“Descendants of the Sun’ premiered on Monday, July 25, in the Philippines, aired over GMA 7. Fans of Song Joong-ki and Song Hye Kyo noticed the change in the first names given to the characters of the 16-episode Hallyu.
Right at the opening billboard of the show, Filipino viewers who followed the popular Korean drama and familiar with their original names noticed the change. Song Joong-ki, who played the character of Army Captain Yoo Si-Jin, became Lucas Yoo, while Song Hye Kyo, who played Army surgeon Kang MoYeon, became Maxine Kang, reported ATimes.
The change was made to suit a non-Korean and English-language nation, although the entire series was dubbed in Pilipino, the national language of the Philippines. Korean names follow Asian standards where the order is surname and then first name, while Philippine names follow western order in which the first name comes first followed by the surname.
When “Descendants of the Sun” aired over KBS 2TV in South Korea and iQiyi in China from February through mid-April 2016, the show got very high ratings in the two countries and broke viewership records. Even before the series ended, a lot of Asian broadcasters brought the rights to air the 16-episode drama which led its producers to have the show translated into 32 languages with the help of fans of the show.
Pilipino is one of the 32 languages “Descendants of the Sun” was translated and dubbed. The show was sold to 27 countries, including the Philippines where leading broadcast station GMA 7 brought the rights.
Filipino fans of the show were happy that the series finally aired in the country where many youth are KPop followers, however, some have expressed a bit of disappointment with the name change.
Movienewsguide reported that Song Hye Kyo is currently in California, and her presence in the U.S. is being linked with Lee Min Ho who will represent Korean dramas and films in KCON LA at the end of July. The two are being linked following Lee Min Ho’s split with long-time girlfriend Bae Suzy and his being vocal about wanting to work with the “Descendants of the Sun” actress.