The Empire (Korean Drama)

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Drama: The Empire
Revised romanization: The Empire: Bupeui Jeguk
Hangul: 디 엠파이어 : 법의 제국
Director: Yoo Hyun-Ki
Writer: Oh Ga-Gyu
Network: JTBC
Episodes: 16
Release Date: September 24 - November 13, 2022
Runtime: Saturday & Sunday 22:30
Language: Korean
Country: South Korea

Plot Synopsis by AsianWiki Staff ©

A family has accumulated vast wealth and power through the law. They face ruin because of scandals.

Han Hye-Ryool (Kim Sun-A) and her family come from a law background. She works as the chief of a special investigation team at the Central District Prosecutors’ Office. Her husband Na Geun-Woo (Ahn Jae-Wook) and her mother Ham Gwang-Jeon (Lee Mi-Sook) both work as law school professors. Her father Han Gun-Do (Song Young-Chang) works as a lawyer for the biggest law firm in South Korea.

Han Hye-Ryool carries out her job as a prosecutor in an excellent manner, but people denigrate her work because of her family's prestigious background. She wants to break free from her family ties and satisfy her own desires. Meanwhile, her husband Na Geun-Woo has been mentioned as a possible presidential candidate. He seems to have achieved everything he wants and is a good person, but people don't know who he really is. Han Hye-Ryool's mother Ham Gwang-Jeon and her father Han Gun-Do also use the law as tools to make more money and protect their status.

Notes

"The Empire" takes over the JTBC's Saturday & Sunday 22:30 time slot previously occupied by "The Good Detective 2" and followed by "Reborn Rich" on November 18, 2022.

Cast

Han Hye-Ryool's Family



Kim Sun-A	Ahn Jae-Wook
Han Hye-Ryool	Na Geun-Woo



Lee Mi-Sook	Song Young-Chang	Shin Goo	Oh Hyun-Kyung
Ham Gwang-Jeon	Han Gun-Do	Ham Min-Heon	Lee Ae-Heon



Kwon Ji-Woo	Kim Jung	Choi Jung-Woon
Han Gang-Baek	Han Mu-Ryul	Han Gang-Ye

Minkook University Law School



Joo Se-Bin	Jung Jae-Oh	Lee Ga-Eun	Bang Joo-Hwan	Kwon So-Yi
Hong Nan-Hee	Jung Kyung-Yoon	Jang Ji-Yi	Yoo Hyun	Lee A-Jung



Kim Young-Woong	Kim Kyun-Ha	Seo Kwang-Jae	Seo Jung-Bin
Hwang Yong-Ji	Yoon Gu-Ryeong	Security Staff Yoon Jung-Gun (ep.10)	student (ep.10)

Prosecutors' Office



Lee Moon-Sik	Kim Hyung-Mook	Han Joon-Woo	Kwon Oh-Kyung	Min Sang-Woo
Jang Il	Go Won-Gyung	Oh Sung-Hyun	investigator	Prosecutor Go Won-Gyung's staff



Seon Yool-Woo	Lee Chan-Hee
staff (ep.1)	staff (ep.13)

Police



Park Jin-Woo	Woo Ji-Hyun	Lee Seung-Hyeong	Kwak Seung-Nam	Lee Jang-Won
Ji Gu-Won	Wang Joong-Jin	Seo Jung-Hoon	intelligence division officer (ep.3)	detective (ep.15)

Christmas Fund



Kim Won-Hae	Han Seung-Do	Moon Ho-Jin
Dolphin	board member	board member

Blue House



Choi Jung-Woo	Moon Seung-Bae
Presidential Secretary Ahn	Mr. Jung (ep.4)

Media



Lim Se-Mi	Park Cheol-Ho	Park Hye-Young	Oh Seung-Chan	Kim Ga-Ran
SBC Reporter Yoon Eun-Mi	MBS Director Yoon Sung-Gyu	reporter	reporter	news program host (ep.7)



Kim Young-Pyo	Kim Mi-Ji	Jin Si-Won
SBC staff (ep.10)	SBC staff (ep.10)	reporter (ep.11-12)

Ham & Lee Law Firm



Tae In-Ho	Kim Mi-Hye
Nam Su-Hyeok	secretary

Jusung



Kim Ho	Min Eung-Sik	Kang Sung-Ho	Kim Shin-Yul	Jung Hwee-Wook
vice-chairman (ep.2)	CEO (ep.12)	executive (ep.12)	executive (ep.12)	Jung Tae-Eul (ep.16)

Han Hye-Ryool's Family's Staff



Park Hyun-Suk	Jeon Young-Mi	Jo Ji-Hyun	Jung Ji-Soon
Ms. Yang	Senior Mi-Ja	Younger Mi-Ja	Chef Kim

Kim Yang-Sun Murder Case



Hwang Mi-Na	Nam Myung-Ryul	Ha Dong-Joon	Kim Sang-Wook	Lim Hyo-Jin
Kim Yang-Sun (ep.8-9)	Yoo Ye-Hoo (ep.8)	prosecutor (ep.8)	associate judge (ep.8)	associate judge (ep.8)

Hongyeon Engineering



Kim Hak-Sun	Byun Jin-Soo
Hong Nan-Hee's father (ep.8)	employee (ep.8)

Ham Sook-Ja's Group



Ban Hyo-Jung	Kwon Hyuk-Sung
Ham Sook-Ja	Ham Sook-Ja's assistant

Childhood Days



Shim Hye-Yeon	Kim Si-Woo
Han Hye-Ryool (child) (ep.2)	Han Gang-Baek (child)

Others

Lee Sang-Hee

Park Hong-Gyu



Ko Gun-Han	Ko Kyung-Man	Kim Ji-Su	Park Seung-Tae	Ma Jung-Pil
event moderator (ep.1)	interrogated man (ep.1)	jewelry store staff (ep.2)	plaintiff (ep.2)	restaurant staff (ep.4)



Im Yu-Ran	Yoon Hyo-Sik	Kim Tae-Moon	Park Kyu-Beom	Jeon Min-Hyub
news program panelist (ep.5)	Prison Guard Lee (ep.5)	plaintiff group (ep.7)	mock trial judge (ep.8)	Human Rights Commission staff (ep.8)



Hwang Jung-Min	Seo Yi-Sook	Lee Dal	Jung Yong-Ju	Yoo Min-Joo
prisoner (ep.9)	Jang Il's wife (ep.10-11)	vlogger (ep.11-12)	vlogger (ep.11)	vlogger (ep.11)



Lee Ki-Bbeum	Kim Byeong-Ki	Lee Sang-Eun	Han Ji-Won	Lee Chae-Yoon
vlogger (ep.11)	priest (ep.13)	jeweler (ep.13)	Park Ji-Seon (ep.15-16)	Park Hong-Gyu's wife (ep.15)



Moon Hyeong-Cheol	Lee Sung-Il	Son Seon-Geun
prisoner (ep.15)	prison officer (ep.16)	judge (ep.16)

Additional Cast Members:

Sa Hye-Jin - guide staff (ep.1)

Trailers

Episode Ratings

Date	Episode	AGB
Date	Episode	Nationwide	Seoul
2022-09-24	1	2.399%	2.542%
2022-09-25	2	3.003%	3.401%
2022-10-01	3	1.885%	2.042%
2022-10-02	4	3.414%	3.150%
2022-10-08	5	2.120%	2.195%
2022-10-09	6	3.883%	3.859%
2022-10-15	7	2.146%	1.803%
2022-10-16	8	2.917%	2.750%
2022-10-22	9	1.695%	1.562%
2022-10-23	10	3.062%	2.757%
2022-10-29	11	1.844%	-
2022-11-05	12	1.573%	-
2022-11-06	13	2.844%	2.702%
2022-11-12	14	2.115%	-
2022-11-13	15	2.811%	2.445%
2022-11-13	16	4.036%	3.725%

Source: AGB Nielson

Comments

Kristine Mar 27 2023 2:00 pm Found it a little preachy. Not entirely sure how the professor going on about how he is a feminist is supposed to help anyone get an answer right on the bar exam. I understood all the posturing at length about rights of criminals was meant to contrast with great grandma’s experience, however all the preachiness was a bit annoying did Korea jump on the woke band wagon? If only the student with sensory issues could be on adderal like the excluded student that only Ham Hee was nice to. What do ADHD students in Korea do? I think what boggled my mind was reporter told the prosecutor about Nam Hee talking to her father with a threat to reveal and actually send the photo of him and the three other men to her text that night. She never really told the detectives that. Why was a guy with a dead cat more suspicious to her than the rich powerful guy Nam Hee threatened to expose? Nam Hee and Great grandma awesome characters and acted well. The rest should have perished in a building collapse at the end of the series. Typical Korea, out in a year.

Kristine Mar 21 2023 7:23 am Sf, a little late. You asked about who ‘great grandma’ was working with. It’s was Ham Min Heon’s eldest but illegitimate daughter Ham Sook Ja. We saw a scene where grandpa was telling her aunt that she would be the one to take the fall and go to prison for something she didn’t do. Or maybe to get her out of the way? While in prison she met Lee Ae-Heon. Also in prison wrongly by the the same man.. who was judge in her trial. She is really Kim Yang Sun. The murder case episode 8. Nam Hee, great grandma and prison aunty are my favorites. The challenged student acted his roll well. Those poor detectives. The only real hole is who sent the kid and the English speaking aunt the photos of the professor and Nam Hee in the car. If they figured that out they would have figured it all out. Marriage in Korea is complicated. The only thing that matters legally is to register the marriage. Takes 5 minutes. The ceremonies can be done before after or never. Great grandpa was married to great gram but only in ceremony.

skawngurrr Mar 19 2023 11:18 pm the comments here don't understand the series. why are u hating nan hee? ofc she just uses the prof just to get power. she wants to get access to the camera in that house. It's okay to cheat for revenge if she is oh yoon hee ( penthouse mc) but if shes not a main lead, you're gonna hate her?

you didnt see how kind nan hee is? she accept every wholeheartedly (the pwd and homosexual) without judging them.

stop hating nan hee bcz she just want justice to her father

Kristine Mar 17 2023 9:04 pm Joo Se Bin deserves and award for the performance.

Kristine Mar 17 2023 9:03 pm So no Justice for the young woman’s family, the factory or their workers? Do they forget plot elements? Otherwise good. Liked the great aunts revenge. The meal time Grace was entertaining.

Ant Jan 30 2023 2:59 am OMG I hate Nan Hee I really don't give a shit if the family wronged her because of what?! And her revenge is having bad sex with the prosecutor's husband!! Seriously wtf is that even??! Did her character have to be so pathetic and stupid to that point, I mean come on! Anyway I love Kim Sun_A one of the greatest Korean actresses in the world but this story is a drag!

lrt Jan 08 2023 5:52 pm ...to many dramas to waste my time on this. Lost me after the first episode because of a preachy singing daughter/mother WHY? ...uncomfortable no chemistry sexual cheating scenes and very baaaaad english. WHY?... Don't include showing off how you can speak a foreign language unless it's done perfectly. Disappointed to see a few of my favourite actors in this trainwreck start of badly written script.

Christine t Dec 29 2022 1:47 am The story gets better towards the end. So many unnecessary sub plots and scenes. But all the actors are great. Nan Hee is so effective I am still mad at her. Hye Ryul is the queen! The mom and the dad and the sister were also great. If only they made the story more cohesive and more focused it would have been better. I am so happy to watch Kim sun ah acting again.

Zeila Dec 03 2022 11:47 am We were made to jump through hoops, deal with the flashbacks (some of which you could not figure out were flashbacks at the time), unnecessary deaths, useless characters (Jusung wife), all leading to one of the worst endings in K-drama history. Only bright spots: Kim Sun Ah, Kwon Ji Woo (son), Han Joon Woo (prosecutor). Kim Kyun-Ha was incredible as the mentally challenged student. I look forward to seeing more of them.

Marathon24 Nov 18 2022 10:45 am Well, after finishing all episodes, I would say that the story is quite interesting, although the plot is a bit confusing in the beginning. It started to get more exciting during the last four or five episodes. Although I'm not quite happy with the ending.

CS Nov 16 2022 9:22 pm I just love Kim SunA. Her come back role is superb tho the story is not the best. Hope to see more of her in other Kdrama series/movies.

sf Nov 14 2022 2:28 am Hong Nan-Hee was not just impertinent but stupid too. She showed Nam Su-Hyeok a mobile phone, and he showed her a metal pipe. The winner was the metal pipe. Maybe I lost the sequences, but I have a query: who was Lee Ae-Heon's complicit?

Totallytwisted Nov 12 2022 11:29 pm OK grandson is out, step dad is off the hook.

        Does it matter who killed the angry student???????

Cotton Nov 05 2022 7:51 am Very confusing plot. But getting interesting after ep8 when Nan Hee's motive was revealed. Should get better from ep 9 onwards.

Bimil Nov 02 2022 8:40 pm I’m confused about Han Gunda (in ep 11) he is father of Han Hye Rool and Han Mu Ryul but why is he pitting his daughters like that, Like OMG Why?? No wonder those sibling hate each other. Mom is on Han Hye Rool side and father is on Han Mu Ryul side, whatta bad parenting, lol. All of characters in this drama are annoying but so far the most annoying is Lee Sami, the reporter, that annoying news seeker, she just wants the jackpot for her career. Idk maybe in the next ep there will be past correlation between her and Han/Ham family like Hong Nan He (revenge motivation).

Heyyy Nov 01 2022 7:12 pm The storyline is all over the place, it's a bit confusing.

Norma Oct 30 2022 3:36 pm The reason this drama have a low rating is because it’s all over the place inspite of lots of them are good actors.But slowly I like watching it

miesh26 Oct 23 2022 3:19 am I guess Kang Baek who killed Nan Hee ? but it's because Nan Hee gave him an order to do so ... so everyone who afraid and doesn't like her will feel relieved and Kang Baek will take a revenge for Nan Hee. just a random guess ?

sf Oct 23 2022 1:29 am Hong Nan-Hee was too impertinent. I am glad that she is out of the picture.

SorryT Oct 22 2022 6:27 pm Hong Nan-Hee is finally out of the drama.....Not surprised, who killed her???

TDS Oct 16 2022 1:19 pm Marathon24@Han Gang-Baek should know his step father mistress. Except he plainly put Stupid!!!!

    He can be a fantastic Poor writer......and recap his family hypocrisy.

Marathon24 Oct 15 2022 6:36 pm Another the World of the Married, with law background. The mistress is so beautiful, but somehow I want the female lead to slap her in eps 5 and 6, LOL. She is so out of the line by going after the son after the father dumped her, then comes as an uninvited guest in the family dinner. I never like any mistress character, especially when they are tricky like Hong Nan Hee. But I despise the cheating husband more.

Kang Baek should know that Hong Nan Hee was the woman his step father has an affair with. Case closed.

sf Oct 15 2022 4:57 pm Han Gang-Baek is as weak as his father is. Hong Nanhee attitude would have brought her death in other dramas confronting such a wealthy family. Maybe because the entire family is linked with the law life, they are more reserved to act drastically.

TDS Oct 15 2022 3:38 pm Right now this Law Drama makes no sense that a student can and does impact a wealthy family.

     Men and woman have affairs, but Na Geun-Woo should Divorce the oversex creeping husband????? Let her son know his new girlfriend goes with his step Dad??????
         Case resolved

Lee Oct 13 2022 10:02 am Finished ep.5 and frankly, I'm wondering why the male lead(AJW) is there? He's like a squeaky mouse in front of his wife but gets fooled into a sexual relationship with a dorai ( crazy person in Korean) who is his student, who is so 'smart' going up against the entire Ham family. The Ham family is portrayed as a bunch of hypocrites , sprouting biblical verses daily. IMO, I wish the scriptwriter hasn't put this religion aspect in the storyline though. The role of Hong Nanhee is explicitly unlikeable and super annoying, so much so that I'm rooting for the Ham family to get rid of her, Completely regardless of the reason behind her revenge.

TDS Oct 10 2022 9:16 pm I just reviewed eps 6 where the nutjob is rubbing her foot against Han Hye-Ryool, so she thinks the lead character is a lesbian???? How sick is this student 1st the husband, Step son, and Mother....

Fighting that the Student gets put in Jail!!!!!

TDS Oct 09 2022 8:30 am Ahn Jae-Wook the actor is a weak choice for the character in this drama agreed. However, the actor playing the son is also weak as well.

Fighting it is difficult to play the outsider in the family.........

j. kang Oct 08 2022 8:38 pm I love complicated law and political plots like The Empire. Kim Sun ah is an amazing actress. I've seen almost all of her shows. She is a very versatile actress. I think all of the other players in this drama are well selected. It's great to see familiar faces. Senior actors are to be revered and enjoyed. To me, the main actor is a weak choice.

TDS Oct 08 2022 4:00 pm Character Hong Nan-Hee goes with the Step father and crossover to the Son. In the meantime, she Hacks the family computer system.

Drama called The Empire, but should be Named "Family of Fools."

Winnie Oct 08 2022 1:04 pm In Ep 5, oh my goodness that the student (Hong Nan Hee) now switched to Han Gan Baek! and she addressed Han Hye Ryook as mother in law!

oh no! Han Hye Ryool inserted the card disc given by Hong Nan Hee into her laptop.

jona Oct 04 2022 6:43 am i love the line when she said if i let you have him will you be able to handle him ....i mean perfect just perfect there is no coming back from that

TDS Oct 02 2022 6:31 pm Great Character Han Hye-Ryool, she knew about the cheating, and let him dig his own grave with the nut case????

   Wondering why she let Hong Nan-Hee play with her computer?????

Mirabel Oct 02 2022 4:31 pm It's an interesting plot here, am getting hooked on the show, waiting to. See how they handle the lying and cheating husband,, Fingers crossed ?

Calvin Sep 27 2022 6:20 pm Did she know hes cheating n intentionally bought sme dress he bought fr mistress

marjri Sep 27 2022 10:38 am Kim Sun Ah is so cool here... i like how sweet she is to his cheater husband ...back hugs makes me kilig lolz

Hello Sep 27 2022 12:54 am I'm surprised that Lee Mi Sook is playing as Kim Sun Ah's mother here. She looks like KSA's older sister, or sis-in-law.. the fact that they have only 13 or 14 years age gap. Also, I thought she's the manager of the house (ha ha ha) when she's supervising everyone preparing breakfast for the family in episode 1, that's why I was surprised when KSA called her 'Mom'.

Clara Sep 26 2022 3:28 pm @Yay hes not bad but true bae soo bin and lee tae gon OMG those men would have been crazy befitting here. I think their studrnt teacher affair relationship isnt a big deal in terms of how they fell in love, hes a philanderer and shes an opportunist gold digger so its just a hookup relationship which are quite common in real world, there is no love there actually its hidden sex and her getting gifts and help in exchange thats what i gathered.

Yay Sep 26 2022 11:40 am The ML has no charisma or maybe he's not fit for this kind of role.. when I watched the first 2 episodes, I asked myself 'how Hye Ryung and that Nan Hee student fell in love with his character?'

Sorry for his fans here, I know he's a Great actor, but I guess Bae Soo Bin is fit for the ML role, or maybe Kim Seung Soo or Lee Tae Gon. ^_^

Confused Sep 26 2022 11:10 am So sorry.. after watching episode 2, I'm still confused about the plot of this drama. I don't understand what they're talking about — investigation about Jusung, Christmas Fund and the de@d people found in Episode 2... I'm confused. The story is mixed up and focuses more on ML's affair with his student.

granged Sep 26 2022 9:40 am ATleast he was caught early so they do not have to over stretch the affair ...they should focus on other aspects

Doee Sep 26 2022 12:28 am Ew the dad cheating with his student. He’s old enough to be her dad or grandpa…kdramas need to stop with this type of plot. It’s too predictable…

Poopoo Sep 25 2022 6:33 pm Does anyone die in that family? Its 4th generation going on. Hate sex and all that affair nonsense why korean dramas dont stop this cheating and poorlybfilmed sex scenes now it started from world of married and now its a millionth drama on this. Having said that i am interested in the central theme of the show and liking the sets too. So i will give it few more episodes actually ep 1 wasnt bad also. If it goes boring then iwill drop but for now law part is done interstingly.

Hey jessie Sep 25 2022 2:54 pm Same plot in every kdraMa…..rich wife, poor husband trying to take over, husband cheating with young mistress…mistress take revenge on wife….husband dont want to divorce wife because he still need her to keep the family together etc…..nothing new here

TDS Sep 25 2022 1:12 pm Got it the drama about money, power, and someone killing people over a Christmas Fund??? Han Hye-Ryool has a trophy husband and does see his infidelity. Private failure???? Just wondering the son is gay?????

Hmmm Sep 24 2022 7:26 pm Why is almost every drama in Korea now about lawyers? The dramas are practically interchangeable.

Sten Sep 24 2022 1:38 pm It's good, actors are great of course, perfect adult drama so far.

Jhnl Sep 20 2022 6:08 am Where I can watch this kdrama? I love scandalous series.

Cheng Siew Sep 04 2022 11:52 am Yay!! My favourite Kim Su Nah is finally back!!! Can’t wait (jumping fir joy)!!!

Tianoor Aug 26 2022 9:39 pm Cant wait!!! Missing ksa so much

SunA Aug 25 2022 8:54 am Rooting for Kim Sun A ??? Her most anticipated comeback!❤️❤️ Excited to see what this drama can offer to the viewers.Since Kim Sun A is there, it will definitely exceed my expectations.Can’t wait for the drama to start.??

Apple Aug 24 2022 10:50 pm Kim Sun Ah!! ʘ‿ʘ

External Links

Official Website

The Empire (Korean Drama)

Contents

User Rating

Profile

Plot Synopsis by AsianWiki Staff ©

Notes

Cast

Han Hye-Ryool's Family

Minkook University Law School

Prosecutors' Office

Police

Christmas Fund

Blue House

Media

Ham & Lee Law Firm

Jusung

Han Hye-Ryool's Family's Staff

Kim Yang-Sun Murder Case

Hongyeon Engineering

Ham Sook-Ja's Group

Childhood Days

Others

Trailers

Episode Ratings

Comments

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