Agency (South Korean TV series)

Agency (Korean: 대행사) is a 2023 South Korean television series starring Lee Bo-young, Son Na-eun, Jo Sung-ha, and Han Joon-woo. It aired on JTBC from January 7 to February 26, 2023, every Saturday and Sunday at 22:30 (KST) for 16 episodes.^[5][6]

Agency
Promotional poster
Hangul	대행사
Revised Romanization	Daehaengsa
McCune–Reischauer	Taehaengsa
Genre	Workplace[1]
Written by	Song Soo-han[2]
Directed by	Lee Chang-min[2]
Starring	Lee Bo-young Son Na-eun Jo Sung-ha Han Joon-woo
Music by	Kim Hyun-jong Ahn So-yeong
Country of origin	South Korea
Original language	Korean
No. of episodes	16
Production
Executive producers	Kim So-jung Shin Seon-joo (CP) Hwang Hyeon-mi (CP)
Producers	Park Jin-young Son Jae-seong
Running time	60–72 minutes[3]
Production companies	How Pictures[4] Drama House[4] SLL (provided by)[4]
Original release
Network	JTBC
Release	January 7 (2023-01-07) – February 26, 2023 (2023-02-26)

The series was a commercial hit and became one of the highest-rated dramas in Korean cable television history.^[7]

Synopsis

The series follows the story of Go Ah-in (Lee Bo-young) who becomes the first female executive member of a large advertising agency.^[5][8]

Cast

Main

• Lee Bo-young as Go Ah-in: a creative director who leads Production Team 2 of VC Planning, a leading advertising agency. She has a strong desire for success despite growing up in poverty.^[2][9]
• Son Na-eun as Kang Han-na: VC Group's third generation chaebol.^[9]
  • Oh Ji-yul as young Kang Han-na^[10]
• Jo Sung-ha as Choi Chang-su: the director of the planning division of VC Planning who strives to become CEO.^[5]
• Han Joon-woo as Park Young-woo: Han-na's loyal right-hand man.^[9]

Supporting

People at VC Planning

• Jeon Hye-jin as Jo Eun-jung: copywriter of VC Planning's Production Team 2.^[9]
• Lee Chang-hoon as Han Byung-soo: art director of VC Planning's Production Team 2.^[11][12]
• Lee Kyung-min as Seo Jang-woo: assistant manager of VC Planning's Production Team 2.^[12]
• Kim Dae-gon as Kwon Woo-cheol: creative director of VC Planning's Production Team 1.^[13][14]
• Jung Woon-sun as Bae Won-hee: copywriter of VC Planning's Production Team 1.^[14]
• Park Ji-il as Jo Moon-ho: CEO of VC Planning.^[14]
• Baek Soo-hee as Jung Su-jeong: Ah-in's secretary.^[14]

People around Ah-in

• Kim Mi-kyung as Seo Eun-ja: Ah-in's mother.^[15]
• Jang Hyun-sung as Yoo Jung-seok: Ah-in's mentor.^[16]
• Shin Soo-jung as Oh Soo-jin: Ah-in's friend who is a psychiatrist.^[16]
• Lee Ki-woo as Jung Jae-hoon: CEO of a game company.^[16]
• Kim Soo-jin as Choi Jung-min: CEO of an independent agency.^[16]

People at VC Group

• Jeon Gook-hwan as Kang Geun-cheol: founder of VC Group.^[17]
• Song Young-chang as Kang Yong-ho: chairman of VC Group.^[17]
• Jo Bok-rae as Kang Han-soo: vice president of VC Group Headquarters.^[17]
• Jung Seung-gil as Kim Tae-wan: VC Group Headquarters' chief secretary.^[18]
• Kim Min-sang as Bae Jung-hyeon: VC Group Headquarters' legal team leader.^[17]

Others

• Jung Won-joong as Kim Woo-won: chairman of Woowon Group.^[19]
• Jung Ye-bin as Kim Seo-jung: Woo-won's only daughter who is the vice president of Woowon Group.^[20]
• Kim Ra-on as Song Ah-ji: Eun-jung's son.^[19]
• Jo Eun-sol as Song Jung-ho: Eun-jung's husband.^[19]
• Yoon Bok-in as Park Kyung-sook: Eun-jung's mother-in-law.^[19]

Extended

• Kim Chae-eun as Yoo Ji-woo: Jung-seok's daughter.^[21]
• Lee Dong-ha^[22]

Special appearance

• Song Young-kyu as Hwang Seok-woo^[23]

Viewership

Season		Episode number																Average
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
	1	1.105	1.206	1.477	1.919	1.487	1.802	2.063	2.693	2.586	2.675	2.291	2.764	2.567	3.055	3.037	3.685	2.276

Agency : South Korea viewers per episode (millions)

Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by Nielsen Korea.^[24]

Average TV viewership ratings

Ep.	Original broadcast date	Average audience share (Nielsen Korea)[24]
		Nationwide	Seoul
1	January 7, 2023	4.797% (3rd)	5.520% (2nd)
2	January 8, 2023	5.102% (2nd)	5.369% (2nd)
3	January 14, 2023	6.481% (2nd)	7.149% (1st)
4	January 15, 2023	8.907% (1st)	9.286% (1st)
5	January 21, 2023	5.869% (1st)	6.545% (1st)
6	January 22, 2023	7.711% (1st)	8.111% (1st)
7	January 28, 2023	9.150% (1st)	9.606% (1st)
8	January 29, 2023	11.959% (1st)	12.400% (1st)
9	February 4, 2023	10.902% (1st)	11.692% (1st)
10	February 5, 2023	11.629% (1st)	12.434% (1st)
11	February 11, 2023	10.444% (1st)	11.372% (1st)
12	February 12, 2023	12.658% (1st)	14.135% (1st)
13	February 18, 2023	11.049% (1st)	11.360% (1st)
14	February 19, 2023	13.383% (1st)	14.041% (1st)
15	February 25, 2023	13.149% (1st)	13.841% (1st)
16	February 26, 2023	16.044% (1st)	17.267% (1st)
Average		9.952%	10.633%
In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings. This series aired on a cable channel/pay TV which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (KBS, SBS, MBC, and EBS).

International broadcasting

In Vietnam, the series was broadcast on VTV3 at 6.00 P.M. since May 11, 2024 to June 4, 2024 with all 25 episodes.

References

1. Kim Eun-jung (January 23, 2023). "New breed of female characters takes center stage in Korean dramas". Yonhap News Agency. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
2. Hwang Hye-jin (June 9, 2022). "이보영 '대행사' 출연 확정, 유리천장 깨부순 광고퀸 변신[공식]" (in Korean). Newsen. Archived from the original on November 12, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022 – via Naver.
3. "다시보기 | 대행사 | 프로그램 | JTBC" [Replay | Agency | Program | JTBC]. JTBC (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 26, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
4. Park Seo-hyun (December 2, 2022). "'재벌집 막내아들' 후속작은 이보영 '대행사'..새 토일드라마 확정(공식)" (in Korean). Herald Pop. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022 – via Naver.
5. Shin Min-hee (June 10, 2022). "Lee Bo-young leads star-studded cast in JTBC's 'Agency'". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on November 13, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
6. Park Pan-seok (December 12, 2022). "대행사 이보영X조성하X손나은, 첫 대본 연습부터 싱크로율 100%" [Agency Lee Bo-young X Jo Sung-ha X Son Na-eun, 100% synchro rate from the first script practice] (in Korean). OSEN. Archived from the original on December 12, 2022. Retrieved December 12, 2022 – via Naver.
7. Jeon Hyo-jin (February 27, 2023). "종영 '대행사' 이보영, 마지막 대역전극…최고 17.3% '유종의 미' [TV종합]" (in Korean). Sports Dong-a. Archived from the original on February 28, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2023 – via Naver.
8. ""Advertising Agency" Casts Lee Bo-young, Cho Seong-ha, Son Na-eun". HanCinema. Yonhap News Agency. June 13, 2022. Archived from the original on November 12, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
9. Kim Myung-mi (June 10, 2022). "이보영-조성하-손나은-한준우-전혜진, JTBC '대행사' 캐스팅[공식]" (in Korean). Newsen. Archived from the original on November 12, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022 – via Naver.
10. Kim Na-yeon (March 22, 2023). ""이 아이는 커서"..미래가 기대되는 아역★[Oh!쎈 펀치]" (in Korean). OSEN. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2023 – via Naver.
11. Hyun Jung-min (December 5, 2022). "이창훈, JTBC '대행사' 합류…이보영과 호흡" [Lee Chang-hoon joins JTBC's 'Agency'… Breathing with Lee Bo-young] (in Korean). Sports World. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved December 5, 2022 – via Naver.
12. Park Ah-reum (December 21, 2022). "'대행사' 측 "이보영X전혜진X이창훈X이경민, 광고에 美친 꾼들 뭉쳤다"" ['Agency' side "Lee Bo-young X Jeon Hye-jin X Lee Chang-hoon X Lee Kyung-min, people who are good at advertising have gathered] (in Korean). Newsen. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022 – via Naver.
13. Cha Hye-young (January 2, 2023). "김대곤, '대행사' 출연…이보영과 연기 호흡" (in Korean). Ten Asia. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023 – via Naver.
14. "등장인물소개 – VC기획 사람들". JTBC (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 1, 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
15. Seo Yu-na (February 11, 2023). "이보영, 가정폭력 피해 도망간 母 김미경과 재회(대행사)(종합)" (in Korean). Newsen. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Naver.
16. "등장인물소개 – 아인 주변 인물들". JTBC (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 1, 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
17. "등장인물소개 – VC그룹 사람들". JTBC (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 1, 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
18. Kim Sun-woo (January 29, 2023). "'대행사' 정승길, 27년차 배우의 내공…눈에 띄는 존재감" (in Korean). JTBC. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved January 30, 2023 – via Naver.
19. "등장인물소개 – 그 외 인물들". JTBC (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 1, 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
20. Kim Ji-woo (January 2, 2023). "손나은의 라이벌이 떴다, 정예빈 (대행사)" (in Korean). Sports Kyunghyang. Archived from the original on January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2023 – via Naver.
21. Ahn Byung-gil (February 13, 2023). "김채은 '대행사' 뜬다, 이보영과 호흡" (in Korean). Sports Kyunghyang. Archived from the original on February 14, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023 – via Naver.
22. Park Seo-yeon (February 18, 2023). "손나은♥한준우, 밤길 어부바 데이트 포착…이대로 결혼까지? [대행사]" (in Korean). My Daily. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2023 – via Naver.
23. Lee Min-ji (January 19, 2023). "'대행사' 송영규 특별출연, 이보영과 미묘한 신경전 예고 [공식]" (in Korean). Newsen. Archived from the original on January 19, 2023. Retrieved January 19, 2023 – via Naver.
24. Nielsen Korea ratings:

    • "Ep. 1". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). January 7, 2023. Archived from the original on January 8, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
    • "Ep. 2". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). January 8, 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
    • "Ep. 3". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). January 14, 2023. Archived from the original on January 15, 2023. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
    • "Ep. 4". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). January 15, 2023. Archived from the original on January 15, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
    • "Ep. 5". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). January 21, 2023. Archived from the original on January 22, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
    • "Ep. 6". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). January 22, 2023. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
    • "Ep. 7". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). January 28, 2023. Archived from the original on January 28, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
    • "Ep. 8". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). January 29, 2023. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
    • "Ep. 9". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). February 4, 2023. Archived from the original on February 5, 2023. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
    • "Ep. 10". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). February 5, 2023. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
    • "Ep. 11". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). February 11, 2023. Archived from the original on February 11, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
    • "Ep. 12". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). February 12, 2023. Archived from the original on February 12, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
    • "Ep. 13". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). February 18, 2023. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
    • "Ep. 14". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). February 19, 2023. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
    • "Ep. 15". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). February 25, 2023. Archived from the original on February 25, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
    • "Ep. 16". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). February 26, 2023. Archived from the original on February 26, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2023.

External links

• Official website (in Korean)
• Agency at HanCinema
• Agency at IMDb