Because "Live up to your Name" chooses time travel as the starting point for the action, the KDrama is able to contrast traditional medicine as well as modern surgery and medical technology in two historical time zones. This sprinkles a lot of color over the topic and opens up a perspective that does not have to polarize. This rapprochement is rounded off by the enchanting development of the relationship between the protagonists - the modern day surgeon in modern Seoul and Heo-im from Joseon days, who get emotionally involved over the course of the story, although their personalities could not be more different.

"Live up to your name" juxtaposes modern surgery & medical technology as well as traditional Korean medicine, which is recently becoming more and more popular in the increasing medical tourism in South Korea. In this context, the audience is introduced to a luminary of traditional Korean medicine who made a considerable contribution to acupuncture in his time (16th century) - Heo-im. The KDrama guarantees an entertaining and lively excursion into some background knowledge about attitude, methods and possibilities of traditional medicine.

Just seeing Kim Nam-gil as Heo-im is worth watching this KDrama. He does an excellent job of portraying the ambivalent personality: there is the simple man from a poor background, whom he would like to escape at any price, and there is the ingenious healer with almost spiritual talent. Sometimes it's quite funny and then again heartwarming and profoundly serious with confident lightness.

In addition, there are the traditional healing methods, the virtuosity in handling the acupuncture needles and the feeling for the flow of energy... this can not only be experienced with the example of Heo-im, but also with the other representatives of traditional Korean medicine. There is also room for dealing with those for whom traditional medicine is mainly a business today - a service that can be sold very well in South Korea these days, especially with a VIP upgrade as a trendy, exotic treatment method in the context of medical tourism. There are the VENDORS of traditional Korean medicine and there are the HEALERS of traditional methods. And then there is modern medicine and the growing market of the health industry. Eventually, what makes the difference (and also offers the common ground between paradigms) are the attitude, dedication and mission when it comes to healing...



------ SIDE NOTE: --- Historical Heo-im (1570-1647)---
His reputation as an acupuncturist preceded the historical Heo-im of his time - not only in the Joseon Dynasty itself, but as far away as China and Japan. Originally he was of humble origin, but due to his incredible achievements in medicine he became the personal physician at the royal court and a government official at the age of 30. During the Japan War, he was able to further expand his reputation through his gifted achievements in acupuncture. However, the nobles rejected him as their equal and excluded him, so that he returned to his village at the age of about 50 and practiced his healing art on the common people there until he died at the age of 77. In recent years he has written a large, well-regarded work, the ChimGuGyungHumBang (book on acupuncture and moxibustion). In it he describes his methods of pain management and procedures in which acupuncture points are not (only) stimulated by needle sticks, but also by heat.
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