''Empire of Gold'' () is a 2013

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

n television series starring

Go Soo Go Soo (born October 4, 1978), also known as Ko Soo, is a South Korean actor. He has appeared in television series such as ''Piano'', '' Green Rose'' and '' Will It Snow for Christmas?'', as well as the films '' White Night'' and '' The Front Lin ...

Lee Yo-won Lee Yo-won (born April 9, 1980) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Queen Seondeok in the eponymous hit period drama. Career Lee Yo-won was a sophomore in high school when she won a modeling contest and first appe ...

, and

Son Hyun-joo Son Hyun-joo (born June 24, 1965) is a South Korean actor. Since 1991, he has starred in numerous television series and films, such as '' First Love'' (1996), ''To Be With You'' (2002), ''My Rosy Life'' (2005), '' Tazza'' (2008), ''My Too Perfec ...

. It aired on SBS from July 1 to September 17, 2013 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 24 episodes.

Plot

The series is a multi-generational saga that covers a twenty-year span from 1990 to 2010, and follows one chaebol family as it arises out of the ruins of the 1990s IMF financial crisis that wreaked havoc on the Korean economy, becoming one of the top conglomerates in the nation. Three people become locked in a power struggle for control of this chaebol empire.

Cast

as Jang Tae-joo :Jang Tae-joo comes from nothing, and his ambition is fuelled after witnessing the misfortunes of his poor hardworking father. After their father dies, Tae-joo, along with his mother, raises his little sister Hee-joo on his own, and fights tooth and nail to rise to the top relying on his cunning wits. Smart, passionate, and driven, he endures contempt and humiliation as he works relentlessly towards his dreams of success and wealth. But betrayal and exploitation gradually turn him into a cold-hearted, ruthless mogule. He marries Seo-yoon, although he loves Seol-hee. *

as Choi Seo-yoon :The reserved, aloof and second youngest daughter of the chaebol founder and heiress to the business empire, she and Tae-joo get married, although they both don't love each other. *

as Choi Min-jae :Seo-yoon's cousin and Tae-joo's biggest rival for Sungjin Group's top seat. Choi Min-jae is as ruthless, cunning, and unscrupulous as Tae-joo, lobbying, bribing and arranging backdoor deals with the political elite. *

Jang Shin-young Jang Shin-young (; born January 17, 1984) is a South Korean actress. She made her entertainment debut through a local beauty contest in 2001, and is best known for her portrayal of the femme fatale lead in the E Channel drama ''The Empress'' (2 ...

as Yoon Seol-hee :A woman who uses her looks to garner insider information, sets up a real estate consulting firm to sell what she knows. Even though it's a dangerous job, she teams up with Tae-joo to take down the Choi family and their business empire. She falls in love with Tae-joo. *

Ryu Seung-soo Ryu Seung-soo (born August 12, 1971) is a South Korean actor. Ryu made his acting debut in 1997 with a minor role in Park Chan-wook's film ''Trio'', and has been active as a supporting actor on film and television since. Among his notable films a ...

as Jo Pil-doo :A mob boss who is the antagonist to Jang Tae-joo's start-up business, and becomes a friend of Tae-joo later. *

Park Geun-hyung Park Geun-hyung (born June 7, 1940) is a South Korean actor. His career in film, television and theater has spanned over five decades. Filmography Film *''7 People in the Cellar'' (1969) *''Lovers of Seoul'' (1973) *''Spies in the National A ...

as Choi Dong-seong :The patriarch and CEO of giant conglomerate Sungjin Group. *

Yoon Seung-ah Yoon Seung-ah (; born September 29, 1983) is a South Korean actress. She debuted as a magazine model, and first gained attention in 2006 by appearing in two music videos by Alex Chu and Ji Sun. After finishing her art major, Yoon pursued an ac ...

as Jang Hee-joo :Tae-joo's younger sister. * Lee Hyun-jin as Choi Seong-jae :The youngest son of Sungjin Group, whose dream is to become an economist. His family runs the Sungjin Economic Research Institute, where he works. * Sunwoo Eun-sook as Yoo Soon-ok :Tae-joo's mother who took care of her children after her husband died. *Nam Il-woo as Jang Bong-ho :Tae-joo's father who died in an antiquated building blast without achieving financial blessing. *

Kim Mi-sook Kim or KIM may refer to: Names * Kim (given name) * Kim (surname) ** Kim (Korean surname) *** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties **** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948 ** Kim, Vietnamese ...

as Han Jeong-hee *

Jung Han-yong Jung Han-yong (정한용, born June 22, 1954) is a veteran South Korean actor. He has appeared in many television series, including 2009's ''Iris''. In 1983 he won the Baeksang Arts Awards The Baeksang Arts Awards (), also known as the Paek ...

as Choi Dong-jin *

Um Hyo-sup Um Hyo-sup (born October 24, 1966) is a South Korean actor. Um mostly plays supporting roles in films and television dramas Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed i ...

as Choi Won-jae *

Ko Eun-mi Ko Eun-mi (born Ahn Eun-mi on July 7, 1976) is a South Korean actress. She made her entertainment debut in 1995 as a singer in the band T.Ra.V (stands for "TV+Radio+Video"), which released one album ''Hey! Henter'' before disbanding. Ko was then ...

as Park Eun-jung *

Shin Dong-mi Shin Dong-mi (born 29 November 1977) is a South Korean actress. Career She made her debut as a theater actor in 1998. The following year, she started to act as a musical actor in 1999, and then she started her career as a TV actress in 2001 ...

as Choi Jeong-yoon *Jeong Wook as Sohn Dong-hwi *Kim Jeong-hak as Shin Jong-ho *Kim Kang-hyeon as Na Chun-ho *Lee Won-jae as Kim Kwang-se *Choi Yong-min as Park Jin-tae *

Park Ji-il Park Ji-il (Korean: 박지일, born September 1960) is a South Korean theatre, film and television actor. He is known for his supporting roles in various TV series and films. His better known works are: 2011 TV series '' The Thorn Birds'', 2013 ...

as Kang Ho-yeon * Jin Seo-yeon as Jeong Yu-jin *Kwon Tae-won as Jeong Byeong-guk *

Dong Ha Dong or DONG may refer to: Places * Dong Lake, or East Lake, a lake in China * Dong, Arunachal Pradesh, a village in India * Dong (administrative division) (동 or 洞), a neighborhood division in Korea Persons *Queen Dong (1623–1681), prince ...

as Choi Yong-jae

Ratings

Awards and nominations

International broadcast

It began airing in

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

on digital television

MONO29 Mono 29 (stylized as MONO29) is a digital terrestrial television and satellite television Satellite television is a service that delivers television programming to viewers by relaying it from a communications satellite orbiting the Earth direct ...

on May 11, 2015.

References

External links

''Empire of Gold'' official SBS website
* * {{Park Kyung-soo 2013 South Korean television series debuts 2013 South Korean television series endings Seoul Broadcasting System television dramas Korean-language television shows South Korean political television series Television series by Drama House Television series by Studio S