Kokdu: Season of Deity

2023 South Korean television series

Kokdu: Season of Deity

Promotional poster

Hangul|

꼭두의 계절

Hanja|

꼭두의 季節

Literal meaning| Season of Kkokdu[a]
Revised Romanization| Kkokduui Gyejeol
McCune–Reischauer| Kkoktuŭi Kyejŏl
Genre|

* Fantasy[1]
* Romance[1]

Developed by| Kim Ho-jun (planning)[2]
Written by|

* Kang Yi-heon[3]
* Heo Jun-woo[3]

Directed by|

* Baek Soo-chan[3]
* Kim Ji-hoon[3]

Starring|

* Kim Jung-hyun
* Im Soo-hyang
* Kim Da-som
* Ahn Woo-yeon
* Kim In-kwon
* Cha Chung-hwa

Music by| Park Se-joon
Country of origin| South Korea
Original language| Korean
No. of episodes| 16
Production
Producers|

* Jeong Chan-hee[2]
* Bae Seon-hae[2]
* Yoo Cheol-yong[2]
* Jung Gu-young[2]

Running time| 70 minutes[4]
Production companies|

* People Story Company[5]
* Story TV[5]

Original release
Network| MBC TV
Release| January 27 (2023-01-27) –
March 24, 2023 (2023-03-24)

Kokdu: Season of Deity (Korean: 꼭두의 계절; RR: Kkokduui Gyejeol)[b] is a 2023 South Korean television series starring Kim Jung-hyun, Im Soo-hyang, Kim Da-som, Ahn Woo-yeon, Kim In-kwon, and Cha Chung-hwa. It aired on MBC TV from January 27 to March 24, 2023, every Friday and Saturday at 21:50 (KST).[5] It is also available for streaming on Wavve in South Korea, and on IQIYI, Viki and Viu in selected regions.[6][7][8][9]

## Synopsis[edit]

The series is about a grim reaper named Kokdu (Kim Jung-hyun) who visits the mortal world every 99 years to punish humans. He meets Dr. Han Gye-jeol (Im Soo-hyang), a doctor with mysterious abilities, and starts working as a visiting doctor.[3]

## Cast[edit]

### Main[edit]

* Kim Jung-hyun as Kokdu[a] / Do Jin-woo / Oh-hyeon

1. Kokdu: an underworld god who has been cursed to lead the deceased in the afterlife after angering the Creator, and has to enter a human body that looks just like him to carry out the murders of immoral people.[1][10][11]
2. Do Jin-woo: a successful surgeon and Gye-jeol's fellow hospital worker who is possessed by Kokdu.[12]
3. Oh-hyeon: Seol-hee's lover who was cursed by the Creator to become Kokdu.[13]

* Im Soo-hyang as Han Gye-jeol / Seol-hee

1. Han Gye-jeol: an ER doctor who graduated from the lowest-ranking medical school in the country.[10][12]
2. Seol-hee: Gye-jeol's past life who is a princess whom loved by Oh-hyeon for a long time.[14]

* Kim Da-som as Tae Jeong-won

A talented woman who never missed the first rank from the time she entered Korea University of Medicine until graduation.[15][16]

* Ahn Woo-yeon as Han Cheol

Gye-jeol's younger brother who is a detective.[17][18]

* Kim In-kwon as Oksin / Lee Eung-chul

A demigod whose purpose of existence is to assist Kokdu.[19][20] In human world, he is posing as a chaebol.

* Cha Chung-hwa as Gaksin / Seo Bok-gyeong

The god of rumor with the highest level of nunchi.[19][21] In human world, she is posing as a YouTube influencer, and later a nurse.

### Supporting[edit]

#### Pilseong Bio[edit]

* Choi Kwang-il as Kim Pil-soo

Chairman of Pilseong Hospital.[19]

* Kim Young-woong as Jung-sik

Pil-soo's shadow who is a murderer with fourteen convictions.[22]

#### People in Yeongpo City[edit]

* Lee Jung-joon as Jung Yi-deun

Gye-jeol's ex-boyfriend.[23]

* Kim Byeong-ok as Shin Hong-geun

Owner of Yongwang-nim Samgyeopsal.[19]

* Oh Young-sil as Oh Kyung-seung

Hong-geun's wife.[19]

* Lee Young-ran as Moon Myung-ja

CEO of Yeongpo Jongga Co.[19]

* Woo Hyun as Choi Dal-seung

Myung-ja's husband who is the president of Yeongpo Small Business Association.[19]

* Kim Byeong-chun as Bae Jeong-guk

Manager of Fire Fist Gym.[19]

* Min Jun-ho as Detective Kim

A homicide detective.[19]

#### Pilseong Hospital[edit]

* Son So-mang as Sa Guk-hwa

Jeong-won's friend who is a nurse at Pilseong Hospital.[24]

### Extended[edit]

* Jung Ah-mi as Jang Mi-soon

Jin-woo's biological mother who is a professor of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery at Pilseong Hospital.[25]

* Oh Yeon-ah as Ji Soo-yeon

A doctor at Pilseong Hospital.[26]

* Park Shin-woo as Jo Bong-pil

A pharmacist who does not hesitate to commit illegal and evil acts.[27]

* Jung Wook as Park Chung-seong[28]

### Special appearances[edit]

* Jung Young-joo as a deceased patient's daughter[29]
* Sung Byeong-sook as a patient[30]
* Kim Kang-hoon as the Creator[31]
* Yoo Jae-suk as an employee[32]
* Jeong Jun-ha as an employee[32]
* Lee Mi-joo as an employee[32]
* Wang Bit-na as Gye-jeol's mother[33]

## Production[edit]

Filming of the series had started by September 2022.[10]

Hangout with Yoo cast members Yoo Jae-suk, Jeong Jun-ha and Lee Mi-joo made cameo appearances on Kokdu: Season of Deity as part of the variety show's "HWY HR" segment. The filming of their scene with lead actress Im Soo-hyang was conducted in Ganghwa County, and was broadcast on the show on October 22, 2022.[32][34]

On October 31, 2022, the production team announced that filming for the series was halted due to the death of actor Lee Ji-han who died on October 29 during the Seoul Halloween crowd crush tragedy, and would resume at a later date after reorganization. It was reported that Lee took the role of Jung Yi-deun, the ex-boyfriend of Im Soo-hyang's character.[35][36] On November 7, an official from MBC confirmed that filming would resume on that day, and the production team decided to find a replacement for the late actor after much deliberation.[37][38] It was later announced that Lee Jung-joon [ko] would join the cast, taking over Lee Ji-han's role.[23]

## Release[edit]

The series was initially scheduled to premiere at the end of 2022, but was pushed back to January 2023.[1][17]

## Viewership[edit]

Kokdu: Season of Deity : South Korea viewers per episode (thousands)

Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.

|

Season| Episode number

|

1| 2| 3| 4| 5| 6| 7| 8| 9| 10| 11| 12| 13| 14| 15| 16
| 1| 858| N/A| 560| N/A| N/A| N/A| 523| N/A| N/A| N/A| N/A| N/A| N/A| N/A| N/A| N/A

Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by Nielsen Korea.[39]

Average TV viewership ratings  Ep. | Original broadcast date  | Average audience share
(Nielsen Korea)[39]

|
|

Nationwide  | Seoul
1  | January 27, 2023  | 4.8% (14th) | 4.8% (14th)
2  | January 28, 2023  | 2.2% (33rd) | N/A
3  | February 3, 2023  | 3.1% (20th) | 3.2% (19th)
4  | February 4, 2023  | 2.4% (34th) | N/A
5  | February 10, 2023  | 2.8% (24th)
6  | February 11, 2023  | 1.9% (36th)
7  | February 17, 2023  | 2.7% (23rd)
8  | February 18, 2023  | 1.4% (47th)
9  | February 24, 2023  | 2.0% (29th)
10  | February 25, 2023  | 1.7% (43rd)
11  | March 3, 2023  | 1.6% (36th)
12  | March 4, 2023  | 2.0% (31st)
13  | March 11, 2023  | 1.4% (43rd)
14  | March 17, 2023  | 1.4% (37th)
15  | March 18, 2023  | 1.3% (43rd)
16  | March 24, 2023  | 1.6% (37th)
Average  | 2.1% | —[c]

* In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings
* N/A denotes ratings that were not published.

## Awards and nominations[edit]

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee(s) of the award, and the result of the nomination  Award ceremony  | Year  | Category  | Nominee / Work  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

MBC Drama Awards | 2023 | Best Supporting Actor  | Cha Chung-hwa | Won  | [40]
Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries  | Im Soo-hyang | Nominated  | [41]

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ a b Kkokdu is Korea's traditional wooden puppet, usually used to decorate a funeral bier.[10]
2. ^ The Korean title is a play on the names of lead characters Kokdu and Han Gye-jeol, which can also be literally translated to Kokdu's Gye-jeol.
3. ^ Due to some unpublished ratings, the exact average rating is unknown.

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c d "Kim Jung-hyun and Im Soo-hyang to Star in "Kkokdu's Gye-jeol"". HanCinema. Bridge News. September 26, 2022. Archived from the original on November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
2. ^ a b c d e "프로그램 소개" [Program Introduction]. Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 12, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
3. ^ a b c d e Choi Yoon-na (September 26, 2022). "김정현·임수향, '꼭두의 계절' 캐스팅 확정[공식]" (in Korean). Sports Dong-a. Archived from the original on November 4, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022 - via Naver.
4. ^ "Kokdu: Season of Deity". MBC Global Media. Archived from the original on March 9, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
5. ^ a b c Ha Su-jeong (December 15, 2022). "'꼭두의계절' 김정현, 첫 스틸공개..서예지 조종설 논란 2년만 복귀" (in Korean). OSEN. Archived from the original on December 15, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022 - via Naver.
6. ^ Jin Byung-hoon (January 25, 2023). "'꼭두의 계절' 인물관계도 및 등장인물…몇부작?" ['Season of Kokdu' character relationship diagram and characters… how many episodes?]. NBN TV (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 20, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
7. ^ Fadhila Luqyana Aristy (January 27, 2023). "4 Fakta Menarik Kokdu Season of Deity, Kisah Malaikat Maut dan Dokter" [4 Interesting Facts about Kokdu Season of Deity, The Story of the Grim Reaper and the Doctor]. KOMPAS (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
8. ^ Kang Seo-jung (January 19, 2023). "'꼭두의 계절'→'꽃선비'까지..해외로 뻗어나가는 K-드라마" [From 'Season of Kokdu' to 'Flower Scholar'..K-drama expanding overseas] (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2023 - via Naver.
9. ^ "Drama Korea Terbaru 2023" [Latest Korean Drama 2023]. Viu (in Indonesian). March 7, 2023. Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
10. ^ a b c d Haley Yang (September 26, 2022). "Kim Jung-hyun, Im Soo-hyang filming for upcoming MBC series 'Season of Kkokdu'". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on September 28, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
11. ^ Moon Ji-yeon (May 13, 2022). "[단독] 김정현이 돌아온다..'꼭두의 계절'로 브라운관 복귀" (in Korean). Sports Chosun. Archived from the original on November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022 - via Naver.
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13. ^ Hyun Jeong-min (January 28, 2023). "'꼭두의 계절' 김정현·임수향, 긴 인연의 시작…시청률 4.8% 출발 [TV핫스팟]" (in Korean). Sports World. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023 - via Naver.
14. ^ Yeon Hwi-seon (January 28, 2023). "임수향, '꼭두의 계절' 첫방부터 1인 2역 열연...사극X현대극 다 되네" (in Korean). OSEN. Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2023 - via Naver.
15. ^ "Kim Dasom in "Kkokdu's Gye-jeol"". HanCinema. Newsis. October 18, 2022. Archived from the original on November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
16. ^ Kim Na-yul (October 12, 2022). "'꼭두의 계절' 김다솜, 엄친딸 태정원 役 확정..김정현X임수향 호흡[공식]" (in Korean). Herald Pop. Archived from the original on November 23, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2022 - via Naver.
17. ^ a b Jeon Hyo-jin (November 23, 2022). "김정현·임수향 '꼭두의 계절', 내년 1월27일 첫방송 [공식]" (in Korean). Sports Dong-a. Archived from the original on November 23, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2022 - via Naver.
18. ^ Jang Su-jeong (November 14, 2022). "안우연, '꼭두의 계절' 출연…'겉바속촉' 형사役" (in Korean). Dailian. Archived from the original on November 14, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022 - via Naver.
19. ^ a b c d e f g h i "등장인물" [Characters]. Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
20. ^ Park Ah-reum (November 16, 2022). "김인권 '꼭두의 계절' 합류, 김정현과 재회[공식]" (in Korean). Newsen. Archived from the original on November 16, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2022 - via Naver.
21. ^ Ryu Ye-ji (November 16, 2022). "[공식] 차청화, '꼭두의 계절' 출연…임수향·김정현과 호흡" (in Korean). Ten Asia. Archived from the original on November 18, 2022. Retrieved November 18, 2022 - via Naver.
22. ^ Jang Woo-young (January 10, 2023). "김영웅, '꼭두의 계절' 합류…김정현·임수향·김다솜과 호흡 [공식]" (in Korean). OSEN. Archived from the original on January 10, 2023. Retrieved January 10, 2023 - via Naver.
23. ^ a b Lee Myung-soo (November 8, 2022). "이정준, 이태원 참사로 떠난 이지한 후임 확정" (in Korean). Herald Corporation. Archived from the original on November 23, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2022 - via Naver.
24. ^ Yoo Jeong-min (December 6, 2022). "손소망, '꼭두의 계절' 출연 확정…김다솜과 절친 케미" [Son So-mang confirmed to appear in 'Season of Kkokdu'… Kim Dasom and best friend chemistry] (in Korean). iMBC. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022 - via Naver.
25. ^ Lee Joon-hyun (January 27, 2023). "정아미, '꼭두의 계절' 합류…김정현과 모자호흡" (in Korean). Ten Asia. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved January 27, 2023 - via Naver.
26. ^ Ahn Byung-gil (January 28, 2023). "'미끼' '꼭두의 계절' 두얼굴, 오연아" (in Korean). Sports Kyunghyang. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
27. ^ Jang Woo-young (January 29, 2023). "박신우, 광기·욕망 가득한 물뽕 약사…'꼭두' 김정현과 대립" (in Korean). OSEN. Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved January 30, 2023 - via Naver.
28. ^ Kim Hyeon-rok (February 5, 2023). "'꼭두의 계절' 임수향, 김정현과 애틋한 입맞춤…관계 급물살 타나[TV핫샷]" (in Korean). SpoTV News. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2023 - via Naver.
29. ^ Ahn Byung-gil (January 28, 2023). "'꼭두의 계절' 정영주, 역시나" (in Korean). Sports Kyunghyang. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2023 - via Naver.
30. ^ Park Ha-na (January 28, 2023). "'꼭두의 계절' 임수향x김정현, 비극적 과거…죽음으로 끝난 사랑 [RE:TV]" (in Korean). News1 Korea. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2023 - via Naver.
31. ^ Kim Min-jung (January 28, 2023). "'꼭두의 계절' 김강훈, 김정현에게 '저주' "넌 이제 꼭두다!"" (in Korean). iMBC. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2023 - via Naver.
32. ^ a b c d Jung Ahn-ji (February 3, 2023). "유재석이 왜 거기서 나와?"...정준하·이미주와 '꼭두의 계절' 깜짝 등장" (in Korean). Sports Chosun. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023 - via Naver.
33. ^ Kim Min-jung (February 4, 2023). "'꼭두의 계절' 김정현, 왕빛나와 '약속' "임수향에게 다 해주겠다"" (in Korean). MBC Entertainment. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2023 - via Naver.
34. ^ Jung Han-bi (October 23, 2022). "[어게인TV]"무서워"…'놀면 뭐하니?' 유재석X정준하, '초보운전' 미주 차 타고 '십년감수'" (in Korean). Herald Pop. Archived from the original on November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022 - via Naver.
35. ^ Ahn So-yoon (October 31, 2022). "[공식입장] 故 이지한, MBC '꼭두의 계절' 촬영 중 '이태원 참사' 사망" (in Korean). Sports Chosun. Archived from the original on November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022 - via Naver.
36. ^ "Late actor Lee Ji-han was to appear in MBC series 'Season of Kkokdu'". Korea JoongAng Daily. October 31, 2022. Archived from the original on November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
37. ^ Kim Bo-young (November 7, 2022). "'꼭두의 계절' 측 "오늘(7일) 촬영 재개…故 이지한 후임 물색 중" [공식]" ['Season of Kokdu' side "Today (the 7th) filming resumes… Looking for a replacement for the late Lee Ji-han" [Official]] (in Korean). E Daily. Archived from the original on February 20, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2022 - via Naver.
38. ^ Kim So-yeon (November 7, 2022). "'꼭두의 계절' 측 "오늘(7일) 촬영 재개…故 이지한 후임 찾는 중"" ['Season of Kokdu' side "Today (7th) filming resumes… Searching for the successor of the late Lee Ji-han] (in Korean). Maeil Business Star Today. Archived from the original on February 20, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2022 - via Naver.
39. ^ a b Nielsen Korea ratings:
* "Ep. 1" (in Korean). Nielsen Korea. January 27, 2023. Archived from the original on February 20, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
* "Ep. 2, 4–16" (in Korean). Nielsen Korea. Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2023 - via Daum.
* "Ep. 3" (in Korean). Nielsen Korea. February 3, 2023. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
40. ^ Cha, Hye-rin (December 30, 2023). [2023 MBC 연기대상] '연인' 남궁민, 이변 없이 대상 수상… "큐 사인이 가장 행복한 배우" [[2023 MBC Drama Awards] 'My Dearest' Namkoong Min wins the grand prize without any incidents..."Cue sign is the happiest actor"] (in Korean). MBC Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 30, 2023. Retrieved December 30, 2023 - via Naver.
41. ^ Cha, Hye-rin (December 30, 2023). [2023 MBC 연기대상] '열녀박씨' 이세영-'연인' 안은진, 눈물의 '최우수연기상' 수상 [[2023 MBC Drama Awards] 'The Story of Park' Lee Se-young and 'My Dearest' Ahn Eun-jin won the 'Best Actress Award' by tears]. iMBC (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 31, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2023.

## External links[edit]

* Official website (in Korean)
* Production website at Story TV (in Korean and English)
* Kokdu: Season of Deity at HanCinema
* Kokdu: Season of Deity at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Works by Story TV

2010s|

* The Clinic for Married Couples: Love and War
* While You Were Sleeping
* Jang Ok-jung, Living by Love
* Endless Love
* Jugglers
* About Time

2020s|

* It's Okay to Not Be Okay
* Undercover
* Love Is for Suckers
* Kokdu: Season of Deity

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*[Ep.]: Episode
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