Welcome to Samdal-ri () is a South Korean romantic comedy drama television series written by Kwon Hye-joo, directed by Cha Young-hoon, and starring Ji Chang-wook and Shin Hye-sun. It aired on JTBC on December 2, 2023 to January 21, 2024, every Saturday and Sunday at 22:30 (KST). It is also available for streaming on TVING in South Korea, and on Netflix in selected regions.
Synopsis Cho Yong-pil and Cho Sam-dal are childhood friends. After his mother, a member of the haenyeos, drowns because of a mistaken weather report, Yong-pil decides to become a weather forecaster to protect the elders of his Jeju Island hometown. However, his passion and refusal to let misinformation slide earns him a reputation as a stubborn troublemaker. On the other hand, Sam-dal moves to Seoul to pursue her dreams of becoming a successful fashion photographer, and goes by the name of Cho Eun-hye. But when her life suddenly falls apart, she returns to her hometown, where she reconnects with Yong-pil. Despite an incident that drove them apart, the two friends find their affection for each other still as strong as ever.
Cast Main Ji Chang-wook as Cho Yong-pil Choi Seung-hoon as teen Yong-pil Song Min-jae as young Yong-pil A weather forecaster at Jeju Island's Meteorological Administration. Shin Hye-sun as Cho Sam-dal / Cho Eun-hye Lee Joo-yeon as teen Sam-dal Lee Seol-a as young Sam-dal A photographer in the fashion industry under the stage name Cho Eun-hye.
Supporting Sam-dal's family Kim Mi-kyung as Go Mi-ja Chung Ye-jin as young Mi-ja Sam-dal's mother who is a leader of haenyeo. Seo Hyun-chul as Cho Pan-sik Lee Suk-hyeong as young Pan-sik Sam-dal's father who is a bus driver on Jeju Island. Shin Dong-mi as Cho Jin-dal Kim Ah-hyun as young Jin-dal Sam-dal's older sister who is a former flight attendant. Kang Mi-na as Cho Hae-dal Park Seol-ha as young Hae-dal Sam-dal's younger sister. Kim Do-eun as Cha Ha-yul Hae-dal's daughter.
Yong-pil's family Yu Oh-seong as Cho Sang-tae Yoo Hee-je as young Sang-tae Yong-pil's father who works as a contract worker in the civil affairs team. Jung Yoo-mi as Bu Mi-ja Oh Woo-ri as young Mi-ja Yong-pil's late mother.
Five Eagle Brothers Kang Young-seok as Boo Sang-do Sam-dal and Yong-pil's best friend who is a symbol of wealth in the village. He has had a crush on Sam-dal for a long time. Lee Jae-won as Wang Kyung-tae Sam-dal and Yong-pil's best friend who is a security guard at Jeju Island's Meteorological Administration. Bae Myung-jin as Cha Eun-woo Sam-dal and Yong-pil's best friend who is an observer at Jeju Island's Meteorological Administration.
People around the three sisters Yang Kyung-won as Jeon Dae-young Jin-dal's ex-husband and AS Group's CEO. Kang Gil-woo as Go Cheol-jong Dae-yeong's secretary. Kim Min-chul as Gong Ji-chan CEO of Dolphin Center, a Jeju southern bottlenose dolphin protection group.
People in Samdal-ri Baek Hyun-joo as Oh Geum-sul Kyung-tae's mother who is a haenyeo. Kim Mi-hwa as Yang Bu-ja Eun-woo's mother who is a haenyeo. Yoon Jin-seong as Jeon He-ja Sang-do's mother who is a haenyeo and owner of the best restaurant in Jeju. Kim Ja-young as Yang Geum-ok Yong-pil's maternal grandmother who suffer dementia. Yoo Sun-woong as Bu Dae-chun Yong-pil's maternal grandfather. Kim Hak-sun as Boo Dae-song Sang-do's father. Byun Jong-su as Wang Seong-gu Kyung-tae's father. Yoo Seung-il as Cha Man-deok Eun-woo's father. Sazal Mahamud as Kim Man-soo A foreign part-timer at Kyung-tae's Lucky Convenience Store.
Jeju Island's Meteorological Administration Lee Tae-hyung as Han Seok-gyu Yong-pil's superior who is a division manager of the forecast department. Kim Hyun-mok as Kang Baek-ho Yong-pil's colleague who is a forecaster of the forecast department.
People around Cho Eun-hye Jo Yun-seo as Bang Eun-ju 3moon Studio's assistant and an amateur photographer who makes up a false claim against Sam-dal that ruins her career and causes her to move back to her hometown. Han Eun-seong as Cheon Chung-gi Sam-dal's ex-boyfriend who is an editor of Magazine X. Kim Ah-young as Go Eun-bi 3moon Studio's assistants. Lee Do-hye as Yang Ji-eun 3moon Studio's assistants.
Special appearance Kim Tae-hee as Herself Kim Dae-gon as Reporter An Kang-hyun
Production Casting On June 19, 2023, Ji Chang-wook and Shin Hye-sun were confirmed to appear in the series.
Original soundtrack Soundtrack album The series' soundtrack album was released on February 2, 2024.
Welcome to Samdal-ri From CHO YONG PIL (2024 Remastering)
Singles
Reception Viewership
+ Average TV viewership ratings Original broadcast date Average audience share(Nielsen Korea)Nielsen Korea ratings:
Nationwide Seoul 1 December 2, 2023 2 December 3, 2023 5.276% 5.552% 3 December 9, 2023 5.324% 6.329% 4 December 10, 2023 6.509% 7.255% 5 December 16, 2023 6.689% 6.528% 6 December 17, 2023 8.295% 9.2% 7 December 23, 2023 6.382% 6.6% 8 December 24, 2023 7.913% 7.9% 9 December 30, 2023 8.109% 8.8% 10 December 31, 2023 8.227% 8.7% 11 January 6, 2024 7.282% 8.037% 12 January 7, 2024 9.788% 10.597% 13 January 13, 2024 9.324% 10.389% 14 January 14, 2024 10.068% 10.790% 15 January 20, 2024 10.365% 10.919% 16 January 21, 2024 Average In the table above, the represent the lowest ratings and the represent the highest ratings. This series aired 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).
Accolades Awards and nominations + 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 Baeksang Arts Awards 2024 Best Supporting Actress Shin Dong-mi Korean Drama Festival 2024 Best OST"Dream" (Taeyeon) Korea Grand Music Awards 2024 Best OST MAMA Awards 2024 Best OST Song of the Year Melon Music Awards 2024 Best OST APAN Star Awards 2024 Best OST Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries Ji Chang-wook Excellence Acting Award, Actor Seo Hyun-chul Best New Actress Kang Mi-na Best Child Actress Kim Do-eun Popularity Star Award, Actress Shin Hye-sun
Listicles + Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement Publisher Year Listicle Placement South China Morning Post 2024 The 15 best K-dramas of 2024
References
External links