Captivating the King

Captivating the King
Promotional poster
Also known as	Sejak[1]
Hangul	세작, 매혹된 자들
Hanja	細作, 魅惑된 子들
Literal meaning	Spy, the Fascinated
Revised Romanization	Sejak, maehokdoen jadeul
Genre	Period drama[2] Romance[2] Melodrama[3]
Developed by	Studio Dragon (planning)[3]
Written by	Kim Seon-deok[4]
Directed by	Cho Nam-guk[4]
Starring	Jo Jung-suk Shin Se-kyung Lee Shin-young
Music by	Park Se-joon[5]
Country of origin	South Korea
Original language	Korean
No. of episodes	16
Production
Executive producers	Kwon Byung-wook[5] Kim Seok-won[5] Cho So-yeon[5]
Producers	Park Chang-joo[5] Kim Na-kyung[5] Kang Ha-yeon[5]
Cinematography	Kim Seung-ho[5] Joo Sung-min[5] Cha Young-hu[5]
Editors	Oh Sang-hwan[5] Bang Soo-yeon[5]
Running time	70 minutes[6]
Production company	C-JeS Studios[7]
Original release
Network	tvN
Release	January 21 (2024-01-21) – March 3, 2024 (2024-03-03)

Captivating the King (

The series depicts the cruel love story of Yi In (Jo Jung-suk), a miserable king who has no one around him that he can trust and is in danger of both royal and political power struggles, and Kang Hee-soo (Shin Se-kyung), who tries to deceive him for revenge but ends up falling in love with him.^[7][11]

Cast

Main

• Jo Jung-suk as Yi In / Grand Prince Jinhan: the king of Joseon who is a baduk genius.^[12][13]
• Shin Se-kyung as Kang Hee-soo / Kang Mong-woo

1. Kang Hee-soo: a woman who disguises herself as a man and becomes a spy to take revenge.^[2]
2. Kang Mong-woo: a genius baduk player who later becomes Yi In's close friend.^[3]

• Lee Shin-young as Kim Myung-ha: a nobleman who is good at both archery and swordsmanship.^[4]

Supporting

Important characters

• Choi Dae-hoon as Yi Seon: Yi In's older brother.^[14]
• Lee Gyu-hoe as Park Jong-hwan: Royal Queen Dowager Park's older brother.^[12]
• Yang Kyung-won as Yoo Hyun-bo: an assistant section chief of the Ministry of Rites who will do anything for the sake of wealth and fame.^[12][15]
• Jo Sung-ha as Kim Jong-bae: Kim Myung-ha's father who is the minister of military affairs.^[16]
• Son Hyun-joo as Kang Hang-sun: Kang Hee-soo's father and Yi In's teacher who is the Chief State Councillor.^[12]

Yi In's people

• Kang Hong-seok as Joo Sang-hwa: Yi In's royal guard.^[17]
• Park Ye-young as Court Lady Dong: Yi In's lady-in-waiting who is surrounded by secrets.^[4]
• TBA as Ji Nam-gyu: a physician at naeuiwon.^[12]
• Kim Ki-nam as Eunuch Kim^[18]

Kang Hee-soo's people

• Na Hyun-woo as Chu Dal-ha: Kang Hee-soo's assistant who is a former military officer.^[19]
• Song Sang-eun as Ja Geun-nyeon: Kang Hee-soo's friend and servant.^[12]
• Han Dong-hee as Hong-jang: Kang Hee-soo's friend and Yoo Hyun-bo's sister who is a courtesan.^[20]
• Jung Seok-yong as Se-dong: a spy who has pure and upright personality.^[21]
• Go Soo-hee as Jeom Yi-ne: Se-dong's wife who is a spy.^[18]
• Kim Bo-yoon as Bun-young: an assistant court lady and a spy.^[22]
• Lee Yoon-hee as Kim Je-nam: Kang Hang-sun's old friend who is a former high-ranking local government official.^[12]

Royal family

• Jang Young-nam as Royal Queen Dowager Park: Yi In's biological mother.^[3]
• Ahn Se-eun as Royal Princess Jangryeong: eldest daughter of the late king Yi Seon and Yi In's niece.^[12]
• Hong Jun-woo as Grand Prince Moonseong: son of the late king Yi Seon and Yi In's nephew.^[12][23]
• Ha Seo-yoon as Queen Oh: Yi In's wife.^[24]
• Jeon Su-ji as Court Lady Han: Royal Queen Dowager Park's lady-in-waiting.^[12]

Members of the court

• Um Hyo-sup as Oh Wook-hwan: Queen Oh's father.^[25]
• Baek Seok-gwang as Min Ji-hwan: Park Jong-hwan's right-hand man.^[26]
• Kim Seo-ha as Min Sang-hyo: Kim Myung-ha's friend and Min Ji-hwan's younger brother.^[27]
• Jo Jae-ryong as Jung Je-pyo: a
  Qing Dynasty official who serves as an interpreter.^[28]

• Ahn Si-ha as Queen Kim: Yi Seon's wife.^[3][29]

Special appearance

• Song Ji-woo as a courtesan^[30]

Production

Filming of the series began in March 2023.^[31]

Original soundtrack

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Viewership

Captivating the King : South Korea viewers per episode (millions)

Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Nielsen Korea.[32] Average TV viewership ratings Ep. Original broadcast date Average audience share (Nielsen Korea)[32][33] Nationwide Seoul 1 January 21, 2024[34][35] 3.977% (2nd) 4.077% (2nd) 2 3.089% (3rd) 3.224% (3rd) 3 January 27, 2024 3.286% (1st) 3.550% (1st) 4 January 28, 2024 6.016% (1st) 5.968% (2nd) 5 February 3, 2024 3.868% (4th) N/A 6 February 4, 2024 5.461% (1st) 5.350% (1st) 7 February 9, 2024[36] 4.162% (1st) 4.573% (1st) 8 February 10, 2024[36] 4.733% (1st) 4.863% (1st) 9 February 11, 2024[36] 6.369% (2nd) 6.290% (2nd) 10 6.703% (1st) 6.792% (1st) 11 February 17, 2024 4.100% (1st) 4.240% (1st) 12 February 18, 2024 5.938% (1st) 5.837% (2nd) 13 February 24, 2024 4.942% (1st) 5.272% (1st) 14 February 25, 2024 6.675% (1st) 7.082% (1st) 15 March 2, 2024 5.609% (1st) 6.030% (1st) 16 March 3, 2024 7.763% (1st) 7.915% (1st) Average 5.609% —[a] 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). Notes ^ Due to multiple unpublished ratings, the exact average rating is unknown. References ^ "Sejak [Title in the URL]". tvN (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 9, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023. ^ a b c Hwang Yeon-do (November 1, 2023). "신세경, 조정석과 사극 로맨스… 남장여자 연기 도전". At Star 1 (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 4, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023 – via Naver. ^ a b c d e Park So-young (November 29, 2023). "신세경 만난 조정석 "나만 잘하면 되겠구나" ('세작, 매혹된 자들')". OSEN (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 29, 2023. Retrieved November 29, 2023 – via Naver. ^ a b c d Hwang Hye-jin (November 1, 2023). "신세경, 남장여자 도전…조정석과 '세작, 매혹된 자들' 출연[공식]". Newsen (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023 – via Naver. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Captivating the King. Episode 1 (in Korean). January 21, 2024. tvN. ^ "Captivating the King (2024)". CJ ENM. Archived from the original on December 20, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023. ^ a b Moon Wan-sik (May 31, 2022). "'이브'·'링크' 씨제스 드라마 사업부 하반기 라인업 공개 '기대UP'". Star News (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 4, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023 – via Naver. ^ "Cho Jung-seok and Shin Se-kyung in "Sejak"". HanCinema. Newsis. November 1, 2023. Archived from the original on November 5, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2023. ^ Kim Ga-young (December 6, 2023). "조정석·신세경 '세작', 1월 21일 첫방…웰메이드 사극 예고". E Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 19, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023 – via Naver. ^ Hong, Ji-hoon (January 21, 2024). '세작, 매혹된 자들', 조선시대 배경 등장 인물 관계도 본격 전개…OTT 재방송 다시보기 넷플릭스·티빙 ['Saejak, The Fascinated', Joseon Dynasty Setting, Character Relationships Develop in Full Swing...OTT Rebroadcast and Replay on Netflix and TVING] (in Korean). BizEnter. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024 – via Nate. ^ "Cho Jung-seok, Shin Se-kyung Expected to Show On-Screen Rapport in Historical Romance". The Chosun Ilbo. November 4, 2023. Archived from the original on November 4, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "프로그램 소개 – 인물소개" [Program Introduction – Character Introduction]. tvN (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 19, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2023. ^ Yoo Su-yeon (January 19, 2024). "조정석, 신세경 흑기사로 등판...토끼 눈 '설렘 폭발' ('세작')". OSEN (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 19, 2024. Retrieved January 19, 2024 – via Naver. Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023 – via Naver . ^ Choi Hee-jae (November 3, 2023). "양경원, 조정석·신세경과 대치…'세작'서 빌런 변신". E Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023 – via Naver. ^ Lee Chang-gyu (December 5, 2023). "조성하, '세작, 매혹된 자들' 출연…조정석X신세경과 호흡 [공식입장]". Xports News (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023 – via Naver. Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. Retrieved January 21, 2024 – via Naver . ^ a b Jin Byung-hoon (January 20, 2024). "'마에스트라' 후속 '세작 매혹된 자들' 인물관계도 및 몇부작?". NBN TV (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024. Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 4, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023 – via Naver . ^ Tae Yu-na (December 8, 2023). "유연석 첫사랑→신세경 친구, 한동희 안방극장 열일 행보". Ten Asia (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023 – via Naver. ^ Jang Da-hee (January 17, 2024). "정석용 '세작, 매혹된 자들' 출연…신세경·손현주와 호흡[공식]". MBC Entertainment (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024 – via Naver. ^ Lee Chang-gyu (January 16, 2024). "김보윤, '세작' 색장나인 분영 役 합류…신세경과 호흡". Xports News (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 16, 2024. Retrieved January 16, 2024 – via Naver. Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 29, 2024. Retrieved January 29, 2024 – via Naver . Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023 – via Naver . ^ Jang Soo-jeong (January 15, 2024). "엄효섭, '세작, 매혹된 자들' 합류…중전 오씨 父된다". Dailian (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 15, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2024 – via Naver. Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024 – via Naver . ^ Jang A-reum (January 15, 2024). "김서하 '세작' 캐스팅…'연모' 이어 두번째 사극 도전". News 1 (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 15, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2024 – via Naver. Herald Pop (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024 – via Naver . ^ "프로그램 소개 – 인물관계도" [Program Introduction – Character Relationship Chart]. tvN (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 20, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023. ^ Kim Su-jin (January 19, 2024). "송지우, tvN '세작, 매혹된 자들' 특별출연..조정석과 호흡 [공식]". Star News (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 19, 2024. Retrieved January 19, 2024 – via Naver. ^ Yang Hyung-seok (October 3, 2023). "영화 시작 후 57분 만에 등장해 관객 사로잡은 명장면". OhmyNews (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2023 – via Naver. ^ a b Nielsen Korea ratings: "Ep. 1–2". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). January 21, 2024. Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. Retrieved January 22, 2024. "Ep. 3". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). January 27, 2024. Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2024. "Ep. 4". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). January 28, 2024. Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. Retrieved January 29, 2024. "Ep. 6". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). February 4, 2024. Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved February 5, 2024. "Ep. 7". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). February 9, 2024. Archived from the original on February 9, 2024. Retrieved February 10, 2024. "Ep. 8". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). February 10, 2024. Archived from the original on February 10, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2024. "Ep. 9–10". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). February 10, 2024. Archived from the original on February 10, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2024. "Ep. 11". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). February 17, 2024. Archived from the original on February 17, 2024. Retrieved February 18, 2024. "Ep. 12". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). February 18, 2024. Archived from the original on February 18, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2024. "Ep. 13". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). February 24, 2024. Archived from the original on February 25, 2024. Retrieved February 25, 2024. "Ep. 14". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). February 25, 2024. Archived from the original on February 25, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2024. "Ep. 15". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). March 2, 2024. Archived from the original on March 2, 2024. Retrieved March 3, 2024. "Ep. 16". Nielsen Korea (in Korean). March 3, 2024. Archived from the original on March 3, 2024. Retrieved March 4, 2024. ^ 세작, 매혹된 자들 시청률 [Captivating, the King ratings] (in Korean). Nielsen Korea. Retrieved February 4, 2024 – via Daum. ^ Shin Young-eun (January 22, 2024). "조정석, 사극도 로맨스도 '연기의 정석' [MK스타]". Maeil Business Newspaper (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024 – via Naver. ^ Kang Da-yoon (January 22, 2024). "'세작' 조정석X신세경, 모두가 기다린 '케미'…첫방부터 강렬한 매혹 [종합]". My Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024 – via Naver. ^ a b c Hwang Hye-jin (February 7, 2024). "'고려거란전쟁' 설연휴 결방→머리쓴 '세작' 금토일 4회 파격 편성 통할까" [Will the 'Goryeo War' be canceled on Lunar New Year's Day → Worn-out 'Sejak' be organized four times on Friday, Saturday and Sunday] (in Korean). Newsen. Archived from the original on February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024. External links Official website (in Korean) Captivating the King on Netflix Captivating the King at IMDb Captivating the King at HanCinema Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Captivating_the_King&oldid=1219557671"