The Scandal (TV series)

South Korean television drama

This article is about the South Korean TV show. For similarly titled TV shows, see Scandal (disambiguation).

The Scandal

Promotional poster

Also known as|

* Scandal
* Scandal: A Shocking and Wrongful Incident

Genre|

* Melodrama
* Family
* Revenge
* Crime

Written by| Bae Yoo-mi
Directed by|

* Kim Jin-man
* Park Jae-beom

Starring|

* Kim Jaewon
* Jo Yoon-hee
* Cho Jae-hyun
* Park Sang-min
* Shin Eun-kyung
* Ki Tae-young

Composer| Kim Soo-han
Country of origin| South Korea
Original language| Korean
No. of episodes| 36
Production
Executive producer| Kim Sang-ho
Cinematography|

* Jung Seung-woo
* Kim Seon-cheol

Editor| Bae Hee-gyeong
Original release
Network| MBC
Release| June 29 (2013-06-29) –
October 27, 2013 (2013-10-27)

The Scandal[1] (Korean: 스캔들: 매우 충격적이고 부도덕한 사건; RR: Seukaendeul: Maeu Chunggyeokigo Budodeokhan Sageon; lit. Scandal: A Very Astounding and Immoral Incident) is a 2013 South Korean television series starring Kim Jaewon, Jo Yoon-hee, Cho Jae-hyun, Park Sang-min, Shin Eun-kyung, Ki Tae-young, Kim Hye-ri, and Kim Gyu-ri.[2][3][4] It aired on MBC from June 29 to October 27, 2013 on Saturdays and Sundays at 21:45 for 36 episodes.[5] This drama commemorated Seoul Olympics' 25th anniversary.[6]

## Plot

[edit]

Detective Ha Eun-joong uncovers a shocking secret; Ha Myung-geun, the man he believed was his father, had actually kidnapped him as a child. Myung-geun had lost his own son in a building collapse, and as revenge against the man responsible, Jang Tae-ha, he abducted Tae-ha's son and raised him as his own. In the aftermath of revenge, Eun-joong searches for the truth and becomes caught between his two fathers and the woman he loves, Woo Ah-mi.[7]

## Cast

[edit]

### Main characters

[edit]

* Kim Jaewon as Ha Eun-joong[8][9]
* Jung Yoon-seok as 8-year-old Ha Eun-joong
* Kim Hwi-soo as 5-year-old Ha Eun-joong

Detective at Gangnam police station. He became a detective to try to understand his father, an ex-detective, better. Why did his dad quit the force in 1988? What happened to him that he became a construction foreman? Why did he adopt him but never fully accept him as his son? One day, he begins investigating the death of Gong Ki-chan, a construction worker, and becomes entangled with the Jang family and the dead man's fiancée, Woo Ah-mi.

* Cho Jae-hyun as Ha Myung-geun

He is a loving father to Ha Eun-joong and Ha Soo-young. But he is also Ha Eun-joong's kidnapper. His wife died while giving birth to Soo-young and that left him caring for his two kids all by himself. Jang Tae-ha, chairman of Taeha Construction firm, was responsible for the shoddy construction of a building that collapsed, killing Myung-geun's son. When Tae-ha falsifies evidence to escape prosecution and doesn't show any remorse for the collapse, Myung-geun kidnapped Jang's son to get revenge. A few years later, filled with regret and his conscience eating at him, he decides to take Eun-joong back to his real family. Outside the house, he sees that they already have a son, the fake Eun-joong. He goes home with Eun-joong, and finally his heart is free to love him and raise him as his own.

* Park Sang-min as Jang Tae-ha

Chairman of Taeha conglomerate and one of the wealthiest individuals in Korea. He is the father of Jang Eun-joong and Jang Joo-ha. Stylish and trendy, he has a fiery temper when crossed.

* Shin Eun-kyung as Yoon Hwa-young

Tae-ha's estranged wife, a rational and cool-headed lawyer and head of her own firm. She was devastated when her son Eun-joong was abducted. To prevent Tae-ha from divorcing her and marrying his mistress Joo-ran, she adopted a boy from an orphanage and passed him off as Tae-ha's son Jang Eun-joong. But all these years, she is still searching for her real son.

* Jo Yoon-hee as Woo Ah-mi

She owns a lunch stand where many people preparing for the state police exams take cram courses. She wanted to become a prosecutor but soon realized that she could never pass the bar exam. Following the death of her husband and unborn daughter caused by Tae-ha, Myung-geun takes her in as he feels like it is his fault. She is determined to find justice for her husband, and along the way she begins to find out shocking secrets and develops feelings for Ha Eun-joong. She's honest, thoughtful, measured in her behavior, well-balanced and simple-minded. She cries a lot, talks a lot, gives loves and has a quick temper.

* Ki Tae-young as Jang Eun-joong
* Jung Joon-won as 8-year-old Jang Eun-joong

Tae-ha and Hwa-young's son, he is a lawyer and becomes Ha Eun-joong's rival.

* Kim Hye-ri as Go Joo-ran

Tae-ha's mistress. She is determined to get rid of Tae-ha's wife and their son, Eun-joong, to get her position in Tae-ha's household and for her daughter's sake in Tae-ha's company.

* Kim Gyu-ri as Jang Joo-ha
* Jo Min-ah as young Jang Joo-ha

Tae-ha and Joo-ran's daughter; she is a career woman who works for her father's company.

### Supporting characters

[edit]

* Jo Han-chul as Shin Kang-ho
* Choi Cheol-ho as Kang Joo-pil
* Ahn Suk-hwan as Jo Chi-gook
* Han Groo as Ha Soo-young
* Lee Ye-sun as young Ha Soo-young

Myung-geun's daughter, Ha Eun-joong's sister.

* Park Jung-chul as Jo Jin-woong
* Jin Ju-hyung as Detective Goo
* Park Min-woo as hacker Batman
* Jo Hwi-joon as Ha Gun-young
* Kim Hyun as Go Joo-ran's aide
* Choi Yong-min as Taeha Construction worker
* Jung Ho-keun as Taeha Construction worker
* Jung Kyu-soo as section head Song Jae-moon
* Hong Jae-sung as Detective Lee
* Yang Jin-woo as Gong Ki-chan

Ah-mi's fiancé and father of their then-unborn child. Ki-chan was Myung-geun's protege and working as a construction worker. He discovers anomalies in the project and confronts Jang Tae-ha. He ends up dead on his supposed wedding day.

* Hong Yeo-jin as Ki-chan's mother
* Kim Hae-gon as inspection team leader
* Han Ki-won as Kim Joong-hyuk
* Choi Hee-seo as Secretary Moon

## Production

[edit]

* The series is the third collaboration between screenwriter Bae Yoo-mi and director Kim Jin-man after Country Princess (2003) and Love Truly (2006).[citation needed]

## Ratings

[edit]

In the table below, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.

Episode #  | Original broadcast date  | Average audience share

|
|

TNmS Ratings[10] | AGB Nielsen[11]
Nationwide  | Seoul National Capital Area | Nationwide  | Seoul National Capital Area
1  | 2013/06/29  | 15.8%  | 18.7%  | 16.4%  | 17.7%
2  | 2013/06/30  | 14.4%  | 16.6%  | 14.4%  | 16.2%
3  | 2013/07/06  | 16.0%  | 18.2%  | 14.9%  | 16.1%
4  | 2013/07/07  | 13.6%  | 14.3% | 13.9%  | 14.7%
5  | 2013/07/13  | 16.6%  | 19.4%  | 16.3%  | 17.8%
6  | 2013/07/14  | 14.2%  | 16.9%  | 14.1%  | 15.5%
7  | 2013/07/20  | 14.8%  | 16.1%  | 15.5%  | 17.1%
8  | 2013/07/21  | 14.8%  | 16.1%  | 15.5%  | 17.3%
9  | 2013/07/27  | 16.2%  | 18.2%  | 14.9%  | 15.9%
10  | 2013/07/28  | 14.5%  | 15.7%  | 15.8%  | 18.0%
11  | 2013/08/03  | 14.6%  | 16.2%  | 14.3%  | 15.5%
12  | 2013/08/04  | 13.7%  | 15.5%  | 13.2%  | 14.5%
13  | 2013/08/10  | 14.1%  | 17.7%  | 15.8%  | 17.8%
14  | 2013/08/11  | 14.5%  | 16.8%  | 14.4%  | 16.2%
15  | 2013/08/17  | 13.8%  | 15.7%  | 16.5%  | 18.2%
16  | 2013/08/18  | 14.4%  | 16.8%  | 15.1%  | 17.4%
17  | 2013/08/24  | 15.1%  | 16.6%  | 17.2%  | 19.6%
18  | 2013/08/25  | 15.2%  | 17.4%  | 16.5%  | 18.4%
19  | 2013/08/31  | 15.9%  | 18.2%  | 16.5%  | 18.3%
20  | 2013/09/01  | 14.0%  | 16.2%  | 15.9%  | 17.7%
21  | 2013/09/07  | 16.6%  | 18.0%  | 18.2% | 19.6%
22  | 2013/09/08  | 15.4%  | 17.2%  | 16.5%  | 17.8%
23  | 2013/09/14  | 16.7%  | 20.1% | 17.3%  | 18.0%
24  | 2013/09/15  | 16.0%  | 18.7%  | 18.0%  | 19.2%
25  | 2013/09/21  | 16.8% | 18.3%  | 16.6%  | 18.4%
26  | 2013/09/22  | 19.0%  | 17.4%  | 18.8%
27  | 2013/09/28  | 15.0%  | 17.2%  | 14.9%  | 16.5%
28  | 2013/09/29  | 15.7%  | 17.2%  | 16.1%  | 17.8%
29  | 2013/10/05  | 14.3%  | 16.5%  | 15.4%  | 17.9%
30  | 2013/10/06  | 14.0%  | 15.9%  | 15.5%  | 17.1%
31  | 2013/10/12  | 12.1% | 14.4%  | 13.0% | 14.4%
32  | 2013/10/13  | 13.5%  | 14.6%  | 14.5%  | 15.8%
33  | 2013/10/19  | 14.3%  | 16.9%  | 15.7%  | 17.5%
34  | 2013/10/20  | 13.8%  | 15.4%  | 17.1%  | 18.8%
35  | 2013/10/26  | 14.7%  | 16.6%  | 14.7%  | 16.0%
36  | 2013/10/27  | 15.3%  | 16.5%  | 17.5%  | 19.2%
Average  | 14.9% | 16.9% | 15.7% | 17.3%

## Awards and nominations

[edit]

Year  | Award  | Category  | Recipient  | Result

|
|
|
|

2013 | 21st Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards  | Top Excellence Award, Actor in Drama | Park Sang-min | Won
Top Excellence Award, Actress in Drama | Shin Eun-kyung | Won
26th Grimae Awards  | Daesang (Grand Prize) | Jung Seung-woo, Kim Seon-cheol | Won
Best Director | Kim Jin-man | Won
Best Actor | Cho Jae-hyun | Won
MBC Drama Awards | Drama of the Year | The Scandal | Nominated
Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Special Project Drama | Cho Jae-hyun | Nominated
Kim Jaewon | Won
Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Special Project Drama | Shin Eun-kyung | Won
Excellence Award, Actor in a Special Project Drama | Park Sang-min | Nominated
Excellence Award, Actress in a Special Project Drama | Jo Yoon-hee | Nominated
Kim Gyu-ri | Nominated
Golden Acting Award, Actor | Cho Jae-hyun | Won
2014 | 50th Baeksang Arts Awards | Most Popular Actor (TV) | Kim Jaewon | Nominated
9th Seoul International Drama Awards | Outstanding Korean Drama | The Scandal | Nominated
Outstanding Korean Actor | Kim Jaewon | Nominated
Outstanding Korean Drama OST | Last Love of My Life \- The Position | Nominated
Draw You Out \- Ulala Session | Nominated

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "The Scandal". MBC Global Media. MBC&iMBC. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
2. ^ Lee, Eun-ah (May 10, 2013). "Actor Kim Jae-won to Return to Small Screen". 10Asia. Archived from the original on June 28, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
3. ^ "New drama in June Scandal: a Shocking and Wrongful Incident". MBC Global Media. May 29, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
4. ^ "It's showtime". Korea JoongAng Daily. June 27, 2013. Archived from the original on June 29, 2013. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
5. ^ "Scandal: a Shocking and Wrongful Incident Three points to enjoy the drama!". MBC Global Media. July 2, 2013. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
6. ^ Yoon, Ki-bae (June 29, 2013). "MBC 주말극 '스캔들' 오늘 첫 방송, 기대되는 세가지 관전포인트는?". Sports World (in Korean). Retrieved April 5, 2019. "'서울올림픽'을 개최한 1988년은 대한민국 국민에게는 매우 상징적인 해다. '스캔들'은 모두가 올림픽에 관심을 갖고 환희에 젖어 있을 때, 그 뒤에서 부조리한 일들을 당한 사람들에 대한 숨겨진 이야기를 다룬다." [The year 1988, when the Seoul Olympics was held, is a very symbolic year for the Korean people. 'Scandal' deals with the hidden story of the people who have suffered absurdities behind the scenes when everyone is interested in the Olympics and is full of joy.]
7. ^ "3 Powerful MBC Dramas to Heat up the Summer 2013: Queen's Class, Scandal: a Shocking and Wrongful Incident, Jung Yi, the Goddess of Fire". MBC Global Media. June 20, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
8. ^ Son, Bo Kyung (June 26, 2013). "Kim Jae Won Calls His Own Marriage Shocking". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved August 2, 2013.
9. ^ Son, Bo Kyung (June 26, 2013). "Kim Jae Won Talks About the PR Agent Issue". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved August 2, 2013.
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 Mar 26, 2017.
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 March 17, 2017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website (in Korean)
* The Scandal at IMDb
* The Scandal at MBC Global Media
* The Scandal at HanCinema

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