Drama goes back to the age of books

Popular cable channel drama “Respond, 1994” is about to get more retro than ever: It’s going to be in book form.

A novel based on the series will hit local book stores on Jan. 17, but interested fans have been able to reserve a copy since yesterday through online bookstores, according to broadcaster tvN, the channel behind the show.

The drama was about college students back in 1994 - long before Galaxy phones, e-readers and tablet computers - who attended school in Seoul and came from regions all over Korea. They lived in a guesthouse in Sinchon, a university-rich area in northwestern Seoul, dealt with romantic issues and talked about the things that were popular back, including music by groups like Seo Tae-ji and Boys.

The drama ended with ratings of over 10 percent, which is very rare among cable channel programs.

By Lee Sun-min