Jewel in the Palace (2003)

Both are easily watchable long historical dramas
with female leads that climb up the social status
within the walls of the palace
where you learn a lot about Joseon's culture, customs and traditions
inside an interesting plot
with a troubled childhood/ family that they have to hide their origins
directed by the same director

The plot of the two dramas is very different, but in both, there are many glorious scenes of cooking and great looking food. Don't watch if you're hungry! ;)

Both are stories of talented women and how they thrive in the mainly female organizations that they joined. In these organizations, they gain friends and rivals. While Jeongnyeon joined the female gukgeuk organization, Jang Geum joined the palace maid/cook female organization and then later on the became one of the female nurses in the palace (Jang Geum gained a best friend and a rival in both her palace maid/cook years as well as her nurse/medicine years).

The Female leads are independent and not afraid to take on challenges. There is a focus on food in both dramas. Mr. Queen is a time travel drama but still just as good as Dae Jang Geum.

- Interesting way to use food for medicinal purpose;
- first woman to be the supreme royal physician;
- palace drama.

Both dramas are historical.
They have the same female lead that are fond of cooking.
Setting place is the palace.

The drama has a similar plotline.
The female lead enters the palace to join the food department, where she makes friends and find love.

Both are easily watchable
not to be missed
beautiful historical & medical dramas
about characters who learn
and pave their own way to success
Both are lovable and very exciting
Both are by the same director
Do not miss out on Horse Doctor. It is amazing!

Both feature smart, witty, and beautiful women living in the palace that is dominated by males. Zhen Huan is a Chinese historical and Jewel is Korean. There are lots of politic driven plots by the bad guys to make the heroines suffer and lose the favour of the royal family. The heroines will triumph over the traps and tricks set by their enemies through intelligence, skill, and help from friends. Romance wise Legend of Zhen Huan has way more since it is about King's wives and harem while Jewel in the Palace has a very subtle romantic tone. Last of all both are melodramas that drags on, each with over 50+ episodes.

The plot sounds similar. A girl is successful as a cook, but later kicked out of the palace and then becomes a physician.

they both portray passion of cooking with beautiful recips, peaceful musics and loveable characters.. Jewel in the Palace is a period drama and Kinou Nani Tabeta is a modern drama but i think they're not that different from each other

Gu Am Heo Joon will appeal to lovers of Dae Jang Geum .... similar subject matter and treatment, excellent story and acting... even the music is similar....

The story and tone are completely different, but the making of food in ancient times is the same, so it's for anyone who enjoys the food porn.

Both dramas are realistic historical dramas, focused heavily on the details and customs of the time and place (Korea's Joseon dynasty), both drawing inspiration from real historical figures. They can both be categorized as medical dramas (although Jewel in the Palace's main genres are also food and the royal palace/court), both focused on character growing and the main characters' career paths as well as development of medicine in general (more so in Jejoongwon). Both have brave, intelligent and persistent main characters, as well as strong female characters.

Compared to Jewel in the Palace which is set in 16th century, more in the beginning of Joseon dynasty, Jejoongwon is set some hundreds years later when Korea's Joseon dynasty is drawing near and Western medicine is gaining foothold in the country for the first time.

Jewel in the Palace is historically accurate, well-made, big budget drama that was and still is, one of the most popular and most well-reviewed sageuks that shows the life of the royal court through the eyes of a servant and concentrates on the strict hierarchical system of the Joseon dynasty especially from the female point of view. The production value of Jejoongwon is not as good as in Jewel in the Palace but it has a good script, great characters and interesting themes (the rapid development of medicine, Korea's final dynasty drawing near, Korea opening to the West and Japan, the dynasty's strict hierarchical system crumbling and so on).

Lee Young Ae's comeback drama after 14 years. One drama tells the story of the first female royal physician in Korean history, the other about a Korean artist, writer, calligraphist, and poet who is also the mother of a Confucian scholar.