The biggest celebrity in South Korea now is the 2008 Beijing Olympics gold-medalist Park Tae-hwan.

At age 18, the swimmer took gold in Beijing in the men's 400-meter freestyle and silver in the men's 200-meter freestyle (Michael Phelps took gold).

South Korea had eight gold medals as of earlier this week, but what makes Park's gold medal so unique is that Korea had never won a medal in swimming before Park. South Korea has been notable in past Olympics, especially in archery, but not in swimming.

Park, who was born in Seoul on Sept. 27, 1989, took up swimming at the advice of his doctor to improve his asthma condition. Nicknamed "Marine Boy" by Korean fans and media, Park was hyped prior to the Beijing Olympic Games as the athlete likely to win South Korea's first medal in swimming. Park delivered with a gold medal, then a silver, becoming an overnight sensation and hero to many youngsters in South Korea. Park was already on television commercials prior to the Beijing Olympics and with the medals, more sponsorship and endorsements are sure to follow.

Park serves as the goodwill international ambassador for South Korea's international campaign Dynamic Korea, alongside figure skater Kim Yu-na. You will see Park and Kim in many of the government videos and marketing materials promoting South Korea. Park is a graduate of well-respected Kyunggi High School and is now a physical-education major at Dankook University in Seoul.

With Park's success at the Games, a swimming boom has spiked in Korea, with children signing up for classes and swimwear flying off the shelves. Even drama story lines have been modified to include more swimming scenes, and swimming location shoots have increased. Indoor swimming in Korea is very popular, as there are many health and spa venues. What LPGA Hall of Famer Se Ri Pak did for South Korean female golfers is what Park could be doing for future swimmers of Korea.

Many television programs are eagerly waiting for Park's return home to schedule interviews and guest appearances. Maybe a cameo appearance on a TV series is also in the horizon for Park.

THIS WEEK'S K-DRAMA SYNOPSES

'HAPPINESS'

Episodes 29 and 30

Tonight at 6:45: Eda runs away with Kang-suk, and the Park household goes crazy looking for her. Grandma orders a family meeting and invites Mrs. Ahn. She suggests a marriage between Cheol-gon and Mrs. Ahn which faces opposition from the kids.

Tonight at 7:45: Seo-yun runs into Sang-wook at Ji-sook's apartment and realizes there's something going on between the two. Eda and Kang-suk spend idyllic days in the country. The Park family finds out that Ha-kyong had a miscarriage but has been hiding the fact.

'BEST CHEF'

Episodes 5 and 6

Tomorrow at 7:45 p.m.: Sung-chan leaves Woonam after a dispute with Bong-joo, who states that he no longer considers Sung-chan his brother, but just a competitor to beat. A well-known food critic, Ted Oh, visits Woonam. When a silly mistake is about to prevent Woonam from receiving the highest rating, Jin-soo saves the day by finding the food that Ted Oh was looking for.

Tuesday at 7:45 p.m.: Bong-joo and Jin-soo are looking for king crabs with yellow guts for chairman Jang. Sung-chan is also in Yeongdeok, and decides to visit Kyung-chul, the blacksmith for Woonam. Sung-chan is successful in reconciling Kyung-chul and his prison-bound son with his crab dish. Kyung-chul is hospitalized, and Chef Oh, Joo-hee, and Bong-joo all come down for a visit, not knowing Sung-chan is nearby.

'ILJIMAE, THE PHANTOM THIEF'

Episodes 17 and 18

Wednesday at 7:45 p.m.: Swe-dol is released and is taken home by Si-hu. Yong realizes Swe-dol had robbed Suh Young-su's house disguised as Iljimae and runs home to find his father. Yong sneaks into Suh Young-su's house to get revenge but finds Suh Young-su dead.

Thursday at 7:45 p.m.: Iljimae holds Eun-chae hostage and questions Byun Shik about the core members of the Chunwoo Society. Scared as he is, Byun Shik doesn't give away the name of the last member. Yong finds out Bong-sun is the little girl he met when he was a boy.

'DAYS OF INNOCENCE'

Episodes 9 and 10

Friday at 7:45 p.m.: Unable to hold back his feelings, Tae-seok runs over to Ji-yoon. Dong-hwa is enraged when he finds Ji-yoon and Tae-seok in an embrace. Tae-seok finally tells Ji-yoon about the accident. Min-kyong tells Dong-hwa about her brother, Tae-seok and Ji-yoon.

Saturday at 7:45 p.m.: Ji-yoon calls off the wedding when she hears about her mother from Chairman Yoon. Thinking Tae-seok is the reason Ji-yoon is calling off the wedding, Dong-hwa gets furious and hits Ji-yoon. Tae-seoks sees Ji-yoon in an awkward situation with Chairman Yoon and walks out with her.