South Korea has a population of more than 42 million. You would think that is quite large, yet Koreans are so connected that it is hard for people here to understand.

There are three major ways people of Korea are bound to their vast network of friends or family: provincial ties, school ties and family ties.

Koreans can trace their names back to their home provinces. The surname plays an important part. For example, my name, Chung, can be written in multiple ways, and the difference shows which province one is from.

People who have the same last name and are from the same province can't get married to each other because they are probably related.

Also in provincial ties, you would have to follow the lineage of the man's last name.

I was once fortunate enough to look at the family tree book my uncle held, and it showed my name next to my brother's, who was in the line of first sons. It looked like a huge tree: my older brother's name was like the main tree trunk; mine was a branch. Since people of the same province are likely related, it would be relatively easy to find out about a person through another person.

School ties are so important. In America, we have strong ties with classmates, starting with high school and college. But unless you are close with your school friends, you don't really have a strong bond with them.

I am a Roosevelt High School alumnus, and there is a fundraising effort going on now to renovate the school's auditorium and stadium. A recent meeting of the alumni brought together a diverse group of people. In South Korea, this kind of bond starts from elementary school.

Classmate relationships in elementary school are actually stronger than those in junior high, high school and college. This is because at the elementary school level, there are private schools. All the mothers are in a frantic rush to get their child into the best elementary school. There you will meet the children of powerful businessmen, politicians and other famous people. So you can imagine the networking done at the elementary level. There are often monthly meetings of school friends at all school levels.

Family ties are also very tight, and the networking is very involved. If you know that family values are the cornerstone to Korean dramas, you can imagine the incredible reach you have with just family.

Holidays such as Chuseok, when extended families gather, further reinforce networks.

So with provincial ties, school ties and family ties, you have a good chance of finding out about a person.

This is very powerful if you go into business with someone, because you could do an informal background search.

It is also useful and often used when marriages are involved. Families can gauge potential partners through these ties.

Basically, the Korean people are so interlocked, you should be nice to everyone you meet, because you don't know who they may know.

I recently met my brother in Los Angeles. He had his elementary-school senior from Korea join us. In the middle of our conversation on my involvement with the Hawaii International Film Festival, my brother's friend asked me if I knew of a Mr. Lee in the film industry in Korea. By coincidence, I did. Turns out that my brother's elementary school friend was also the college senior to Mr. Lee in Korea.

This is a good example of how small the Korean community is in the world.

Jeff Chung is general manager of KBFD, which televises all K-dramas. If you have a K-drama question or comment, call KBFD at 521-8066.

HEARTBREAK, DIVORCE ON 'TEARS' TONIGHT

'A FAREWELL TO TEARS'

EPISODES 9 AND 10

Tonight at 7: Seo-young apologies to Jung-woo about having rich parents, but Jung-woo wants to break up. For the first time, Seo-young suffers a broken heart. Jung-woo starts work as a janitor at Hae-sun's nightclub. Sung-jae's family is shocked when they hear the news of Sung-min's divorce.

Tonight at 8: The night before the divorce is finalized, Hee-sook sees a message from Yeo-jin on Sung-min's phone, and she explodes. Hae-sun and Jung-woo have dinner after work, and Hae-sun is tormented by thoughts of her lost son. Jung-woo goes to Seo-young's workplace when she doesn't answer his call.

'FASHION '70S'

EPISODES 27 AND 28

Tomorrow at 7:50 p.m.: Mr. Ko dies, asking Duh-mi to take care of Joon-hee (Kang-hee). Joon-hee is arrested and put on trial for murder. She falsely testifies that she intentionally killed Mr. Ko. She's found guilty. Duh-mi and Dong-young try to convince her to appeal, but she refuses.

Tuesday at 7:50 p.m.: After refusing to take over her father's company and starting her own, Duh-mi is doing very well and expanding her fashion business. She never stopped searching for her mother and finally finds her. But by that time, Yang-ja has dementia.

'REBIRTH'

EPISODES 7 AND 8

Wednesday at 7:50 p.m.: Ha-eun disguises himself as a priest and visits Yang Man-chul. He fully recovers his memory from 20 years ago, and vows revenge for his father's and brother's death. Disguised as Shin-hyuk, Ha-eun goes home to his mother and her new family.

Thursday at 7:50 p.m.: Everyone is surprised when Shin-hyuk (Ha-eun) announces he and Kang-joo decided to break off their engagement. Ha-eun hires Mr. Chun, a private detective, to dig dirt on the police chief and Choi Dong-chan. Jin-woo calls Eun-ha at work to ask her out on a date.

'LAWYERS'

EPISODES 13 AND 14

Friday at 7:50 p.m.: Hae-soo asks Jung-ho for a divorce. Jung-ho asks why and wonders if Hae-soo has some reason to feel guilty toward Joo-hee. Jung-ho asks Yi-ryong for advice, and she gets angry, telling him to not ask her for advice regarding personal affairs. Joo-hee gets a letter to appear before the police.

Saturday at 7:50 p.m.: Hong In-ki sends Kwon Hyuk-joong to kill Im Dong-soo, the brother of the victims of the accident. But both Suk-ki and Jung-ho intervene (separately) to save the man's life. Jung-ho gets a statement from Im that seems to implicate Hong In-ki. Jung-ho tells Suk-ki that this statement could be a way out for Suk-ki as well.