MISAENG

(Hangul: 미생 - 아직 살아 있지 못한 자 - Ajik sala ittji mothan ja) is a 2014 South Korean television series based on the webtoon series of the same title by Yoon Tae-ho. It aired on tvN from October 17 to December 20, 2014 on Fridays and Saturdays at 20:30 for 20 episodes.

The title translates to "an incomplete life" (literally "not yet" (미) "birth" (생), meaning "not yet alive"). Misaeng was the first Korean drama to film on location in Jordan, where actors Yim Si-wan and Lee Sung-min shot the series's prologue in Amman, Petra, and Wadi Rum. Yim reprised his role as Misaeng's protagonist, which he played in an earlier film adaptation, Incomplete Life: Prequel (2013).

Misaeng became a cultural phenomenon and recorded high viewership ratings, with a peak of 8.4%, the all-time second highest for a cable network program in Korea.

Source material: Misaeng (manhwa)

With his webtoon, author Yoon Tae-ho drew an analogy between life in modern society and the game of baduk, a chess-like strategy board game. He also wrote vivid descriptions of the everyday life and struggles of Korean corporate culture as his flawed characters deal with the fierce competition for survival, interpersonal work relationships and office politics. Misaeng gained immense popularity among Korean white-collar workers in their twenties and thirties largely because its realism resonated with their experiences. It drew 1 billion hits when it was published on online portal Daum from September 2012 to October 2013, and the nine-volume paperback version sold 900,000 copies. It is now considered a must-read comic in the country.

Title: 미생 / Misaeng

Also known as: Incomplete Life

Tagline: 아직 살아 있지 못한 자 (Not yet alive)

Genre: Drama, Comedy, Slice of life

Episodes: 20

Broadcast network: tvN

Broadcast period: 2014-Oct-17 to 2014-Dec-20

Air time: Friday & Saturday 20:40 (ep 1-2), Friday & Saturday 20:30 (ep 3-)

Original Soundtrack: Misaeng OST

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Chief Producer: Lee Chan Ho (이찬호)

Producer: Lee Jae Moon (이재문), Ham Seung Hoon (함승훈)

Director: Kim Won Suk

Filming Director: Choi Sang Mook

Art Director: Lee Hang

Music Director: Kim Joon Suk

Original writing: Manhwa/Webtoon Misaeng by Yoon Tae Ho

Screenwriter: Jung Yoon Jung

CG Team: Cho Bong Joon, Kim Joo Sung

Drama Consultant: Choi Hoon Min

Sounds / Music Coordinator: Kim Young Ho (S Studio Mixing)

SYNOPSIS

Jang Geu Rae was once a baduk player since 7 year old but then gives up the path because of family circumstances. He was given a chance to become an employee of One International Company and because of his mother, he decided to start working there despite of having only G.E.D.qualification for the past 26 years. The drama follows the lives of ordinary salary men and details their struggles in the workplace.

Since he was a child, the board game baduk has been everything to Jang Geu-rae. But when he fails at achieving his dream of becoming a professional baduk player, Geu-rae must leave his isolated existence and enter the real world armed with nothing but a high school equivalency exam on his resume. Through an acquaintance's recommendation, he gets hired as an intern at One International, a large trading company.

There, Geu-rae meets his boss, manager Oh Sang-shik, who's a workaholic and has a warm personality; fellow intern Ahn Young-yi, who attracts her colleagues' ire because of her impressive educational credentials and by being extremely competent at any task; and Jang Baek-gi, a geeky co-worker whose anxious nature masks his inner ambition. Geu-rae learns to navigate and adapt to corporate culture, with baduk as his guide.

CAST

MAIN CAST

Im Si Wan as Jang Geu Rae (26, Sales Team 3)

Choi Ha Ho as teen Geu Rae

Kim Ye Joon as child Geu Rae

Lee Sung Min as Oh Sang Shik (43, Chief of Sales Team 3)

Bae Yoo Ram as younger Oh Sang Shik

Kang So Ra as Ahn Young Yi (26, Resource Team 2)

Kang Ha Neul as Jang Baek Ki (26, Steel Team)

Kim Dae Myung as Kim Dong Shik (32, Assistant Manager of Sales Team 3)

Byun Yo Han as Han Suk Yool (27, Fabric Team 1)

Lee Hyun Bin as child Suk Yool

Sales Department

Park Hae Joon as Chun Kwang Woong (37, Manager of Team 3)

Shin Eun Jung as Sun Ji Young (38, Deputy-head of Department / Chief of Team 2)

Kim Jong Soo as Kim Boo Ryun (48, Head of Department)

Ryu Tae Ho as Go Dong Ho (43, Chief of Team 2)

Park Jin Soo as Mr. Hwang (Assistant manager, Team 2)

Kim Ga Young as Jang Mi Ra (Team 2)

Kim Kyung Ryong as Lee Shin Tae (Head of Department, later)

Kim Won Hae as Park Young Ho (Chief of Team 3, later)

Resource Team

Son Jong Hak as Ma Bok Ryul (48, Head of Departement)

Jung Hee Tae as Jung Hee Suk (39, Chief of Team 2)

Kim Hee Won as Park Jong Shik (40, Chief of Team 3)

Jun Suk Ho as Ha Sung Joon (32, Assistant Manager of Team 2)

Shin Jae Hoon as Yoo Hyung Gi (30, Assistant Manager of Team 2)

Steel Team

Choi Young as Cha Jung Ho (40, Chief)

Oh Min Suk as Kang Hae Joon (30, Assistant Manager)

Park Jin Suh as Shin Da In (22)

Fabric Team

Jang Hyuk Jin as Moon Sang Pil (40, Chief of Team 1)

Tae In Ho as Sung Joon Shik (32, Assistant Manager of Team 1)

IT Sales Team

Kim Jung Hak as Lee Suk Joong (Chief)

Choi Gwi Hwa as Park Young Goo (35, Assistant Manager)

One International Company

Lee Kyung Young as Choi Young Hoo (52, Executive Director)

Nam Kyung Eup as One International CEO / President

Hwang Suk Jung as Kim Sun Joo (Head of Finance Department)

Song Young Kyu as Chief of Planning Team

Kwak In Joon as audit team leader

Jung Soo Young as Ms Kang (HQ's employee)

Han Gab Soo as Jordan branch manager

Choi Jae Woong as Jordan branch worker

Song Jae Ryong as Seo Jin Sang (China's factory manager)

Lee Joon Hyuk as employee (ep 1)

Kim Ki Bang as employee (ep 1)

Kim Min Chan as employee (ep 1)

One International Interns

Jo Hyun Shik as Kim Suk Ho

Yoon Jong Hoon as Lee Sang Hyun

Yeo Eui Joo as Jang Ki Suk

Kang Eui Shik as one of interns

Other ing Cast

Sung Byung Sook as Geu Rae's mother (50)

Nam Myung Ryul as Geu Rae's baduk teacher (40-50)

Song Young Jae as chief of baduk club

Lee Shi Won as Ha Jung Yun (28, kindergarten teacher)

Min Bok Gi as Kim Sang Hyup (46, former employee at One International)

Oh Yoon Hong as Oh Sang Shik's wife

Lee Seung Joon as Shin Woo Hyun from Sam Jung company

Seo Yoon Ah as Lee Eun Ji

Yoo Jae Myung as factory site worker

Oh Jung Se as husband of Mrs Lee from Chungsol

Jun Jin Gi as Young Yi's father

Lee Dal Hyung as Byun Hyung Chul (Oh Sang Sik's old friend)

Jung Ui Kap as Moon Chung Gi

Jung Suk Yong as Mr Hwang from corrupt company

Lee Go Eun as Park So Mi (Ms. Sun's daughter)

Cha Soon Bae as Director Choi

Ahn Sung Hoon as Mr. Oh's 1st son

Baek Kyung Min as Mr. Oh's 2nd son

Song Joon Hee as Oh Joon Woo (Mr. Oh's 3rd son)

Huh Jung Bum as Geurae's baduk opponent

Ha Jung Hoon (하정훈) as teen baduk friend

Jo Yong Jin (조용진) as neighbourhood kid

Lee Joon Ho (이준호) as neighbourhood kid

Hong Hyung Taek (홍형택) as neighbourhood kid

Choi Ji Min (최지민) as kindergarten kid

Cho Hun Hyun as himself

Lee Jong Rae

Maeng Bong Hak

Lee Ki Yeol

Notes

This drama is sequel of the 2013 omnibus mobile movie Misaeng: Prequel (미생 프리퀄)

It was the very first Korean film/drama scene shot in Jordan.

On October 24, 2014, tvN announced that the air time will change from 20:40 KST to 20:30 KST starting from ep 3, thus extending the program by 10 minutes.

This drama was mentioned in ep 1 of tvN's latest drama Signal

First script reading took place August, 2014 at CJ E&M Center in Sangam-dong, Seoul, South Korea.

Actors Siwan & Lee Sung-Min and about 50 staff travelled to Amman, Jordan on September 18, 2014 to shoot prologue scenes for drama series "Misaeng." They filmed scenes also in ancient Petra City, Wadi Rum and other areas of Jordan and returned to South Korea on September 24, 2014.  "Misaeng" was the first South Korean drama series to film on location in Jordan.

9th Cable TV Broadcasting Awards,

Grand Prize (Daesang) Misaeng

Star Award - Best Actor Yim Si-wan,

Kang Ha-neul

51st Baeksang Arts Awards

Best Drama Misaeng Nominated

Best Director (TV) Kim Won-seok

Best Actor (TV) Lee Sung-min

Best New Actor (TV) Yim Si-wan

Kim Dae-myung (Nominated)

10th Seoul International Drama Awards

Best Miniseries Misaeng

Best Director Kim Won-seok (Nominated)

8th Korea Drama Awards Best Drama Misaeng

Best Production Director Kim Won-seok (Nominated)

Best Screenplay Jung Yoon-jung (Nominated)

Top Excellence Award, Actor Yim Si-wan (Nominated)

Excellence Award, Actor Kim Dae-myung

Special Jury Prize Yim Si-wan

4th APAN Star Awards

Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries Lee Sung-min

Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries Yim Si-wan

Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries Kang So-ra (Nominated)

Best ing Actor Kim Dae-myung (Nominated)

Lee Geung-young

Best New Actor Byun Yo-han

Kang Ha-neul (Nominated)