Sky Castle


Sky Castle is a South Korean television series starring Yum Jung-ah, Lee Tae-ran, Yoon Se-ah, Oh Na-ra, and Kim Seo-hyung. It aired on JTBC on Fridays and Saturdays at 22:50, from November 23, 2018, to February 1, 2019.
At the time of airing, Sky Castle became the highest rated series in Korean cable television history. It received positive reviews from critics and won multiple awards, including four at the 55th Baeksang Arts Awards.

Synopsis

A satirical series that closely looks at the materialistic desires of upper-class parents in South Korea and how they ruthlessly secure the successes of their families at the cost of destroying others' lives. The drama revolves around the lives of housewives residing in a luxurious residential area called SKY Castle in suburban Seoul, where wealthy doctors and professors live. The wives are determined to make their husbands more successful and to raise their children to be top students who will be accepted at the best universities, so they use every possible way to achieve that.
Han Seo-jin is married to an ambitious orthopedic surgeon, Kang Joon-sang. She wants her eldest daughter, Kang Ye-seo, to also become a doctor. In order to do that, she hires Kim Joo-young, a coordinator with a one hundred percent success rate when it comes to her students' admission to the Seoul National University.
No Seung-hye is the wife of Cha Min-hyuk, a perfectionist law professor and a former prosecutor. She does not like the way her husband teaches their twin sons, Cha Seo-joon and Cha Ki-joon. Later it is revealed that their daughter, Cha Se-ri, who has always been Min-hyuk's pride since she attends Harvard University, hides something from them.
Jin Jin-hee is the mother of Woo Soo-han. She wants her son to be like her husband, Woo Yang-woo, which means becoming a doctor. She befriends Seo-jin to get information and to achieve a perfect career and education for her family.
Following the suicide of Lee Myung-joo, mother of Park Young-jae, who was a former student of Joo-young and recently admitted to the Seoul National University, Lee Soo-im 's family moves into SKY Castle. Her husband, Hwang Chi-young, who is a talented neurosurgeon, works at the same hospital as Joon-sang and Yang-woo and her son, Hwang Woo-joo, attends the same school as Ye-seo. Her family often clashes with the other residents due to their differences in opinions.

Cast

Main

  • Yum Jung-ah as Han Seo-jin / Kwak Mi-hyang
  • Lee Tae-ran as Lee Soo-im
  • Yoon Se-ah as No Seung-hye
  • Oh Na-ra as Jin Jin-hee
  • Kim Seo-hyung as Kim Joo-young

    Supporting

Kang family

Production

Development

The series is directed by Joo Hyun-tak, known for his previous television series such as Who are You?, More Than a Maid, and Secret Healer. The script was also penned by Yoon Hyun-mi, who also wrote Home Sweet Home, and Bridal Mask. The drama production is handled by Drama House.
When the series was still in development, its working title was Princess Maker.
It was extended from 16 to 20 episodes even before it started broadcasting.

Casting

On July 21, 2018, It was reported that Yum Jung-ah and Oh Na-ra were in discussions to star as lead actors in the series. On August 13, Kim Jung-eun was offered a lead role but later declined. On August 22, Yoon Se-ah also received an offer and was positively considering joining the cast. On August 28, Yum Jung-ah, Lee Tae-ran, Yoon Se-ah, and Oh Na-ra has finally confirmed their participation as the lead actors in the series. In the following days Kim Seo-hyung also confirmed to appear as one of the lead shortly thereafter.

Filming

Most of the filming took place in a membership resort located in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province and the first script reading of the casts took place in August 2018 at JTBC Building in Sangam-dong, Seoul, South Korea.

Original soundtrack

Part 1Part 2Part 3Part 4Part 5Part 6Part 7

Reception

Critical reception

The drama series has drawn positive reviews as a dark comedy that casts light on some of the furtive and controversial aspects of Korean society. It has also stimulated explosive responses from viewers due to its relatable storyline over Korea's competitive education system. Culture critic Jung Duk-hyun says the drama has received attention from viewers, because it successfully strikes an uneasy chord while heightening viewers' curiosity over the lengths to which rich elite families obsess over education. He also says
"In terms of education, the drama satisfies people's desire to peek into what those closed rich family circles do for their children. But at the same time, viewers feel uneasiness when watching their stories. Those two conflicting emotions, 'wanting to know but feeling uncomfortable' makes for some interesting chemistry in the minds of drama fans and puts it on the must-see drama list." The drama also gained popularity in China, where similar issues over a hyper-competitive education system and the pressure to enter into a prestigious university exist.

Inciting murder accusation and leaks

The drama ignited a controversy for allegedly "inciting" the murder of psychiatrist Lim Se-won, as it aired a scene in which a patient chases after a doctor with a knife in his hand due to a grievance over his operation results.
Following the broadcast of episode 14 on January 5, several Korean netizens on online communities came up with their own theories about what would happen in the next episode. One netizen's theory was supported by what appeared to be a photo of the drama's cue sheet, and another theory was formed based on the character description in a recruitment notice for a new role in the drama. When episode 15 aired on January 11, these theories proved to be true, making viewers question if the story was leaked.
On January 12, the producers explained that "The story was not leaked. Our viewers came up with many theories. They happened to be correct by chance, which must be why people think they are spoilers."
On January 16, controversy rose again after a netizen uploaded photos of parts of the scripts for episode 17 and 18. The fact that the name "Cha Ki-joon" was left on the script drew much attention, and the photos began to spread on online communities. After an investigation into the rumors, the producers confirmed that the scripts for episodes 17 and 18 had been leaked.
The production team was accused of plagiarizing the song "We All Lie" from American musician Bea Miller's song "To the Grave" featuring Mike Stud. However, JTBC denied the accusations.

Big data reception

In the fourth week of January, SKY Castle secured the number one spot for seven consecutive weeks in the Good Data Corporation's Top 10 Drama TV buzzworthiness. Despite its Friday cancellations, the show achieved a record nine consecutive weeks of increasing topicality since its debut. Four cast members also landed in the Top 10 Drama TV Performer Buzzworthiness: Kim Hye-yoon, Kim Seo-hyung, Yeom Jeong-ah, and Kim Bo-ra. Additionally, the series set a new record with 16 cast members in the Top 50.

Viewership

Sky Castle is currently the fourth highest-rated Korean drama in cable television history. It was an unexpected commercial hit, rising from 1% viewership ratings to double-digit viewership ratings percentage, as well as topping the Contents Power Index rankings and the TV popularity ranking in South Korea. Besides its popularity in South Korea, the series also gained immense popularity in China.

In popular culture

The word SKY is an acronym used to refer to the three most prestigious universities in South Korea: Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University. The term is widely used in South Korea, both in media broadcast and by the universities themselves.
In South Korea, admission to one of the SKY universities is widely considered as determining one's career and social status. Many of the country's most influential politicians, lawyers, physicians, engineers, journalists, professors, and bureaucrats have graduated from one of the SKY universities.

Accolades

Remake

  • An American remake of the television series, tentatively titled TriBeCa, was announced to be aired on NBC.
  • A Japanese remake of the television series, also titled Sky Castle, was airing on TV Asahi starting July 25, till September 26, 2024.