsi Haikik
McCune–Reischauer	Kŏch‘imŏpsi Haik‘ik

The show's popularity led to High Kick Through the Roof, which aired in 2009-2010, and High Kick: Revenge of the Short Legged, which aired in 2011-2012.

Characters

Main

• Lee Soon-jae as Lee Soon-jae[5]
  The head of the Lee family, he works alongside his daughter-in-law at his Korean medicine hospital. Being the oldest in the family, he can be harsh and strict toward his family members, and thinks only about himself. He always kicks or hits other members of the family. Due to this aggressive behavior, Soon-jae acts as the dictator of the Lee household and no one opposes what he says.
• Na Moon-hee as Na Moon-hee
  Soon-jae's wife, she is incredibly strong and has an enormous appetite, which she passes on to Joon-ha. Despite her age, she does all of the cooking and cleaning, and looks after Joon (Min-yong's baby). Since Soon-jae and Hae-mi often berate and insult her, she often has daydreams of them suffering. Like Min-yong, she is annoyed by Hae-mi, and would do anything to embarrass her.
• Jeong Jun-ha as Lee Jun-ha
  Son of Soon-jae and Moon-hee, he is a huge strong man with an enormous appetite, nicknamed as the "Lord of Gluttony". Laid off from the company he was working, he spends his time at home as an unsuccessful investor and depends on the earnings of his wife, who is the main doctor at his father's hospital.
• Choi Min-yong as Lee Min-yong
  A late-born son of Soon-jae and Moon-hee, he works as a P.E teacher at Pungpa High School where his nephews attend. Min-yong is the opposite of Joon-ha in many terms: he is a slim man with straight hair, less lazy, more handsome, and employed, but has the nasty attitude toward Soon-jae and Park Hae-mi, while Joon-ha is more like Moon-hee; a plump man with curly hair, very lazy, dumb looking, overweight, and unemployed, but more sympathetic than Min-yong. Returning to his parents house after a short-lived marriage with Shin Ji, he lives in an expanded and modified storeroom upstairs, which is connected with the main house with a firemen's pole.
• Park Hae-mi as Park Hae-mi[6]
  The wife of Lee Joon-ha, she is a doctor that works with Lee Soon-jae. Hae-mi was in love with another man before her marriage. Accepting Joon-ha's proposal was to rival the lover who had dumped her, which Joon-ha finds out in one of the episodes. She gave financial support to Soon-jae's hospital when it was near the brink of closing down, and is much more popular than Soon-jae as a doctor. She is known for having a very strong personality, and in cutting people’s sentences as they speak. Lastly, she is known for using “Okay!” in all of her decisions and when talking to people.
• Kim Hye-seong as Lee Min-ho
  The eldest son of Lee Joon-ha and Park Hae-mi. Being very bright, but physically small and soft, he is often portrayed as a "mama's boy," and always quarreling with his younger brother Yoon-ho, who is in the same class at Pungpa High School. An easy target to bully due to his weak appearance, while Yoon-ho would simply fight back no matter the odds. The contrast between the two brothers is one of the main themes of the show. At school he sits in the very front of the classroom along with Kim Bum, who has been best friends with him for a long time, and they embrace each other in a sign of friendship.
• Jung Il-woo as Lee Yoon-ho
  The youngest son of Lee Joon-ha and Park Hae-mi. He is a tall, strong, and handsome boy known for his high kick, and a motorcycle maniac. He also narrates the story of the show. He is very popular among the girls in Pungpa High School, though his grade is low and he sometimes demonstrates his utter ignorance. As one episode disclosed, Yoon-ho was as bright as Min-ho in his childhood, but after riding on the back of motorcycle of a friend of Joon-ha's, he became completely absorbed in fighting and motorcycles; Joon-ha is blamed by Hae-mi for Yoon-ho's bad grades and delinquent behavior. Yoon-ho is often misunderstood and sometimes blamed for things he did not do.
• Shin Ji as Shin Ji a.k.a. Shin Bong-hee
  The ex-wife of Lee Min-yong and the mother of Joon. Loves music, and is trying to get a job at a music industry, singing CF songs and taking auditions for musicals. She asked for a divorce from Min-yong, wishing to study abroad in Moscow, but came back to Korea in short time. Min-yong and her take turns in taking care of Joon, though Joon seems to be in the Lee household most of the time presumable due to Shin Ji's busy schedule.
• Seo Min-jung as Seo Min-jung[7]
  An English teacher at Pungpa High School, and the homeroom teacher of Min-ho, Yoon-ho, Bum, Chan-sung and Seung-hyun. She rented the apartment that Min-yong and Shin Ji used to live in, and lives there with Shin Ji after her return from the short and unsuccessful attempt to study in Moscow.
• Kim Bum as Kim Bum
  Lee Min-ho's best friend, desiring to become the proper member of the family. The two boys are very close and care for each other. He had a crush on Yoo-mi later in the sitcom.
• Park Min-young as Kang Yoo-mi
  Lee Min-ho's girlfriend. Very pretty but extremely poor at studies, always getting lowest scores at school. She is also secretly three years older than her schoolmates, but only Kim Bum, Lee Min-ho, Lee Yoon-ho, and Lee Min-yong, who doesn't care about that so much, know it.

Minor

• Lee Su-na as Lee Su-na a.k.a. Gaeseong-daek and Lee Yu-na
  Na Moon-hee's best friend, currently jailed in prison for murdering her sister. She escaped from prison and fled to Moon-hee's house many times, but each time Soon-jae turned her in.
• Yeom Seung-hyun as Yeom Seung-hyun
  Another classmate of Min-ho and Yoon-ho, and the rival of Yoon-ho. In the later episodes, he competes with Yoon-ho for Seo Min-jung's attention.
• Hwang Chansung as Hwang Chan-sung
  Yum Seung-hyun's friend and one of Yoon-ho's rival, he's a trouble maker at Pungpa High School, but after being betrayed by Seung-hyun, he becomes Yoon-ho's friend.
• Go Chae-min as Lee Jun
  Min-yong and Shin Ji's infant child. At the very beginning of the show, the grown-up Joon appears as an astronaut. He can be seen in nearly every episode in a few scenes but never does anything apart from sleeping or just crying.
  • Seo Kyeong-seok as 25-year-old Jun
• Na Hye-mi as Na Hye-mi
  A classmate of Yoo-mi, transferred from a different school in the later episodes (starting from episode 116). She chases Yoon-ho around, publicly broadcasts herself as Yoon-ho's girlfriend, lies to him for drawing his attention, and deeply annoys him.
• Jeong Shin-woo as Nurse Yu
• Park Seung-chan as Nurse Park
• ? as Yoo-mi's father
  A somewhat mysterious man with a hidden agenda, he eventually dies, apparently shot in the chest and found by Min-yong on one stormy night. It is revealed that he worked as an agent for North Korea but changed sides, which led him to being hunted by his former comrades, who later killed him.
• Hong Sun-chang as Hong Sun-chang
  Vice Principal of Pungpa High School. He is extremely sarcastic.
• Yoon Seo-hyun as Lee Seo-hyun
  He is a detective and is usually seen handling the cases behind Yoo-mi's family. He also has a crush on Shin Ji.
• Noh Joo-hyun as Seo Joo-hyun
  Seo Min-jung's father. He opposes the relationship between Min-yong and Min-jung.
• Seo Hyun as Han Young-min
  Member of the staff in a musical Shin Ji played in. He has a crush on Shin Ji even though he is younger than her, and they go out for a short period of time.
• [[Jo Young-min as Yoon-ho

Cameos

• Jung Jin-young as Jung Jin-young, chicken carrier
• Ivy as Ivy, patient
• Yoon Seong-ho as Yoon Seong-ho, Joon-ha's friend
• Kim Mi-ryeo as Kim Mi-ryeo, Min-jung's friend who has a crush on Yoon-ho
• Yoon Gi-won as Yoon Gi-won, P.E. teacher
• Tablo as Tablo, teacher who has a crush on Min-jung
• Jo Won-seok as Jo Won-seok, a person trying to cast Shin Ji

Original soundtrack

Part 1

1. Unstoppable High Kick - Moogadang
2. Love U Like U - Moogadang
3. Why Is It - Moogadang
4. Sambuja Song - Moogadang

Part 2

1. Love to Ride - Lee Gyeong-mi
2. In Place - Lee Eun-ju

Special edition

1. Love to Ride (Full Ver) - Lee Gyeong-mi

International broadcast

• It aired in Japan on cable channel KNTV from May 21, 2007 to January 8, 2008.[8]
• It aired in Vietnam on HTV3 called Gia đình là số 1 from November 11, 2009.
• It aired in the Philippines on TV5 beginning April 5, 2010. Chicosci Song Diamond Shotgun Were Used As The Philippine Themesong Of The Series.

Adaptation

• In Vietnam, the series was adapted by Điền Quân Media & Entertainment to be produced in 2016. The first episode was on air on every Monday through Thursday, beginning from January 18, 2017.

References

1. Hong Soo-hyun, Lee Ho-jeong (January 15, 2007). "Sitcom maestro has the right formula for laughter unlimited". Korea JoongAng Daily via Hancinema. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
2. Chun, Su-jin (January 30, 2007). "TV Review: Happy? Watch High Kick and ask again". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on June 29, 2013. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
3. Kim, Tae-jong (February 6, 2007). "TV Sitcom Wins Over Viewers With Unconventional Characters". The Korea Times via Hancinema. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
4. Kang, Hye-ran (July 25, 2007). "Director keeps sitcoms all in the family". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
5. "Internet Generation Discovers Pre-TV Age Actor". The Chosun Ilbo. January 26, 2007. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
6. Yang, Sung-hee (August 8, 2007). "A high kick into top gear for a new star". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
7. "Newlywed Seo Min-jung to Retire from Acting". The Chosun Ilbo. August 27, 2007. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
8. "韓流No.1 チャンネル-KNTV".

External links

• High Kick! official MBC website (in Korean)
• High Kick! at MBC Global Media
• High Kick! at HanCinema
• High Kick! on IMDb