The Scandal () is a 2013 South Korean television series starring Kim Jaewon, Jo Yoon-hee, Cho Jae-hyun, Park Sang-min, Shin Eun-kyung, Ki Tae-young, Kim Hye-ri, and Kim Gyu-ri. It aired on MBC from June 29 to October 27, 2013, on Saturdays and Sundays at 21:45 for 36 episodes. This drama commemorated Seoul Olympics' 25th anniversary.
Plot Detective Ha Eun-joong uncovers a shocking secret: Ha Myung-geun, the man he believed to be his father, had actually kidnapped him as a child. Myung-geun had lost his own son in a building collapse and, as revenge against Jang Tae-ha—the man responsible for the tragedy—he abducted Tae-ha's son and raised him as his own. In the aftermath of his revenge, Eun-joong searches for the truth and becomes caught between his two fathers and the woman he loves, Woo Ah-mi.
Cast
Main characters Kim Jaewon as Ha Eun-joong Jung Yoon-seok as 8-year-old Ha Eun-joong Kim Hwi-soo as 5-year-old Ha Eun-joong Detective at Gangnam police station. He became a detective to try to understand his father, an ex-detective, better. Why did his dad quit the force in 1988? What happened to him that he became a construction foreman? Why did he adopt him but never fully accept him as his son? One day, he begins investigating the death of Gong Ki-chan, a construction worker, and becomes entangled with the Jang family and the dead man's fiancée, Woo Ah-mi.
Cho Jae-hyun as Ha Myung-geun He is a loving father to Ha Eun-joong and Ha Soo-young. But he is also Ha Eun-joong's kidnapper. His wife died while giving birth to Soo-young and that left him caring for his two kids all by himself. Jang Tae-ha, chairman of Taeha Construction firm, was responsible for the shoddy construction of a building that collapsed, killing Myung-geun's son. When Tae-ha falsifies evidence to escape prosecution and doesn't show any remorse for the collapse, Myung-geun kidnapped Jang's son to get revenge. A few years later, filled with regret and his conscience eating at him, he decides to take Eun-joong back to his real family. Outside the house, he sees that they already have a son, the fake Eun-joong. He goes home with Eun-joong, and finally his heart is free to love him and raise him as his own.
Park Sang-min as Jang Tae-ha Chairman of Taeha conglomerate and one of the wealthiest individuals in Korea. He is the father of Jang Eun-joong and Jang Joo-ha. Stylish and trendy, he has a fiery temper when crossed.
Shin Eun-kyung as Yoon Hwa-young Tae-ha's estranged wife, a rational and cool-headed lawyer and head of her own firm. She was devastated when her son Eun-joong was abducted. To prevent Tae-ha from divorcing her and marrying his mistress Joo-ran, she adopted a boy from an orphanage and passed him off as Tae-ha's son Jang Eun-joong. But all these years, she is still searching for her real son.
Jo Yoon-hee as Woo Ah-mi She owns a lunch stand where many people preparing for the state police exams take cram courses. She wanted to become a prosecutor but soon realized that she could never pass the bar exam. Following the death of her husband and unborn daughter caused by Tae-ha, Myung-geun takes her in as he feels like it is his fault. She is determined to find justice for her husband, and along the way she begins to find out shocking secrets and develops feelings for Ha Eun-joong. She's honest, thoughtful, measured in her behavior, well-balanced and simple-minded. She cries a lot, talks a lot, gives loves and has a quick temper.
Ki Tae-young as Jang Eun-joong Jung Joon-won as 8-year-old Jang Eun-joong Tae-ha and Hwa-young's son, he is a lawyer and becomes Ha Eun-joong's rival.
Kim Hye-ri as Go Joo-ran Tae-ha's mistress. She is determined to get rid of Tae-ha's wife and their son, Eun-joong, to get her position in Tae-ha's household and for her daughter's sake in Tae-ha's company.
Kim Gyu-ri as Jang Joo-ha Jo Min-ah as young Jang Joo-ha Tae-ha and Joo-ran's daughter; she is a career woman who works for her father's company.
Supporting characters Jo Han-chul as Shin Kang-ho Choi Cheol-ho as Kang Joo-pil Ahn Suk-hwan as Jo Chi-gook Han Groo as Ha Soo-young Lee Ye-sun as young Ha Soo-young Myung-geun's daughter, Ha Eun-joong's sister.
Park Jung-chul as Jo Jin-woong Jin Ju-hyung as Detective Goo Park Min-woo as hacker Batman Jo Hwi-joon as Ha Gun-young Kim Hyun as Go Joo-ran's aide Choi Yong-min as Taeha Construction worker Jung Ho-keun as Taeha Construction worker Jung Kyu-soo as section head Song Jae-moon Hong Jae-sung as Detective Lee Yang Jin-woo as Gong Ki-chan Ah-mi's fiancé and father of their then-unborn child. Ki-chan was Myung-geun's protege and working as a construction worker. He discovers anomalies in the project and confronts Jang Tae-ha. He ends up dead on his supposed wedding day. Hong Yeo-jin as Ki-chan's mother Kim Hae-gon as inspection team leader Han Ki-won as Kim Joong-hyuk Choi Hee-seo as Secretary Moon
Production The series is the third collaboration between screenwriter Bae Yoo-mi and director Kim Jin-man after Country Princess (2003) and Love Truly (2006).
Ratings In the table below, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings. Episode #Original broadcast date Average audience shareTNmS RatingsAGB NielsenNationwideSeoul National Capital AreaNationwideSeoul National Capital Area12013/06/2915.8%18.7%16.4%17.7%22013/06/3014.4%16.6%14.4%16.2%32013/07/0616.0%18.2%14.9%16.1%42013/07/0713.6%14.3%13.9%14.7%52013/07/1316.6%19.4%16.3%17.8%62013/07/1414.2%16.9%14.1%15.5%72013/07/2014.8%16.1%15.5%17.1%82013/07/2114.8% 16.1%15.5%17.3%92013/07/2716.2%18.2%14.9%15.9%102013/07/2814.5%15.7%15.8%18.0%112013/08/0314.6%16.2%14.3%15.5%122013/08/0413.7%15.5%13.2%14.5%132013/08/1014.1%17.7%15.8%17.8%142013/08/1114.5%16.8%14.4%16.2%152013/08/1713.8%15.7%16.5%18.2%162013/08/1814.4%16.8%15.1%17.4%172013/08/2415.1%16.6%17.2%19.6%182013/08/2515.2%17.4%16.5%18.4%192013/08/3115.9%18.2%16.5%18.3%202013/09/0114.0%16.2%15.9%17.7%212013/09/0716.6%18.0% 18.2%19.6%222013/09/0815.4%17.2%16.5%17.8%232013/09/1416.7%20.1%17.3%18.0%242013/09/1516.0% 18.7%18.0%19.2%252013/09/2116.8%18.3%16.6%18.4%262013/09/2219.0%17.4%18.8%272013/09/2815.0%17.2%14.9%16.5%282013/09/2915.7%17.2%16.1%17.8%292013/10/0514.3%16.5%15.4%17.9%302013/10/0614.0%15.9%15.5%17.1%312013/10/1212.1%14.4%13.0%14.4%322013/10/1313.5%14.6%14.5%15.8%332013/10/1914.3%16.9%15.7%17.5%342013/10/2013.8%15.4%17.1%18.8%352013/10/2614.7%16.6%14.7%16.0%362013/10/2715.3%16.5%17.5%19.2%Average14.9%16.9%15.7%17.3%
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Recipient Result 2013 21st Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards Top Excellence Award, Actor in Drama Park Sang-min Top Excellence Award, Actress in Drama Shin Eun-kyung 26th Grimae Awards Daesang (Grand Prize) Jung Seung-woo, Kim Seon-cheol Best Director Kim Jin-man Best Actor Cho Jae-hyun MBC Drama Awards Drama of the Year The Scandal Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Special Project Drama Cho Jae-hyun Kim Jaewon Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Special Project Drama Shin Eun-kyung Excellence Award, Actor in a Special Project Drama Park Sang-min Excellence Award, Actress in a Special Project Drama Jo Yoon-hee Kim Gyu-ri Golden Acting Award, Actor Cho Jae-hyun 2014 50th Baeksang Arts Awards Most Popular Actor (TV) Kim Jaewon 9th Seoul International Drama Awards Outstanding Korean Drama The Scandal Outstanding Korean Actor Kim Jaewon Outstanding Korean Drama OST Last Love of My Life - The Position Draw You Out - Ulala Session
References
External links
The Scandal at MBC Global Media