‘Kkokkomu’ will reveal the true stories of people who lived during the Sandglass era by connecting the legendary drama ‘Sandglass’ with the real events that inspired it through the special episode ‘Special: The Legend’.
The second part of SBS’s ‘Kkokkomu Special: The Legend’, titled ‘That Winter, The Legend of Sandglass’, will be released on the 4th and is the second story in a two-part series of the most legendary tales during SBS’s 35 years of broadcasting. Guests include Mamamoo’s Hwasa, actor Jang Dong-yoon, and Hyun Bong-sik. This will be the first appearance for all three on ‘Kkokkomu’, with Hwasa expressing, “I don’t know why I’m so nervous” about her first encounter with the show.
On this day, ‘Kkokkomu’ will spotlight the drama ‘Sandglass’, which featured dynamic camera movements and outstanding performances from actors like Choi Min-soo, Go Hyun-jung, Park Sang-won, and Lee Jung-jae. The drama boldly introduced a casino as a theme, vividly revealing the harsh realities of Korean society in 1995, and recorded a peak viewership rating of 64.5%. The show will delve into the backstory of ‘Sandglass’ and thoroughly investigate the ‘slot machine corruption case’ that inspired it.
‘Sandglass’ depicted the social landscape from the late 1970s to the 1990s. It particularly drew attention for its intriguing portrayal of the intertwining stories of gangsters and power centered around a casino. A former gangster revealed, “During the airing of ‘Sandglass’, even gangsters didn’t fight among themselves,” stating that they would say things like, “Let’s meet at a certain time,” which was surprising.
Among these, the focus will be on the ‘slot machine corruption case’ that inspired ‘Sandglass’. Jeong Deok-jin, known as the ‘slot machine godfather’, who has assets worth over 1 trillion won, transitioned from being a ticket scalper to running electronic games, nightclubs, cabarets, casinos, and slot machines, and is the real-life model for the character Yoon Jae-yong in the drama.
However, the slot machine godfather Jeong Deok-jin shocked the public with a massive corruption scandal involving not only gangsters but also public authorities. It was revealed that 130 high-ranking officials, including the National Intelligence Service, were involved in this case, turning South Korea upside down. Especially when an unimaginable powerful figure behind the scenes was uncovered, Jang Dong-yoon expressed his astonishment, saying, “I can’t believe this could happen. It feels like there’s no difference between state power and gangsters.”
While watching ‘Sandglass’, Jang Dong-yoon was amazed by the 30-year-old appearance of actress Go Hyun-jung, with whom he shares a mother-son relationship in SBS’s new drama ‘Mantis’, saying, “It’s fresh, new, and fascinating,” while Hwasa remarked, “I need to go home and binge-watch ‘Sandglass’ today,” getting immersed in the gripping story.
What differences will there be between the ending of the drama ‘Sandglass’ and the real-life ‘Sandglass’? Who is the powerful figure hidden behind Jeong Deok-jin? These questions will be answered in the broadcast of ‘Kkokkomu Special: The Legend Part 2’ airing on the 4th at 10:20 PM.
[Lee Da-kyum, Star Today Reporter]
