Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born

Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born (Korean: 정년이) is an ongoing South Korean television series written by Choi Hyo-bi, starring Kim Tae-ri, Shin Ye-eun, Ra Mi-ran, Jung Eun-chae and Kim Yoon-hye. Based on a Naver webtoon of the same Korean title by Seo Ireh and Namon, it depicts the entry and growth of a girl born with a talent for singing in the 1950s. It premiered on tvN on October 12, 2024, and airs every Saturday and Sunday at 21:20 (KST).^[5]

Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born
Promotional poster
Hangul	정년이
Revised Romanization	Jeongnyeoni
McCune–Reischauer	Chŏngnyŏni
Genre	Period drama Coming-of-age Musical
Based on	Jeong Nyeon by Seo Ireh      Namon
Written by	Choi Hyo-bi
Directed by	Jung Ji-in
Starring	Kim Tae-ri Shin Ye-eun Ra Mi-ran Jung Eun-chae Kim Yoon-hye
Music by	Jang Young-kyu[1]
Country of origin	South Korea
Original language	Korean
No. of episodes	8
Production
Executive producer	Kim Sun-tae[2]
Producers	Heo Seok-won[2] Lee Se-hee[2] Park Hoon-joo[2]
Running time	70 minutes[3]
Production companies	Studio Dragon Studio N Management MMM NPIO Entertainment
Budget	₩33.6 billion[4]
Original release
Network	tvN
Release	October 12, 2024 (2024-10-12) – present

Synopsis

Immediately after the Korean War in the 1950s, Jeong-nyeon, a girl born with a talent for singing, entered the Yeoseong Gukgeuk troupe and grew up in it.

Cast

Main

• Kim Tae-ri as Yoon Jeong-nyeon^[6]

A pansori genius girl who came to Seoul from Mokpo on her own to become a Korean traditional opera actress.

• Shin Ye-eun as Heo Yeong-seo^[6]

A trainee and excellent at singing, dancing, and acting. She is also Jeong-nyeon's rival.

• Ra Mi-ran as Kang So-bok^[7]

Director of Maeran Theater Company.

• Jung Eun-chae as Moon Ok-kyung^[8]

The prince of Maeran Theater Company and Jeong-nyeon's mentor.

• Kim Yoon-hye as Seo Hye-rang^[9]

The princess of Maeran Theater Company.

Supporting

• Woo Da-vi as Hong Joo-ran^[10]

A member of Maeran Theater Company and close friend of Yoon Jeong-nyeon.

• Seunghee as Cho-rok^[11]

A member of Maeran Theater Company.

• Jeong Ra-el as Seo Bok-sil^[12]

A member of Maeran Theater Company.

• Jang Hye-jin as Han Ki-joo^[13]

The mother of Heo Young-seo.

• Min Kyung-ah as Heo Young-in^[14]

The older sister of Heo Young-seo.

Special appearance

• Moon So-ri as Seo Yong-rye / Choi Gong-seo^[7]

Jeong-nyeon's mother who raised her child alone while putting her past as a genius singer behind her.

Production

Development

The series was originally published as a Naver webtoon, later adapted into a drama. It is directed by Jung Ji-in, who directed The Red Sleeve (2021), and written by Choi Hyo-bi, the writer of the Netflix series A Time Called You (2023). The production is jointly handled by Studio N, Management MMM, and NPIO Entertainment.^[15]

Casting

Kim Hieora was positively considering a role in the production, but suddenly canceled due to her controversy.^[16]

Viewership

Season		Episode number												Average
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
	1	1.202	1.879	2.114	2.794	2.328	3.205	2.259	3.044	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD

Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born : South Korea viewers per episode (millions)

Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by Nielsen Korea.^[17]

Average TV viewership ratings

Ep.	Original broadcast date	Average audience share (Nielsen Korea)[17]
		Nationwide	Seoul
1	October 12, 2024	4.844% (1st)	5.678% (1st)
2	October 13, 2024	8.216% (1st)	8.911% (1st)
3	October 19, 2024	9.223% (1st)	8.886% (1st)
4	October 20, 2024	12.728% (1st)	13.578% (1st)
5	October 26, 2024	10.212% (1st)	10.182% (1st)
6	October 27, 2024	13.383% (1st)	13.744% (1st)
7	November 2, 2024	10.146% (1st)	10.257% (1st)
8	November 3, 2024	12.845% (1st)	12.952% (1st)
9	November 9, 2024
10	November 10, 2024
11	November 16, 2024
12	November 17, 2024
Average		—	—
In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings. This drama airs 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).

References

1. Im, Soo-hyun (January 19, 2024). [인터뷰] 꿈의 캐스팅, <정년이> 정지인 감독 [[Interview] Dream Casting, Director Jeong Ji-in of <Jeongnyeon>]. Cine21 (in Korean). Retrieved August 31, 2024 – via Naver.
2. Studio, Dragon. "Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born | Shows | Studio Dragon". studiodragon. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
3. 정년이 [Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born]. watch-cjenm. September 11, 2024. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
4. Heo, Jy-hyong (September 12, 2024). 김태리 '정년이' 못보나..MBC, 제작사에 가압류 신청 [Kim Tae-ri can't see 'Jeongnyeon'..MBC applies for seizure against production company]. starnewskorea (in Korean). Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Naver.
5. Yoon, Sang-geun (August 21, 2024). 김태리X신예은 '정년이' 베일 벗었다..10월 12일 첫방 확정[공식] [Kim Tae-ri X Shin Ye-eun's 'Jeongnyeon' unveiled.. First broadcast confirmed for October 12 [Official]] (in Korean). Star News. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
6. Tae Yuna (August 10, 2023). [공식] 김태리, 판소리 천재 된다...'더 글로리' 신예은과 '정년이'로 호흡 [[Official] Kim Tae-ri becomes a pansori genius... 'The Glory' Shin Ye-eun and 'Jung Nyeon' breathing together] (in Korean). Ten Asia. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023 – via Naver.
7. Choi Hee-jae (August 10, 2023). 김태리·문소리, 모녀로 재회...'정년이' 캐스팅 라인업 [공식입장] [Kim Tae-ri and Moon So-ri reunite as mother and daughter... 'Jeongnyeon' casting lineup [Official statement]] (in Korean). Xports News. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
8. Go Jae-wan (January 29, 2024). [공식] 정은채, '정년이' 합류..국극 최고 스타 문옥경 캐릭터 [[Official] Jeong Eun-chae joins 'Jeongnyeon'...character of Moon Ok-kyung, the best star in Korean dramas] (in Korean). Sports Chosun. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
9. Ha Kyung-heon (February 1, 2024). 김윤혜, 국극단 공주님으로 tvN '정년이' 합류 [Kim Yoon-hye joins tvN's "Jungnyeon" as a princess of the Kukgeuk Company] (in Korean). Sports Kyunghyang. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
10. 이, 하늘. 우다비, '정년이' 캐스팅으로 김태리·신예은과 연기 호흡. entertain.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved February 5, 2024.
11. 이, 명주. '오마이걸' 승희, '정년이' 출연...김태리 괴롭히는 동기 役. entertain.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved February 19, 2024.
12. Jang Jin-ri (September 21, 2023). [단독]'7인의 탈출' 정라엘, '정년이' 캐스팅...안방 '특급 행보' (in Korean). SPOTV News. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
13. 장, 진리. [단독]장혜진, '정년이' 캐스팅…김태리→신예은 '믿보배' 라인업 합류. entertain.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved February 26, 2024.
14. Min, Kyung-ah. 뮤지컬 배우 민경아, 신예은 언니 된다…'정년이' 출연 확정 [Musical actress Min Kyung-ah becomes Shin Ye-eun's older sister... Confirmed to appear in 'Jeongnyeon']. www.msn.com (in Korean). Star Today. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
15. Lee Seung-gil (December 5, 2022). 웹툰 '정년이', 드라마 제작 확정...연출은 '옷소매 붉은 끝동' 정지인 감독 [Webtoon 'Jeongnyeon' confirmed for drama production... Directed by Jeong Ji-in, 'Red Sleeves'] (in Korean). My Daily. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
16. Ha Su-jeong (September 6, 2023). [단독] '일진설 논란' 김히어라, '정년이' 하차한 진짜 이유(종합) (in Korean). OSEN [ko]. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
17. Nielsen Korea ratings:

    • "Ep. 1". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). October 12, 2024. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
    • "Ep. 2". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). October 13, 2024. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
    • "Ep. 3". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). October 19, 2024. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
    • "Ep. 4". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). October 20, 2024. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
    • "Ep. 5". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). October 26, 2024. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
    • "Ep. 6". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). October 27, 2024. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
    • "Ep. 7". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). November 2, 2024. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
    • "Ep. 8". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). November 3, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2024.

External links

• Official website (in Korean)
• Production website at NPIO Entertainment (in Korean)
• Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born at IMDb 
• Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born at HanCinema
• Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born at Naver Webtoon (in Korean)