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King the Land (킹더랜드): Plot, Characters and Cast
King the Land (킹더랜드, Kingdeoraendeu) is a romantic comedy set in the world of luxury hotels that JTBC aired in 2023. It has 16 episodes, written by Choi Rom of Team Harimao and directed by Im Hyun-wook. Its leads are two K-pop idols turned actors: Lee Jun-ho of 2PM and Yoona of Girls' Generation, credited as Im Yoon-ah. Here you have the plot, the characters, the cast and their playful Saju.
- Cast
- Lee Jun-ho, Im Yoon-ah, Kim Seon-young, Go Won-hee, Kim Ga-eun
- JTBC
- 2023 · 16 episodes
Plot (no spoilers)
Gu Won is the heir to King Group, a conglomerate of luxury hotels, and he arrives at King Hotel as its new head general manager. He is elegant, demanding and hard to impress, and there is one thing he can't stand: smiles. To him, a smile is usually a mask, the polite face people put on when they want something. Meanwhile, the mood inside the company is tense, because nobody knows yet who will inherit King Group, and his older half-sister, Gu Hwa-ran, has plans of her own.
Cheon Sa-rang is exactly the kind of person he distrusts. She always dreamed of working at King Hotel, got there through sheer persistence, and everyone knows her as the "smile queen", the employee whose smile never seems to switch off. The two of them clash from the very first moment. Outside work, Sa-rang leans on her two best friends: Oh Pyung-hwa, a flight attendant for King Air, and Kang Da-eul, a working mother who earns her living at a duty-free shop. Between elegant hallways and King the Land, the hotel's exclusive VVIP lounge, the man who hates smiles starts to wonder whether hers is real.
Characters and their Saju
Gu Won 구원
Lee Jun-ho · Yang Metal · The Sword
Gu Won is the heir to King Group, back in Korea from abroad to take charge of King Hotel as its head general manager. He is elegant, sharp and demanding, and he has zero patience for smiles he thinks are fake. Behind that cold surface there are questions about his mother's past.
If Gu Won had a Saju card, it would be Yang Metal · The Sword: polished, precise and quick to cut through anything that smells like pretense. A blade like that is impressive, but it also has to learn when to stay in its sheath and simply listen.
Cheon Sa-rang 천사랑
Im Yoon-ah · Yang Fire · The Sun
Sa-rang always dreamed of working at King Hotel, and she got there through sheer effort. Everyone knows her as the "smile queen", the hotelier whose smile never fades, no matter how difficult the guest. Running into a boss who distrusts that smile forces her to ask what it is really worth.
If Sa-rang had a Saju card, it would be Yang Fire · The Sun: she lights up every lobby she walks through and warms even the grumpiest guest. The lesson for a sun like hers is that cloudy days are allowed too, and her light doesn't vanish when she rests.
Gu Hwa-ran 구화란
Kim Seon-young · Yang Water · The Ocean
Hwa-ran is Gu Won's older half-sister and the eldest daughter of King Group. She enjoys needling her younger brother and fights him for control of the family's hotel business. Ambitious and self-assured, she rarely shows her cards before she plays them.
If Hwa-ran had a Saju card, it would be Yang Water · The Ocean: wide, deep and full of currents you can't see from the surface. Her power is strategy; her challenge is remembering that even the ocean needs a shore to give it shape.
Oh Pyung-hwa 오평화
Go Won-hee · Yin Water · The Rain
Pyung-hwa is one of Sa-rang's two best friends and works as a flight attendant for King Air. Her job keeps her moving between cities and time zones while she faces tough goals at work and a love life that refuses to stay simple. Wherever she lands, she comes back with stories.
If Pyung-hwa had a Saju card, it would be Yin Water · The Rain: she comes and goes with the clouds, lands softly anywhere and leaves things a little greener behind her. Rain like that is free, but it also enjoys finding one place to gather.
Kang Da-eul 강다을
Kim Ga-eun · Yin Earth · The Garden
Da-eul completes the trio of friends. She is a working mother who juggles her family and her job at a duty-free shop, and she seems to have energy for everyone except herself. She's the friend who listens, gives advice and still finds time to laugh.
If Da-eul had a Saju card, it would be Yin Earth · The Garden: everything around her grows thanks to her care. Good gardens also need a season of rest, though, and the best thing she can plant is a little time just for herself.
And what would your Saju be? Find out free with your birth date.
Why so many people fell for it
King the Land is comfort viewing: an heir who hates smiles, a hotelier who can't stop smiling and glossy hotel settings everywhere you look. Its strength is the chemistry between its two idol leads and the friendship of three women who back each other no matter what. In Latin America it premiered on Netflix in June 2023, with new episodes every weekend alongside the Korean broadcast, and in Brazil it was titled "Sorriso Real". It reached number one on Netflix's global Top 10 for non-English series.
Facts
- Written by Choi Rom (Team Harimao) and directed by Im Hyun-wook, in 16 episodes.
- It was number one on Netflix's global Top 10 for non-English series in July 2023.
- Turkey's MF Yapim is making its own version of the series.
Ending (spoilers)
Show the ending
Spoiler: Gu Won takes the helm of King Hotel as CEO, determined to make it a place where everyone can smile for real. Sa-rang leaves King Hotel to build a hotel of her own, and the story closes with the two of them getting married, surrounded by everyone's blessings.
If you liked it, watch next
- Business Proposal 2022 · SBS
- Hotel del Luna 2019 · tvN
- Boys Over Flowers 2009 · KBS2
Frequently asked questions
What is King the Land about?
Gu Won, heir to King Group, takes charge of King Hotel and keeps clashing with Cheon Sa-rang, a hotelier famous for her smile, while a family fight over the inheritance plays out around him.
Who stars in King the Land?
Lee Jun-ho of 2PM plays Gu Won and Im Yoon-ah (Yoona of Girls' Generation) plays Cheon Sa-rang. Kim Seon-young, Go Won-hee and Kim Ga-eun play Hwa-ran, Pyung-hwa and Da-eul.
How many episodes does King the Land have?
It has 16 episodes. JTBC aired it from June to August 2023, and its finale drew a 13.8% nationwide rating, according to Nielsen Korea.
Is there a remake of King the Land?
Yes. In early 2024, Korean press reported that Turkish production company MF Yapim is remaking the series for Turkish television.
