The Art of Negotiation
2025 South Korean television series
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The Art of Negotiation (Korean: 협상의 기술) is a 2025 South Korean television series starring Lee Je-hoon, Kim Dae-myung, Sung Dong-il, Jang Hyun-sung, Oh Man-seok, Ahn Hyun-ho, and Cha Kang-yoon. The series deals with the story of mergers and acquisitions between companies. It aired on JTBC from March 8, to April 13, 2025, every Saturday and Sunday at 22:30 (KST).[3] It is also available for streaming on Viu in selected regions.[2]
| The Art of Negotiation | |
|---|---|
Promotional poster | |
| Hangul | 협상의 기술 |
| Hanja | 協商의 技術 |
| RR | Hyeopsangui gisul |
| MR | Hyŏpsangŭi kisul |
| Genre | Workplace |
| Written by | Lee Seung-young |
| Directed by | Ahn Pan-seok |
| Starring |
|
| Music by | Lee Nam-yeon[1] |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language | Korean |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 70 minutes[2] |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | JTBC |
| Release | March 8 – April 13, 2025 |
Synopsis
The series depicts the exploits of a major corporation's M&A expert, known as a legendary negotiator, and his team.
Cast and characters
Main
- Lee Je-hoon as Yoon Joo-no[3]
- A legendary negotiator and leader of the M&A team.
- Kim Dae-myung as Oh Soon-young[3]
- A lawyer specializing in negotiations for the M&A team.
- Sung Dong-il as Song Jae-sik[3]
- The Chairman of Sanin Group.
- Jang Hyun-sung as Ha Tae-soo[3]
- The CFO of Sanin Group and second-in-command.
- Oh Man-seok as Lee Dong-joon[3]
- The CCO of Sanin Group and longtime close friend of Chairman Song.
- Ahn Hyun-ho as Kwak Min-jung[3]
- The manager of the M&A team.
- Cha Kang-yoon as Choi Jin-su[3]
- The intern and youngest member of the M&A team.
Supporting
- Lee Kyu-sung as Lim Hyeong-seop[4]
- A deputy manager of Sanin Group's human resources division.
- Park Hyung-soo as Kang Sang-bae
- A director of Yoomin Investment.[5]
- Yang Jo-ah as Han Ji-eun[6]
- Kim Jong-tae as Jo Bum-soo
Special appearances
- Yoon Je-moon as Lee Hoon-min (Ep. 1 & 10)
- CEO of Sanin Construction.
- Jang In-sub as Cha Ho-jin (Ep. 3-4)
- CEO of Cha Cha Games.[7]
- Kwon Yu-ri as Song Ji-oh (Ep. 5-6)
- Song Jae-sik's daughter and CEO of Dado Resort.[8]
- Jang So-yeon as Jeong Bon-joo (Ep. 9-10)
- Financing Officer of Green View Country Club.
Production
Development
The series is written by Lee Seung-young and directed by Ahn Pan-seok, who previously directed The Midnight Romance in Hagwon (2024), and B.A Entertainment and SLL and Drama House Studio co-managed the production.[9]
Casting
On May 14, 2024, Kim Dae-myung was reportedly confirmed to appear by his agency.[10] On May 21, Lee Je-hoon was confirmed to appear as the lead.[11] On June 12, Kwon Yu-ri was reported to make a special appearance.[8] On July 11, Cha Kang-yoon had been cast as the lead.[12]
In January 2025, the line up of actors were revealed namely Lee, Kim, Sung Dong-il, Jang Hyun-sung, Oh Man-seok, Ahn Hyun-ho, and Cha.[3]
Viewership
| Season | Episode number | Average | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |||
| 1 | 0.762 | 1.462 | 1.298 | 1.691 | 1.445 | 1.805 | 1.390 | 1.903 | 1.676 | 2.038 | 1.709 | 2.487 | 1.639 | |
| Ep. | Original broadcast date | Average audience share (Nielsen Korea)[13] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nationwide | Seoul | ||
| 1 | March 8, 2025 | 3.300% (2nd) | 3.586% (1st) |
| 2 | March 9, 2025 | 6.068% (1st) | 6.349% (1st) |
| 3 | March 15, 2025 | 5.783% (1st) | 5.535% (1st) |
| 4 | March 16, 2025 | 7.121% (1st) | 7.298% (1st) |
| 5 | March 22, 2025 | 6.459% (1st) | 6.398% (1st) |
| 6 | March 23, 2025 | 7.982% (1st) | 8.320% (1st) |
| 7 | March 29, 2025 | 6.185% (1st) | 6.171% (1st) |
| 8 | March 30, 2025 | 8.079% (1st) | 8.758% (1st) |
| 9 | April 5, 2025 | 6.933% (1st) | 7.064% (1st) |
| 10 | April 6, 2025 | 8.805% (1st) | 9.545% (1st) |
| 11 | April 12, 2025 | 7.182% (1st) | 8.030% (1st) |
| 12 | April 13, 2025 | 10.315% (1st) | 11.298% (1st) |
| Average | 7.018% | 7.363% | |
Accolades
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asian Television Awards | 2025 | Best Drama Series | The Art of Negotiation | Pending | [14] |
