Jewel in the Palace

Jewel in the Palace
Promotional poster
Also known asDae Jang Geum
Hangul
대장금
Hanja
大長今
Literal meaningThe Great Jang-geum
Revised RomanizationDae Jang-geum
McCune–ReischauerTae Changkŭm
GenreHistorical Medicine
Written byKim Young-hyun
Directed byLee Byung-hoon
Starring
Opening theme"Changryong"
Ending theme"Onara"
Country of originSouth Korea
Original languageKorean
No. of episodes54
Production
Executive producerJo Joong-hyun
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time60 minutes
Production companyMBC self-production
BudgetUS$15 million
Original release
NetworkMunhwa Broadcasting Corporation
ReleaseSeptember 15, 2003 (2003-09-15) –
March 23, 2004 (2004-03-23)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)
Logo of the show in Hanja
The film set of the royal kitchen, as part of the Dae Jang Geum Theme Park

Jewel in the Palace (Korean대장금; RRDae Jang-geum) is a 2003 South Korean historical drama television series directed by Lee Byung-hoon. It first aired on MBC from September 15, 2003, to March 23, 2004, where it was the top program with an average viewership rating of 45.8% and a peak of 57.1%[1] (making it the 10th highest rated Korean drama of all time). Produced for US$15 million, it was later exported to 91 countries and has earned US$103.4 million worldwide, being known as one of the primary proponents of the Korean Wave by heightening the spread of Korean culture abroad.[2][3][4]

Starring Lee Young-ae in the title role, it tells the tale of an orphaned kitchen cook who went on to become the King's first female physician. In a time when women held little influence in society, young apprentice cook Jang-geum strives to learn the secrets of Korean cooking and medicine to cure the King of his various ailments. It is based on the true story of Jang-geum, the first female royal physician of the Joseon Dynasty. The main themes are her perseverance and the portrayal of traditional Korean culture, including Korean royal court cuisine and traditional medicine.[5]

  1. ^ 장, 회정. "가장 기다려지는 여배우 이영애, '대장금 2'로 컴백 임박?". Lady Kyunghyang. Archived from the original on September 5, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Koreatimes2014-01-08 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference return was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Hua, Vanessa (August 31, 2005). "Japanese soaps cleaning up". Asia Times. Archived from the original on October 28, 2005.
  5. ^ "10 Years On, Lee Young-ae Looks Back at Jewel in the Palace". The Chosun Ilbo. September 14, 2013. Archived from the original on October 14, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2014.