Article completed
| |
|
This page uses content from an article at Wikipedia. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Drama Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License. |
Sky Castle (SKY 캐슬; SKY Kaeseul; stylized as SKY Castle[note 1]) is a 2018/2019 South Korean television series starring Yum Jung Ah, Lee Tae Ran, Yoon Se Ah, Oh Na Ra and Kim Seo Hyung. It aired on JTBC on Fridays and Saturdays at 23:00 KST from November 23, 2018, to February 1, 2019. It is about the college entrance examination, private education, and the medical field in South Korea.
Sky Castle is the second-highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history. The drama received positive reviews from critics and won multiple awards, including four at the 55th Baeksang Arts Awards.
Synopsis[]
| “ | For the families living at Sky Castle, an exclusive residential community that's home to Korea's elite, their children's success means everything. | ” |
—Official Description[1] | ||
SKY Castle, a private luxury condo community, where wealthy doctors and professors live. It was built by the first president of Joo Nam University, the most prestigious university in Korea. Most of the residents are doctors and law school professors of the university. The drama describes all the ins and outs of how the wealthy make their children enter a top university. It is a comic satirical drama that closely looks behind the scenes at the materialistic desires of the upper-class parents in Korea and how they ruthlessly secure the successes of their families at the cost of destroying others' lives.[2]
Cast[]
- Yeom Jung Ah as Han Seo Jin / Kwak Mi Hyang
- Jang Sung Yoon as Young Han Seo Jin
- An overzealous mother who wants nothing more than her daughter to get into Seoul National Medical University. She hides her past from everyone except her husband and in-laws who knew that she grew up poor with an alcoholic father who sold oxblood and offal. She went as far as to create a back story and hire people to pretend as her parents.
- Lee Tae Ran as Lee Soo Im
- A new member of the neighborhood who disapproves of the other parents' methods for getting their kids to university, believing it is too harsh. She is disliked by the other parents for disrupting the status quo. She knows who Seo-jin really is, as she knew her from when they were younger. She is the most down to earth out of all mothers in the complex and the only mother who is a step-mother.
- Yoon Se Ah as Noh Seung Hye
- A woman who befriends Soo-im, and starts to look down on how the other moms treat everyone and their kids. She changes her ways and becomes protective of her sons from their father's harsh teaching methods. When Woo-joo got arrested, she offered the services of a lawyer.
- Oh Na Ra as Jin Jin Hee
- A friend of Seo-jin who tries to get her child to do everything with Seo-jin's daughter so he can be successful. She bribes Seo-jin with gifts into trusting her with information. But she finds it difficult to keep secrets. Her loyalty changes easily as well depending on who she is with.
- Kim Seo Hyung as Kim Joo Young
- She is a well-known tutor only accessible to the elite and only caters to two students at a time. Because of her high success rate in getting students accepted, Seo-jin was determined to hire her as her daughter's tutor. She hides a past and secret life that she tries to escape from.
- Jung Joon Ho as Kang Joon Sang
- Seo-jin's husband and a professor of orthopedics. Doctor of the Joo-nam University Hospital. He holds Min-hyuk in absolute contempt and delights in the latter's misfortunes. He is very ambitious and is obsessed with maintaining a good track record to elevate his status in the hospital. He will stop at nothing in order to get rivals out of the way.
- Choi Won Young as Hwang Chi Young
- Soo-im's husband and a professor of neurosurgery. Doctor of the Joo-nam University Hospital. Rival of Joon-sang. He grew at an orphanage which is owned by Soo-im's parents.
- Kim Byung Chul as Cha Min Hyuk
- Seung-hye's husband and a law professor. A law school lecturer and former prosecutor. He always forces his kids harshly to study and getting on top of the class.
- Jo Jae Yoon as Woo Yang Woo
- Jin-hee's husband and a professor of orthopedics. An Orthopaedics surgeon. He is very obedient to Kang Joon-sang but behind him, he admires Hwang Chi-young.
- Kim Hye Yoon as Kang Ye Seo
- Seo-jin's elder daughter. Her dream is to enter Seoul National University's medical faculty and be a third generation generation doctor. She is very impulsive and is as determined as father in achieving her goals.
- Lee Ji Won as Kang Ye Bin
- Seo-jin's younger daughter. She is cynical and often clashes with her sister and believes her parents only care for her sister. She, however, gets along well with the other children in the complex and is the first one in the family to warm up to Hye-na.
- Kang Chan Hee as Hwang Woo Joo
- Soo-im's step-son. He likes Hye-na, and is liked by Ye-seo. Basically one of the kinder student in the school since he always help other students who have difficulties.
- Kim Dong Hee as Cha Seo Jun
- Seung-hye's elder son and the first twin. Classmate of Woo-joo. Even though he is calmer than his younger twin, he strongly dislikes his father's method of teaching and studying.
- Jo Byung Kyoo as Cha Ki Jun
- Seung-hye's younger son and the second twin. He likes to play tricks on Ye-seo. He strongly dislikes his father's method of teaching and studying.
- Park Yoo Na as Cha Se Ri
- Seung-hye's daughter. She claimed that she attends Harvard but her lies were exposed by Seung-hye's sister.
- Yoo Jin Woo as Woo Soo Han
- Jin-hee's son. He is not interested in studying, but still try his best under huge academic pressure.
- Kim Bo Ra as Kim Hye Na
- Sin-ah Secondary School student. She is treated as an enemy by Ye-seo. She tries to get under Ye-seo's skin, knowing Hwang Woo-joo likes her and not Ye-Seo. She and Woo-joo have mutual romantic relationship.
- Lee Hyun Jin as Teacher Jo Tae Joon, Joo Young's secretary
- Jung Ae Ri as Madam Yoon
- Seo-jin's mother-in-law. She is the one who pushed Seo-jin to bring Ye-seo to the top in order to have a third generation doctor in the family.
- Song Min Hyung as Choi In Ho, the medical superintendent and director of Joo-nam University Hospital
- Kim Jung Nan as Lee Myung Joo
- Former resident of Sky Castle, committed suicide after her son runs away to his secret girlfriend.
- Song Geon Hee as Park Young Jae
- Myung-joo's son. After his mother's death, he wants to reconcile with his father, Park Soo-chang.
- Yoo Sung Joo as Park Soo Chang
- Myung-joo's husband and Young-jae's father. At first he's harsh toward Young-jae but after her wife's death he wants to reconcile with Young-jae
- Lee Yeon Soo as Kim Eun Hye, Hye Na's mom
- Kwon Hwa Woon as Lee Choong Sun, an orthopedic resident
- Lee Seung Yeon as Lawyer Hong, Woo Joo's counsel
- Yoo Yeon as Laura Jung
- Lee Tae Goo as Lee Tae Woo, a neurosurgery resident
- Lee Chang Hoon as Choi Dong Seok, a detective
- Lee Dong Min as Lee Dong Min, an orthopedic resident
- Moon Dong Hyuk as Moon Dong Hyuk, an orthopedic resident
- Woo Mi Hwa as Do Hoon's mom
- Han Sa Myung as Park In Gyu, a SKY Castle security staff member
- Woo Ji Hyun as Jeon Jin Man, a neurosurgery resident
- Jang Tae Min as Teacher Oh, the director's nephew
- Young-jae's girlfriend. She is 6 years older than him and hired as a housekeeper by Myung-joo, coming from a low-class family. Myung-joo disapproved of her status and her relationship with Young-jae.
- Jo Mi Nyeo as Katherine/Kay, Kim Joo Young's daughter
- Jung Soo In as Song Yeon Doo, Soo Im's student
- Chanmi as Herself (Ep.3+4)
- Lee Chae Kyung as the tutor auction mother (Ep.1)
- Ok Joo Ri as a fish marketer (Ep.1)
- Kim Joo Ryung as Seung Hye's older sister
- Song Min Gyo as an announcer
- Kang Moon Kyung as Assemblyman Kim Hyeok Jae
- Shin Chul Jin as an elder at Soo Chang's cabin
- Woo Jeong Won as Dr. Min Ja Yeong (Ep.20)
- Kim Seung Hoon as a new teacher (Ep.20)
- Kang Shin Chul as a patient
- Ha Jin as Hye Na's Homeroom teacher
Soundtrack[]
Episodes[]
In this table, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.
| Episode | Original broadcast date | Average audience share | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AGB Nielsen | ||||
| Nationwide | Seoul | |||
| Episode 01 | November 23, 2018 | 1.727% | 2.9% | |
| When Yeong-jae gets accepted into a top medical school, his mom becomes the envy of the other mothers, who all want to know just how she managed it. | ||||
| Episode 02 | November 24, 2018 | 4.373% | 4.584% | |
| While everyone's still reeling from the shock of what happened, a new family whose background and values seem very different moves into Sky Castle. | ||||
| Episode 03 | November 30, 2018 | 5.186% | 6.035% | |
| Han Seo-jin confronts the entrance exam coordinator. Lee Su-im joins the Sky Castle reading group, but it’s nothing like what she expected it to be. | ||||
| Episode 04 | December 1, 2018 | 7.496% | 8.144% | |
| Sky Castle is abuzz about the pending vote but Cha Min-hyeok is confident. Seo-jin will do anything for Ye-seo— and stoop as low as deemed necessary. | ||||
| Episode 05 | December 7, 2018 | 7.487% | 8.623% | |
| Seo-jin runs into Yeong-jae and tries to talk to him. Su-im ponders what to do about Ye-bin. No Seung-hye and Min-hyeok scramble to formulate a plan B. | ||||
| Episode 06 | December 8, 2018 | 8.934% | 9.754% | |
| Seung-hye challenges Min-hyeok head on. Seo-jin thinks that she's fixed things but doesn't count on Kang Jun-sang. Ye-bin finds an unlikely confidante. | ||||
| Episode 07 | December 14, 2018 | 8.432% | 9.667% | |
| Su-im and Ye-bin are stunned by what they uncover. Seung-hye and Su-im speculate about Yeong-jae and his family. Kim Ju-yeong puts Ye-seo in her place. | ||||
| Episode 08 | December 15, 2018 | 9.539% | 10.471% | |
| Running mates Kim Hye-na and Hwang U-ju are the favorites in the school election, but Seo-jin colludes with Min-hyeok to ensure that their kids win. | ||||
| Episode 09 | December 21, 2018 | 9.714% | 10.522% | |
| Kang Jun-sang delights in Seo-jin's plan to host a dinner as an occasion to gloat over the other couples, but things get heated over Su-im's new book. | ||||
| Episode 10 | December 22, 2018 | 11.298% | 13.312% | |
| Seo-jin incenses Kim Ju-yeong with her reply, and leads the charge against Su-im, but pays a heavy price for her shortsightedness in more ways than one. | ||||
| Episode 11 | December 28, 2018 | 9.585% | 10.296% | |
| Seo-jin relents and has Hye-na move in as Ye-bin's tutor, but makes a startling discovery. Su-im meets Yeong-jae's father to get his side of the story. | ||||
| Episode 12 | December 29, 2018 | 12.305% | 13.646% | |
| Su-im hears a strange fact about Kim Ju-yeong. Seo-jin's fury boils over. Min-hyeok basks in his daughter's stories, but Seung-hye spots something odd. | ||||
| Episode 13 | January 4, 2019 | 13.279% | 14.389% | |
| Crushed by the truth about Se-ri's life in Cambridge, Seung-hye fears the repercussions of Min-hyeok finding out. Su-im gets a request from Yeong-jae. | ||||
| Episode 14 | January 5, 2019 | 15.780% | 17.254% | |
| Seo-jin lambastes Kim Ju-yeong but realizes she's no match for her own daughter's insolence. Seung-hye reflects on her choices and takes a stand. | ||||
| Episode 15 | January 11, 2019 | 16.397% | 18.443% | |
| Hye-na is rushed to the hospital, but Jun-sang orders Hwang Chi-yeong to operate on another patient. Seo-jin asks Ye-seo what she did at the party. | ||||
| Episode 16 | January 12, 2019 | 19.243% | 21.010% | |
| Not caring if U-ju is sacrificed, Seo-jin begs Kim Ju-yeong to save her daughter, but Ye-seo insists he's innocent. Su-im infers a sinister motive. | ||||
| Episode 17 | January 18, 2019 | 19.923% | 21.927% | |
| Jun-sang reproaches Seo-jin and his mother about Hye-na. Seo-jin has harsh words for Kim Ju-yeong but has only one thing on her mind: Ye-seo's future. | ||||
| Episode 18 | January 19, 2019 | 22.316% | 24.501% | |
| Jun-sang wants to go to the police and exonerate U-ju, but Seo-jin won't let him. Seung-hye doesn't want to live with Min-hyeok— and the kids concur. | ||||
| Episode 19 | January 26, 2019 | 23.216% | 24.622% | |
| Su-im pleads with Seo-jin, who remains determined. Ye-bin tells her mother what she thinks of her. U-ju wants to know why he should forgive Seo-jin. | ||||
| Episode 20 | February 1, 2019 | 23.779% | 24.357% | |
| U-ju announces he's taking a break from school. Jun-sang resigns and Seo-jin readies to leave Sky Castle. Seung-hye prevails and Su-im's book comes out. | ||||
| Average | 12.500% | 12.627% | ||
| Special | February 2, 2019 | 7.319% | 7.327% | |
| The cast and crew of "Sky Castle" discuss this critically acclaimed, mega-popular K-drama sensation through interviews and behind-the-scenes clips. | ||||
This drama airs 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).
No episode aired on January 25 due to the broadcast of a match between South Korea and Qatar in the quarter-finals of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.
International broadcast[]
- Malaysia - iflix, 2019
- Indonesia - iflix, Trans TV; April 15 — May 10, 2019; Monday — Friday 19:30 WIT
- Thailand - iflix, Channel 7
- Philippines - iflix, GMA Network; November 4 — December 17, 2019; Monday — Thursday 22:05 PST
- Sri Lanka - iflix, 2019
- India - Zee TV/&TV (Hindi), Zee Tamil/Sun TV (Tamil), Zee Keralam /Surya TV (Malayalam), Zee Telugu (Telugu), Zee Bangla/Sun Bangla (Bengali)
- Vietnam - TBD
- Singapore - Mediacorp Channel 8; June 4 — July 1, 2020; Monday — Friday 21:00 SST
Production[]
First script reading of the casts took place in August 2018 at JTBC Building in Sangam-dong, Seoul, South Korea. Most of the filming took place in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.
When the series was still in development, its working title was Princess Maker (프린세스 메이커; Peulinseseu meikeo). The series was extended from 16 to 20 episodes even before it started broadcasting.
Kim Jung Eun was offered one of the lead roles but she declined the offer.
Reception[]
Sky Castle is currently the second-highest-rated Korean drama in cable television history. It was an unexpected commercial hit, rising from 1% viewership ratings to double-digit viewership ratings percentage; as well as topping the Contents Power Index (CPI) rankings as well as the TV popularity ranking in Korea. Besides its popularity in South Korea, the series also gained immense popularity in China.
Critical reception[]
The drama series has drawn positive reviews as a dark comedy that casts light on some of the furtive and controversial aspects of Korean society. It has also stimulated explosive responses from viewers due to its relatable storyline over Korea's competitive education system. Culture critic Jung Duk-hyun says the drama has received attention from viewers, because it successfully strikes an uneasy chord while heightening societies curiosities over the lengths to which rich elite families obsess over education. He also says:
| “ | In terms of education, the drama satisfies people's desire to peek into what those closed rich family circles do for their children. But at the same time, viewers feel uneasiness when watching their stories. Those two conflicting emotions, 'wanting to know but feeling uncomfortable' makes for some interesting chemistry in the minds of drama fans and puts it on the must-see drama list. | ” |
The drama is also popular in China, where similar conditions and vexations overlap with those of Korea's education system.
Controversies[]
The drama ignited a controversy for allegedly "inciting" the murder of psychiatrist Lim Se-won, as it aired a scene in which a patient chases after a doctor with a knife in his hand due to a grievance over his operation results.
Following the broadcast of episode 14 on January 5, several Korean netizens on online communities came up with their own theories about what would happen in the next episode. One netizen's theory was supported by what appeared to be a photo of the drama's cue sheet, and another theory was formed based on the character description in a recruitment notice for a new role in the drama. When episode 15 aired on January 11, these theories proved to be true, making viewers question if the story was leaked.
On January 12, the producers explained that "the story was not leaked. Our viewers came up with many theories. They happened to be correct by chance, which must be why people think they are spoilers."
On January 16, controversy rose again after a netizen uploaded photos of parts of the scripts for episode 17 and 18. The fact that the name "Cha Ki-joon" was left on the script drew much attention, and the photos began to spread on online communities. After an investigation into the rumors, the producers confirmed that the scripts for episodes 17 and 18 (to be aired on January 18 and 19) had been leaked.
The production team was accused of plagiarizing the song "We All Lie" from American musician Bea Miller's song "To the Grave" featuring Mike Stud. However, JTBC denied the accusations.
In popular culture[]
The word SKY is an acronym used to refer to the three most prestigious universities in South Korea: Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University. The term is widely used in South Korea, both in media broadcast and by the universities themselves.
In South Korea, admission to one of the SKY universities is widely considered as determining one's career and social status. Many of South Korea's most influential politicians, lawyers, physicians, engineers, journalists, professors, and policymakers (bureaucrats) have graduated from one of the SKY universities.
Awards and nominations[]
| Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Drama | Sky Castle | Nominated |
| Best Director | Jo Hyun-tak | Won | |
| Best Actress | Kim Seo Hyung | Nominated | |
| Yum Jung Ah | Won | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Kim Byung Chul | ||
| Best Supporting Actress | Yoon Se Ah | Nominated | |
| Best New Actress | Kim Hye Yoon | Won | |
| Best Screenplay | Yoo Hyun-mi | Nominated | |
| Technical Award (Filming) | Oh Jae-ho | ||
| 12th Korea Drama Awards | Grand Prize (Daesang) | Yum Jung Ah | |
| Best Drama | Sky Castle | Won | |
| Best Screenplay | Yoo Hyun-mi | Nominated | |
| Best Original Soundtrack | "We All Lie" (Ha Jin) | Won | |
| Hot Star China Award | Kim Seo Hyung | ||
| Popular Character Award (Female) | Kim Bo Ra | ||
| 11th Melon Music Awards | Best OST | "We All Lie" (Ha Jin) | Nominated |
| 21st Mnet Asian Music Awards | Best OST | "We All Lie" (Ha Jin) | |
| 27th Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards[note 2] | Excellence Award, Actress in a Drama | Kim Hye Yoon | Won |
| 24th Asian Television Awards | Best Drama Series | Sky Castle | |
| Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Kim Seo Hyung | Nominated |
Trivia[]
- This drama took over the timeslot previously occupied by "The 3rd Charm" and was followed by "Legal High" on February 8, 2019.[3]
Gallery[]
Video Gallery[]
Notes[]
- ↑ Pronounced as sky, but written as SKY (the acronym)
- ↑ 대한민국 문화연예대상