Queen of Tears () is a 2024 South Korean romantic comedy television series written by Park Ji-eun, co-directed by and Kim Hee-won, and starring Kim Soo-hyun, Kim Ji-won, Park Sung-hoon, Kwak Dong-yeon, and Lee Joo-bin. The series explores the nuances of a married couple going through a difficult time together. It aired on tvN from March 9, to April 28, 2024, every Saturday and Sunday at 21:20 (KST). It is also available for streaming on TVING in South Korea, and on Netflix in selected regions.
According to Nielsen Korea, the series recorded a nationwide TV rating of 24.850% for its final episode and became the highest-rated tvN series, surpassing Crash Landing on You. In Netflix's biannual Engagement Report released in September 2024, Queen of Tears was the most-watched Korean television series of all time on Netflix, with 682.6 million hours viewed in total. Queen of Tears became the first Korean television series to win at both the Asian Academy Creative Awards and Asian Television Awards in the same year, receiving the Best Direction at the former and the Best Scriptwriting at the latter. The series also won the Best Drama award at the Korea Drama Awards and the Seoul International Drama Awards.
Plot The story revolves around Hong Hae-in – a third-generation chaebol heiress of the Queens Group – and Baek Hyun-woo, the son of farmers from Yongdu-ri. With the couple on the verge of divorce after three years of marriage, Hae-in was diagnosed with brain cancer one day, forcing them to confront their deep-seated issues and regain love towards each other. When Hae-in's health condition deteriorates, Hyun-woo is forced to confront his own selfishness and the mistakes he has made. Yoon Eun-sung, Hae-in's childhood friend who harbors a long-held love for her, comes to offer his support and care to Hae-in. As Hae-in fights her illness, the couple is forced to confront their past mistakes and understand their personality differences.
Cast and characters
Main Kim Soo-hyun as Baek Hyun-woo Moon Seong-hyun as teen Baek Hyun-woo Choi Yi-an as child Baek Hyun-woo Hae-in's husband and the legal director of Queens Group. Born in the rural area of Yongdu-ri, he is a lawyer who graduated from Seoul National University. Kim Ji-won as Hong Hae-in as teen Hong Hae-in Min Seo-hyung as child Hong Hae-in Hyun-woo's wife and the CEO of Queens Department Store. She is a third-generation chaebol heiress and granddaughter of the Queens family. Park Sung-hoon as Yoon Eun-sung / David Yoon Lee Joo-won as child Yoon Eun-sung Hae-in's university acquaintance. He is a former Wall Street analyst and M&A expert who returns to South Korea as a famous investor. Kwak Dong-yeon as Hong Soo-cheol Kim Joon-eui as child Hong Soo-cheol Hae-in's younger brother and the CEO of Queens Mart. Lee Joo-bin as Cheon Da-hye Choi Na-rin as child Cheon Da-hye Soo-cheol's wife.
Supporting Hae-in's family Kim Kap-soo as Hong Man-dae Hae-in's grandfather and the chairman of Queens Group. Lee Mi-sook as Moh Seul-hee Man-dae's live-in girlfriend. Jung Jin-young as Hong Beom-jun Hae-in's father and the vice-chairman of Queens Group. Na Young-hee as Kim Seon-hwa Hae-in's mother. Kim Jung-nan as Hong Beom-ja Hae-in's aunt. Goo Shi-woo as Hong Geon-u Soo-cheol and Da-hye's son. as Hong Beom-seok Hae-in's uncle and the former CEO of Queens Distribution. Ko Dong-ha as Hong Su-wan Hae-in's late elder brother.
Hyun-woo's family Jeon Bae-soo as Baek Du-gwan Hyun-woo's father and the head of Yongdu-ri. Hwang Young-hee as Jeon Bong-ae Hyun-woo's mother. as Baek Hyun-tae Hyun-woo's elder brother who runs a boxing gym. Jang Yoon-ju as Baek Mi-seon Hyun-woo's elder sister who runs a beauty salon. Kim Dong-ha as Baek Ho-yeol Hyun-tae's son.
Yongdu-ri Kim Young-min as Yong-song A selfless person similar to Oh Eun-young. Park Jung-pyo as Chun-sik Kang-mi's husband and Du-gwan's right-hand man. Shim Woo-sung as Park Seok-hoon President of Yongdu-ri Youth Association and Du-gwan's rival. Park Sung-yeon as Kang-mi Chun-sik's wife and a regular customer at Mi-seon's beauty salon. as Bang-sil Hyun-woo's childhood friend from church and a regular customer at Mi-seon's beauty salon. Lee Ji-hye as Hyun-jung A regular customer at Mi-seon's beauty salon. Kim Do-jin as a boxing student
Others Kim Joo-ryoung as Grace Ko / Ko Jeong-ja A private secretary who is in charge of the Queens family's affairs. Yoon Bo-mi as Na Chae-yeon Hae-in's secretary. as Kim Yang-ki A respected divorce lawyer. He is Hyun-woo's university friend and reliable supporter. as Kim Min-gyu Hyun-woo's secretary.
Extended Seo Sang-won as Park Jin-guk Hae-in's doctor. Shim Hye-rim as Kim Min-ji An employee at the Queens Department Store's cosmetics section. as Pyeon Seong-uk CEO of a real estate agency.
Special appearances Oh Jung-se as Lee Min-woo Hyun-woo's psychiatrist. Lee Hang-na as a prisoner Im Chul-soo as a private investigator Ko Kyu-pil as a private investigator Heo Tae-hee Seo Ye-hwa as Kim Ye-na CEO of Royal Department Store. Sebastian Roché as Liam Braun A German doctor. Dieter Hallervorden as a Sanssouci Park guard Song Joong-ki as Vincenzo Cassano Kim Shin-rok as Hyeon-suk Hyun-tae's wife. Hong Jin-kyung as private investigator Hong Owner of Hong Gil-dong Detective Agency. Jo Se-ho as private investigator Hong's right-hand man Nam Chang-hee as private investigator Hong's left-hand man
Production Development Screenwriter Park Ji-eun started preparing her new project entitled Queen of Tears about two years after finishing Crash Landing on You (2019–2020), which starred Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin. Lee Eung-bok, who has directed hit dramas like Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016–2017), Descendants of the Sun (2016), Mr. Sunshine (2018), and Sweet Home (2020–present), was reportedly in talks to join the team at that time.
Studio Dragon confirmed that the production of Queen of Tears would start in the first half of 2023, and the series was expected to be released in the second half of 2023. It is co-directed by , who worked on Crash Landing on You (2019–2020) and Bulgasal: Immortal Souls (2021–2022), and Kim Hee-won, who worked on Vincenzo (2021) and Little Women (2022). Aside from Studio Dragon, the series is also co-produced by Culture Depot and Showrunners.
The first script reading was conducted on March 30, 2023, near Sangam-dong, Mapo District, Seoul.
Initially estimated at over billion, the total budget of the series was billion, costing billion per episode.
Casting In April 2022, Park Ji-eun proposed the female lead role in her new project to Lee Ji-eun, but the offer was declined. Kim Soo-hyun received a proposal for the male lead role the next day.
The appearances of Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won were officially confirmed in December 2022. This is the third collaboration between Park and Kim Soo-hyun, after My Love from the Star (2013–2014) and The Producers (2015).
Park Sung-hoon, Kwak Dong-yeon, and Lee Joo-bin were cast in February and April 2023, respectively.
Filming Principal photography took place between April and December 2023, across various cities in South Korea and Germany.
Original soundtrack The soundtrack of the series, led by music director Nam Hye-seung and featuring artists BSS, 10cm, Heize, Crush, Hong Isaac, Kim Na-young, Paul Kim, Choi Yu-ree, , and Dori, was revealed on March 6, 2024. Zerobaseone's Kim Tae-rae also participated in the soundtrack, while the series' lead actor, Kim Soo-hyun, lent his voice for the first time in 10 years.
Album
Queen of Tears soundtrack album was released on April 30, 2024; it contains all of the singles and background tracks from the series.
Tracklist
Chart performance + Chart performance for Queen of Tears OST Chart (2024) Peakposition South Korean Albums (Circle) 9
Singles Singles included on the album were released from March 9 to April 27, 2024.OST Part 1–11:
A special single from the series, "Way Home" (), sung by Kim Soo-hyun, was released on April 29, 2024.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11
Special track
Chart performance + List of singles, showing year released, with selected chart positions and notes Title Year Peak chart positions Notes KORCirclePeak positions on the Circle Digital Chart: "Hold Me Back", "Love You With All My Heart" & "Way Home": "The Reason of My Smiles", "Can't Get Over You" & "Heart Flutter": "Last Chance" & "Promise": "Tell Me Its Not a Dream" & "From Bottom of My Heart": "Fallin'": KORSongsPeak positions on the South Korea Songs: "Love You With All My Heart": USWorldPeak positions on the World Digital Song Sales: "Love You With All My Heart": WWPeak positions on the Billboard Global 200: "Love You With All My Heart": "The Reason of My Smiles" 2024 93 — — — Part 1 "Tell Me It's Not a Dream" 100 — — — Part 2 "Hold Me Back" 46 — — — Part 3 "Love You With All My Heart" 6 8 4 184 Part 4 "Fallin'" 97 — — — Part 5 "Can't Get Over You" 51 — — — Part 6 "From Bottom of My Heart" 102 — — — Part 7 "Last Chance" 114 — — — Part 8 "Promise" 115 — — — Part 9 "Heart Flutter" 159 — — — Part 10 "More Than Enough" — — — — Part 11 "Way Home" 73 — — — Special "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that region.
Release Queen of Tears was originally part of tvN's 2023 drama lineup and was scheduled for broadcast in December 2023. However, it was moved to the first half of 2024, due to the changes in the network's Saturday–Sunday lineup. According to a Metro Seoul article, the series was rescheduled to air in March 2024. tvN confirmed the news after releasing its 2024 drama lineup. The series premiered on March 9, 2024, at 21:20 (KST). It is also available for streaming on TVING and Netflix.
Reception Critical response On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, of 6 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.2/10.
Forbes wrote that "many K-dramas end with 'happily ever after', but Queen of Tears starts that way", adding that the series "not only has a solid cast, but boasts a talented screenwriter and two directors with a track record of drama success". Tanu I. Raj of NME gave the series 4 out of 5 stars and described it as "a whirlwind office romance", which is "buoyant and decidedly comic". Geoffrey Bunting of Time described the first six episodes of the series as a "bucks convention, sending up familiar tropes of the genre for a truly unexpected viewing experience". Pierce Conran of South China Morning Post gave a score of 4/5, and wrote that "through 16 episodes threaded between tales of family woes, illness and corporate intrigue" and "Baek Hyun-woo and Hong Hae-in captured each other's hearts, as well as those of the audience at home". Joly Herman of Common Sense Media wrote that "courtesan restraint is definitely not on display in this production, which features dynasty infighting in a current setting with hints of past Korean dramas". Kate Sánchez of But Why Tho? gave a score of 9/10, and stated that "sometimes unwieldy but always entertaining" and "already leading the pack for best drama of the year".
Viewership According to Nielsen Korea, the series recorded a nationwide TV rating of 24.850% for its final episode and became the highest-rated tvN series, surpassing Crash Landing on You.