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My Dearest
My Dearest
My Dearest
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My Dearest
Promotional poster
Hangul
연인
Hanja
戀人
Lit.Lover
RRYeonin
MRYŏnin
Genre
Inspired byGone with the Wind
by Margaret Mitchell
Developed byMBC (planning)[3]
Written byHwang Jin-young[4]
Directed by
  • Kim Seong-yong[5]
  • Lee Han-jun[3]
  • Cheon Soo-jin[5]
Starring
Music byKim Soo-han[6]
Country of originSouth Korea
Original languageKorean
No. of episodes21
Production
Executive producerHong Seok-woo (CP)[3]
Producers
Running time60–90 minutes[7]
Production companies
Original release
NetworkMBC TV
ReleaseAugust 4 (2023-08-04) –
November 18, 2023 (2023-11-18)

My Dearest (Korean: 연인) is a 2023 South Korean television series starring Namkoong Min, Ahn Eun-jin, Lee Hak-joo, Lee Da-in, Kim Yoon-woo, and Lee Chung-ah. According to writer Hwang Jin-young, it is inspired by the 1936 novel Gone with the Wind.[8] It aired on MBC TV from August 4 to November 18, 2023, every Friday and Saturday at 21:50 (KST).[1] It is also available for streaming on Wavve in South Korea, and on Viki in selected regions.[9][10]

The series was divided into two parts: Part 1 aired from August 4 to September 2, 2023, for ten episodes, while Part 2 aired from October 13 to November 18, 2023, for eleven episodes.[11][12]

Synopsis

[edit]

The series is set during the Qing invasion of Joseon, and portrays the inspiring story of people who find hope and positivity even in the most challenging times.[13]

Cast

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Main

[edit]

Supporting

[edit]

People around Gil-chae

[edit]

People around Jang-hyun

[edit]

Joseon royal family and subjects

[edit]

People from Qing dynasty

[edit]
  • Choi Young-woo as Yonggoldae: a military officer.[26]
  • Kim Jun-won as Hong Taiji: the emperor of Qing dynasty.[27]
  • Kang Gil-woo as Jung Myung-soo: an interpreter.[28]

People in Neunggun-ri

[edit]
  • Oh Man-seok as Yoo Gyo-yeon: Gil-chae's father.[17]
  • Jo Seung-yeon as Kyung Geun-jik: Eun-ae's father.[17]
  • Park Jong-wook as Gong Sun-yak: the only son of the village head.[17]
  • Park Eun-woo as Yoo Young-chae: Gil-chae's younger sister.[29]
  • Jung Han-yong as Song-chu: a clerk at Neunggun-ri seowon.[17]
  • Nam Gi-ae as Yi-rang: Song-chu's wife.[17]
  • Park Jin-woo as Park Dae: Du-ne's husband and Gil-chae's helper.[30]
  • Jin Geon-woo as Dae-oh: a Confucian scholar.[31]
  • Kim Ga-hee as Yoo-hwa[17]
  • Kim Eun-soo as Jun-jeol: a Confucian scholar.[17]
  • Ha Gyu-rim as Im-chun: a lady who has bright and cheerful personality.[17]
  • Nam Tae-hoon as Tae-seong: a Confucian scholar.[32]
  • Choi Su-gyeon as Jung-yeon[17]

Others

[edit]

Extended

[edit]
  • Kim Seo-an as Young-rang: a young kisaeng.[34]
  • Jeon Guk-hyang as Ae-bok[35]
  • Kim Eun-woo as a general of the Qing dynasty[36]
  • Lee Young-seok as Deok-chul: a blacksmith worker.[37]
  • Lee Nam-hee as Lee Young-ik[38]
  • Jeon Jin-oh as Maeng-tan[39]
  • Yoo Ji-yeon as Hwa-yu[40]
  • Kim Jung-ho as Yoon Chin-wang[41]

Special appearances

[edit]

Production

[edit]

The script reading of the cast was held in December 2022.[44]

In May 2023, MBC announced the termination of the contract with an external company providing background actors, after it was revealed that an actor who was cast for a minor role in My Dearest was one of the twelve perpetrators of a sexual assault in 2004.[45][46]

On November 9, 2023, it was announced that the series would be extended by one episode due to its popularity, and would end with 21 episodes. The final episode aired on November 18.[47]

Reception

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Viewership

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My Dearest : South Korea viewers per episode (millions)
PartEpisode numberAverage
1234567891011
11.0110.7280.9910.9761.4411.7521.9551.8431.8832.269–1.485
21.4411.8121.8352.2312.0202.0992.0181.9112.2292.3012.3882.026
Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by Nielsen Korea.[48]
Average TV viewership ratings
Ep. Original broadcast date Average audience share
Nielsen Korea[48] TNmS[49]
Nationwide Seoul Nationwide
Part 1
1 August 4, 2023 5.4% (9th) 5.4% (6th) N/A
2 August 5, 2023 4.3% (8th) 4.4% (6th)
3 August 11, 2023 5.5% (11th) 5.3% (11th) 4.3% (18th)
4 August 12, 2023 5.2% (4th) 5.0% (4th) 4.4% (12th)
5 August 18, 2023 8.4% (3rd) 8.3% (3rd) 6.5% (7th)
6 August 19, 2023 8.8% (2nd) 8.3% (2nd) N/A
7 August 25, 2023 10.6% (2nd) 10.1% (2nd) 8.0% (5th)
8 August 26, 2023 10.3% (2nd) 9.9% (2nd) N/A
9 September 1, 2023 10.6% (2nd) 9.8% (2nd) 9.0% (4th)
10 September 2, 2023 12.2% (2nd) 11.5% (2nd) N/A
Part 2
11 October 13, 2023 7.7% (4th) 7.5% (2nd) 6.6% (6th)
12 October 14, 2023 9.3% (2nd) 9.5% (2nd) 6.9% (2nd)
13 October 20, 2023 10.3% (1st) 9.9% (1st) 7.9% (5th)
14 October 21, 2023 11.7% (2nd) 10.9% (2nd) N/A
15 October 27, 2023 11.8% (1st) 11.2% (1st) 9.5% (3rd)
16 October 28, 2023 12.0% (2nd) 11.3% (2nd) N/A
17 November 4, 2023 11.4% (2nd) 11.3% (2nd)
18 November 10, 2023 10.8% (1st) 10.3% (1st) 7.6% (4th)
19 November 11, 2023 11.6% (2nd) 11.3% (2nd) N/A
20 November 17, 2023 12.4% (1st) 12.5% (1st)
21 November 18, 2023 12.9% (2nd) 12.7% (2nd)
Average 9.7% 9.4% —[A]
Special September 8, 2023[B] 3.4% (18th) 3.5% (15th) N/A
  • 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.

Accolades

[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.
Baeksang Arts Awards 2024 Best Actor Namkoong Min Won [51]
Best Drama My Dearest Won
Best Actress Ahn Eun-jin Nominated [52]
Grimae Awards 2023 Best Actor Namkoong Min Won [53]
Best Actress Ahn Eun-jin Won
Directing Award Kim Seong-yong and Cheon Soo-jin Won
Grand Prize (Daesang) My Dearest Won
Lighting Award Kwon Min-gu Won
MBC Drama Awards 2023 Best Character Award Kim Jong-tae [ko] Won [54]
Best Couple Award Namkoong Min and Ahn Eun-jin Won
Best New Actor Kim Mu-jun Won
Kim Yoon-woo Won
Best New Actress Park Jung-yeon Won
Best Supporting Actor Choi Young-woo [ko] Won
Drama of the Year My Dearest Won
Grand Prize (Daesang) Namkoong Min Won
Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries Ahn Eun-jin Won [55]
Lee Chung-ah Nominated
Best Character Award Choi Moo-sung Nominated [56]
Best New Actress Jeon Hye-won Nominated [57]
Best Supporting Actress Kwon So-hyun Nominated [58]
Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries Lee Hak-joo Nominated [59]
Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries Lee Da-in Nominated
Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries Namkoong Min Nominated [60]
Seoul International Drama Awards 2024 Outstanding Korean Drama My Dearest Nominated [61]

Listicles

[edit]
Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, recipient and placement
Publisher Year Listicle Recipient Placement Ref.
Gallup Korea 2024 Best Television Couple of the Past 10 Years Namkoong Min and Ahn Eun-jin 9th [62]

Notes

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

My Dearest

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
(Korean: 연인, Yeon-in) is a South Korean historical drama television series that aired in 2023, centering on a romance between a mysterious wanderer and a noblewoman during the Manchu invasion of Joseon. Set against the real historical event of the Qing forces' incursion into Joseon Korea from December 1636 to January 1637, which compelled King Injo's surrender and led to significant societal disruption including abductions and economic strain, the series follows Yoo Gil-chae (Ahn Eun-jin), a headstrong yangban woman navigating betrothals and personal ambitions, and Lee Jang-hyun (Namkoong Min), an enigmatic outsider who intervenes in her life repeatedly amid the chaos. Written by Kim Yi-jin and directed by Kim Jin-min, it broadcast 20 episodes on MBC from August 4 to October 14, 2023, in two parts, achieving peak viewership ratings above 12% domestically. The production received acclaim for its character-driven narrative, Namkoong Min's portrayal earning him the Daesang at the 2023 MBC Drama Awards, though some critiques noted pacing issues in the latter episodes.

Historical Context

The Qing Invasion of Joseon

The Qing invasion of Joseon commenced on the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month of 1636 (December 9 in the Gregorian calendar), when an army under Emperor Hong Taiji crossed the Amnok River (Yalu River) into northern Joseon territory. This offensive, involving Manchu bannermen augmented by Mongol and Han Chinese auxiliaries, targeted Joseon's persistent allegiance to the Ming dynasty, which had refused to acknowledge Qing legitimacy despite prior border skirmishes and a 1627 incursion. The invasion exploited Joseon's military unpreparedness, as its forces were configured primarily for defensive warfare against Japanese threats rather than mobile northern campaigns in harsh winter conditions. Joseon's King Injo, who had seized the throne in a 1623 coup, mobilized approximately 100,000 troops but faced rapid Qing advances; Pyongyang fell within days, prompting Injo's retreat to the fortified Namhan Mountain Fortress on December 14. The ensuing siege lasted over a month, with Qing forces blockading supply lines and bombarding defenses, leading to severe shortages of food and ammunition among the defenders. Internal discord, including the defection of key commander Yi Gwal early in the campaign, compounded Joseon's collapse, as his rebellion diverted reinforcements and exposed southern flanks. By late January 1637, starvation and desertions forced capitulation. On the thirtieth day of the first lunar month of 1637 (January 30 Gregorian), King Injo descended from Namhan and formally surrendered at Samjeondo on the Han River, performing the ritual sambae kugo turye—three prostrations and nine kowtows—before Hong Taiji, symbolizing vassalage. The terms imposed severed Joseon-Ming relations, mandated the dispatch of royal princes and officials as hostages to the Qing capital at Mukden (Shenyang), and required military support against Ming remnants. Qing records and Joseon annals document limited but targeted atrocities, including post-surrender pillaging by Mongol auxiliaries—halted by imperial orders—and the enslavement of select elites, such as the abduction of noblewomen for concubinage in Qing households, though systematic massacres were not as extensive as in contemporaneous Ming campaigns. The invasion inflicted demographic losses estimated in the tens of thousands from combat, starvation, and flight, disproportionately affecting northern populations and yangban elites whose families supplied hostages. Economically, it disrupted agriculture and trade routes, imposing reconstruction burdens alongside obligatory tribute in silver, ginseng, and textiles that strained Joseon's fiscal system for decades. Geopolitically, the conflict entrenched unequal Qing suzerainty under Confucian zongfan hierarchy, positioning Joseon as the Qing's sole enduring tributary until 1895, while fostering internal isolationism (sadae policy) that prioritized ritual subservience over expansion, underscoring the realist dynamics of Manchu military superiority over Joseon's ideological fidelity to Ming cultural norms.

Social and Cultural Norms in 17th-Century Joseon

Society in 17th-century Joseon was rigidly stratified under Neo-Confucian principles, which emphasized hierarchical order, moral cultivation, and familial duty as foundational to social stability. The yangban class, comprising scholar-officials and military elites, occupied the apex, deriving status from success in civil service examinations testing Confucian classics and their application to governance and ethics. Male yangban authority extended over household and community, prioritizing scholarly pursuits, landownership, and ritual propriety, while excluding women from public roles and formal education. Below them were commoners (sangmin), including peasants who tilled the land and merchants who faced disdain despite economic necessity, and cheonmin outcasts relegated to menial tasks. Gender roles were delineated by Confucian doctrines of the "three obediences," mandating women's subservience to father before marriage, husband thereafter, and son in widowhood, reinforcing patriarchal family structures. Yangban women experienced strict seclusion in inner quarters (anbang), limiting mobility to preserve chastity and family honor, with any perceived violation—such as abduction or premarital relations—resulting in social ostracism or worse, as purity defined a woman's value and lineage legitimacy. Marriage customs were arranged by families to consolidate alliances and status, often occurring in adolescence for females (typically by age 14-20), with laws distinguishing primary wives (from equal or higher class) for heir-bearing from secondary concubines, barring widows from remarriage to uphold ancestral rites. In contrast, gisaeng—state-registered female entertainers from lower classes—provided artistic and conversational companionship to elite men, gaining literacy and skills denied to noblewomen, though their role blurred into concubinage without elevating social standing. Rural village life, as in areas resembling Neunggun-ri, centered on agrarian communities under yangban oversight, where peasants endured heavy taxation and corvée labor yet maintained communal bonds through mutual aid in farming and rituals. Family loyalty manifested in filial piety and clan solidarity, with villages often organized around extended kin groups that coordinated defense or submission during invasions, reflecting Confucian imperatives of collective resilience over individual autonomy. These norms, codified in legal codes like the Gyeongguk Daejeon (1485, revised through the 17th century), prioritized societal harmony through hierarchy, subordinating personal desires to familial and state obligations.

Plot Summary

Part 1: Invasion and Separation

The series opens in the village of Neunggun-ri during a flower festival, introducing Yoo Gil-chae, a spirited daughter of a noble family known for her beauty and flirtatious nature, who harbors unrequited affection for a scholar named Yoon-jeon. Lee Jang-hyun, a enigmatic wanderer skilled in the Manchu language and unaligned with Joseon's rigid social structures, arrives and disrupts local dynamics by challenging the scholars' bravado against impending threats from the Qing forces. As tensions escalate with reports of Qing maneuvers, the invasion erupts in late 1636, with Manchu troops raiding Neunggun-ri and nearby areas, leading to widespread abductions of women, including Gil-chae and her sister, who are captured and transported to Qing camps amid the chaos of fleeing villagers and collapsing defenses. Jang-hyun leverages his linguistic abilities to serve as an interpreter between Qing commanders and Joseon captives, navigating perilous negotiations while attempting to mitigate harm to individuals like Gil-chae, whose defiance emerges as she confronts captors and adapts to survival in the enemy encampment. The narrative underscores the war's brutal disruptions, with families torn apart—Gil-chae separated from her father and kin—and Jang-hyun's growing entanglement with her fate amplifying personal stakes against the backdrop of Joseon's surrender demands and internal betrayals among officials. By the tenth episode, aired on September 2, 2023, the emotional toll peaks as Gil-chae's resilience in captivity intersects with Jang-hyun's opportunistic maneuvers through Qing-Joseon frictions, heightening the uncertainty of reunion amid ongoing hostilities.
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