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Empress Ki (TV series)

Empress Ki (Korean: 기황후; Hanja: 奇皇后; RR: Gi Hwanghu) is a 2013–2014 South Korean historical drama television series starring Ha Ji-won as the titular Empress Ki.[1] The 51-episode series aired on MBC TV from October 28, 2013, to April 29, 2014, on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 (KST).

Empress Ki
Promotional poster for Empress Ki
GenreHistorical
Based onEmpress Gi
Written by
Directed by
  • Han Hee
  • Lee Sung-joon
Starring
ComposerKim Jang-woo
Country of originSouth Korea
Original languageKorean
No. of episodes51
Production
Executive producerJoo Sung-woo
ProducerCho Yoon-jung
Running time60 minutes
Production companyVictory Contents
Original release
NetworkMBC TV
ReleaseOctober 28, 2013 (2013-10-28) –
April 29, 2014 (2014-04-29)

A domestic and overseas hit, the series received the Golden Bird Prize for Serial Drama at the 9th Seoul International Drama Awards. Ha Ji-won also won the Grand Prize at the MBC Drama Awards for her performance.

Title

The early working title was Hwatu (Korean: 화투; lit. Battle of Flowers) but the title was changed to prevent confusion with the similarly named playing cards.[2]

Synopsis

The series revolves around Ki Seung-nyang (Ha Ji-won), a Goryeo-born woman who ascends to power despite the restrictions of the era's class system, and later marries Toghon Temür (emperor of the Yuan dynasty) to become a Yuan empress, instead of her first love, Wang Yoo (Joo Jin-mo). It managed to highlight the deep love the Emperor embedded in Lady Ki and depicts her loves and political ambitions.[3]

Cast

Main

A woman who was born in Goryeo but is sent to Yuan as a child with a group of tribute women. Her mother gets killed when the group tries to escape, but she manages to flee, growing up as a boy then man and becoming a great warrior. She is a great patriot of Goryeo and serves the country with her life, disguised as a man. Initially the fiancée of Wang Yoo, she is later forcibly taken to the Yuan court. She eventually becomes the wife of Ta Hwan, thus making her the Empress Consort of the Yuan dynasty, as which she greatly influences politics.
The King of Goryeo who is Ki Seung-nyang's first love and fiancé. He later dies in the Yuan dynasty.
The last Emperor of the Yuan dynasty and Seung-nyang's true love and later husband.
A noblewoman who was the first wife and Empress Consort of Ta Hwan but when her crimes are revealed, is deposed from her throne and is executed in front of her people. Tanashiri serves as the main antagonist of the first chapter who plotted to kill Seung-nyang's friends and poison anyone who dare to take her throne.

Supporting

People in Yuan Dynasty

Imperial household
The evil second wife and Empress Consort of Ta Hwan after Tanashiri's death. She was also deposed from her position due to her cunningness.
  • Jeon Se-hyun as Lady Oh; Ta Hwan's Mongolian concubine. She is the daughter of Governor Ohgwang of Yunnan.
  • Park Ha-na as Lady Bu; Ta Hwan's Mongolian concubine. She is daughter of Governor Busaqui of Lingbei.
Nobleman and ministers
  • Jeon Gook-hwan as Yeon Chul; Empress Tanashiri's merciless father and Yuan Dynasty's regent.
  • Kim Jung-hyun as Dang Ki-se; Yeon Chul's ruthless eldest son and Empress Tanashiri's oldest brother.
  • Cha Do-jin as Tap Ja-hae; Yeon Chul's greedy second son and Empress Tanashiri's second older brother.
  • Kim Young-ho as Baek Ahn
Empress Bayan Khutugh's uncle who succeeded Yeon Chul's position as Yuan Dynasty's regent. He was later killed by Tal Tal for being greedy and evil like Yeon Chul.
Empress Bayan Khutugh's cousin and Baek Ahn's nephew. Following his uncle's death, Tal Tal become the new Yuan Dynasty's regent.
  • Cha Kwang-soo as Go Yong-bo
  • Lee Gye-young as Busaqui
  • Jang Soon-gook as Seol Do-kan
  • Park Tong-il as Haeng Sung-joo
Servants and maids
  • Lee Won-jong as Dok-man; Goryeo-born who become the Yuan eunuch in Aekjung Palace.
  • Shin Seung-hwan as Kkwe-bo
  • Choi Moo-sung as Park Bul-hwa; Goryeo-born who become the Yuan eunuch.
  • Jung Yoon as Kook-soo
  • Lee Eung-kyung as Court Lady Noh
  • Seo Yi-sook as Court Lady Seo; Empress Tanashiri's right-hand servant. The one who reveals Prince Maha's birth mother.
  • Yoon A-jung as Yeon-hwa / Court Lady Yeon – The evil servant who tortures Seung-nyang. After conniving with Tanashiri and Lady Seo to steal the baby from the maid by poisoning them, she was granted a Court Lady position.
  • Lee Ji-hyun as Hong-dan
  • Kim Myung-gook as Jang Soon-yong

People in Goryeo Dynasty

Royal household
People around Wang Yoo
  • Lee Moon-sik as Bang Shin-woo; Goryeo's eunuch.
  • Kwon Oh-joong as Choi Moo-song; a man who died in Yuan Dynasty together with Wang Yoo.
  • Yoon Yong-hyun as Jeom Park-yi; Goryeo Kings' assistant and servant.
  • Yoo In-young as Yeon Bi-soo / Batoru; a woman warrior who leading the Göktürks (?), who were controlling Yuan's western frontier and the silk road. She admired Wang Yoo but later died protecting him.
  • Seo In-woo as Soo-ri; Batoru's aide.
  • Song Kyung-chul as Mak-saeng / Jeok-ho; a village chief in Goryeo Dynasty who become the Yuan Emperor's eunuch.

Others

  • Kim Myeong-su as Ki Ja-oh, King Yeongahn, Ki Seung-nyang's father and a royal commander.
  • Kim Jin-seong as Prince Maha; Wang Yoo and Seung-nyang's son who is adopted by Tanashiri.
    • Seol Wo-hyung as young Prince Maha
  • Jung Woong-in as Yeom Byung-soo
  • Kim Hyung-bum as Jo-cham
  • Jo Jae-yoon as Golta; the main antagonist in the series and a Yuan's eunuch.
  • Kim Jin-woo as Ayushiridara (Biligtü Khan); Ta Hwan and Seung-nyang's son.
    • Lee Shi-woo as young Ayushiridara
  • Jo Woo-jin as Wang Go's soldier.

Special appearances

  • Kim Ye-ryung as Lady Lee; Seung-nyang's mother.
  • Lee Jung-sung as Kim Soon-jo
  • Oh Kwang-rok as Heuk-soo
  • Kim Moo-young as Na-moo
  • Han Hye-rin as Park Oh-jin; Ta Hwan's Korean concubine. She was a court lady in the Yuan Palace before she became a concubine. Her life as a concubine became tragic.
  • Shim Yi-young as a fortune teller (Ep. 28)
  • Park Hae-mi as a shaman (Ep. 34–35)
  • Seo Bum-shik as Won-jin
  • Jung Byung-ho as Joo Gook-chung
  • Jung Soo-in as a Courtesan
  • Seo Ji-yeon as an Inspector Court Lady
  • Son Kwang-up as the killer Mak-son
  • Yoon Young-mok as a coward captain
  • Jung Jae-min as Yirinjilban
  • Choi-hyun as Ballachupmokah
  • Kim Hyo-won as Emperor Myungjong of Yuan; the former emperor of Yuan.

Original soundtrack

Empress Ki
OST
Soundtrack album by
Various Artists
Released2013 (2013)
Genre
LanguageKorean
LabelStone Music Entertainment
Hwa&Dam Pictures
Glove Entertainment

Part 1

No.TitleArtistLength
1."Thorn Love" (가시사랑)4men3:34
2."Thorn Love" (Inst.) 3:34
Total length:7:58

Part 2

No.TitleArtistLength
1."Love Wind" (사랑 바람)WAX3:05
2."Love Wind" 3:05
Total length:6:10

Part 3

No.TitleArtistLength
1."Love You" (사랑 합니다)Junsu3:41
2."Love You" (Inst.) 3:41
Total length:8:52

Part 4

No.TitleArtistLength
1."Just Once" (한번만)Soyou4:11
2."Just Once" (Inst.) 4:11
Total length:8:22

Part 5

No.TitleArtistLength
1."The Wind" (ㅂ람결)Park Wan-kyu3:29
2."The Wind" (Inst.) 3:29
Total length:6:58

Part 6

No.TitleArtistLength
1."The Day"ZIA3:35
2."The Day" (Inst.) 3:35
Total length:7:50

Part 7

No.TitleArtistLength
1."To the Butterfly" (나비에게)Ji Chang-wook4:06
2."To the Butterfly" (Inst.) 4:06
Total length:8:12
Disc 2:
No.TitleArtistLength
1."Empress Ki (Opening Title)"Kim Jang-woo3:20
2."Empress ki (Main theme)"Kim Jang-woo5:14
3."Emperor"Kim Jang-woo2:20
4."Destiny"Kim Jang-woo5:29
5."Flower Blossom"Kim Jang-woo5:38
6."The Greatest Day"Kim Jang-woo2:38
7."Fate"Kim Jang-woo4:47
8."Princess"Kim Jang-woo2:58
9."Heroes"Kim Jang-woo2:09
10."Horse Riding"Kim Jang-woo1:31

Reception

The series attained high ratings during its run, ranking first in its timeslot with a peak viewership rating of 33.9 percent.[4][5] According to a report by Taiwan's drama channel ETTV, the series was ranked as the best foreign program for 2014 with 5.35% viewership rating, becoming the second Korean drama after Jewel in the Palace (2003) to do so.[6] It also received positive reviews for its strong acting skills, gripping background and elaborate scenes.[7]

Despite its popularity, the series was criticized for its inclusion of fictional elements regarding the characters and storyline. Much concern was raised over the series' depiction of the titular Empress Ki, who was portrayed as a brave warrior in the series. Historians were worried that the audience would overlook the fact that the real-life Empress Ki was responsible for attacking her native land.[7][8]

Ratings

In this table, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.

Ep.Original broadcast dateAverage audience share
Nielsen Korea[9]TNmS[10]
NationwideSeoulNationwideSeoul
1October 28, 201311.1% (9th)13.3% (4th)10.1% (13th)12.3% (8th)
2October 29, 201313.6% (4th)15.8% (4th)12.0% (6th)14.6% (4th)
3November 4, 201312.8% (6th)14.5% (5th)11.7% (11th)14.9% (4th)
4November 5, 201314.5% (4th)16.6% (3rd)12.7% (6th)15.4% (4th)
5November 11, 201314.5% (5th)16.1% (4th)14.0% (5th)17.3% (4th)
6November 12, 201316.3% (4th)18.7% (3rd)14.6% (4th)18.6% (4th)
7November 18, 201315.5% (5th)17.6% (3rd)15.2% (4th)18.4% (4th)
8November 19, 201316.9% (4th)18.6% (3rd)16.5% (4th)20.1% (3rd)
9November 25, 201317.2% (4th)19.5% (3rd)15.4% (4th)19.1% (4th)
10November 26, 201318.1% (3rd)19.6% (3rd)16.2% (4th)19.5% (3rd)
11December 2, 201317.8% (5th)20.5% (2nd)17.7% (4th)20.8% (3rd)
12December 3, 201319.0% (4th)21.0% (3rd)18.4% (4th)21.7% (3rd)
13December 9, 201320.2% (3rd)23.5% (2nd)19.1% (4th)23.6% (2nd)
14December 10, 201319.5% (3rd)21.9% (2nd)18.4% (4th)23.3% (1st)
15December 16, 201318.8% (4th)21.5% (3rd)17.7% (4th)21.7% (4th)
16December 17, 201318.8% (3rd)21.4% (3rd)18.1% (4th)21.9% (2nd)
17December 23, 201317.3% (4th)20.1% (2nd)17.3% (4th)20.5% (2nd)
18December 24, 201317.5% (3rd)19.9% (2nd)17.3% (3rd)20.5% (2nd)
19January 6, 201417.9% (3rd)20.4% (3rd)17.0% (3rd)21.8% (2nd)
20January 7, 201419.1% (3rd)21.3% (2nd)18.5% (3rd)23.8% (2nd)
21January 13, 201419.6% (3rd)22.9% (2nd)18.2% (3rd)23.7% (2nd)
22January 14, 201420.3% (3rd)22.1% (2nd)19.0% (3rd)23.9% (2nd)
23January 20, 201420.8% (3rd)23.6% (2nd)19.5% (3rd)23.6% (2nd)
24January 21, 201422.6% (2nd)26.2% (2nd)20.7% (3rd)24.7% (2nd)
25January 27, 201422.8% (2nd)26.8% (1st)21.4% (3rd)27.0% (2nd)
26January 28, 201424.9% (2nd)28.6% (1st)22.0% (2nd)26.3% (2nd)
27February 3, 201423.9% (2nd)27.7% (1st)24.2% (2nd)29.8% (1st)
28February 4, 201425.3% (2nd)29.1% (1st)24.0% (2nd)29.3% (1st)
29February 10, 201422.7% (2nd)25.3% (1st)20.8% (2nd)25.3% (1st)
30February 17, 201426.5% (2nd)29.9% (1st)25.3% (2nd)30.9% (1st)
31February 18, 201426.6% (1st)29.4% (1st)25.6% (2nd)30.9% (1st)
32February 24, 201425.3% (2nd)28.8% (1st)24.4% (2nd)31.0% (1st)
33February 25, 201428.6% (1st)31.3% (1st)27.9% (2nd)33.6% (1st)
34March 3, 201426.2% (2nd)29.7% (1st)26.1% (2nd)32.4% (1st)
35March 4, 201428.3% (1st)31.4% (1st)26.5% (2nd)32.3% (1st)
36March 10, 201426.9% (2nd)30.8% (1st)26.0% (2nd)31.4% (1st)
37March 11, 201429.2% (1st)32.4% (1st)27.1% (2nd)32.4% (1st)
38March 17, 201427.7% (2nd)31.3% (1st)25.6% (2nd)30.7% (1st)
39March 18, 201426.5% (2nd)29.7% (1st)25.0% (2nd)29.3% (1st)
40March 24, 201424.4% (2nd)27.9% (2nd)22.4% (2nd)27.5% (2nd)
41March 25, 201426.0% (2nd)28.8% (1st)24.0% (2nd)29.8% (1st)
42March 31, 201425.0% (2nd)28.8% (1st)23.5% (2nd)27.2% (2nd)
43April 1, 201425.0% (2nd)27.9% (1st)24.1% (2nd)27.4% (2nd)
44April 7, 201424.3% (2nd)27.2% (1st)23.9% (3rd)27.8% (2nd)
45April 8, 201425.5% (2nd)28.7% (1st)23.5% (2nd)28.7% (2nd)
46April 14, 201425.3% (2nd)28.3% (1st)23.9% (2nd)28.0% (2nd)
47April 15, 201426.1% (2nd)28.8% (1st)23.8% (2nd)28.9% (1st)
48April 21, 201422.9% (2nd)24.9% (1st)22.7% (2nd)25.6% (2nd)
49April 22, 201426.6% (2nd)29.4% (1st)23.9% (2nd)27.2% (2nd)
50April 28, 201426.2% (2nd)28.7% (1st)25.7% (2nd)30.6% (1st)
51April 29, 201428.7% (2nd)31.7% (1st)28.3% (2nd)33.9% (1st)
Average21.9%24.7%20.7%25.1%
Ratings in the Philippines

It aired on GMA Network from October 20, 2014, to April 14, 2015, on Mondays to Thursdays at 10:00 PM (PST) for 100 episodes.[11] Each episode runs 1 hour including commercial breaks. It was pre-empted on December 31, 2014, to give way to the Countdown to 2015 GMA New Year Special and on April 2 to 3, 2015 to give way on the Holy Week programming. The entire series was dubbed in Filipino. It was the highest rated Korean drama in the Philippines for 2015.It was re-aired on GMA News TV from July 12, 2016 to January 19, 2017.

Ratings in the Philippines
Episode #
(in PH)		Broadcast dateAverage audience share
AGB Nielsen[12]Kantar Media[13]
Mega ManilaNationwide
1October 20, 201412.6%7.3%
2October 21, 201412.8%7.0%
3October 22, 201412.7%6.8%
4October 23, 201412.9%7.5%
5October 27, 201412.5%6.4%
6October 28, 201411.1%6.8%
7October 29, 201412.8%6.9%
8October 30, 201412.8%7.5%
9November 3, 201413.3%7.1%
10November 4, 201412.2%7.5%
11November 5, 201413.9%7.9%
12November 6, 201412.7%7.5%
13November 10, 201413.2%7.4%
14November 11, 201413.0%7.3%
15November 12, 201414.6%8.4%
16November 13, 201414.9%8.5%
17November 17, 201413.8%8.4%
18November 18, 201414.6%8.4%
19November 19, 201414.3%8.6%
20November 20, 201414.4%8.4%
21November 24, 201414.5%8.7%
22November 25, 201413.9%8.2%
23November 26, 201416.0%8.4%
24November 27, 201414.5%8.1%
25December 1, 201414.8%9.2%
26December 2, 201415.1%9.2%
27December 3, 201414.1%9.7%
28December 4, 201415.2%9.9%
29December 8, 201415.8%8.3%
30December 9, 201414.7%7.9%
31December 10, 201416.2%9.2%
32December 11, 201415.4%6.8%
33December 15, 201414.0%8.1%
34December 16, 201415.0%9.0%
35December 17, 201415.1%8.7%
36December 18, 201415.9%9.8%
37December 22, 201415.6%9.1%
38December 23, 201416.2%8.9%
39December 24, 201415.1%11.9%
40December 25, 201415.2%8.1%
41December 29, 201416.4%7.8%
42December 30, 201416.3%9.5%
43January 1, 201516.4%8.9%
44January 5, 201516.6%8.9%
45January 6, 201518.2%10.3%
46January 7, 201517.5%9.5%
47January 8, 201516.3%9.0%
48January 12, 201517.2%9.2%
49January 13, 201517.7%9.8%
50January 14, 201519.1%11.0%
51January 15, 201517.9%10.1%
52January 19, 201519.3%10.2%
53January 20, 201519.0%10.8%
54January 21, 201519.0%11.1%
55January 22, 201521.1%11.3%
56January 26, 201519.9%10.0%
57January 27, 201519.6%10.5%
58January 28, 201520.3%10.9%
59January 29, 201521.1%11.4%
60February 2, 201519.2%10.2%
61February 3, 201519.3%11.2%
62February 4, 201519.2%11.6%
63February 5, 201520.6%11.8%
64February 9, 201520.5%12.8%
65February 10, 201519.8%11.7%
66February 11, 201521.3%12.3%
67February 12, 201520.8%12.4%
68February 16, 201521.3%12.3%
69February 17, 201520.4%12.5%
70February 18, 201522.1%13.2%
71February 19, 201521.6%13.2%
72February 23, 201521.3%14.1%
73February 24, 201520.6%13.7%
74February 25, 201519.8%14.4%
75February 26, 201519.1%14.0%
76March 2, 201519.8%12.7%
77March 3, 201519.8%12.1%
78March 4, 201519.7%12.6%
79March 5, 201520.7%13.1%
80March 9, 201518.9%13.1%
81March 10, 201519.5%13.5%
82March 11, 201519.6%13.4%
83March 12, 201519.3%13.1%
84March 16, 201518.2%12.4%
85March 17, 201519.0%12.6%
86March 18, 201520.2%13.2%
87March 19, 201520.5%13.1%
88March 23, 201520.5%13.9%
89March 24, 201521.5%14.6%
90March 25, 201521.5%15.3%
91March 26, 201521.0%14.6%
92March 30, 201521.4%14.9%
93March 31, 201522.1%14.9%
94April 1, 201522.8%15.8%
95April 6, 201521.6%15.1%
96April 7, 201522.0%14.0%
97April 8, 201521.6%14.9%
98April 9, 201522.3%15.9%
99April 13, 201523.9%16.6%
100April 14, 201525.2%17.2%
Average17.7%10.7%

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryRecipientResult
2013
MBC Drama Awards[14]
Grand Prize (Daesang)Ha Ji-wonWon
Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Special Project DramaNominated
Excellence Award, Actor in a Special Project DramaJoo Jin-moWon
Excellence Award, Actor in a Special Project DramaJi Chang-wookWon
Writer(s) of the YearJang Young-chul, Jung Kyung-soonWon
Best New ActressBaek Jin-heeWon
2014
50th Baeksang Arts Awards
Best New Actress (TV)Won
9th Seoul International Drama Awards[15]
Best Series DramaEmpress KiWon
Best ActressHa Ji-wonNominated
7th Korea Drama Awards[16]
Grand Prize (Daesang)Nominated
Best DramaEmpress KiNominated
Best Production DirectorHan Hee, Lee Sung-joonNominated
Top Excellence Award, ActorJi Chang-wookNominated
Excellence Award, ActressBaek Jin-heeNominated
3rd APAN Star Awards
Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Serial DramaJoo Jin-moNominated
Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Serial DramaHa Ji-wonNominated
Excellence Award, Actor in a Serial DramaJi Chang-wookNominated
Best Supporting ActressBaek Jin-heeNominated
Yoon A-jungNominated

References

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