Welcome to Samdal-ri

Welcome to Samdal-ri (Korean: 웰컴투 삼달리) is a South Korean romantic comedy drama television series written by Kwon Hye-joo, directed by Cha Young-hoon, and starring Ji Chang-wook and Shin Hye-sun. It aired on JTBC on December 2, 2023 to January 21, 2024, every Saturday and Sunday at 22:30 (KST).^[5] It is also available for streaming on TVING in South Korea, and on Netflix in selected regions.^[6][7]

Welcome to Samdal-ri
Promotional poster
Hangul	웰컴투 삼달리
Hanja	웰컴투 三達里
Revised Romanization	Welkeomtu Samdal-ri
McCune–Reischauer	Welk'ŏmt'u Samdal-li
Genre	Comedy drama Romantic comedy[1]
Written by	Kwon Hye-joo[2]
Directed by	Cha Young-hoon[2]
Starring	Ji Chang-wook Shin Hye-sun
Music by	Gaemi[3]
Country of origin	South Korea
Original language	Korean
No. of episodes	16
Production
Executive producer	Park Seol-gi
Producers	Jeon Seo-won Lee Go-eun Kim Su-ji Kim Yu-ri Jo Dong-min Ha Seong-min
Running time	70 minutes
Production companies	MI[4] SLL[4]
Original release
Network	JTBC
Release	December 2, 2023 (2023-12-02) – January 21, 2024 (2024-01-21)

Synopsis

Cho Yong-pil and Cho Sam-dal are childhood friends. After his mother, a member of the haenyeos, drowns because of a mistaken weather report, Yong-pil decides to become a weather forecaster to protect the elders of his Jeju Island hometown. However, his passion and refusal to let misinformation slide earns him a reputation as a stubborn troublemaker. On the other hand, Sam-dal moves to Seoul to pursue her dreams of becoming a successful fashion photographer, and goes by the name of Cho Eun-hye. But when her life suddenly falls apart, she returns to her hometown, where she reconnects with Yong-pil. Despite an incident that drove them apart, the two friends find their affection for each other still as strong as ever.^[2][8]

Cast

Main

• Ji Chang-wook as Cho Yong-pil^[8]

A weather forecaster at Jeju Island's Meteorological Administration.

• Shin Hye-sun as Cho Sam-dal / Cho Eun-hye^[8]

A photographer in the fashion industry under the stage name Cho Eun-hye.

Supporting

Sam-dal's family

• Kim Mi-kyung as Go Mi-ja^[9]
  • Chung Ye-jin as young Mi-ja^[10]

Sam-dal's mother who is a leader of haenyeo.

• Seo Hyun-chul as Cho Pan-sik^[11]
  • Lee Suk-hyeong as young Pan-sik

Sam-dal's father who is a bus driver on Jeju Island.

• Shin Dong-mi as Cho Jin-dal^[12]

Sam-dal's older sister who is a former flight attendant.

• Kang Mi-na as Cho Hae-dal^[13]

Sam-dal's younger sister.

• Kim Do-eun as Cha Ha-yul^[11]

Hae-dal's daughter.

Yong-pil's family

• Yu Oh-seong as Cho Sang-tae^[11]
  • Yoo Hee-je as young Sang-tae^[14]

Yong-pil's father who works as a contract worker in the civil affairs team.

• Jung Yoo-mi as Bu Mi-ja^[15]
  • Oh Woo-ri as young Mi-ja^[16]

Yong-pil's late mother.

Five Eagle Brothers

• Kang Young-seok as Boo Sang-do^[17]

Sam-dal and Yong-pil's best friend who is a symbol of wealth in the village. He has had a crush on Sam-dal for a long time.

• Lee Jae-won as Wang Kyung-tae^[18][19]

Sam-dal and Yong-pil's best friend who is a security guard at Jeju Island's Meteorological Administration.

• Bae Myung-jin as Cha Eun-woo^[18][19]

Sam-dal and Yong-pil's best friend who is an observer at Jeju Island's Meteorological Administration.

People around the three sisters

• Yang Kyung-won as Jeon Dae-young^[20]

Jin-dal's ex-husband and AS Group's CEO.

• Kang Gil-woo as Go Cheol-jong^[21]

Dae-yeong's secretary.

• Kim Min-chul as Gong Ji-chan^[22]

CEO of Dolphin Center, a Jeju southern bottlenose dolphin protection group.

People in Samdal-ri

• Baek Hyun-joo as Oh Geum-sul^[23]

Kyung-tae's mother who is a haenyeo.

• Kim Mi-hwa as Yang Bu-ja^[24]

Eun-woo's mother who is a haenyeo.

• Yoon Jin-seong as Jeon He-ja^[20]

Sang-do's mother who is a haenyeo and owner of the best restaurant in Jeju.

• Kim Ja-young as Yang Geum-ok^[25]

Yong-pil's maternal grandmother who suffer dementia.

• Yoo Sun-woong as Bu Dae-chun^[26]

Yong-pil's maternal grandfather.

• Kim Hak-sun as Boo Dae-song^[26]

Sang-do's father.

• Byun Jong-su as Wang Seong-gu^[26]

Kyung-tae's father.

• Yoo Seung-il as Cha Man-deok^[26]

Eun-woo's father.

• Sazal Mahamud as Kim Man-soo^[26]

A foreign part-timer at Kyung-tae's Lucky Convenience Store.

Jeju Island's Meteorological Administration

• Lee Tae-hyung as Han Seok-gyu^[27]

Yong-pil's superior who is a division manager of the forecast department.

• Kim Hyun-mok as Kang Baek-ho^[27]

Yong-pil's colleague who is a forecaster of the forecast department.

People around Cho Eun-hye

• Jo Yun-seo as Bang Eun-ju^[20]

3moon Studio's assistant and an amateur photographer who makes up a false claim against Sam-dal that ruins her career and causes her to move back to her hometown.

• Han Eun-seong as Cheon Chung-gi^[28]

Sam-dal's ex-boyfriend who is an editor of Magazine X.

• Kim Ah-young as Go Eun-bi^[20]

3moon Studio's assistants.

• Lee Do-hye as Yang Ji-eun^[20]

3moon Studio's assistants.

Special appearance

• Kim Tae-hee as Herself^[29][30]
• Kim Dae-gon as Reporter An Kang-hyun^[31]

Production

Casting

On June 19, 2023, Ji Chang-wook and Shin Hye-sun were confirmed to appear in the series.^[32]

Original soundtrack

Soundtrack album

Welcome to Samdal-ri (Original Television Soundtrack) SPECIAL
Soundtrack album by Various Artists
Released	February 2, 2024 (2024-02-02)
Label	MOST Contents

The series' soundtrack album was released on February 2, 2024.^[33][34]

Disc 1^[33][34]

No.	Title	Artist	Length
1.	"Short Hair" (단발머리)	DK (Seventeen)	3:41
2.	"Beautiful Day"	Gemini	4:09
3.	"Dream" (꿈)	Taeyeon	3:58
4.	"Reunion" (추억속의 재회)	Shin Seung-hun	4:17
5.	"In My Heart" (그대 내 맘에)	Bumjin [ko]	3:30
6.	"Good Person" (좋은 사람)	Kim Na-young	3:34
7.	"Song of the Sea" (바다의 노래)	LeeZe [ko]	3:57
8.	"Dance" (춤)	Dori	2:49
Total length:			60:49

Disc 2^[33][34]

No.	Title	Artist	Length
1.	"Welcome to Samdalri"	Gaemi & Shoon	1:41
2.	"Lonely Samdal"	Park Jong-mi	2:34
3.	"I Believe"	Lee Seong-gu	2:43
4.	"Western Jeju"	Jeon Chan-woong	2:19
5.	"You and I"	Lee Joon-hwa	2:53
6.	"I Love You"	Gaemi	2:44
7.	"Bright Whistle"	Gaemi & Hong Dong-pyo	1:21
8.	"What's Going On"	Park Mi-sun	2:08
9.	"Unexpected Reunions"	Hong Dong-pyo	1:54
10.	"At Sea"	Gaemi	3:40
11.	"Seaside"	Lee Joon-hwa	4:14
12.	"Samdal and Yongpil"	Park Mi-sun	1:52
13.	"Haedal and Jichan"	Park Jung-hwan	1:51
14.	"A Grown-Up Child"	Jeon Chan-woong	3:12
15.	"Treasure"	Park Mi-sun	2:36
16.	"Sisters"	Lee Seong-gu	2:21
17.	"Crisis"	Park Yoon-seo	3:01
18.	"You're Not Alone"	Park Yoon-seo	3:22
19.	"Bubble"	Lee Seong-gu	2:16
20.	"Return"	Lee Joon-hwa	2:54
21.	"Kholrabi Kimchi"	Hong Dong-pyo	1:37
22.	"The Way of the Waves"	Park Jung-hwan	2:41
23.	"Waltz of Samdal-ri"	Park Jong-mi & Kang Myung-su	2:28
24.	"Three Sisters"	Shoon	2:19
25.	"First Time"	Sayaka Aoki	2:28
26.	"Our Time Together"	Park Yoon-seo	3:05
27.	"Samdal is Here?"	Jeon Chan-woong	2:02
28.	"Lock the Door!"	Park Jung-hwan	2:05
29.	"Love After Farewell"	Park Jong-mi & Kang Myung-su	3:02
30.	"Embarrassing"	Shoon	2:45
31.	"The Moment of Someone Falls in Love"	Shoon	3:02

Welcome to Samdal-ri From CHO YONG PIL (2024 Remastering)

Released on January 20, 2024^[35][36]

No.	Title	Artist	Length
1.	"Dream" (꿈)	Cho Yong-pil	4:45
2.	"Reunion" (추억속의 재회)	Cho Yong-pil	4:40
3.	"Mona Lisa" (모나리자)	Cho Yong-pil	4:05
4.	"Spinning Life" (돌고 도는 인생)	Cho Yong-pil	3:20
5.	"MADOYO" (마도요)	Cho Yong-pil	3:14
Total length:			20:04

Singles

Part 1 (Released on December 3, 2023)^[37]

No.	Title	Artist	Length
1.	"Short Hair" (단발머리)	DK (Seventeen)	3:41
2.	"Short Hair" (단발머리; Inst.)		3:41
Total length:			7:22

Part 2 (Released on December 10, 2023)^[37]

No.	Title	Artist	Length
1.	"Beautiful Day"	Gemini	4:09
2.	"Beautiful Day" (Inst.)		4:09
Total length:			8:18

Part 3 (Released on December 17, 2023)^[37]

No.	Title	Artist	Length
1.	"Dream" (꿈)	Taeyeon	3:58
2.	"Dream" (꿈; Inst.)		3:58
Total length:			7:56

Part 4 (Released on December 24, 2023)^[37]

No.	Title	Artist	Length
1.	"Reunion" (추억속의 재회)	Shin Seung-hun	4:17
2.	"Reunion" (추억속의 재회; Inst.)		4:17
Total length:			8:34

Part 5 (Released on December 30, 2023)^[37]

No.	Title	Artist	Length
1.	"In My Heart" (그대 내 맘에)	Bumjin [ko]	3:30
2.	"In My Heart" (그대 내 맘에; Inst.)		3:30
Total length:			7:00

Part 6 (Released on January 7, 2024)^[37]

No.	Title	Artist	Length
1.	"Good Person" (좋은 사람)	Kim Na-young	3:34
2.	"Good Person" (좋은 사람; Inst.)		3:34
Total length:			7:08

Part 7 (Released on January 13, 2024)^[37]

No.	Title	Artist	Length
1.	"Song of the Sea" (바다의 노래)	LeeZe [ko]	3:57
2.	"Song of the Sea" (바다의 노래; Inst.)		3:57
Total length:			7:54

Part 8 (Released on January 14, 2024)^[37]

No.	Title	Artist	Length
1.	"Dance" (춤)	Dori	2:49
2.	"Dance" (춤; Inst.)		2:49
Total length:			5:38

Original Soundtrack Parts 1–8^[37]

Reception

Viewership

Season		Episode number
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
	1	1.205	1.262	1.169	1.522	1.597	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	1.666	2.251	2.138	2.398	2.583	2.965

Welcome to Samdal-ri : South Korea viewers per episode (millions)

Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by Nielsen Korea.^[38]

Average TV viewership ratings

Ep.	Original broadcast date	Average audience share (Nielsen Korea)[38][39]
		Nationwide	Seoul
1	December 2, 2023	5.193% (1st)	5.283% (1st)
2	December 3, 2023	5.276% (1st)	5.552% (1st)
3	December 9, 2023	5.324% (1st)	6.329% (1st)
4	December 10, 2023	6.509% (1st)	7.255% (1st)
5	December 16, 2023	6.689% (1st)	6.528% (1st)
6	December 17, 2023	8.295% (1st)	9.2%[40]
7	December 23, 2023	6.382% (1st)	6.6%[41]
8	December 24, 2023	7.913% (1st)	7.9%[42]
9	December 30, 2023	8.109% (1st)	8.8%[43]
10	December 31, 2023	8.227% (1st)	8.7%[44]
11	January 6, 2024	7.282% (2nd)	8.037% (1st)
12	January 7, 2024	9.788% (1st)	10.597% (1st)
13	January 13, 2024	9.324% (1st)	10.389% (1st)
14	January 14, 2024	10.068% (1st)	10.790% (1st)
15	January 20, 2024	10.365% (1st)	10.919% (1st)
16	January 21, 2024	12.399% (1st)	13.081% (1st)
Average		7.946%	8.498%
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).

Accolades

Awards and nominations

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination

Award ceremony	Year	Category	Nominee / Work	Result	Ref.
Baeksang Arts Awards	2024	Best Supporting Actress	Shin Dong-mi	Nominated	[45]
Korean Drama Festival	2024	Best OST	"Dream" (Taeyeon)	Nominated	[46]
Korea Grand Music Awards	2024	Best OST		Nominated	[47]
MAMA Awards	2024	Best OST		Nominated	[48]
		Song of the Year		Nominated
Melon Music Awards	2024	Best OST		Nominated	[49]
APAN Star Awards	2024	Best OST		Nominated	[50][51]
		Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries	Ji Chang-wook	Won
		Excellence Acting Award, Actor	Seo Hyun-chul	Nominated
		Best New Actress	Kang Mi-na	Won
		Best Child Actress	Kim Do-eun	Nominated
		Popularity Star Award, Actress	Shin Hye-sun	Nominated

Listicles

Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement

Publisher	Year	Listicle	Placement	Ref.
South China Morning Post	2024	The 15 best K-dramas of 2024	5th place	[52]