Undercover (2021 TV series)
2021 South Korean television series
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Undercover[1][2] (Korean: 언더커버) is a 2021 South Korean television series directed by Song Hyun-wook and starring Ji Jin-hee, Kim Hyun-joo, Jung Man-sik, and Huh Joon-ho.[3][4] Based on BBC drama series of the same name,[5][6][7] it portrays the story of Han Jeong-hyeon (Ji Jin-hee), an agent at the National Intelligence Service, and a Human Rights lawyer, Choi Yeon-soo (Kim Hyun-joo). It aired on JTBC on Fridays and Saturdays at 23:00 (KST) from April 23 to June 12, 2021.[8][9] The series is also available on streaming media TVING in South Korea.[10] Kim Hyun-joo and Ji Jin-hee previously starred together in Miss Kim's Million Dollar Quest (2004) and I Have a Lover (2015).
| Undercover | |
|---|---|
Promotional poster | |
| Hangul | 언더커버 |
| RR | Eondeokeobeo |
| MR | Ŏndŏk'ŏbŏ |
| Genre | Political thriller Action Drama |
| Created by | JTBC |
| Based on | |
| Written by |
|
| Directed by | Song Hyun-wook |
| Starring | |
| Composer | Eom Ki-yeop |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language | Korean |
| No. of episodes | 16 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Lim Byung-hoon |
| Producers |
|
| Editor | Irene |
| Running time | 70 minutes |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | JTBC |
| Release | April 23 – June 12, 2021 |
| Related | |
| Undercover (UK) | |
The series ended on June 12, 2021 with viewer ratings of 5.2% nationwide and 6.1% in the metropolitan Seoul area. It is its own best ratings achieved during its run.[11]
Synopsis
Han Jeong-hyeon (Ji Jin-hee) is an agent of the National Intelligence Service (formerly the Agency for National Security Planning), who has been hiding his identity for the past 30 years as a father and owner of a bicycle repairing shop. Choi Yeon-soo (Kim Hyun-joo), his wife and a Human Rights lawyer, becomes the first Director of the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO). These characters are trying to uncover the truth, pitted against a huge force holding a top position. The series tests their relationship as husband and wife when the secret life of Jeong-hyeon comes to light.
Cast
Main
- Ji Jin-hee[12] as Han Jeong-hyeon/Lee Suk-kyu
- Yeon Woo-jin[13] as young Han Jeong-hyeon/Lee Suk-kyu
- Lee Seok-kyu is agent at the National Intelligence Service, formerly the Agency for National Security Planning. He was selected as the new agent of NIS when he was in a police academy. At first he was tasked to spy on Choi Yeon-soo under the pseudonym Han Jung-hyun in order to take down Kim Tae-yeol who was targeted by NIS, eventually both of them were in mutual love and got married. Years later, he lives a peaceful life with his family until one day an NIS agent named Do Yeong-geol comes back to his life and he is enlisted to take down his own wife, Choi Yeon-soo.
- Kim Hyun-joo[14] as Choi Yeon-soo
- Han Sun-hwa as young Choi Yeon-soo
- A human right lawyer for more than 20 years. She passed her bar test at the age of 20. A righteous person, she consistently seeks justice for years to Hwang Jung-ho for 20 years after he was unjustly jailed. She joined a mass protest with Kim Tae-yeol, Kang Choong-mo and others to protest against the corrupted South Korean government who failed in protecting Hwang Jung-ho's innocence. In one of a chaotic protest against the government, she met Lee Suk-kyu, under the pseudonym Han Jung-hyun. Both of them ended in mutual love, without her knowing who Suk-kyu was, therefore getting married with him. Years later, because of her consistency in defending Hwang Jung-ho, she is promoted as the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials by the government. However due to this promotion, her husband is tasked to stop her.
- Jung Man-sik as Do Yeong-geol, Han Jeong-hyeon's former senior at the National Intelligence Service, formerly Agency for National Security Planning
- Park Doo-sik as young Do Yeong-geol
- Huh Joon-ho as Im Hyeong-rak, director at the National Intelligence Service
Supporting
Family of Han Jeong-hyeon and Choi Yeon-soo
- Yoo Seon-ho[15] as Han Seung-goo
- Suk-kyu/Jeong-hyeon and Yeon-soo's autistic older son. He has an obsession with bicycles, therefore he helps his father operate their bicycle repair shop.
- Lee Jae-in as Han Seung-mi
- Suk-kyu/Jeong-hyeon and Yeon-soo younger daughter. A middle school student with maturity and intelligence beyond her age. She resembles her mother in everything
- Park Geun-hyung as Lee Man-ho
- Lee Suk-kyu's father and a war veteran, being proud of his son who serves the country like he did in the past. He believes that Suk-kyu went to the US when actually he has to live under name of Han Jeong-hyeon. His health deteriorates as he waits for his son to come back to him. Since Suk-kyu cannot reveal his identity, he spends time with his father in the hospital, posing as a social worker. Man-ho never realizes that his son is always with him even until his death.
National Intelligence Service
- Kwon Hae-hyo as Oh Pil-jae
- Joo Suk-tae as Park Won-jong
- Han Go-eun as Kim Do-hee/Ko Yoon-joo, an undercover agent
- Park Gyeong-ree[16] as young Ko Yoon-joo
- Choi Dae-chul as Chu Dong-woo
- Nam Sung-jin as Jo Dong-pal/Cha Min-ho
People around Choi Yeon-soo
- Lee Han-wi as Bae Goo-taek
- Bae Yoon-kyung as Song Mi-seon[17]
- Kim Soo-jin as Min Sang-ah, Choi Yeon-soo's best friend in college, and a political reporter for a major media house
- Han Bo-bae as young Min Sang-ah
- Choi Kwang-il as Hwang Jung-ho
- Im Ji-kyu as young Hwang Jung-ho
- 30 years ago, he was wrongly accused of a murder case and was sentenced to death. Therefore, while he was incarcerated on death row, Choi Yeon-soo is determined to seek justice for him as his lawyer. However his case hasn't got any shed of light for 30 years, even after his health severely deteriorated.
- Kim Hye-jin as Cha Min-ho's wife
Others
- Lee Seung-joon as Kang Choong-mo, Choi Yeon-soo's good friend in college, now a high ranking government official working at the Blue House
- Hong Jin-gi as young Kang Choong-mo
- Kang Young-seok as Jung Cheol-hoon, a passionate detective
- Park Jin-woo as Detective Gu
- Son Jong-hak as Yoo Sang-dong
- Song Young-gyu as Kwak Moon-heum, Chief Prosecutor
- Cha Soon-bae as Song Moon-bae, Chief Editor at Daehan Jeil Daily[18]
Special appearances
- Kim Young-dae as Kim Tae-yeol
- Kim Tae-yeol is a president of Hankuk University Student Council and leader of the mass protest against the government in 1991. Eventually he was accused as a communist and being targeted, then murdered by NIS.
- Jang Eui-don as police university instructor (ep. 1)
- Lim Jung-ok as Nurse Kim (ep. 1-2)
- Kim Dong-ho as Cheon Woo-jin, Im Hyeong-rak's subordinate (ep. 2 & 8)
- Jung In-gi as Kim Myung-jae, Secretary General of the Blue House
- Kim Kyung-min as Mr. Park
- Shim Hyung-tak as Lee Min-yool (ep. 3-4)
- A man who claims himself being intentionally beaten by Han Seung-goo so that Yeon-soo would be hindered to be the new chief of Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials. Actually at that time, he abused his girlfriend and being caught by Seung-goo who said that a bigger person might not hit smaller person.
- Park Joo-hyung as drug gang boss (ep. 4)
- Kim Young-woong as subway control room staff (ep. 3)
- Lee Se-na as Kim Da-kyung (ep. 4)
- Ex-girlfriend of Lee Min-yool. Being guilty with Seung-goo's situation, she confessed about what happened between her, Min-yool and Seung-goo to Yeon-soo.
Production
Development
In April 2020, the remake of the British miniseries was announced.[21]
Casting
In July, JTBC confirmed that with the joining of Yeon Woo-jin and Han Sun-hwa the cast is completed: Ji Jin-hee, Kim Hyun-joo, Han Go-eun, Huh Joon-ho, Jung Man-sik, Kwon Hae-hyo, Park Geun-hyung, Lee Seung-joon, Lee Han-wi, Kim Soo-jin, Choi Dae-chul, Son Jong-hak, Song Young-gyu and Choi Kwang-il.[22][23] This drama serves as a reunion project for Ji Jin-hee and Kim Hyun-joo after starring together in the 2015 drama I Have a Lover. It also reunites Ji Jin-hee and Huh Joon-ho who both starred in the 2019 drama Designated Survivor: 60 Days. Also reuniting in this series are Jung Man-sik, Choi Dae-chul and Choi Kwang-il who starred in the 2019 drama Vagabond.
Original soundtrack
| Undercover | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Various | |
| Released | 2021 |
| Genre | Soundtrack |
| Language | |
| Label | Kakao Entertainment |
Part 1
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "That Kind of Person" (그런 사람) | Kim Young-sung | Kim Young-seong, Seo Jae-ha, Do-hoon | Han Dong-geun | 3:33 |
| 2. | "That Kind of Person" (Inst.) | 3:33 |
Part 2
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "On a Secluded Road" (타이틀 외딴길에서) | Park Kang- il | Park Kang- il | Sondia, Kim Joon-Hwi | 3:54 |
| 2. | "On a Secluded Road" (Inst.) | 3:54 |
Part 3
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Day" (나의 하루) | Donnie J | Donnie J | Sondia | 4:08 |
| 2. | "My Day" (Inst.) | 4:08 |
Part 4
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Where Are You" | Safira.K(Psycho Tension) | Psycho Tension (DOO, Safira.K, Jeong Seongmin) | KATIE | 4:03 |
| 2. | "Where Are You" (Inst.) | Psycho Tension | 4:03 |
Part 5
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I remember this moment" (이 순간을 기억해요) | Noheul(노을) | Noheul(노을) | 고영배 of 소란 | 3:01 |
| 2. | "I remember this moment" (Inst.) | Noheul(노을) | 3:01 |
Part 6
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "With You Under the Sky" (하늘 아래 그대와) | Hana | Tom Irang Jerry, Um Ki-yeop, Safira. | Huh Gak | 3:56 |
| 2. | "With You Under the Sky" (Inst.) | 3:56 |
Part 7
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "With You Under the Sky" (하늘 아래 그대와 (English Ver.)) | 하나, Safira.k | Tom Irang Jerry, Um Ki-yeop, Safira. | Safira.K (사피라 K) | 3:55 |
| 2. | "With You Under the Sky" (하늘 아래 그대와 (English Ver.) (Inst.)) | 3:55 |
Special
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "That Kind of Person" (그런 사람) | Kim Young-sung | Kim Young-seong, Seo Jae-ha, Do-hoon | Han Dong-geun | 3:34 |
| 2. | "On a Secluded Road" (타이틀 외딴길에서) | Park Kang- il | Park Kang- il | Sondia, Kim Joon-Hwi | 3:53 |
| 3. | "My Day" (나의 하루) | Donnie J | Donnie J | Sondia | 4:08 |
| 4. | "Where Are You" | Safira.K(Psycho Tension) | Psycho Tension (DOO, Safira.K, Jeong Seongmin) | KATIE | 3:39 |
| 5. | "I remember this moment" (이 순간을 기억해요) | Noheul (노을) | Noheul (노을) | 고영배 of 소란 | 3:01 |
| 6. | "Under the Lonely Sky" (하늘 아래 그대와) | Hana | Tom Irang Jerry, Um Ki-yeop, Safira. | Huh Gak | 3:56 |
| 7. | "With You Under the Sky (English Ver.)" (하늘 아래 그대와 (English Ver.)) | 하나, Safira.k | Tom Irang Jerry, Um Ki-yeop, Safira. | Safira.K (사피라 K) | 3:55 |
| 8. | "When I Close My Eyes" | Choi Sol-ji (최솔지) | 3:05 | ||
| 9. | "Your undercover" | Park Mi-ji (박미지) | 2:24 | ||
| 10. | "Into the battlefield" | Ahn So-young (안소영), Hong Seung Hyun (홍승현) | 3:28 | ||
| 11. | "Dark Forces" | Park Min-ji (박민지) | 3:14 | ||
| 12. | "Untruth" | Ahn So-young (안소영), Hong Seung Hyun (홍승현) | 3:30 | ||
| 13. | "Sunrise" | Um Gi-yeop (엄기엽) | 4:26 | ||
| 14. | "Lonely Road" | Park Min-ji (박민지) | 4:25 | ||
| 15. | "A door without a memory" | Um Gi-yeop (엄기엽) | 2:37 | ||
| 16. | "The widow's cruse" | Um Gi-yeop (엄기엽) | 2:37 | ||
| 17. | "Successful Resolution (성공적해결)" | Roark, Park Kyu-seo (박규서) | 1:49 | ||
| 18. | "Clues to the Crime" | Eom Gi-hyun (엄기현) | 2:34 | ||
| 19. | "Traces of the Past" | Kim Tae-tin (김태진) | 2:47 | ||
| 20. | "Endless Run (끝없는질주)" | Roark, Park Kyu-seo (박규서) | 1:50 | ||
| 21. | "A Secret Agent" | Park Min-ji (박민지) | 2:42 |
Viewership
Undercover : South Korea viewers per episode (thousands)
Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by Nielsen Korea[32]
| Season | Episode number | Average | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | |||
| 1 | 763 | 816 | 583 | 736 | 627 | 903 | 628 | 862 | 773 | 988 | 793 | 818 | 847 | 916 | 769 | 1163 | 812 | |
| Ep. | Original broadcast date | Average audience share (Nielsen Korea)[32][33] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nationwide | Seoul | ||
| 1 | April 23, 2021 | 3.471% (7th) | 4.139% (5th) |
| 2 | April 24, 2021 | 3.785% (5th) | 4.866% (1st) |
| 3 | April 30, 2021 | 2.800% (NR) | 3.355% (9th) |
| 4 | May 1, 2021 | 3.367% (4th) | 4.283% (1st) |
| 5 | May 7, 2021 | 2.885% (NR) | 3.466% (6th) |
| 6 | May 8, 2021 | 4.243% (3rd) | 5.115% (1st) |
| 7 | May 14, 2021 | 3.041% (10th) | 3.963% (5th) |
| 8 | May 15, 2021 | 4.175% (5th) | 5.555% (2nd) |
| 9 | May 21, 2021 | 3.777% (6th) | 4.471% (4th) |
| 10 | May 22, 2021 | 4.187% (4th) | 4.939% (2nd) |
| 11 | May 28, 2021 | 3.768% (5th) | 4.503% (4th) |
| 12 | May 29, 2021 | 3.816% (5th) | 4.696% (2nd) |
| 13 | June 4, 2021 | 3.922% (5th) | 4.437% (5th) |
| 14 | June 5, 2021 | 4.517% (5th) | 5.279% (3rd) |
| 15 | June 11, 2021 | 3.916% (8th) | 4.645% (4th) |
| 16 | June 12, 2021 | 5.229% (4th) | 6.115% (2nd) |
| Average | 3.806% | 4.614% | |
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