A TV show based on the life of a famous 16th-century "gisaeng," as the women are known in Korean, has become a runaway hit in South Korea, driving the country's entertainment industry to fuel the trend with a musical, comic book, movie and more TV shows.

Ironically, the gisaeng are enjoying popularity as a model for today's women seeking a greater say in male-dominated Korean society -- with the entertainers having enjoyed special privileges to participate in the men's sphere despite their low standing in the rigid class hierarchy of imperial times.

"Gisaeng becomes cultural icon of 2006," the leading Chosun Ilbo daily headlined a recent story on the fad.