History of a Salaryman
| History of a Salaryman | |
|---|---|
![]() Promotional poster for History of a Salaryman | |
| Also known as | Salaryman Cho Han Ji |
| Genre |
Comedy Thriller Romance |
| Written by |
Jang Young-chul Jung Kyung-soon |
| Directed by | Yoo In-shik |
| Starring |
Lee Beom-soo Jung Ryeo-won Jung Gyu-woon Hong Soo-hyun |
| Composer(s) | Kim Ji-soo |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language(s) | Korean |
| No. of episodes | 22 |
| Production | |
| Location(s) | Korea |
| Running time | Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 (KST) |
| Production company(s) | JS Pictures |
| Release | |
| Original network | Seoul Broadcasting System |
| Original release | 2 January – 13 March 2012 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | A Thousand Days' Promise |
| Followed by | Fashion King |
| External links | |
| SBS official website | |
History of a Salaryman (Hangul: 샐러리맨 초한지; RR: Selreorimaen Chohanji; lit. "Salaryman Cho Han Ji") is a 2012 South Korean television series that aired on SBS from January 2 to March 31, 2012 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 22 episodes. Starring Lee Beom-soo, Jung Ryeo-won, Jung Gyu-woon, Hong Soo-hyun, Lee Deok-hwa, and Kim Seo-hyung,[1] the series is a quirky comedy and murder mystery about an ordinary salaryman who finds himself involved with corporate spies and rival pharmaceutical companies. It satirizes the historical events during China's Chu–Han Contention (206-202 B.C.) to become a parody of modern office politics.[2][3]
Plot
Yoo-bang (Lee Beom-soo) sneaks into a villa at night and discovers the dead body of Chunha Medical Group executive Ho-hae (Park Sang-myun). His niece Yeo-chi (Jung Ryeo-won) is hiding in the room. At the funeral, both Yoo-bang and Yeo-chi get arrested for murder. How did things come to this? It all began three months ago when Chunha began trial testing for their new medicine. In exchange for a job recommendation from Ho-hae, Yoo-bang agrees to join the trial testing and steal information about the drug. Rival company director Hang-woo (Jung Gyu-woon) is also there undercover to find out about the new drug. Spoiled rich girl Yeo-chi is undergoing training because her grandfather wants her to inherit Chunha one day, though she herself is completely uninterested. For the trial testing, 30 testers, including Yoo-bang and Hang-woo, are shut off from the outside world for 10 days. During the trial period, strange things begin to happen...
Cast
- Lee Beom-soo as Yoo-bang
- Hero of the series who is a bright and optimistic man. He steals the heart of Yeo-chi. His historical analogue is Liu Bang, the first emperor of Han Dynasty.
- Jung Ryeo-won as Baek Yeo-chi
- A spoiled rich girl who was raised by her grandfather after her parents' death. Her historical analogue is Empress Lü Zhi.
- Jung Gyu-woon as Choi Hang-woo
- Antagonist of the series. He tries to get revenge against Chairman Jin for his father's suicide. His historical analogue is Xiang Yu, the king of Western Chu.
- Hong Soo-hyun as Cha Woo-hee
- A woman who was engaged to Hang-woo, and whom Yoo-bang has a crush on. In an earlier draft of the script, Woo-hee dies after reuniting with Hang-woo, but the script was modified to give fans a happier ending.[4] Her historical analogue is Consort Yu.
- Kim Seo-hyung as Mo Ga-bi
- She worked as the secretary for Jin Si-hwang, whom she later kills to become the company chairman herself. She manipulates people to do her bidding, among them her colleague Park Bum-jung, who sincerely loved her. In the end she goes insane after she is found guilty for conspiring to kill Jin and the attempted murder of Woo-hee.
- Lee Deok-hwa as Jin Si-hwang (Yeo-chi's grandfather). His historical analogue is Qin Shi Huang, the last emperor of Qin Dynasty.
- Kim Il-woo as Jang Ryang. His historical analogue is Zhang Liang.
- Yoon Yong-hyun as Bun Kwae. His historical analogue is Fan Kuai.
- Lee Ki-young as Park Bum-jung. His historical analogue is Fan Zeng.
- Yoo Hyung-kwan as So Ha. His historical analogue is Xiao He.
- Yang Hyung-wook as Han Shin. His historical analogue is Han Xin.
- Kim Eung-soo as Oh Ji-rak
- Park Sang-myun as Jin Ho-hae. His historical analogue is Hu Hai.
- Jang Hyun-sung as Choi Hang-ryang. His historical analogue is Xiang Liang.
- Im Hyun-sik - Yoo-bang's father
- Lee Joo-shil - Yoo-bang's mother
- Lee Joon - Yeo-chi's boyfriend (cameo, ep 1)
- Jeong Bo-seok - Congressman Jo Pil-yeon (cameo, ep 6), the antagonist in the series Giant.
- Jeon Jae-hyung - Delivery man (cameo)
- Kang Kyung-joon - Bok Sa-yeol (cameo, ep 17)
Soundtrack
- 성냥팔이 소녀 (Little Match Girl) - Yoon Gun feat. Misty
- 너 때문에 (For You) - JeA (Brown Eyed Girls)
- Bravo - Lee Teuk (Super Junior), Key (SHINee)
- 기대했단 말야 (Not What I Expected) - JOO
- 샐러리맨 초한지 Title
- 막무가내
- Relax Your Mind
- 긴 여정
- Determination
- 자중지란
- 군웅할거
- 방이 Theme
- 천년지애
- 낙장불입
- 샐러리맨 초한지 Score Title
- 도원결의
- 비육지탄
Episode ratings
| Episode # | Original broadcast date | Average audience share | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TNmS Ratings[5] | AGB Nielsen[6] | ||||
| Nationwide | Seoul National Capital Area | Nationwide | Seoul National Capital Area | ||
| 1 | 2 January 2012 | 8.1% | 9.9% | 8.7% | 9.8% |
| 2 | 3 January 2012 | 10.2% | 11.9% | 10.0% | 12.3% |
| 3 | 9 January 2012 | 11.3% | 12.8% | 10.5% | 12.3% |
| 4 | 10 January 2012 | 10.2% | 12.1% | 10.1% | 11.4% |
| 5 | 16 January 2012 | 13.5% | 14.9% | 12.1% | 12.7% |
| 6 | 17 January 2012 | 11.5% | 12.2% | 10.6% | 11.6% |
| 7 | 23 January 2012 | 9.2% | 9.4% | 9.9% | 10.8% |
| 8 | 24 January 2012 | 12.6% | 14.5% | 12.8% | 13.5% |
| 9 | 30 January 2012 | 14.5% | 16.1% | 13.7% | 15.2% |
| 10 | 31 January 2012 | 15.9% | 17.3% | 15.1% | 15.8% |
| 11 | 6 February 2012 | 17.1% | 19.1% | 14.6% | 15.7% |
| 12 | 7 February 2012 | 19.4% | 21.5% | 15.1% | 15.0% |
| 13 | 13 February 2012 | 20.1% | 23.8% | 15.9% | 16.3% |
| 14 | 14 February 2012 | 20.4% | 22.9% | 16.0% | 16.2% |
| 15 | 20 February 2012 | 21.6% | 25.2% | 16.9% | 18.1% |
| 16 | 21 February 2012 | 22.2% | 24.3% | 19.1% | 19.6% |
| 17 | 27 February 2012 | 21.0% | 22.8% | 18.8% | 19.4% |
| 18 | 28 February 2012 | 23.0% | 25.2% | 19.2% | 19.7% |
| 19 | 5 March 2012 | 22.7% | 24.7% | 18.7% | 19.2% |
| 20 | 6 March 2012 | 23.3% | 24.5% | 21.0% | 21.9% |
| 21 | 12 March 2012 | 22.1% | 23.5% | 19.1% | 19.9% |
| 22 | 13 March 2012 | 24.2% | 24.7% | 21.7% | 22.4% |
| Average | 17.0% | 18.8% | 14.9% | 15.8% | |
Sources: TNmS Media Korea, AGB Nielsen Korea
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | |
Top 10 Stars | Jung Ryeo-won | Won |
| Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries | Jung Ryeo-won | Won | ||
| Special Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Lee Deok-hwa | Won | ||
| Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Lee Beom-soo | Nominated | ||
| Special Acting Award, Actress in a Miniseries | Kim Seo-hyung | Nominated | ||
References
- ↑ "Kim Suh-hyung Prepared to Play Villain While Biding Time". The Chosun Ilbo. 23 March 2012. Retrieved 2013-02-25.
- ↑ Noh, Hyun-gi (25 December 2011). "History of Salaryman, comic tribute to breadwinners". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2013-02-25.
- ↑ Choi, Ji-eun (3 January 2012). "REVIEW: SBS TV series Salaryman, Cho Han Ji - 1st Episode". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-02-25.
- ↑ "Kim Suh Hyung on Salaryman: Hong Soo Hyun Dies in Original Script". Drama Haven. 8 July 2012. Retrieved 2013-02-25.
- ↑ "TNMS Daily Ratings: this links to current day-select the date from drop down menu". TNMS Ratings (in Korean). Retrieved 2012-01-02.
- ↑ "AGB Daily Ratings: this links to current day-select the date from drop down menu". AGB Nielsen Media Research (in Korean). Retrieved 2012-01-02.
