Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward, the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XL, and Korean drama celebrities Daniel Henney and Dennis O'Neil are making a social impact in South Korea. What do they all have in common? They are multiracial Koreans, a group that in the past has faced social challenges from conservative groups in South Korea. But times are changing rapidly.

Ward, born in Korea to a Korean mother and African-American father, became the first Korean-American to win MVP honors in Super Bowl history. The award thrust Hines into the Korean media spotlight.

Last month he visited South Korea with his mother as he had always wished. He met with President Roh Moo-Hyun as well as other multiracial Koreans. Ward wears his respect for his mother on his arm — where a tattoo of his name in Korean can be seen.

Ward has given other multiracial Koreans in Korea a role model to look up to. At a news conference, Ward said that as a youth he was teased by Caucasian kids for being African-American, teased by African-Americans for being Korean and teased by Koreans for being African-American. Yet he never gave the impression that he had abandoned either the Korean or African-American cultures.

Henney, whose mother is Korean and whose father is English, was a huge hit on the Korean drama "My Lovely Sam Soon." Today he's one of the hottest celebrities in South Korea. He is seen on billboards around the city, in TV commercials and in magazines. But the big news is "Spring Waltz," his highly anticipated upcoming K-drama.

"Spring Waltz" is the final chapter in director Yoon Seok Ho's four-series suite that includes "Autumn Story," "Winter Ballad" and "Summer Scent."

Although Henney's Korean is limited, it's amazing to see the amount of screen time he gets. O'Neil, aka Dennis Oh, whose mother is Korean, was in the series "Sweet Spy" and his Korean is even more limited than Henney's. My translation and subtitling department loves it when Henney and Oh are on screen. Why? Because their characters speak English — there is no need for translation.

WOMAN BATTLES CANCER IN NEW 'THANK YOU, LIFE'

'THANK YOU, LIFE'

EPISODES 1 AND 2

This new, 24-episode series is a realistic story of Yeon-kyong, a busy working mom who finds out she has terminal cancer. But with the support of her loving husband, her adorable children and the doctor who happens to be her first love, she decides to put up a brave fight against cancer.

Starring: Yoo Ho-jung, Kim Yoon-seok, Kim Yoo-seok, Oh Ji-ho.

Airs Sundays at 7 p.m. Re-airs Mondays at 2 p.m.

Tonight at 7: Yeon-kyong visits a hospital for a physical where she runs into her old flame, In-seok.

Tonight at 8: In-seok visits Yeon-kyong with the results of her tests, and gives her the bad news.

'MY GIRL'

EPISODES 15 AND 16

Tomorrow at 7:50 p.m.: Gong-chan leaves for Japan to find Yoo-rin. At the airport, Jung-woo spots Yoo-rin working as a tour guide and goes after her car. Gong-chan finds Yoo-rin's business card on the plane to Japan and comes back as one of her clients. Jung-woo goes to see Yoo-rin and sees her with Gong-chan. Yoo-rin tells him that everything's in the past.

Tuesday at 7:50 p.m.: (final episode): Gong-chan tells his grandfather that he's going to Japan with Yoo-rin. The chairman tells Yoo-rin that he could never accept her into his family. Yoo-rin lies, saying she was conning everyone knowing the real grandfather was alive.

'LOVE & AMBITION'

EPISODES 5 AND 6

Wednesday at 7:50 p.m.: In her attempt to become independent, Sun-hee takes a job at the beauty shop. Mi-ja's father finds out Mi-ja has run away. Hong-jo and Tae-joon take out an ad in newspapers to find Mi-ja. Mi-ja's father barges into Hong-jo's house, demanding that Tae-joon bring Mi-ja to him right away.

Thursday at 7:50 p.m.: After beating up Koh Dong-chul, Tae-soo hides out in an abandoned house in the mountains. Mi-ja's father is forced to return home when Se-mi's mother complains that he's interrupting Se-mi's studies. Hong-jo gets a call from someone who saw Mi-ja and goes to find her.

'THE PALACE'

EPISODES 13 AND 14

Friday at 7:50 p.m.: Shin joins Chae-kyong and the grand empress dowager Jeju. The grand empress dowager suggests a secret day out to Shin and Chaekyong, and the three have a wonderful time. Empress Hae-jung chastises Chae-kyong for not doing her duties as the crown princess. To silence the rumors generated by Thai tabloids, the grand empress dowager and the empress agree on an emergency measure.

Saturday at 7:50 p.m.: Tension mounts between Shin and Yool over Chae-kyong. Hyo-rin gets flak from Chae-kyong's friends. Chae-kyong accidentally finds out about Hyo-rin's secret. Chae-kyong finds some disturbing pictures in her room.

Jeff Chung is general manager of KBFD, the first channel to air K-dramas locally. If you have a question or comment, call KBFD at 521-8066 or reach him at jeff chung@kbfd.com.