Snowdrop () is a South Korean television series starring Jung Hae-in, Jisoo, Yoo In-na, Jang Seung-jo, Yoon Se-ah, Kim Hye-yoon and Jung Yoo-jin. It aired on JTBC from December 18, 2021, to January 30, 2022, every Saturday and Sunday at 22:30 (KST) for 16 episodes.

Synopsis Snowdrop takes place in 1987, a pivotal year in South Korean history that included the June 1987 Democracy Movement, a mass protest movement with the purpose of forcing the dictatorship in South Korea to hold fair elections, and the resulting December 1987 democratic elections, which led to the end of the authoritarian Fifth Republic of Korea and the establishment of the democratic Sixth Republic of Korea.

Snowdrop is set in November and December 1987. Lim Soo-ho (Jung Hae-in) plays a graduate student who is found covered in blood by Eun Yeong-ro (Jisoo), a female university student who hides him from the government in her dorm room. However, it is revealed that Soo-ho is not who he appears to be. Against the backdrop of political upheaval, the pair's story unfolds and the two develop a romantic relationship.

Cast and characters Main Jung Hae-in as Lim Soo-ho (27 years old), formerly named Ri Tae-san, alias Lim Soo-hyeok. He is a North Korean agent with a mission assigned in South Korea. He lives as a graduate student preparing for a master's thesis in the Department of Economics at the University of Berlin. He fell in love with Yeong-ro at first sight. Jisoo as Eun Yeong-ro (20 years old), a freshman at Hosu Women's University in the English Literature Department and daughter of Eun Chang-su who is the director of the ANSP. She fell in love with Soo-ho at first sight. Yoo In-na as Kang Cheong-A / Kim Eun-Hye (34 years old), a charismatic and skilled surgeon at a university hospital. She is later revealed to be a North Korean spy. Jang Seung-jo as Lee Gang-mu (36 years old), the leader of Team One in the Anti-Communist Investigation Bureau, Agency for National Security Planning (ANSP), who seeks to arrest Soo-ho over the death of his colleague. He gets taken hostage by Soo-ho afterward. Yoon Se-ah as Pi Seung-hee (43 years old), the housemistress of Hosu Women's University dormitory. Kim Hye-yoon as Gye Bun-ok (24 years old), a phone operator at Hosu Women's University dormitory, who could not go to college due to financial issues. She was friends with Yeong-ro but became enemies after accusing her to be the cause of the hostage situation. Jung Yoo-jin as Jang Han-na (32 years old), an impulsive, but passionate ANSP agent, who is Gang-mu's junior and fiancée who was left behind six years ago.

Supporting People around Lim Soo-ho Kim Min-kyu as Joo Gyeok-chan, a North Korean agent, who is prone to violence. Jang In-sub as Lee Eung-cheol, a North Korean agent, who is trusting and friendly towards Soo-ho. Heo Nam-jun as Oh Gwang-tae, a friend of Lim Soo-ho and a university student who likes Seol-hui. Jeon Moo-song as Lim Ji-rok, the Head of United Front Dept., DPRK and Soo-ho's adoptive father, who adopted both Soo-ho and his sister Soo-hui from a coal mine. Jung Ae-ri as Choi Soo-ryeon, the Deputy Director of Ministry of State Security, DPRK.

People around Eun Yeong-ro Huh Joon-ho as Eun Chang-su, the Director of the ANSP and Yeong-ro's father. He truly cares for Yeong-ro despite their strained relationship. Kim Jung-nan as Hong Ae-ra, a former film actress, Eun Chang-su's wife and Yeong-ro's stepmother, who has a poor relationship with Yeong-ro.

People around Kang Cheong-ya Park Sung-woong as Nam Tae-il, He is the Secretary-General of the Aemin Party and former Director of the ANSP. Ariane Desgagnés-Leclerc as Gong Gil-soon, a longtime friend of Kang Cheong-ya posing as ABK Partners fund manager Linda Young. Jung Hye-young as Cho Seong-sim, daughter of a four-star general and Nam Tae-il's wife.

People around Hosu Women's Dormitory Jung Shin-hye as Ko Hye-ryeong, a fourth-year student in the Department of Vocal Music and Yeong-ro's dormmate. Her birth name was Ko Hye-ja before she legally changed her name. Kim Mi-soo as Yeo Jeong-min, a fourth-year History major student and Yeong-ro's dormmate, who joined the democratic protests against the authoritarian government. Choi Hee-jin as Yoon Seol-hui, a freshman in the Department of Home Management and Yeong-ro's dormmate. She pretends to be a daughter of a rich family when her parents are actually poor. Jung Yi-seo as Shin Gyeong-ja, the president of the Dormitory Student Council who frequently sleep walks. Ahn Dong-goo as Choi Byung-tae, a military academy cadet who likes Hye-ryeong. Kim Jong-soo as Kim Man-dong, a facility manager at Hosu Women's University. Kim Jeong-hoon as Kim Sang-beom, Man-dong's son, who has a gambling addiction. Nam Mi-jung as Oh Deok-shim, a chef at Hosu Women's University. Park Soo-ryun as a student of Hosu Women's University

People around Lee Gang-mu and Jang Han-na Lee Hwa-ryong as Ahn Gyeong-hui, the Chief of the Anti-Communist Investigation Bureau (ANSP), who is later promoted to the Chief of the Office of Planning and Coordination (OPC). Baek Ji-won as Choi Mi-hye, a fashion designer and Ahn Gyeong-hui's wife. Jang Tae-min as Choi Hui-jun, Eun Chang-su's secretary. Moon Yoo-kang as Seung-jun, a member of the ANSP team. Choi Kyung-hoon as Oh Dong-jae, a member of the ANSP team. Choi Yoon-je as a member of the ANSP team.

Others Park Ye-ni as Kim Ye-ni, a secretary at 'Charmant'. Kwon Han-sol as Han-na Lee Joo-ahn as Jun-pyo, the son of the President of South Korea. Kang Moon-kyung as Park Moo-yeol, a presidential candidate and member of Aemin Party.

Cameos Lee Jung-hyun as Park Geum-cheol, a North Korean agent and Soo-ho's colleague, who committed suicide upon his arrest by Gang-mu. (Episode 1–2, 12) Song Geon-hee as Eun Yeong-u, Yeong-ro's brother, was forcibly sent into the military by his father after his involvement in the democratic protests was discovered. (Episode 2, 5, 6, 8) Chae Won-bin as Lim Soo-hui, Soo-ho's younger sister. (Episode 2, 10) Yum Jung-ah as Song Hye-joo, the former housemother of Hosu Women's University dormitory. She was believed to have committed suicide. (Episode 16)

Episodes

Production Development Written by Yoo Hyun-mi and directed by Jo Hyun-tak, Snowdrop is their second collaboration after having worked together on the hit satirical thriller Sky Castle (2018–19). Based on the memoirs of a man who escaped a political prison camp in North Korea, Yoo Hyun-mi had been planning the series for twelve years. The early working title of the series was Ehwa Woman's University Dormitory ().

Casting On June 18, 2020, media reported that Kim Hye-yoon, who was propelled to fame after starring in Sky Castle, was in talks to star in the series; her agency confirmed that she was reviewing the offer. On August 18, reports of Jisoo being cast as one of the lead actresses for the series surfaced. It was confirmed later that day by Jisoo's agency, YG Entertainment. On August 24, Kim Hye-yoon was confirmed to co-star alongside Jisoo and it was reported that Jung Hae-in had received an offer but was still reviewing it. Jang Seung-jo officially joined the cast on August 26, followed by Jung Yoo-jin on September 17 and Yoon Se-ah on September 18. On October 5, 2020, the main cast and details on the characters were confirmed by JTBC. Yoo In-na officially joined the cast on December 28.

Filming On November 24, 2020, JTBC announced that filming for Snowdrop was temporarily halted after a supporting actor came into close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. The following day, JTBC confirmed that filming would resume after all cast and crew members tested negative for the virus. Filming was completed in late July 2021.

Original soundtrack

The following is the official track list of Snowdrop (Original Television Soundtrack) album. Singles included on the album were released from December 18, 2021, to January 22, 2022.

Reception Critical response Pierce Conran of the South China Morning Post awarded the series a 1 out of 5 stars rating, describing it as a "clumsy political thriller" and a major disappointment. Conran criticized the "static" nature of the plot, noting that the narrative became trapped in a "repetitive cycle" once the hostage crisis began in the university dormitory. He took issue with the show's "jarring" tonal shifts and its "insensitive" handling of the 1987 pro-democracy movement, specifically pointing out that the attempt to humanize national security agents and North Korean spies felt "ill-judged" given the historical context. Furthermore, he stated that despite the casting of Jisoo and Jung Hae-in, their performances were stifled by a script that prioritized "melodramatic tropes" over meaningful character development.

Rhian Daly of NME rated the series 3 out of 5 stars, defining it as an "ambitious but flawed tale of star-crossed lovers." Although the review noted the drama's strong initial premise, it criticized the "convoluted storytelling" and a significant lack of narrative focus, stating that the series became "overly extended" and "tedious" as it progressed. Daly concluded that the plot struggled to sustain its "emotional stakes" through the 16-episode run, ultimately hampered by a repetitive central conflict.

Viewership Television

+ Average TV viewership ratings Original broadcast date Average audience share(Nielsen Korea)Nielsen Korea ratings:

Nielsen Korea ratings for Nationwide via Daum: Nationwide Seoul 1 December 18, 2021 2.985% 3.235% 2 December 19, 2021 3 December 24, 2021 1.853% rowspan="4" 4 December 25, 2021 5 December 26, 2021 2.751% 6 January 1, 2022 1.912% 7 January 2, 2022 3.252% 3.491% 8 January 8, 2022 2.584% 9 January 9, 2022 3.064% 3.362% 10 January 15, 2022 2.571% 11 January 16, 2022 3.017% 3.127% 12 January 22, 2022 2.521% 2.805% 13 January 23, 2022 2.798% 2.851% 14 January 29, 2022 2.749% 3.180% 15 January 30, 2022 2.773% 2.734% 16 3.393% 3.438% Average In the table above, the represent the lowest published ratings and the represent the highest published ratings. This drama airs on a cable channel/pay TV which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (KBS, SBS, MBC and EBS). N/A denotes ratings information that was not released. Episode 3-5 were aired from December 24 to 26, 2021, earlier than originally scheduled, with the stated intention of alleviating concerns voiced by viewers.

Streaming The episodes of Snowdrop were released weekly on Disney+ in Asia-Pacific regions simultaneously with the television airings. On January 4, NME reported that Snowdrop was ranked first among the most-watched series on Disney+ in Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. In Japan, the program was the third most-watched series on the streaming platform, behind Hawkeye and The Book of Boba Fett. The series later premiered on February 9, 2022, on Disney+ in the United States, Canada and Europe while in Latin America it was released on Star+ and on Hotstar in India. The series also premiered in the Philippines on November 17, 2022, when Disney+ launched in the country.

Accolades + Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination Award ceremony Year Category Nominee / Work Result Acervo Awards 2022 Best Actress in a Series Jisoo DDU Awards 2022 Best New Actress Seoul International Drama Awards 2022 Outstanding Korean Actress

Controversy Pre-release