Sungkyunkwan Scandal


Sungkyunkwan Scandal is a South Korean historical drama starring Park Yoo-chun, Park Min-young, Song Joong-ki, and Yoo Ah-in. Directed by Kim Won-seok and written by Kim Tae-hee, it is based on Jung Eun-gwol's bestselling 2007 novel . It aired on KBS2 from August 30 to November 2, 2010 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 20 episodes.
WWW kbs.co.kr/drama/scandal

Synopsis

Set during an era when society does not permit females to be either educated or employed, Kim Yoon-hee disguises herself as her brother, Kim Yoon-shik, in order to make ends meet for her family. She goes through a series of odd jobs, mainly at a local bookstore, before she gets offered a chance to increase her earnings by becoming a substitute test-taker for the upcoming entrance examination for Sungkyunkwan, Joseon's highest educational institute. She gets caught by the upright Lee Sun-joon, who later acknowledges Yoon-hee's talents, and even encourages her to enroll in the university. There, she must bear with the endless mischief of upperclassman Gu Yong-ha, put up with the constant mood swings of her rebel roommate Moon Jae-shin, avoid getting in trouble with the strict student body president Ha In-soo, and keep her secret from being discovered, all the while trying to hold her growing feelings for Lee Sun-joon at bay.
Together, Kim, Lee, Gu, and Moon form the "Jalgeum Quartet".
The background to the drama is the reign of King Jeongjo and his struggles in dealing with the factional politics of his time, struggles in which he enlists the quartet. The final episodes deal with the. And Sungkyunkwan, that place of Confucian learning, is the place where students and teachers learn from each other, causing radical changes in their thinking, and so sacred a place is it, that even royal guards may not enter.

Cast

Main

Supporting

Extended

  • Kang Sung-pil as Im Byung-choon
  • Ji Nam-hyuk as Seol Go-bong
  • Chae Byung-chan as Kang-moo
  • Kim Ik-tae as Chae Je-gong, chief state councillor
  • Choi Dong-joon as Moon Geun-soo, minister of Saheonbu and Jae-shin's Father
  • Kim Kwang-kyu as Hwang-ga
  • Kim Ha-kyoon as Choi Shin-mook
  • Park Geun-soo as Yoo Chang-ik
  • Kim Young-bae as Go Jang-bok
  • Kim Jung-kyoon as Ahn Do-hyun
  • Jang Se-hyun as Kim Woo-tak
  • Hwang Chan-woo as Bae Hae-won
  • Im Young-pil as Ham Choon-ho
  • Joo Ah-sung as Nam Myung-shik
  • Kim Mi-kyung as Ms. Jo, Yoon-hee's mother
  • Ha Min-jae as Kim Yoon Shik, Yoon-hee' younger brother
  • Ryu Dam as Soon-dol
  • Sung Hyun-joo as Beo-deul
  • Im Yoon-jung as Aeng-aeng
  • Jung Hye-mi as Seom-seom
  • Park Dong-bin as Woo-kyu's steward
  • Jo Yi-sam as Soron Yusaeng
  • Bae Jae-ho as Soron Yusaeng
  • Eom Bo-yong as Cheon-dong
  • Kim Dan-yool as Bok-dong
  • Lee Tae-ri as Bok-soo, Bok-dong's elder brother
  • Oh Na-mi as Mi-hyun, Hyo-eun's friend
  • Ahn Nam-hee as Jung-hyun, Hyo-eun's friend
  • Nam Myung-ryul as Kim Seung-heon, Yoon-hee's Father

Cameos

Reception

The series attracted a fervent fanbase that belied its modest mid-teen ratings. Its cult popularity was manifested in the very high online activity on the message boards of its official website and in popular portal DC Inside, the number of episode viewings on the KBS website, as well as units of DVDs and OST albums sold. The original soundtrack, which featured Park Yoo-chun's band JYJ, sold 110,000 copies in a couple of weeks. The old campus of Sungkyunkwan University was the setting for the fusion historical drama, which also starred alumnus Song Joong-ki, resulting in increased interest in SKKU from international audiences who watched the drama.

Theatrical versions

The series was edited into a theatrical version which screened in Japanese cinemas from May 6–19, 2011 as part of the "Dokimeki☆Ikemen Festival."
For the drama's first anniversary, Korean cable channel QTV re-edited the series into a two-hour TV movie which aired on September 10, 2011.