Sisters Over Flowers

Sisters Over Flowers (Hangul: 꽃보다 누나; RR: Ggotboda Nuna) is a South Korean travel-reality show that aired on tvN from November 29, 2013 to January 17, 2014 for 8 episodes.

It starred Youn Yuh-jung, Kim Ja-ok, Kim Hee-ae, Lee Mi-yeon and Lee Seung-gi as they go on a 10-day backpacking trip through Istanbul, Zagreb, Split, and Dubrovnik.

Cast

• Youn Yuh-jung
• Kim Ja-ok
• Kim Hee-ae
• Lee Mi-yeon
• Lee Seung-gi

Production

The show is a spin-off of Grandpas Over Flowers, but unlike its predecessor which starred veteran actors in their seventies, PD Na Young-seok cast middle-aged actresses of a wider age range, with 42-year-old Lee Mi-yeon, 46-year-old Kim Hee-ae, 62-year-old Kim Ja-ok, and 66-year-old Youn Yuh-jung. All four women had never appeared on variety/reality shows before, but Na said he was "looking for actresses who were transcendent personalities" and "who were wise, experienced and had great life stories to tell."

He then cast 27-year-old singer-actor Lee Seung-gi to be the actresses' companion and "luggage boy," though Lee himself later admitted he had difficulty in his duties as a tour guide. Lee had previously worked with PD Na and his crew on another hit reality show, 2 Days & 1 Night.

Na said he chose Eastern Europe as the show's destination because most Koreans are unfamiliar with it, and he praised Croatia for being "exotic" and "romantic," as well as for its "strong colors, beautiful landscapes, and cultural heritage."

Reception

Sisters Over Flowers was a hit with audiences, surpassing Grandpas Over Flowers by recording an average viewership rating of 7.5 percent with a peak rating of 10.5 percent. Considering most Korean cable programs rarely reach 1 percent, these ratings solidified the franchise's success.

It also had a notable impact on tourism in Croatia. From 70,000 Korean tourists in 2013, after the show aired, the figure rose sharply to 147,000 from February to July 2014. In September 2014, visiting Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Josip Leko gave the Order of the Croatian Star to CJ Group vice chairwoman Lee Mi-kyung on behalf of his government for her contributions to Croatian tourism and economy. Lee is the first Korean to win this highest recognition from the Croatian government.

The show further boosted the popularity of actresses Lee Mi-yeon and Kim Hee-ae, with clothing and accessories worn by the latter becoming sold out in stores.

External links

• (Korean)

• The title is a word play/parody of Boys Over Flowers (花より男子, Hana Yori Dango), a popular Japanese manga about four handsome young men.
• "Noona" is what a Korean male calls his older sister, or an older female friend.