The Queen of Office

2013 South Korean television series

The Queen of Office

Promotional poster

Also known as| Queen of the Office
Goddess of the Workplace
Genre| Romance
Comedy
Drama
Written by| Yoon Nan-joong
Directed by| Jeon Chang-geun
Noh Sang-hoon
Starring| Kim Hye-soo
Oh Ji-ho
Jung Yu-mi
Lee Hee-joon
Jeon Hye-bin
Jo Kwon
Composer| Kang Dong-yoon
Country of origin| South Korea
Original language| Korean
No. of episodes| 16
Production
Executive producer| Hwang Eui-kyung
Producers| Ham Young-hoon
Park Woo-ram
Production location| Korea
Cinematography| Kwon Hyuk-kyun
Kim Yong-soo
Editor| Kim Young-joo
Running time| 60 minutes on Mondays and Tuesdays at 22:00 (KST)
Production companies| KBS Media
MI Media
Queen of the Office SPC
Original release
Network| Korean Broadcasting System
Release| April 1 (2013-04-01) –
May 21, 2013 (2013-05-21)
Related
Haken no Hinkaku
Korean name

Hangul|

직장의 신

Hanja|

職場의神

Revised Romanization| Jikjang-ui Sin
McCune–Reischauer| Chikchangŭi Sin

The Queen of Office (Korean: 직장의 신; RR: Jikjang-ui Sin; lit. God of the Workplace) is a 2013 South Korean television series starring Kim Hye-soo, Oh Ji-ho, Jung Yu-mi, Lee Hee-joon, Jeon Hye-bin, and Jo Kwon. It aired on KBS2 from April 1 to May 21, 2013, on Mondays and Tuesdays at 22:00 for 16 episodes.[1] Kim later won the Daesang (or "Grand Prize"), the highest honor at the 2013 KBS Drama Awards.[2]

Based on the 2007 Japanese drama Pride of the Temp (ハケンの品格, Haken no Hinkaku), the comedy/drama series uses the modern Korean workplace culture as a backdrop and revolves around charismatic perfect employee Miss Kim, who's good at everything that even her bosses are a little afraid of her. But her life is shrouded in mystery and she always disappears after her three-month temp contract is up.[3][4][5]

The early working title was Come Back, Miss Kim (Korean: 돌아와요 미스김; RR: Dorawayo Miseugim).[6][7]

## Cast

[edit]

### Main characters

[edit]

* Kim Hye-soo as Miss Kim[8]

Always wearing a neutral-colored business suit and with her hair firmly in place, Miss Kim is a non-regular worker. She holds 124 skill certifications in all sorts of fields, executes work with perfection, and speaks a bunch of languages including Russian. She traverses the jungle of office buildings and suddenly disappears after her three-month work contract ends. Her very name inspires awe in her colleagues, and even her superiors are afraid of her. Miss Kim goes to work at 9 a.m., and leaves at 6 p.m., unwilling to spend a microsecond more. She refuses to do work outside of her job description, never misses her lunch break, and the company wouldn't dare ask her to come in on weekends. Miss Kim says that if the company doesn't approve of her actions, it should hire three more regular employees since she does three people's work in a limited period of time. Her life outside work is shrouded in mystery: No one knows her first name, her age, or her background. Miss Kim's confidence about her ability, and also the frustration from her contract situation, allows her to be protective about her private life and blatantly reject after-work drinking sessions and other oppressive traditions of the macho corporate culture. She avoids all personal interactions, and instead chooses to live her life in her own way.

* Oh Ji-ho as Jang Gyu-jik

Jang Gyu-jik works in the upper management of Y-Jang Food Company (his name is a pun on jung gyu-jik, the Korean phrase for permanent employee). He finished his MBA in the United States, then returned to Korea. Upbeat and energetic and armed with professionalism and good work ethics, Gyu-jik is strongly devoted to his company, and puts everything on the line for his work. But he treats temps dismissively, thinking they only exist to assist regular employees with menial chores. Hot-headed and with a rather childish mentality, Gyu-jik keeps attempting to humiliate Miss Kim, but he is frequently stymied by her unexpected reactions. Gyu-jik and Miss Kim engage in numerous conflicts and confrontations, but gradually feelings of respect and love grow between them, two seemingly incompatible people.

* Jung Yu-mi as Jung Joo-ri

Jung Joo-ri has failed countless job interviews because she came from a third-rate university and has a less-than-stellar resume. Thus, she gets hired at Y-Jang Food Company only as a temp. She tries her hardest at everything but keeps making mistakes, and she lapses into saturi (or regional/rural dialect) during stressful moments. Joo-ri has a crush on her boss Jang Gyu-jik.

* Lee Hee-joon as Mu Jeong-han

He entered the company at the same time as his friend and colleague, Jang Gyu-jik. But as Gyu-jik moved up the ranks, Jeong-han kept getting left behind. Jeong-han is cold and serious (his name literally means "heartless" in Korean), and different from Gyu-jik in every way, from attitude, nature, to personal values.

* Jeon Hye-bin as Geum Bit-na

Geum Bit-na (her name means "shines like gold") was hired at the same time as Jung Joo-ri. But unlike Joo-ri, she has all the right qualifications and a first-rate education, and gets hired as a regular employee. She also happens to be the ex-girlfriend of Jang Gyu-jik.

* Jo Kwon as Kye Kyung-woo[9]

A very polite and upright new hire.

### Supporting characters

[edit]

Marketing and Sales Division

* Kim Eung-soo as Hwang Gab-deuk
* Lee Ji-hoon as Gu Young-shik
* Na Seung-ho as Shin Min-goo
* Lee Mi-do as Park Bong-hee
* Song Ji-in as Oh Ji-rang
* Lee So-yoon as Yeon Na-ra
* Kim Gi-cheon as Go Jung-do

Product Development Division

* Kim Na-woon as Yeo Jang-mi
* Kim Ki-yeon as Hong Min-ah
* Chae Ji-won as the youngest staff member

BAR Machu Picchu

* Kim Bo-mi as Jo Ho-boon
* Lee Hyun-jae as Julisesa

Dispatch's Quality Job Manager

* Oh Yong as Ahn Jong-chul

Y-Jang employees

* Park Jin-wook as Ahn Tae-soo
* Lee In-chul as Park Bon-jwa
* Min Sung-ok as Maeng In-sa

Home Mart

* Kim Kwang-kyu as manager Han
* Kim Hae-gon as mart director

Super Home Shopping

* Go Soo-hee as Choi Da-sung
* Lee Jun-hyeok as Han Jung-soo

Dae Han Bank

* Lee Deok-hee as Jin Mi-ja
* Kang Shin-chul as Won Joo-hwan
* Kim Jong-gu as Geum Bae-jib

Ong Ja Yeom

* Kwon Sung-deok as Ong Ah-jib
* Han Seung-hyun as Ong So-shin
* Lee Ah-ra as daughter in-law

Extended cast

* Kim Mi-kyung as Kim Sook-ja, Jung Joo-ri's mother
* Lee Ji-ha as Show host
* Tatina as Sara Siva
* Oh Chang-hoon as Park Seung-oh
* Gong Sang-ah as Son Bo-ra
* Choi In-kyung as Kang Dong-hee

### Cameos

[edit]

* Yang Sang-gook as car wash part-timer 1 (ep 1)
* Kim Ki-yeol as car wash part-timer 2 (ep 1)
* Heo Kyung-hwan as Chinese restaurant deliveryman (ep 1)
* Kim Joon-hyun as construction worker (ep 1)
* Kim Gi-ri as bouncer (ep 1)
* Jung Il-woo as Cha Chi-soo, Chasung Group soy sauce model (ep 3)
* Kim Byung-man as seasoned raw crab master (ep 3)
* Jung Won-joong as Jang Dae-han
* Myung Gye-nam as owner of Mother's Hand Restaurant

## Ratings

[edit]

Episode #  | Original broadcast date  | Average audience share

|
|

TNmS Ratings[10] | AGB Nielsen[11]
Nationwide  | Seoul National Capital Area | Nationwide  | Seoul National Capital Area
1  | 1 April 2013  | 9.4%  | 9.8% | 8.2% | 8.9%
2  | 2 April 2013  | 9.3% | 9.9%  | 8.6%  | 9.0%
3  | 8 April 2013  | 10.6%  | 11.8%  | 12.3%  | 12.1%
4  | 9 April 2013  | 12.2%  | 13.5%  | 12.1%  | 12.1%
5  | 15 April 2013  | 12.0%  | 12.6%  | 13.4%  | 12.5%
6  | 16 April 2013  | 13.3%  | 13.4%  | 14.2%  | 14.6%
7  | 22 April 2013  | 13.6% | 14.9% | 14.0%  | 14.1%
8  | 23 April 2013  | 13.2%  | 14.6%  | 14.6% | 13.9%
9  | 29 April 2013  | 12.6%  | 13.5%  | 13.5%  | 13.2%
10  | 30 April 2013  | 13.3%  | 14.3%  | 14.5%  | 14.8%
11  | 6 May 2013  | 12.2%  | 12.8%  | 13.6%  | 13.8%
12  | 7 May 2013  | 12.8%  | 13.4%  | 14.0%  | 13.9%
13  | 13 May 2013  | 11.6%  | 11.9%  | 13.1%  | 13.8%
14  | 14 May 2013  | 11.8%  | 13.0%  | 12.8%  | 13.2%
15  | 20 May 2013  | 11.8%  | 12.8%  | 14.4%  | 16.2%
16  | 21 May 2013  | 12.8%  | 13.6%  | 14.2%  | 14.9%
Average | 12.0% | 12.9% | 13.0% | 13.2%

## Awards and nominations

[edit]

Year  | Award  | Category  | Recipient  | Result

|
|
|
|

2013  | 6th Korea Drama Awards | Grand Prize (Daesang) | Kim Hye-soo | Nominated
Best Drama | Queen of the Office | Nominated
Best Production Director | Jeon Chang-geun | Nominated
Excellence Award, Actor | Kim Kwang-kyu | Nominated
2nd APAN Star Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actress | Kim Hye-soo | Nominated
21st Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards | Grand Prize (Daesang) | Won
Excellence Award, Actor in Drama | Oh Ji-ho | Won
KBS Drama Awards | Grand Prize (Daesang) | Kim Hye-soo | Won
Top Excellence Award, Actor | Oh Ji-ho | Nominated
Top Excellence Award, Actress | Kim Hye-soo | Nominated
Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Oh Ji-ho | Won
Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries | Kim Hye-soo | Nominated
Jung Yu-mi | Nominated
Best Supporting Actor | Lee Hee-joon | Nominated
Best Couple Award | Oh Ji-ho and Kim Hye-soo | Won
2014 | 7th WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival | Platinum Remi Award for Comedy TV Series | Queen of the Office | Won
50th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actress | Kim Hye-soo | Nominated

## International broadcast

[edit]

* It aired in Japan on cable channel KNTV from April 1 to May 21, 2013.[12]
* It aired in Thailand on Workpoint TV from December 16, 2015, to January 16, 2016, on Tuesdays to Saturdays at 04:00-5:00 a.m.[13]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Choi, Eun-hwa (28 February 2013). "Kim Hye Soo Joins First Script Reading for God of the Workplace". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved 2013-03-30.
2. ^ Lee, Cory (2 January 2014). "Kim Hye-soo Reclaims Glory, Good Doctor, Secret Love Win Big at the 2013 KBS Drama Awards". TenAsia. Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
3. ^ Baek, Byung-yeul (19 April 2013). "Grueling office life being satirized". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2013-04-20.
4. ^ Lee, Sun-min (3 April 2013). "KBS viewers love sassy office worker". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on June 29, 2013. Retrieved 2013-04-05.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
5. ^ Ahn, Sung-mi (16 January 2015). "Weekender: Office theme prevails on TV". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2015-01-17.
6. ^ Park, Eun-jee (26 February 2013). "Kim Hye-soo to play career woman". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 2013-03-30.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
7. ^ Choi, Eun-hwa (26 February 2013). "Kim Hye Soo and Oh Ji Ho to Attempt to Revive KBS Dramas with Come Back Miss Kim". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved 2013-03-30.
8. ^ "Kim Hye-soo's Latest Soap 'a Microcosm of Society'". The Chosun Ilbo. 1 June 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
9. ^ Lee, Hye-ji (22 May 2013). "Jo Kwon: Being in The Queen of Office was the Best Thing This Year". TenAsia. Archived from the original on 28 March 2014. Retrieved 2013-05-26.
10. ^ "TNMS Daily Ratings: this links to current day-select the date from drop down menu". TNMS Ratings (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 28, 2013. Retrieved 2013-04-01.
11. ^ "AGB Daily Ratings: this links to current day-select the date from drop down menu". AGB Nielsen Media Research (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 26, 2013. Retrieved 2013-04-01.
12. ^ "韓流No.1 チャンネル-KNTV".
13. ^ "เรื่องย่อละคร Queen of Office ควีน ออฟ ออฟฟิศ". truelife (in Thai). 2015-12-20. Retrieved 2016-05-08.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website (in Korean)
* The Queen of Office on KBS World
* The Queen of Office at HanCinema
* The Queen of Office at IMDb

*[No.]: Number
*[lit.]: literal translation