The Red Sleeve
The Red Sleeve is a South Korean television series starring Lee Jun-ho, Lee Se-young, and Kang Hoon. It is a fictionalised account of the lives of King Jeongjo and his royal consort Ui-bin Seong. It aired on MBC TV from November 12, 2021, to January 1, 2022, every Friday and Saturday at 22:00.
Synopsis
Based on a novel of the same name, The Red Sleeve tells the record of a royal court romance between the King of Joseon who places his duty to his country above love, and a court lady who wants to protect the life she has chosen. The story is told from the viewpoint of the court lady.Cast
Main
- Lee Jun-ho as Yi San, later King Jeongjo
- * Lee Joo-won as young San
- Lee Se-young as Seong Deok-im, later Royal Noble Consort Ui-bin Seong
- * Lee Seol-ah as young Deok-im
- Kang Hoon as Hong Deok-ro
- * Choi Jeong-hoo as young Deok-ro
Supporting
Royal family
- Lee Deok-hwa as King Yeongjo
- Jang Hee-jin as Queen Kim
- Kang Mal-geum as Hong Hye-bin
- Kim I-on as Princess Cheongyeon
- Jo Seung-hee as Princess Cheongseon
- Go Ha as Royal Consort Suk-ui Moon
- Park Seo-kyung as Hong Dan, later Royal Noble Consort Won-bin Hong
Court ladies
- Kim Ja-young as Court Lady Kwon
- Park Jung-eon as Yeongbin Lee's court lady
- Jeon Yeo-jin as the queen's court lady
- Gil Sung-joo as Mi Yook, Hwabin Yoon's maid
- Park Seung-ah as Yang Soon, Hwabin Yoon's maid
- Park Ji-young as Head Court Lady Jo
- Ji Eun as Kang Wol-hye
- Cha Mi-kyung as Court Lady Park
People around Yi San
- Oh Dae-hwan as Kang Tae-ho
- Moon Jeong-dae as Seo Gye-jung
- as Jung Jae-hwa
- Kim Kang-min as Kim Du-seong
- Yoon Hyo-sik as Yi San's head eunuch
People around Seong Deok-im
- Jang Hye-jin as Court Lady Seo
- Lee Min-ji as Kim Bok-yeon
- * Yoon Hae-bin as young Bok-yeon
- as Bae Kyung-hee
- * Lee Seo-hyun as young Kyung-hee
- Lee Eun-saem as Son Young-hee
- * Jo Si-yeon as young Young-hee
- Yang Byung-yeol as Seong Sik
- * Lee Seung-Woo as young Sik
Yi San's political opponents
- Jo Hee-bong as Hong Jung-yeo
- Seo Hyo-rim as Princess Hwawan, San's aunt.
- Kwon Hyun-bin as Jeong Baek-ik, Hwawan's adoptive son.
Extended
- as Yi San's guard warrior
- Kim Ja-young as Court Lady Kwon
- Kim Byung-chun as Shim Hwi-won
- Yi Seo as Royal Noble Consort Hwa-bin Yun
Special appearances
- Ha Seok-jin as a magistrate
- Do Sang-woo as Crown Prince Sado, San's father
- Nam Gi-ae as Royal Noble Consort Yeong-bin Yi, San's biological grandmother and Yeongjo's beloved wife.
- Lee Soon-jae as an elderly citizen
Production and release
The lead roles were initially offered to Kim Kyung-nam and Park Hye-su. The first script reading of the cast was held in May 2021.The series was originally scheduled to premiere on November 5, 2021, but it was delayed by a week due to program adjustment for the broadcast of a professional baseball game.
On December 9, 2021, it was announced that the series would be extended by one episode due to its popularity and would end with 17 episodes. Due to the extension, episode 13 aired on December 24, while episodes 14 and 15 aired on December 25.
It was reported that filming started in May 2021 and continued filming for about seven months until December 21. It was mainly conducted at Mungyeong Saejae Open Set, Jeonju Hanok Village, Gwanghallu Garden in Namwon, Naganeupseong Folk Village, Yeokrin Set in Damyang County, and Yeolhwajeong Pavilion—located in Ganggol Village, Deungnyang-myeon, Boseong County.