Lucifer (South Korean TV series)

Lucifer[1] (Korean마왕; Hanja魔王; RRMawang) is a 2007 South Korean television series starring Uhm Tae-woong, Ju Ji-hoon, and Shin Min-a. It aired on KBS2 from March 21 to May 24, 2007 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 20 episodes.

Lucifer
Promotional poster
Hangul
마왕
Hanja
魔王
Literal meaningDevil
Revised RomanizationMawang
Genre
Written byKim Ji-woo
Directed byPark Chan-hong
Starring
Music by
  • Park Hye-ji
  • Yoo Hye-joon
Country of originSouth Korea
Original languageKorean
No. of episodes20
Production
Executive producerLee Deok-geon
Running time70 minutes
Production companyOlive 9
Original release
NetworkKBS2
Release21 March (2007-03-21) –
24 May 2007 (2007-05-24)
Related
Maō

The series is the second installment of the revenge trilogy by director Park Chan-hong and writer Kim Ji-woo, after Resurrection in 2005 and followed by Don't Look Back: The Legend of Orpheus in 2013.[2]

Plot edit

A string of murders brings together a conflicted detective, a psychic librarian, and a mysterious lawyer with dubious motives. Detective Kang Oh-soo (Uhm Tae-woong) is assigned to two seemingly unrelated murder cases, where the only clues left behind are tarot cards, with the first card meaning "judgment." This leads him to Seo Hae-in (Shin Min-a), a quiet librarian who has the uncanny ability to make a psychic connection to an object to discover its history. She reveals to him that the victims were connected to the death of a high school boy years ago. The one common link between the suspects is their defense attorney, Oh Seung-ha (Ju Ji-hoon), a young lawyer who is seemingly kind and altruistic. Hae-in and Seung-ha later fall in love, though Oh-soo also has feelings for her.

As the culprit continues to leave clues, more lives are ruined and the body count rises. Oh-soo races to uncover the truth, but he is also haunted by the sins of his past which he has been trying to atone for. An incident in his youth 12 years ago has snowballed into a larger tragedy, and the two men involved are destined to face each other again, unsure who is good and who is evil.

Cast edit

Main edit

A 29-years old detective who works in the violent crimes division. He is energetic, brave, relentless in his duties, and a straight talker. Oh-soo comes from a rich family and is the second son of a famous politician. During his middle school years, he was considered a troublemaker and a bully. At 17, he stabbed a fellow student to death during an argument. To atone, he turned away from his dark past.
A 28-years old public defender. Known for his kindness, Seung-ha frequently volunteers at a soup kitchen, and always listens intently to his client's problems and suggests solutions. 12 years ago, his life changed after the death of his older brother, followed shortly by his mother's death due to shock and grief. He disappeared after graduating from middle school, and resurfaces as a lawyer. While hiding his real identity, he meticulously prepares for revenge.
A 24-years old librarian who possesses an ability for psychometry and is knowledgeable about tarot cards. Bright and optimistic, she lives with her widowed mother, who is deaf and mute. Hae-in learned about her supernatural ability when she was 12 years old.

Supporting edit

Kang Oh-soo's family
  • Jung Dong-hwan as Kang Dong-hyun, Oh-soo's father
  • Choi Deok-moon as Kang Hee-soo, Oh-soo's older brother
  • Yoon Hye-kyung as Choi Na-hee, Hee-soo's wife
Kang Oh-soo's friends
  • Kim Young-jae as Na Seok-jin, Hee-soo's assistant and Na-hee's lover
  • Han Jung-soo as Yoon Dae-shik, private money lender
  • Oh Yong as Kim Soon-ki, ex-prison inmate
Police detectives
Supporting cast
  • Jo Jae-wan as Kim Young-chul
  • Lee Bo-hee as Yeo Soon-ok, Hae-in's mother
  • Lee Eun as Gong Joo-hee, Hae-in's best friend
  • Kim Kyu-chul as Cha Gwang-doo, lawyer and former detective
  • Im Seung-dae as Hwang Soo-geon
  • Park Kwang-jung as Mo In-ho
  • Yoo Yeon-soo as Jo Dong-seob
  • Kim Kyung-ik as Sung Joon-pyo, reporter
Extended cast
  • Lee Min-hee as lost girl
  • Lee Do-ryun as Gwan Hyun-tae
  • Jeon Ye-seo as Oh Seung-hee, Seung-ha's sister
  • Park Chul-ho as Jung Tae-hoon, Tae-seung's older brother
  • Choi Jae-hwan
  • Lee Sung-min as Hwang Dae-pil
  • Kim Min-kyu
  • Oh Hyun-chul
  • Park Young-seo as the real Oh Seung-ha

Ratings edit

Date Episode Nationwide
2007-03-21 1 9.3%
2007-03-22 2 8.7%
2007-03-28 3 7.9%
2007-03-29 4 6.9%
2007-04-04 5 8.4%
2007-04-05 6 7.7%
2007-04-11 7 7.1%
2007-04-12 8 6.9%
2007-04-18 9 7.4%
2007-04-19 10 6.4%
2007-04-25 11 6.5%
2007-04-26 12 7.0%
2007-05-02 13 6.2%
2007-05-03 14 7.4%
2007-05-09 15 6.4%
2007-05-10 16 6.9%
2007-05-16 17 7.3%
2007-05-17 18 8.4%
2007-05-23 19 7.0%
2007-05-24 20 8.3%
Average 7.4%

Source: TNS Media Korea

Awards and nominations edit

Year Award Category Recipient Result
2007 KBS Drama Awards Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries Uhm Tae-woong Nominated
Ju Ji-hoon Nominated
Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries Shin Min-a Nominated

Remake edit

Lucifer became very popular in Japan when it aired on cable channel So-net in October 2007.[5][6] This led to the production of a Japanese remake in 2008 titled Maō, starring Satoshi Ohno, Toma Ikuta, and Ryoko Kobayashi.

References edit

  1. ^ "Lucifer". KBS World. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  2. ^ Bae, Sun-young (23 May 2013). "Kim Nam-gil and Son Ye-jin Returning with Hot Romance and Cold Revenge". TenAsia. Archived from the original on 29 March 2014. Retrieved 2013-05-23.
  3. ^ "Um Tae-woong to Meet with Japanese Fans in Seoul". KBS Global. 18 April 2007. Retrieved 2013-06-15.
  4. ^ "Ju Ji-hoon Selected New Asian Star of 2007". KBS Global. 13 March 2007. Retrieved 2013-06-15.
  5. ^ "Japanese Fans Keen on Drama Mawang". KBS Global. 13 April 2007. Retrieved 2013-06-15.
  6. ^ "OST of Drama Devil Big Hit in Japan". KBS Global. 29 October 2007. Retrieved 2013-06-15.

External links edit