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Jewel in the Palace (대장금): Plot, Characters and Cast

Jewel in the Palace (대장금, Dae Jang-geum) is a sageuk, a historical drama about cooking and medicine, that MBC aired from 2003 to 2004. It runs 54 episodes, written by Kim Young-hyun and directed by Lee Byung-hoon. It hit a peak rating of 57.1% in Korea and was exported to some 91 countries. Here you have the plot, characters, cast and each one's Saju.

Cast: Lee Young-ae, Ji Jin-hee, Yang Mi-kyung, Kyeon Mi-ri, Hong Ri-na
MBC: 2003–2004 · 54 episodes

Official video

Official video by 엠비드 on YouTube. It only loads if you press play.

Plot (no spoilers)

The story takes place at the 16th-century Joseon court. Jang-geum is a girl who loses her parents and, determined to make her way, enters the royal kitchen as an apprentice. It's a world of strict hierarchies, old rivalries and flavors that can open or close doors.

Her guide is Lady Han, the head cook, strict but caring, who becomes her mentor. Together they must face the powerful Choi faction: Lady Choi, a high-ranking court lady who knows how to pull the strings, and Choi Geum-young, a talented apprentice from the same family who becomes Jang-geum's great rival. The palace cooking contests are the battlefield, and every dish is a test of skill and character.

In the middle of all this, Min Jeong-ho, an upright military officer, quietly supports and protects Jang-geum. But palace intrigue ends up taking everything from her and sends her into exile. Far from the kitchen, Jang-geum finds a new path: she studies medicine with the goal of rising again on her own merits. It's a story of hard work, injustice and a talent that refuses to give up.

Characters and their Saju

乙

Seo Jang-geum 서장금

Lee Young-ae · Yin Wood · The Climbing Vine

Jang-geum is an orphaned girl with enormous determination. She enters the royal kitchen as an apprentice and, although she is small in that world of hierarchies, she won't be beaten. Her tenacity always pushes her one step beyond what others expect of her.

If Jang-geum had a Saju card, it would be Yin Wood · The Climbing Vine: she starts at the bottom, clings to every crack and climbs, climbs, climbs. You can cut her back, but she sprouts again somewhere else, always toward the light.

甲

Min Jeong-ho 민정호

Ji Jin-hee · Yang Wood · The Great Tree

Min Jeong-ho is a military officer of integrity and firm principles. Quietly, he supports and protects Jang-geum in a palace full of dangers. He doesn't seek the spotlight; his way of caring is to be there when needed, without asking for anything in return or expecting recognition.

If Jeong-ho had a Saju card, it would be Yang Wood · The Great Tree: upright, steady and with generous shade. He doesn't budge even when the winds of the court blow, and under his branches Jang-geum always finds shelter.

己

Lady Han (Han Baek-young) 한상궁 (한백영)

Yang Mi-kyung · Yin Earth · The Garden

Lady Han, whose name is Han Baek-young, is the palace's head cook. She is strict and demanding, but behind that discipline is genuine affection. She becomes Jang-geum's mentor, and her example lights the young woman's way both at the stove and beyond it.

If Lady Han had a Saju card, it would be Yin Earth · The Garden: fertile, demanding soil that lets no weeds grow. She corrects, prunes and nourishes, because she knows a good harvest needs discipline as much as affection.

庚

Lady Choi 최상궁

Kyeon Mi-ri · Yang Metal · The Sword

Lady Choi is a high-ranking court lady, born into a powerful royal kitchen family. She is cunning, calculating and capable of any maneuver to keep her clan on top. From where she stands, Jang-geum and Lady Han are a threat that must be contained.

If Lady Choi had a Saju card, it would be Yang Metal · The Sword: sharp, strategic and always on guard. She can cut through any obstacle, but in Saju, metal with no water or wood nearby can end up very alone in its own shine.

辛

Choi Geum-young 최금영

Hong Ri-na · Yin Metal · The Jewel

Geum-young is a talented apprentice from the influential Choi family. She has skill to spare in the kitchen and carries the weight of a powerful family name on her shoulders. From the start, Jang-geum is her most direct rival, and that competition defines them both.

If Geum-young had a Saju card, it would be Yin Metal · The Jewel: talented, polished and raised to shine. A jewel like that is always comparing itself to others, and her big lesson is to value her light without measuring it against anyone.

And what would your Saju be? Find out free with your birth date.

Why so many people fell for it

Jewel in the Palace won hearts with a heroine who gets up again and again through talent and hard work. Cooking, medicine and palace intrigue make its 54 episodes fly by. In Latin America it was dubbed in Mexico and aired on public channels such as TV Perú (2008-2009), TV Mexiquense (2009), Costa Rica's Canal 13 and Colombia's Canal Capital. It cost about 15 million dollars and grossed more than 100 million worldwide.

Facts

Written by Kim Young-hyun and directed by Lee Byung-hoon.
It has 54 episodes, the longest on this list.
It hit a peak rating of 57.1% in South Korea.
It was exported to some 91 countries.

Ending (spoilers)

Show the ending

Spoiler: Jang-geum becomes the king's first female royal physician. After the monarch's death, she and Min Jeong-ho decide to leave the palace and start a life together outside, where she keeps practicing medicine. An ending that rewards a lifetime of effort.

If you liked it, watch next

Moon Embracing the Sun 2012 · MBC
Stairway to Heaven 2003 · SBS
Winter Sonata 2002 · KBS2

Frequently asked questions

How many episodes does Jewel in the Palace have?

It has 54 episodes. MBC aired it from 2003 to 2004, and in South Korea it hit a peak rating of 57.1%.

What is Jewel in the Palace about?

It follows Jang-geum, an orphan who enters the royal kitchen of Joseon, competes against the Choi faction, is sent into exile and studies medicine to rise again.

Who stars in Jewel in the Palace?

Lee Young-ae plays Seo Jang-geum. Ji Jin-hee is Min Jeong-ho, Yang Mi-kyung is Lady Han, Kyeon Mi-ri is Lady Choi and Hong Ri-na is Choi Geum-young.