Difference between revisions of "Climax (Korean Drama)"

Latest revision as of 02:54, 21 April 2026

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Drama: Climax
Revised romanization: Climax
Hangul: 클라이맥스
Director: Lee Ji-Won
Writer: Lee Ji-Won
Network: ENA, Genie TV
Episodes: 10
Release Date: March 16 - April 14, 2026
Runtime: Monday & Tuesday 22:00
Language: Korean
Country: South Korea

Plot Synopsis by AsianWiki Staff ©

A fierce survival story ensues involving a prosecutor who joins a power cartel to rise to the top in Korea and the people around.

Bang Tae-Seob (Ju Ji-Hoon) married top actress Chu Sang-Ah (Ha Ji-Won). After their marriage, he became a star prosecutor. For Chu Sang-Ah, her career stalled and she is now viewed as a washed up actress. Hwang Jeong-Won (Nana) is a secret informant by Bang Tae-Seob's side. She holds the key to a Pandora's box, that will reveal the ugly side of the power cartel. Lee Yang-Mi (Cha Joo-Young) is the second wife of the chairman of the WR Group, which is Korea's third largest conglomerate. She competes with Kwon Jong-Uk (Oh Jung-Se), who is the eldest son of the WR Group, seeking to become the successor to the WR Group.

Notes

"Climax" takes over the ENA's Monday & Tuesday 22:00 time slot previously occupied by "Honour" and followed by "The Scarecrow" on April 20, 2026.

Cast



Ju Ji-Hoon	Ha Ji-Won	Nana	Cha Joo-Young	Oh Jung-Se
Bang Tae-Seob	Chu Sang-Ah	Hwang Jeong-Won	Lee Yang-Mi	Kwon Jong-Uk

WR Group Family



Kim Hong-Fa	Oh Jung-Se	Kim Si-On
Kwon Se-Myeong	Kwon Jong-Il	Kwon Hee-Jin

Lee Yang-Mi's Group



Oh Seung-Hoon	Woo Sung-Eun	Lee Chae-Kyung	Lee Jin-Sung
Choi Ji-Ho	Lee Yang-Mi's assistant	Shaman Moon	stylist (ep.5)

Entertainment Industry



Lee Ga-Sub	Han Dong-Hee	Seo Hyun-Woo	Lee Yoo-Joon	Lim Sung-Kyun
Park Jae-Sang	Han Ji-Soo	Oh Kwang-Jae	Eom Seung-Beom	Bae Yun-Seong



Kang Hee-Man	Kim Seong-Guk	Kim Han-Sol	Ko Kyoung-Hee	Jo Eun-Seo
CEO	Chu Sang-Ah's manager	CEO	Director Park Chi-Young	Stylist Mi-Soon

Hwang Jeong-Won's Group



Bae Youn-Kyu	Sung Il
Nam Woo-Sik	Hwang Jeong-Won's dad (ep.5)

Politicians



Joo Jin-Mo	Kim Hak-Sun	Moon Jung-Dae	Park Sung-Il	Yoon Sa-Bong
Son Guk-Won	Choi Hak-Sun	party leader	Aide Park Jae-Hyun	Nam Hye-Hoon



Lee Eun-Kyoung	Kwon Oh-Soo	Byun Joo-Hyun
Kwak Jung-Ja (ep.1)	Park Hong-Jip	Gu Hong-Seo

Bang Tae-Seob's Group



Park Sung-Yeon	Kim Si-Kook
Bang Tae-Sil	campaign staff

TG Trading

Kim Young-Min

CEO Jang

Prosecutors' Office



Yoo Jung-Ho	Lee Yoon-Jae	Kwon Hyuk	Sung Tae-Joon
prosecutor	Park Chang-Rae	prosecutor (ep.1)	prosecutor (ep.1)

WR Group



Kim Ji-Oh	Jeon Sang-Hyuk	Kim Jin-Goo	Lee Ja-Yeon	Lee Bum-Chan
Jo Chang Min (ep.4)	Kwon Jong-Wook	doctor	nurse	Jung Min-Soo (ep.1)

Others

Choi Eun-Ae

Park Jae-Sang's mom



Lee Dong-Kyu	Kwon Hee-Wook	Lee Ju-Mi	Kim Hee-Sang	Choi Seol
anchorman (ep.1,10)	gangster (ep.5)	store owner (ep.5)	reporter (ep.6)	detective (ep.6-7)



Keum Dong-Hyun	Hong Ju-Won	Lee Seung-Joo	Kim Kyu-Do	Son Sung-Chan
spectator (ep.7)	Reporter Hwang (ep.8-9)	detective (ep.9)	morgue staff (ep.9)	blackmailed chairman (ep.10)



Kim Joon-Hwan	Kim Sung-Yong
blackmailed man (ep.10)	News Director Lee Jae-Moon (ep.10)

Additional Cast Members:

Yoo Soo-Yang - Lee Yang-Mi's assistant
Kim Byoung-Nam - Sansugapsan restaurant owner
Amelie Tomas - London Times interviewer (ep.1)
Lee Yeon-Joo - anchorwoman (ep.2)
Heo Jin - reporter (ep.2)
Kim Sung-Joon - reporter (ep.2)
Joo In-Ae - reporter (ep.6)
Lee Ye-Ji - reporter (ep.6)
Jung Young-Do - speech moderator (ep.7-8)
Yoo Young-Bok - news panelist (ep.9)

Trailers

Episode Ratings

Date	Episode	AGB
Date	Episode	Nationwide	Seoul
2026-03-16	1	2.919%	2.762%
2026-03-17	2	3.834%	4.075%
2026-03-23	3	3.871%	3.994%
2026-03-24	4	3.520%	3.713%
2026-03-30	5	3.248%	3.288%
2026-03-31	6	3.462%	3.329%
2026-04-06	7	3.133%	3.105%
2026-04-07	8	2.875%	2.775%
2026-04-13	9	3.290%	3.001%
2026-04-14	10	3.920%	4.000%

Source: AGB Nielson

Comments

Un modeste admirateur Jun 05 2026 8:34 am «Climax» is ironically the most anticlimactic TV series. Long stares, unskippable dialogs, sometimes cut in several parts «To be continued…» I don’t understand how they managed to convince Ju Ji-Hoon and Ha Ji-Won to take part. Maybe with the promise that they will be depicting some of the struggles of stardom? Alas, nobody thought of the struggles of viewers who will be watching. Please watch other works from Ju Ji-Hoon and Ha Ji-Won before testing this one.

tay Apr 22 2026 12:00 pm this was a really cool watch!

Bsie Apr 22 2026 11:39 am Really one hell of a shit show. The casting was great but what’s the damn point if the director’s not going to use them properly. How do you cast Oh Jung Se and barely show him. He’s supposed to be lee yang mi’s contender for WR’s throne and after the CEO’s hospitalised he somehow disappears into thin air and only comes back in ep 10. And why is it like a humiliation ritual for Tae Seop and Sang Ah when they’re supposed to be the main characters. You can show how they’re people with grit and will do whatever it takes to survive without resorting to such disgust and lust just for the sake of drama. The plot had potential but in the end it amounted to barely anything. There was barely any character development especially when they just decided to skip timeline in ep 10. Literally there’s only 10 episodes and the writer/director didn't know how to maximise it. We keep seeing new side characters and side plots like the shaman, son Guk won, CEO Jang, lee yang mi’s ex, the report who has something against son Guk won and they all barely contributed to the plot. Yet we struggle to see the development between the leads and the villain. Sang Ah was a pain to watch because the writer constantly weakens her to the point she kept saying “we can’t win lee yang mi” “we should beg lee yang mi” when she literally has connections as seen in ep 10. She also survived oh Gwang Jae and has maintained ties with WR’s chairman. They should have let her use her cards and connections from the start instead giving us that park Jae sung manipulation plot. Adding on, she’s a victim in the hidden camera sex tape. Why the heck is she apologising and how does she not realise that she’s been drugged and set up?! Tae Seop is also crazy for asking her to apologise when she’s done nothing wrong. If it weren’t for the cast, I’d definitely drop the show early on

buff Apr 17 2026 5:11 am As a fan of Jujihoon, I can't accept Tae Seop's pathetic and pitiful character. The female lead chose another woman over him, I can't.

Jane Apr 16 2026 9:27 am A confusing story especially for us non korean.mix up the names and many intrics bla bla and too many party involve, it is only a city major. I prefer ju jin hoo's drama the trauma code, easy to understand the plot.sadly it is only 1 season, no more

MG Apr 15 2026 5:29 am Maybe the reason why I love this series too much cz it's almost 4 years that I did not watch any Korean series..And maybe I just love HJW so much that enjoy this one. Chang Ah character surprised to me that HJW take this role and It was a gift for me .it's been my dream that Korea has some WLW series on main stream and HJW doing it what a great surprise to me and I'm loving it

This is not for HJW fans Apr 14 2026 2:37 pm As one of the many who awaited her comeback, she yet again chose a script where her character is a meh. All the scenes where JJH , CJY or Nana were there , it was a fierce fiest but any scene where HJW is present it is just like someone said , a pain in the neck. You cannot root for her character or her dialogs. Not sure why the writer is so lazy on her parts and even the direction felt like it was trying to carve nothing out of her character. Oh well, but you ought to see JJH n CJY in their full glory in this.

gick Apr 14 2026 9:20 am Huge disappointment. The two male leads, who were expecting a love-filled scene, ended up with someone else. That's why chemistry of jjh and hjw was so lacking. They were more than strangers.

alia Apr 14 2026 7:57 am i hate chu sang ah. she’s really a pain in the ass :/

Chey Apr 13 2026 12:15 pm Oh no!!!!it's already the final episode tomorrow. I'll certainly miss this darn hot series!!! ? ?Everyone really stepped up their games.

@Hoha That is so true! These things happen in real life: in both politics and showbiz, no actually in all areas of our lives whether in the courtroom, hospital , school a drama what have yous.

hajeong Apr 12 2026 3:25 pm its a skip-a-thon for me. but ep 8 ending is exciting

ain Apr 10 2026 5:49 am The casting is strong, but the execution is disappointing. The build-up is there, but the climax lacks impact. It feels like something is missing in the storytelling and direction.

Dawit Apr 10 2026 3:18 am Potrait of betrayals in life. Chu Sang Ah betrayed Bang Tae Seob, being selfish person only cared about satisfying her own sex desire. Hwang Jeong Won as Chu Sang Ah sex partner also betrayed Bang Tae Seob. She should have known very well to.avoid any scandal while her husband tried very hard to climb up their social politics status. This drama is pretty disappointing, the plots did not build any surprise.

Dums Apr 09 2026 2:57 pm I honestly don’t know how to feel about this drama, maybe it’s poor directing or lack of chemistry, I’m just not feeling it, no suspense, no action, actors trying their best though but something feels off

les Apr 07 2026 8:54 am Tae Seop and Sang Ah never had s* ? that's too much lol

Hoha Mar 31 2026 9:11 pm Don't know who is cunning sang ah or tae seop. I think lack of chemistry is the need of the script between the leads since they are just worst minds. But i would have loved to see more chemistry between them. Quite a lot that is being shown is the truth of the showbiz

LBR Mar 25 2026 2:43 pm I loved haji won physical appearance with elegance! All casting having specific competitive role and submissions with great chemistry and highly valued. Great casting brings characters to life, making the story believable and engaging the audience. Haji Won recognizes with great talent and remembered for future opportunities! A great teamwork, a right mix personalities and effective casting for Korean drama Climax 2026. Please put captions in English!

kdramawatcher Mar 25 2026 8:19 am The direction is so bad. Many things can't be describe well, and no chemistry between the leads

Cody Mar 25 2026 8:05 am Worst series ever ?‍? can’t even finished to watch ep1.. why everything in this series is terrible.

iam Mar 20 2026 6:08 pm Hanji spent too much time away from work ..Art imitates life. Her character is trying not to become irrelevant . She should be the star and main character in the drama . i am watching mainly for her but so far i have not been excited to watch.

Dreamhigh Mar 19 2026 12:17 pm I was expected so high but it is bore so far

Keneuwe Mar 19 2026 3:18 am I loved the first 2 episodes. Their romance is so dark and I love it. Although I feel like he truly loves her but at the same time could be using her for his power. Also, I wonder what secrets is my girl hiding. One thing for sure, expect no happy ending here. Everyone is a villain and fighting for something. Sooo happy my Jiwon is backk ❤️

Jillibean Mar 08 2026 5:14 pm Great cast. I will definitely check it out. :)

Jane Mar 08 2026 3:21 am Can’t wait. So excited because of Hajiwon

Torian Mar 07 2026 11:10 pm From the cast alone, this looks promising. Can't wait for this to air!

Hana Feb 11 2026 7:53 pm finally on 16.3. the first ep will air!! Ju Jihoon is back ?

Selena Jung Jan 18 2026 12:35 pm Can't wait to watch this drama,so excited because Ju Jihoon Oppa

Key Jan 09 2026 2:59 am I wonder when it will be released? I've been seeing news about it for a while now, but there isn't even a poster :(

E. Dec 26 2025 6:49 am My favorites in same drama! And not just HJW and JJH. I like all of them :)

Janus Nov 30 2025 5:59 am Welcome back to dramaland noona

Joy Nov 28 2025 5:57 am I have loved Ha Ji Won ever since, and I also love Ju Ji Hoon. After finding out that they were going to have a drama together. Oh my, I was over the moon to hear that. Finally. Wish them both the best of luck. Can't wait.

External Links

Official Website

@@ Line 74: / Line 74: @@
 ===Entertainment Industry===
-{{CastPictures9
+{{CastPictures10
 |1picture=File:Climax-Lee Ga-Sub.jpg
 |1name=Lee Ga-Sub (1991){{!}}Lee Ga-Sub
@@ Line 102: / Line 102: @@
 |9name=Ko Kyoung-Hee (1983){{!}}Ko Kyoung-Hee
 |9charactername=Director Park Chi-Young
+|10picture=File:Climax-Jo Eun-Seo.jpeg
+|10name=Jo Eun-Seo (1999){{!}}Jo Eun-Seo
+|10charactername=Stylist Mi-Soon
 }}
@@ Line 160: / Line 163: @@
 ===Prosecutors' Office===
-{{CastPictures3
+{{CastPictures4
 |1picture=File:Climax-Yoo Jung-Ho.jpg
 |1name=Yoo Jung-Ho (1979){{!}}Yoo Jung-Ho
@@ Line 167: / Line 170: @@
 |2name=Lee Yoon-Jae (1972){{!}}Lee Yoon-Jae
 |2charactername=Park Chang-Rae
-|3picture=File:Climax-Sung Tae-Joon1.jpeg
+|3picture=File:Climax-Kwon Hyuk.jpg
-|3name=Sung Tae-Joon (1983){{!}}Sung Tae-Joon
+|3name=Kwon Hyuk (actor){{!}}Kwon Hyuk
 |3charactername=prosecutor (ep.1)
+|4picture=File:Climax-Sung Tae-Joon1.jpeg
+|4name=Sung Tae-Joon (1983){{!}}Sung Tae-Joon
+|4charactername=prosecutor (ep.1)
 }}
 ===WR Group===
-{{CastPictures4
+{{CastPictures5
 |1picture=File:Climax-Kim Ji-Oh01.jpg
 |1name=Kim Ji-Oh (1980){{!}}Kim Ji-Oh
@@ Line 186: / Line 192: @@
 |4name=Lee Ja-Yeon (1991){{!}}Lee Ja-Yeon
 |4charactername=nurse
+|5picture=File:Climax-Lee Bum-Chan1.jpeg
+|5name=Lee Bum-Chan (actor){{!}}Lee Bum-Chan
+|5charactername=Jung Min-Soo (ep.1)
 }}
@@ Line 194: / Line 203: @@
 |1charactername=Park Jae-Sang's mom
 }}
-{{CastPictures11
+{{CastPictures12
-|1picture=File:Climax-Jo Eun-Seo.jpeg
+|1picture=File:Climax-Lee Dong-Kyu.jpg
-|1name=Jo Eun-Seo (1999){{!}}Jo Eun-Seo
+|1name=Lee Dong-Kyu (1977){{!}}Lee Dong-Kyu
-|1charactername=Mi-Soon (ep.1)
+|1charactername=anchorman (ep.1,10)
-|2picture=File:Climax-Lee Bum-Chan1.jpeg
+|2picture=File:Climax-Kwon Hee-Wook.jpg
-|2name=Lee Bum-Chan (actor){{!}}Lee Bum-Chan
+|2name=Kwon Hee-Wook (1971){{!}}Kwon Hee-Wook
-|2charactername=Jung Min-Soo (ep.1)
+|2charactername=gangster (ep.5)
-|3picture=File:Climax-Lee Dong-Kyu.jpg
+|3picture=File:Climax-Lee Ju-Mi.jpg
-|3name=Lee Dong-Kyu (1977){{!}}Lee Dong-Kyu
+|3name=Lee Ju-Mi (1975){{!}}Lee Ju-Mi
-|3charactername=anchorman (ep.1,10)
+|3charactername=store owner (ep.5)
-|4picture=File:Climax-Kwon Hee-Wook.jpg
+|4picture=File:Climax-Kim Hee-Sang.jpeg
-|4name=Kwon Hee-Wook (1971){{!}}Kwon Hee-Wook
+|4name=Kim Hee-Sang
-|4charactername=gangster (ep.5)
+|4charactername=reporter (ep.6)
-|5picture=File:Climax-Lee Ju-Mi.jpg
+|5picture=File:Climax-Choi Seol.jpg
-|5name=Lee Ju-Mi (1975){{!}}Lee Ju-Mi
+|5name=Choi Seol (actor){{!}}Choi Seol
-|5charactername=store owner (ep.5)
+|5charactername=detective (ep.6-7)
-|6picture=File:Climax-Kim Hee-Sang.jpeg
+|6picture=File:Climax-Keum Dong-Hyun1.jpg
-|6name=Kim Hee-Sang
+|6name=Keum Dong-Hyun
-|6charactername=reporter (ep.6)
+|6charactername=spectator (ep.7)
-|7picture=File:Climax-Choi Seol.jpg
+|7picture=File:Climax-Hong Ju-Won.jpg
-|7name=Choi Seol (actor){{!}}Choi Seol
+|7name=Hong Ju-Won (1987){{!}}Hong Ju-Won
-|7charactername=detective (ep.6-7)
+|7charactername=Reporter Hwang (ep.8-9)
-|8picture=File:Climax-Keum Dong-Hyun1.jpg
+|8picture=File:Climax-Lee Seung-Joo.jpg
-|8name=Keum Dong-Hyun
+|8name=Lee Seung-Joo (1982){{!}}Lee Seung-Joo
-|8charactername=spectator (ep.7)
+|8charactername=detective (ep.9)
-|9picture=File:Climax-Hong Ju-Won.jpg
+|9picture=File:Climax-Kim Kyu-Do.jpg
-|9name=Hong Ju-Won (1987){{!}}Hong Ju-Won
+|9name=Kim Kyu-Do (actor){{!}}Kim Kyu-Do
-|9charactername=Reporter Hwang (ep.8-9)
+|9charactername=morgue staff (ep.9)
-|10picture=File:Climax-Lee Seung-Joo.jpg
+|10picture=File:Climax-Son Sung-Chan.jpg
-|10name=Lee Seung-Joo (1982){{!}}Lee Seung-Joo
+|10name=Son Sung-Chan (1965){{!}}Son Sung-Chan
-|10charactername=detective (ep.9)
+|10charactername=blackmailed chairman (ep.10)
-|11picture=File:Climax-Kim Kyu-Do.jpg
+|11picture=File:Climax-Kim Joon-Hwan.jpg
-|11name=Kim Kyu-Do (actor){{!}}Kim Kyu-Do
+|11name=Kim Joon-Hwan (1972){{!}}Kim Joon-Hwan
-|11charactername=morgue staff (ep.9)
+|11charactername=blackmailed man (ep.10)
+|12picture=File:Climax-Kim Sung-Yong.jpg
+|12name=Kim Sung-Yong (actor){{!}}Kim Sung-Yong
+|12charactername=News Director Lee Jae-Moon (ep.10)
 }}
 '''Additional Cast Members:'''
-* [[Kwon Hyuk (actor)|Kwon Hyuk]] - prosecutor
 * [[Yoo Soo-Yang (1992)|Yoo Soo-Yang]] - Lee Yang-Mi's assistant
 * [[Kim Byoung-Nam (1975)|Kim Byoung-Nam]] - Sansugapsan restaurant owner
@@ Line 270: / Line 281: @@
 | 2026-04-07 || 8 || 2.875% || 2.775%
 |-align=center
-| 2026-04-13 || 9 || - || -
+| 2026-04-13 || 9 || 3.290% || 3.001%
 |-align=center
-| 2026-04-14 || 10 || - || -
+| 2026-04-14 || 10 || 3.920% || 4.000%
 |}

Difference between revisions of "Climax (Korean Drama)"

Latest revision as of 02:54, 21 April 2026

Contents

User Rating

Profile

Plot Synopsis by AsianWiki Staff ©

Notes

Cast

WR Group Family

Lee Yang-Mi's Group

Entertainment Industry

Hwang Jeong-Won's Group

Politicians

Bang Tae-Seob's Group

TG Trading

Prosecutors' Office

WR Group

Others

Trailers

Episode Ratings

Comments

Leave a Comment

Comments

External Links