JTBC's Saturday-Sunday Drama Kingderland is a drama about a story that takes place in VVIP Lounge Kingderland, a dream of hoteliers. Actors such as Lee Joon-ho, Lim Yoon-ah, and Ahn Se-ha appeared, and singers such as Gaho, Kim Ye-rim, and Jung Seung-hwan participated in the OST.
King The Land : The Prince of the King Group and the Angel of the King Hotel, their fateful encounter and love.
Basic drama information
- The title of the drama: King The Land
- Broadcasting companies – JTBC
- BROADCASTING PERIOD – JUNE 17 TO AUGUST 6, 2023
- Broadcast time – every Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 p.m.
- a total of 16 episodes
Character Introduction
King the Land is a drama aired on JTBC, which depicts the romance between King Group’s tycoon Gu Won (Lee Joon-ho) and King Hotel’s hotelier Cheon Sarang (Im Yoon-ah).
- Gu Won: the heir to the king group and the new head of the king hotel. He is a man who despises laughter and is interested in Chun Sa-rang.
- Cheon Sarang: Superior hotelier of the king hotel and employee of VVIP Lounge Kingderland. A laughable smile queen, falling in love with Gu Won.
- Kang Da-eul: Chun Sa-rang and Oh Pyeong-hwa’s friend and radio PD. Loving Noh Sang-sik, the secretary of Gu Won.
- Oh Pyung Hwa: a friend and comedian of Chun Sa-rang and Kang Da-eul. I am in a relationship with Koo Il-hoon, a friend of Gu Won.
- Noh Sang-sik: A secretary like a friend of Gu Won. He’s in love with Kang Da-eul.
- Koo Il-hoon: King Group Chairman and Father of Gu Won. I’m in a relationship with Oh Pyeonghwa.
Plot Summary
Gu Won (Lee Joon-ho), a man who despises laughter, is the successor of the King Group and the new head of the King Hotel. Smile Queen Cheon Sarang(Im Yoon-ah) is an excellent hotelier at the King Hotel and an employee of the VVIP Lounge Kingderland. The two meet in Kingderland and become interested in each other, but are drawn to the King Hotel inheritance war and experience the unknown world. In the process, you develop a romance that creates a day where you can smile brightly.
In addition, you can see the comical and warm stories of various characters such as Noh Sang-sik (Kim Min-kyu), the secretary of Gu Won, Kang Da-eul (Kim Bo-ra), Koo Il-hoon (Kim Sang-joong), and Oh Pyeong-hwa (Kim Hyun-joo).
The drama consists of 16 episodes + a special one, and was aired on JTBC. You can also stream it on Netflix and TVing.
Major Themes & Message
The drama is about laughter and love. Laughter is human nature and the driving force of life, and love is human emotion and meaning of life. The drama depicts the process of Cheon Sarang, who lost his laughter, and salvation who despises laughter, regaining laughter and love to each other. The drama shows what laughter and love mean and value in life.
OST Information
Singers such as Gaho, Kim Ye-rim, Jung Seung-hwan, Park Hye-won, Kim Woo-jin, Punch, and Min-seo participated in the drama OST. The OST brings out the emotional lines of the drama well. The list of OSTs is as follows.
Part 1. 가호 <Yellow Light>
Part 2. Kim Yerim (Lim Kim) <Confess To You>
Part 3. Jung Seung Hwan <I’ll reach you>
Review & Evaluation
Kingderland is a romantic comedy genre drama about love and friendship between the successors of the king group and the hotelier of the king hotel. The drama was evaluated as a fun and warm work that harmonized laughter and emotion well.
The advantages of the drama include the chemistry and acting skills of the main characters, the individuality and growth of various characters, and the fantasy elements shown through the unknown world. In particular, there were many opinions that the harmony between Lee Joon-ho and Lim Yoon-ah was very natural and cute. Also, the comic and touching performances of supporting actors such as Kim Min-kyu, Kim Bo-ra, Kim Sang-joong, and Kim Hyun-joo were impressive.
The shortcomings of the drama include familiar settings, childish scripts, and lack of logic in some scenes. Some viewers criticized the drama for being too predictable and unrealistic. Some also pointed out that the parts related to the unknown world were insufficient in explanation and poor in finishing.
Overall, the drama was ranked among the top JTBC dramas with an average viewer rating of 8.5%. It was also popular on Netflix and TVing.