Yong-pal

Yong-pal^[2] (Korean: 용팔이; RR: Yongpal-i) is a 2015 South Korean drama series starring Joo Won, Kim Tae-hee, Chae Jung-an and Jo Hyun-jae.^[3][4][5] It aired on SBS from August 5 to October 1, 2015, on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 18 episodes.^[6] Originally slated for 16 episodes, due to the high ratings and popularity of the drama, it was extended by two episodes.^[7]

Yong-pal
Promotional poster
Also known as	The Gang Doctor[1]
Genre	Action Medical Romance
Written by	Jang Hyuk-rin
Directed by	Oh Jin-suk
Starring	Joo Won Kim Tae-hee Jo Hyun-jae Chae Jung-an
Composer	Park Gi-heon
Country of origin	South Korea
Original language	Korean
No. of episodes	18
Production
Executive producer	Moon Bo-mi
Producers	Park Young-soo Kim Si-hwan
Cinematography	Yoon Dae-young Choi Je-rak
Editors	Lee Hyun-ah Jung Il-won
Running time	65 minutes
Production company	HB Entertainment
Original release
Network	Seoul Broadcasting System
Release	August 5 (2015-08-05) – October 1, 2015 (2015-10-01)

This drama reunites Kim Tae-hee and Jo Hyun-jae who first worked together in the 2004 drama Forbidden Love.^[8]

Synopsis

Kim Tae Hyun is a talented surgeon. Desperate for money to pay for his sister's medical bills, he adopts the code name Yong-pal and offers his medical skills to those in need of medical attention but who cannot do so publicly, dealing with criminals and corrupt plutocrats.^[9] Joining a team of corrupt physicians Kim rescues "sleeping beauty" Han Yeo Jin, a chaebol heiress, from a medically induced coma, leading to unintended consequences.

Cast

Main

• Joo Won as Kim Tae-hyun^[10]
  • Jung Yoon-seok as young Tae-hyun

A skilled surgeon, who under the alias Yong-pal moonlights as a mercenary doctor for hire. He falls in love with Yeo-jin.

• Kim Tae-hee as Han Yeo-jin^[11]

A chaebol heiress placed in a coma by her enemies to get their revenge. She falls in love with Tae-hyun.

• Jo Hyun-jae as Han Do-joon

Han Yeo-jin's half-brother, who covets his sister's inheritance.

• Chae Jung-an as Lee Chae-young

Han Do-joon's wife.

Supporting

• Jung Woong-in as Chief Lee Ho-joon
• Stephanie Lee as Cynthia Park
• Song Kyung-chul as Doo-chul
• Min Jin-Woong as Lee Sang-Chul
• Ahn Se-ha as Man-sik
• Bae Hae-sun as Nurse Hwang
• Im Kang-sung as Cha Sae-hoon
• Jo Bok-rae as Park Tae-yong
• Cha Soon-bae as Chief Shin
• Kim Mi-kyung as Kang Soo-min, Charge nurse, surgery
• Oh Na-ra as Charge nurse, intensive care
• Park Pal-young as Hospital director
• Park Hye-su as Kim So-hyun
• Choi Joon-Yong as Tae-hyun's father
• Kim Na-woon as Tae-hyun's mother
• Nam Myeong-ryeol as Chae-young's father
• Jang Gwang as Chairman Go
• Yoo Seung-mok as Detective Lee Hyung-sa
• Jo Hwi as Detective Kim
• Choi Min as Choi Sung-hoon (guest)

Special appearances

• Lim Hwa-young as Han Song-yi
• Kim Jae-young as Yong Pal 2 (ep.18)

Original soundtrack

Yong-pal OST
Soundtrack album by Various artists
Recorded	2015
Genre	Soundtrack
Language	Korean English
Label	Neowiz Entertainment Daum and HB Entertainment

Part 1

Released on August 12, 2015 (2015-08-12)

No.	Title	Artist	Length
1.	"To My Love" (사랑하는그대에게)	The One (singer)	3:41
2.	"To My Love" (Inst.)		3:41
Total length:			7:22

Part 2

Released on August 19, 2015 (2015-08-19)

No.	Title	Artist	Length
1.	"A Nightmare" (악몽)	Yong Jun-hyung (Highlight) and Heo Ga-yoon (4minute)	3:51
2.	"A Nightmare" (Inst.)		3:51
Total length:			7:02

Part 3

Released on September 2, 2015 (2015-09-02)

No.	Title	Artist	Length
1.	"Actually, I'm..." (사실은내가)	Jung In	4:16
2.	"Actually, I'm..." (Inst.)		4:16
Total length:			8:22

Part 4

Released on September 9, 2015 (2015-09-09)

No.	Title	Artist	Length
1.	"So we are" (이렇게우리)	Baek A-yeon	3:57
2.	"So we are" (Inst.)		3:57
Total length:			4:14

Part 5

Released on September 16, 2015 (2015-09-16)

No.	Title	Artist	Length
1.	"Come to me" (내게 와줘서)	K.Will	3:57
2.	"Come to me" (Inst.)		3:57
Total length:			4:14

Part 6

Released on September 24, 2015 (2015-09-24)

No.	Title	Artist	Length
1.	"Only remember me" (나하나만)	Park Hye-soo	3:57
2.	"Only remember me" (Inst.)		3:57
Total length:			4:14

Part 7

Released on September 30, 2015 (2015-09-30)

No.	Title	Artist	Length
1.	"I Hear you" (니가들려)	Ahn Se-ha	3:23
2.	"I Hear you" (Inst.)		3:23
Total length:			6:46

Part 8

Released on September 30, 2015 (2015-09-30)

No.	Title	Artist	Length
1.	"Suddenly one day" (어느날갑감자기)	Jin Min-ho	3:48
2.	"Suddenly one day" (Inst.)		3:48
Total length:			7:22

Disc 2:

No.	Title	Artist	Length
1.	"Main theme of Yong-pal" (Opening Title)	Various Artists	3:32
2.	"Black Room"	Various Artists	2:36
3.	"Hero"	Various Artists	2:09
4.	"Its not that"	Various Artists	2:11
5.	"I never get caught"	Various Artists	2:35
6.	"Let's be friend"	Various Artists	2:48
7.	"Light of Hope"	Various Artists	3:07
8.	"My Mother"	Various Artists	2:59
9.	"Persuit"	Various Artists	3:07
10.	"Precious Family"	Various Artists	3:27
11.	"Run and Run"	Various Artists	3:30
12.	"Sleeping Witch"	Various Artists	2:45
13.	"The Battle"	Various Artists	2:22
14.	"Tae-Hyun's Family"	Various Artists	2:55
15.	"Wound of a question"	Various Artists	2:18
16.	"Yeo Jin's Destiny"	Various Artists	2:44
17.	"Yeo Jin's Theme"	Various Artists	2:47
18.	"Yong-pal"	Various Artists	3:12

Viewership

Since it began airing, Yong-pal recorded steadily increasing viewership ratings, eventually hitting an impressive 20 percent by its sixth episode. It consistently topped other shows in its Wednesday-Thursday timeslot, eventually becoming one of the top-rated Korean drama primetime miniseries of 2015.^[12]

Ep.	Original broadcast date	Average audience share
		Nielsen Korea[13]		TNmS[14]
		Nationwide	Seoul	Nationwide	Seoul
1	August 5, 2015	11.6% (4th)	12.9% (3rd)	9.2% (9th)	11.2% (5th)
2	August 6, 2015	14.1% (3rd)	16.0% (3rd)	11.8% (5th)	14.9% (3rd)
3	August 12, 2015	14.5% (3rd)	16.3% (3rd)	12.5% (5th)	15.8% (3rd)
4	August 13, 2015	16.3% (3rd)	17.8% (2nd)	15.3% (3rd)	18.8% (2nd)
5	August 19, 2015	18.0% (2nd)	20.3% (2nd)	16.4% (3rd)	19.4% (2nd)
6	August 20, 2015	20.4% (2nd)	22.2% (2nd)	18.1% (3rd)	20.7% (2nd)
7	August 26, 2015	19.2% (2nd)	21.4% (1st)	17.1% (3rd)	21.2% (2nd)
8	August 27, 2015	20.5% (2nd)	22.8% (2nd)	18.4% (2nd)	21.9% (1st)
9	September 2, 2015	17.0% (3rd)	19.1% (2nd)	15.7% (4th)	18.2% (2nd)
10	September 3, 2015	17.4% (2nd)	19.3% (2nd)	16.3% (2nd)	19.3% (2nd)
11	September 9, 2015	19.3% (2nd)	21.7% (2nd)	15.9% (3rd)	18.4% (2nd)
12	September 10, 2015	19.1% (2nd)	21.0% (2nd)	18.2% (2nd)	21.3% (2nd)
13	September 16, 2015	21.5% (2nd)	23.7% (1st)	18.0% (2nd)	21.0% (2nd)
14	September 17, 2015	20.9% (2nd)	22.3% (2nd)	19.5% (2nd)	21.8% (2nd)
15	September 23, 2015	20.0% (2nd)	22.3% (2nd)	17.8% (2nd)	20.0% (2nd)
16	September 24, 2015	20.2% (2nd)	22.3% (2nd)	19.2% (2nd)	21.0% (1st)
17	September 30, 2015	18.4% (3rd)	20.0% (2nd)	16.4% (3rd)	18.2% (2nd)
18	October 1, 2015	20.4% (2nd)	21.6% (2nd)	19.6% (2nd)	21.4% (2nd)
Average		18.3%	20.2%	16.4%	19.1%
In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Recipient	Result
2015	8th Korea Drama Awards[15]	Grand Prize (Daesang)	Joo Won	Nominated
		Best Drama	Yong-pal	Nominated
		Top Excellence Award, actress	Kim Tae-hee	Won
		Best Screenplay	Jang Hyuk-rin	Won
	4th APAN Star Awards[16]	Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries	Joo Won	Nominated
		Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries	Kim Tae-hee	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actress	Chae Jung-an	Won
	2015 Hallyu Awards[17]	Best Drama	Yong-pal	Won
	Grimae Awards[18]	Grand Prize	Yoon Dae-young, Choi Je-rak	Won
		Best Director	Oh Jin-seok	Won
	23rd SBS Drama Awards[19]	Grand Prize (Daesang)	Joo Won	Won
		Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries	Joo Won	Nominated
		Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries	Kim Tae-hee	Won
		Special Award, Actor in a Miniseries	Jung Woong-in	Nominated
			Jo Hyun-jae	Nominated
		Special Award, Actress in a Miniseries	Bae Hae-sun	Nominated
		PD Award	Joo Won	Nominated
		Top 10 Stars	Joo Won	Won
			Kim Tae-hee	Won
		Chinese Netizen Popularity Award	Joo Won	Won
			Kim Tae-hee	Nominated
		Netizen Popularity Award	Joo Won	Nominated
			Kim Tae-hee	Nominated
		Best Couple Award	Joo Won and Kim Tae-hee	Won
2016	52nd Baeksang Arts Awards	Best Actor (TV)	Joo Won	Nominated

Remake

There was a talk that the drama Yong-pal which starred Joo Won and Kim Tae-hee could be remade for American audiences.^[20] It was reported in December 2015 that a Russian remake produced by Sony Pictures Studios was in development.^[21]

References

1. "[English] The Gang Doctor". SBS International. Seoul Broadcasting System. Archived from the original on January 6, 2018. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
2. 《BEST》 Yong Pal 용팔이｜ 김태희, 자신 구하러 온 주원에 "올 줄 알았어"...'오열' EP18 20151001. YouTube (in Korean). SBS Drama. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
3. Ahn, Sung-mi (July 30, 2015). "Kim Tae-hee plays Sleeping Beauty in new medical drama". K-pop Herald. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
4. Park, Ji-ryun (May 22, 2015). "Joo Won and Kim Tae Hee Both Positively Considering New SBS Drama". enewsWorld. Archived from the original on October 8, 2015. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
5. Jin, Min-ji (June 13, 2015). "Kim Tae-hee confirms drama". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on July 25, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
6. "Yong Pal Releases First Intense and Emotional Teaser Featuring Joo Won and Kim Tae Hee". Soompi. July 16, 2015. Archived from the original on October 4, 2015. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
7. "Joo Won and Kim Tae Hee's Yong Pal confirmed for an extension". Allkpop. September 14, 2015. Archived from the original on November 19, 2015. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
8. "Jo Hyun Jae joins Kim Tae Hee, Joo Won, and Chae Jung Ahn in SBS series Yong Pal". DramaFever. June 26, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
9. "Joo Won Leaps Across Rooftops for Yong-pa". Dramabeans. July 23, 2015. Archived from the original on July 24, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
10. Jo, Yeon-kyeong (July 30, 2015). "Joo Won Says He Fell for Kim Tae Hee's Looks and Personality". enewsWorld. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
11. Kim, Jin-seok (November 10, 2015). "Kim comfortable in supporting role". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
12. "The Gang Doctor Gets Two Extra Episodes". ONE TV ASIA. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
13. "AGB Daily Ratings: this links to current day-select the date from drop down menu". AGB Nielsen Media Research (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 26, 2013. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
14. "TNmS Daily Ratings: this links to current day-select the date from drop down menu". TNmS Ratings (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 28, 2013. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
15. Lee, Hye-won (September 9, 2015). "Candidates for 2015 Korea Drama Awards revealed". K-pop Herald. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
16. "2015 APAN Star Awards – Nominees List". November 23, 2015. Archived from the original on September 6, 2016. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
17. "'용팔이', 한류대상 드라마부문상 수상…'용팔이 잘지내니' - #용팔이 - 대한민국 No1. HD포토뉴스". topstarnews. December 10, 2015. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
18. "Yeon Jeong-hoon and Soo-ae to receive Excellence in Acting Awards at Grime Awards 2015". Hancinema. December 10, 2015. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
19. "2015 SBS Drama Awards Winners". joencorner. January 1, 2016. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
20. Jones, Julie (November 10, 2015). "Will 'Yong Pal' Be Adapted For American TV?". kdramastars. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
21. Javabeans (December 24, 2015). "Drama news bites: December 23, 2015". Dramabeans. Archived from the original on December 24, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2015.

External links

• Official website (in Korean)
• Yong-pal at HanCinema
• Yong-pal at IMDb