The City Hall
The City Hall (시티홀) is a 20-episode Korean Series that aired on the SBS Network between April and July 2009.
Set in Inju City, a provincial small town famous for its fishing industry, it's about the happenings between a young woman mayor and an elite bureaucrat. Ju Gook is an exceedingly smart government official who passed the Higher Civil Service quickly, and basically is the perfect guy. But being a deputy mayor is not enough for him. He lives with the dream of becoming South Korea’s President. He should have easily gone straight to the top, but due to an unexpected incident, he gets dispatched as a deputy mayor for Inju City where Shin Mi Rae was working.
Shin Mi Rae is a low-ranking secretary in Inju, who mostly is known for her coffee. When the mayor resigns his position, she becomes an independent candidate and ultimately succeeds in becoming the youngest City Mayor.
As their paths meet, they have to deal with each other’s personal and social differences. But despite their constant bickering, they end up falling in love.
- Beauty Contest: Mi Rae enters the Miss Baendaengi (a small local fish) contest in order to win the prize money and pay off her debt.
- Cherry Blossoms: The petals fly out over the city when the Mayor announces his resignation. Also the start of Mi Rae and Ju Gook's romantic relationship.
- Dance of Romance: Mi Rae and Ju Gook during the talent portion of the pageant.
- Dark Horse Victory: Mi Rae
- Decided by One Vote: Mi Rae wins the mayoral election by only 242 votes.
- Expository Hairstyle Change: Mi Rae, when she becomes Mayor. Also Jung Do when he decides to rekindle his relationship with his wife.
- I Own This Town: BB
- Imagine Spot: Mi Rae imagining a bromance between Ju Gook and Jung Do during their college years.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Ju Gook
- Leg Cling: Mi Rae, hiding from the Mayor.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: Just about all the civil servants from the previous administration.
- Piggyback Cute: Ju Gook, carrying Mi Rae after she collapses at the beauty pageant.
- Pool Scene: Ju Gook and Soon In, doing laps. Even politicians need to keep their abs washboard!
- Potty Failure: In Episode 6, the extremely cute but thoroughly obnoxious councilwoman Min Joo-hwa suffers this. While visiting Shin Mi-rae's bar with several journalists, she suffers a Potty Emergency and asks to use the toilet. Shin Mi-Rae takes the opportunity to get back at her, holding the key to the toilet out of reach and gloating about how good it is to abuse power. After making her squirm and Potty Dance for a while, she gives her the key...and then smacks her on the bottom, causing her to wet her skirt in front of the journalists with a squeal of distress.
- Rousing Speech: Just about all the candidates.
- Shout-Out: Ju Gook and Jung Do, using Romance of the Three Kingdoms as a basis to discuss corruption in politics.
- Shower Scene: Ju Gook
- Stepford Smiler: City Councilor Shin Joo Hwa when she becomes the Winner's Party campaign manager.
- Straw Traitor:
- Unkempt Beauty: Mi Rae before her decision to run for Mayor.