KBFD TV will be joined by Palama Supermarket and Korea Times in the K-Town Hawaii Foodbank Campaign, which starts Monday. KBFD and Palama Supermarket will kick off the food drive by donating Korean edibles often seen on K-dramas, such as various kinds of Korean ramen, snacks and other Korean foods.

This holiday season falls in the midst of a global economic slowdown and many Hawai'i residents need help. I was surprised to hear that more than 130,000 in Hawai'i face hunger and nearly 33,000 of those are children. In the spirit of sharing and giving, the three local Korean companies will help the Hawaii Foodbank, reaching out to the Korean community as well as to the local community.

Eating scenes in Korean dramas are so common that it's highly unlikely you would see an episode without at least one family meal scene. The family bond is very important in Korean culture and sharing meals with one another is an integral part of that bonding process. One of the most popular Korean comfort foods is ramen. There is literally a whole aisle at the Palama Supermarket dedicated to the varieties of ramen.

The campaign will start on Monday and run until Dec 28. Donations can be dropped off during normal business hours at either of Palama Supermarket's two locations: 1210 Dillingham Blvd. and 1670 Makaloa St.

KBFD TV, Korea Times and Radio Seoul will all promote the K-Town Hawaii Foodbank Campaign. Lara Grimm of the Hawaii Foodbank says, "There is an increased need for food assistance in Hawai'i, due in part to rising food prices and recent job losses. KBFD TV's efforts to collect food for the Hawaii Foodbank are greatly appreciated and their donations will certainly help to feed people who are hungry or at risk of hunger."

Coincidentally, Hawaii K-Drama Fan Club held a silent auction earlier this month at its year-end luncheon meeting. Members that day raised $2,850 for the Hawaii Foodbank's Food For Keiki BackPack Program. This program provides children in need with nutritious, easy-to-prepare food to take home on weekends and school vacations when other resources are not available.

THIS WEEK'S K-DRAMA SYNOPSES

'THE FAMILY OF HONOR'

Episodes 5 and 6

Tonight at 7:45 p.m.: Tae-young talks with Young-in and tells her to break up her relationship with Suk-ho. Young-hee leaves for the United States and tearfully tells Soo-young to open up his heart. Gang-suk, in his second encounter with Dan-ah, gets slapped for the second time. Jin-ah and Malsoon decide to live together.

Tomorrow at 7:45 p.m.: Hyun-ok leaves Tae-young for good. Soo-young and Jin-ah run into each other again at the pharmacy. Man-gi rejects Young-in as his daughter-in-law, and Joo-jeong complains her life was ruined when her loved one was not accepted because of the family rules.

'GLASS CASTLE'

Episodes 3 and 4

Sunday at 6:45 p.m.: Joon-song meets Min-joo again and takes her to the hospital to make sure she's OK after the accident. Kim Doo-hyong brings the child home. Yu-ran cannot accept it. Kyu-song suspects it's Ji-yon's child. Hye-yong tells her mom about the hardship she went through at her father's and moves in with her mom. Joon-song wants to keep seeing Min-joo.

Sunday at 7:45 p.m. Joon-song goes on a setup date with Joo-hee. He tells her he's going out with Min-joo. Yu-ran is still at her parents' house. Suk-jin and Joon-song talk about Moo-sung.

'TAZZA'

Episodes 13 and 14

Monday at 7:45 p.m. Go-ni asks Gwang-ryul for help with his game with Ah-gui. Excited she'll be able to leave Ah-gui's house after the game with Bear, Nan-sook visits her brother in prison. Go-ni is attacked by Dong-choon's men on his way to meet Nan-sook the day before the game.

Tuesday at 7:45 p.m. Ah-gui orders Young-min to bring Nan-sook to the game when Young-min continues to lose to Go-ni. Go-ni is visibly shaken when Nan-sook joins the game. Nan-sook lets Go-ni win even when she's holding an unbeatable hand.

'PAINTER OF WIND'

Episodes 10 and 11

Wednesday at 7:45 p.m.: Hong-do and Yun-bok enter the palace to prepare for the royal portrait. The painting of the royal portrait begins and the king begins to share with the two painters that there is a secret he must reveal one day.

Thursday at 7:45 p.m.: One of the coloring powders is ruined and Yun-bok asks his brother to make him the color. He makes too much at once and gets intoxicated. He starts to hallucinate and falls off a ladder and dies.

Jeff Chung is the general manager of KBFD TV, which televises Korean dramas with English subtitles in Hawai'i. He may be reached for comment at 521-8066 or jeffchung@kbfd.com.