The Heirs


The Heirs, also known as The Inheritors, is a South Korean television series starring Lee Min-ho, Park Shin-hye, and Kim Woo-bin. Written by Kim Eun-sook, the drama is set in a high school populated by the privileged and uber-rich. It aired on SBS from October 9 to December 12, 2013.
This was the first Korean drama co-produced by American digital distribution platform DramaFever and Korean production company Hwa&Dam Pictures.
Due to its star-studded cast and writer Kim Eun-sook, international broadcasting rights were sold to 13 countries. It had the highest selling price in Japan among all the 2013 Korean dramas at US$30,000 for each episode. As of January 26, 2014, the series has garnered more than one billion views on Youku, China's biggest video streaming site.

Synopsis

The series follows a group of wealthy, privileged high school students as they are about to take over their families' business empires, overcoming difficulties and growing every step of the way.
Kim Tan is a wealthy heir to a large Korean conglomerate called Jeguk Group. He was exiled to the U.S. by his half-brother Kim Won, who tries to take control of the family business. While in the States, he meets Cha Eun-sang, who went there to look for her sister. Despite being engaged to Yoo Rachel, a fellow heiress, Kim Tan soon falls in love with Eun-sang. When Kim Tan returns to Korea, his former best friend turned enemy Choi Young-do begins picking on Eun-sang to irritate Tan. Tension ensues when Young-do also falls in love with Eun-sang, and Kim Tan is forced to choose between his responsibility of pursuing the family business or love.

Cast

Main

  • Lee Min-ho as Kim Tan
  • *Jung Chan-woo as young Kim Tan
  • * as child Kim Tan
  • Park Shin-hye as Cha Eun-sang
  • Kim Woo-bin as Choi Young-do
  • *Yang Hyun-mo as young Choi Young-do

    Supporting

Jeguk High School

  • Kim Ji-won as Yoo Rachel
  • Kang Min-hyuk as Yoon Chan-young
  • Krystal Jung as Lee Bo-na
  • Kang Ha-neul as Lee Hyo-shin
  • Park Hyung-sik as Jo Myung-soo
  • Jeon Soo-jin as Kang Ye-sol
  • Cho Yoon-woo as Moon Joon-young

    People at Jeguk Group

  • Choi Jin-hyuk as Kim Won
  • Jung Dong-hwan as Kim Nam-yoon
  • Kim Sung-ryung as Han Ki-ae
  • Park Joon-geum as Jung Ji-suk
  • Kim Mi-kyung as Park Hee-nam
  • Choi Won-young as Yoon Jae-ho

    Others

  • Choi Jin-ho as Choi Dong-wook
  • Yoon Son-ha as Esther Lee
  • Lim Ju-eun as Jeon Hyun-joo
  • Baek Seung-hyeon as Secretary Jung
  • Choi Ji-na as Yoo Kyung-ran
  • Seo Yi-sook as Lee Hyo-shin's mother
  • Jung Won-joong as Lee Chan-hyuk
  • Lee Yeon-kyung as Lee Bo-na's mother
  • Ra Mi-ran as Jo Myung-soo's mother
  • Choi Tae-hwan as Lee Sang-woo
  • Yang Seung-pil as Hyo-joon
  • Kang Kyung-hun as Dong-wook's lover
  • Choi Eun-kyung as Kang Ye-sol's mother
  • Hwang Young-hee as Jeguk High School teacher
  • Lee Joon-woo as student
  • Lee Ga-ryeong as clothing store employee
  • Jung Da-eun as herself

    Special appearances

  • Yoon Jin-seo as Cha Eun-suk / Stella Cha
  • Kim Hee-chul as music program MC
  • 2Eyes as themselves
  • VIXX as themselves
  • BtoB as themselves
  • Jung Joo-hee as announcer
  • Wang Ji-won as Yang Da-kyung
  • Lee Hyun-jin as Lee Hyun-jin

    Original soundtrack

Ratings

In the table below, the ' represent the lowest ratings and the ' represent the highest ratings.

Awards and nominations

Remake

A 2014 Chinese television drama titled Billion Dollar Heir starring Yu Xiao Tong, Kan Qing Zi and Korean singer-actor Choi Si-won was originally reported to be a remake of The Heirs, but this was later denied by Choi and director Li Shao Hong, citing the completely different story and characters. In 2016, it was announced that a Korea-Chinese film based on The Heirs is in the works.