King the Land (Korean: 킹더랜드) is a 2023 South Korean television series starring Lee Jun-ho and Im Yoon-ah. It aired on JTBC from June 17 to August 6, 2023, every Saturday and Sunday at 22:30 (KST) for 16 episodes.[6] It is also available for streaming on TVING in South Korea and on Netflix in selected regions.[7][8]
1. Synopsis
King the Land tells the story of Gu Won who is the heir of The King Group, a luxury hotel conglomerate, who was thrown into an inheritance war, and Cheon Sa-rang, a hotelier who always has a smile on her face till she meets Gu Won.
2. Cast
- The heir and head general manager of King Hotel.
- A hotelier and the "smile queen" of the King Hotel.
2.2. Supporting
2.2.1. People around Gu Won
- Gu Won's father who is the chairman of King Group.
- Kim Seon-young as Gu Hwa-ran[11]
- Gu Won's older half-sister and the eldest daughter of King Group.
- Kim Dong-ha as Yoon Ji-hoo[12]
- Hwa-ran's son.
- Gu Won's friend and secretary.
2.2.2. People around Cheon Sa-rang
- Sa-rang's best friend who is a flight attendant of King Air.
- Sa-rang's best friend and a working mother who is a "sales king" of Alanga, a duty-free store affiliated with King Group.
- Sa-rang's grandmother.
2.2.3. Employees at King Group
- A flight attendant of King Air who has a crush on Pyeong-Hwa.
- Gong Ye-ji as Kim Soo-mi[17]
- The manager of King Hotel. She took a disliking to Sa-rang because of her talents and her status.
- Kim Jung-min as Jeon Min-seo[17]
- The general manager of King the Land, King Hotel's VVIP Lounge.
- Choi Ji-hyun as Ha-na[17]
- A member of King the Land's team.
- Kim Chae-yun as Doo-ri[17]
- A member of King the Land's team.
- A member of King the Land's team.
- Lee Ji-hye as Do Ra-hee[17]
- A supervisor of Alanga, King Group Fashion.
- Da-eul's husband.
- Lee Ye-joo as Seo Cho-rong[12]
- Da-eul's only daughter.
- Jo Won-jo as Professor Yoon[12]
- Hwa-ran's husband.
2.3. Special appearances
- Gu Won's mother.
- Sa-rang's ex-boyfriend.
3. Original soundtrack
Released on June 18, 2023| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|
| 1. | "Yellow Light" | - Humbler
- Kim Ah-hyun
- Lee Chang-woo
| - Humbler
- Kim Ah-hyun
- Lee Chang-woo
| Gaho | 3:30 |
|---|
| 2. | "Yellow Light" (Inst.) | | - Humbler
- Kim Ah-hyun
- Lee Chang-woo
| | 3:30 |
|---|
| Total length: | 7:00 |
|---|
Released on June 25, 2023| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|
| 1. | "Confess To You" | | | Lim Kim | 3:08 |
|---|
| 2. | "Confess To You" (Inst.) | | | | 3:08 |
|---|
| Total length: | 6:16 |
|---|
Released on July 2, 2023| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|
| 1. | "Get To You" (너에게 닿을게) | | Humbler | Jung Seung-hwan | 3:27 |
|---|
| 2. | "Get To You" (너에게 닿을게; Inst.) | | Humbler | | 3:27 |
|---|
| Total length: | 6:54 |
|---|
Released on July 8, 2023| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|
| 1. | "Dive" | LuckyClover (Avec) | LuckyClover (Avec) | Kim Woo-jin | 3:39 |
|---|
| 2. | "Dive" (Inst.) | | LuckyClover (Avec) | | 3:39 |
|---|
| Total length: | 7:18 |
|---|
Released on July 9, 2023| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|
| 1. | "Keep Me Busy" | | - Sarah.J
- Kim Min-cheol
- Earn
- Glody
| Punch | 3:32 |
|---|
| 2. | "Keep Me Busy" (Inst.) | | - Sarah.J
- Kim Min-cheol
- Earn
- Glody
| | 3:32 |
|---|
| Total length: | 7:04 |
|---|
Released on July 15, 2023| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|
| 1. | "You Are My" (그대는 나의) | Lee Da-hee | Lee Da-hee | Hynn | 3:02 |
|---|
| 2. | "You Are My" (그대는 나의; Inst.) | | Lee Da-hee | | 3:02 |
|---|
| Total length: | 6:04 |
|---|
Released on July 16, 2023| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|
| 1. | "Fall in Love" | | | Jeong Se-woon | 3:28 |
|---|
| 2. | "Fall in Love" (Inst.) | | | | 3:28 |
|---|
| Total length: | 6:56 |
|---|
Released on July 23, 2023| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|
| 1. | "Perhaps Love" (사랑인걸까) | - Kim Yeong-seong
- Seo Jae-ha
| - Kim Yeong-seong
- Seo Jae-ha
| Minseo | 3:54 |
|---|
| 2. | "Perhaps Love" (사랑인걸까; Inst.) | | - Kim Yeong-seong
- Seo Jae-ha
| | 3:54 |
|---|
| Total length: | 7:48 |
|---|
Released on July 30, 2023| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|
| 1. | "Everyday With You" | Park Ho-kyung | - Park Ho-kyung
- Baek Chang-jae
| KyoungSeo | 2:50 |
|---|
| 2. | "Everyday With You" (Inst.) | | - Park Ho-kyung
- Baek Chang-jae
| | 2:50 |
|---|
| Total length: | 5:40 |
|---|
4. Reception
4.1. Viewership
According to U.S. streaming data published by Media Play News using figures from research firm PlumResearch, season one of King the Land generated 3.7 million unique viewers on Netflix during the week of June 26–July 2, 2023.[25]
King the Land : South Korea viewers per episode (millions)| Season | Episode number | Average |
|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
|---|
| 1 | 1.119 | 1.835 | 2.039 | 2.331 | 2.273 | 2.909 | 2.521 | 2.985 | 2.571 | 2.616 | 2.179 | 2.588 | 2.318 | 2.496 | 2.777 | 3.404 | 2.435 |
|---|
Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by
Nielsen Korea.
[26]
Average TV viewership ratings
| Ep. |
Original broadcast date |
Average audience share
(Nielsen Korea)[26] |
|---|
| Nationwide |
Seoul |
| 1 |
June 17, 2023 |
5.075% (1st) |
5.344% (1st) |
| 2 |
June 18, 2023 |
7.544% (1st) |
8.255% (1st) |
| 3 |
June 24, 2023 |
9.145% (1st) |
10.671% (1st) |
| 4 |
June 25, 2023 |
9.645% (1st) |
10.003% (1st) |
| 5 |
July 1, 2023 |
9.672% (1st) |
10.590% (1st) |
| 6 |
July 2, 2023 |
12.017% (1st) |
12.607% (1st) |
| 7 |
July 8, 2023 |
10.607% (1st) |
11.496% (1st) |
| 8 |
July 9, 2023 |
12.317% (1st) |
13.427% (1st) |
| 9 |
July 15, 2023 |
10.196% (1st) |
11.174% (1st) |
| 10 |
July 16, 2023 |
11.303% (1st) |
12.351% (1st) |
| 11 |
July 22, 2023 |
9.003% (1st) |
10.062% (1st) |
| 12 |
July 23, 2023 |
10.977% (1st) |
11.552% (1st) |
| 13 |
July 29, 2023 |
9.388% (1st) |
9.506% (1st) |
| 14 |
July 30, 2023 |
10.651% (1st) |
10.965% (1st) |
| 15 |
August 5, 2023 |
11.943% (1st) |
13.583% (1st) |
| 16 |
August 6, 2023 |
13.789% (1st) |
14.534% (1st) |
| Average |
10.205% |
11.008% |
- In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.
- This series aired on a cable channel/pay TV which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (KBS, SBS, MBC, and EBS).
|
4.2. Awards and nominations
Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination
| Award ceremony |
Year |
Category |
Nominee / Work |
Result |
Ref. |
|---|
| Asia Artist Awards |
2023 |
Grand Prize (Daesang) – Actor of the Year |
Lee Jun-ho |
Won |
[27] |
| Popularity Award (Actor) |
Won |
| APAN Star Awards |
2023 |
Best Character |
Won |
[28][29] |
| Best Couple |
Lee Jun-ho and Im Yoon-ah |
Won |
| Global Star Award |
Lee Jun-ho |
Won |
| Grand Prize (Daesang) |
Won |
| Popularity Award (Actor) |
Won |
| Popularity Award (Actress) |
Im Yoon-ah |
Won |
| Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries |
Lee Jun-ho |
Nominated |
| Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries |
Im Yoon-ah |
Nominated |
| Global Star Award |
Nominated |
| Consumer Rights Day KCA Culture & Entertainment Awards |
2023 |
Viewer's Choice – Actor of the Year |
Won |
[30] |
| Viewer's Choice – Drama of the Year |
King the Land |
Won |
| Fundex Awards |
Grand Prize (Daesang) |
Lee Jun-ho |
Won |
[31] |
| Top Excellence Actress (Drama) |
Im Yoon-ah |
Won |
| Korea Communications Commission Broadcasting Awards |
2024 |
Grand Prize |
King the Land |
Won |
[32] |
| Korea Drama Awards |
2023 |
Best Supporting Actor |
Ahn Se-ha |
Won |
[33] |
| TVING Awards |
2023 |
Content of the Year – Best 9 |
King the Land |
Won |
[34] |
5. Remake
On February 14, 2024, it was reported that King the Land would be reproduced as a Turkish television drama.[35]
