''Miss Mermaid'' () is a South Korean

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

starring

Jang Seo-hee Jang Seo-hee (born January 5, 1972) is a South Korean actress. She has starred in numerous television dramas, including ''Miss Mermaid'' (2002) and '' Temptation of Wife'' (2008), which were both extremely successful in the ratings and earned J ...

and Kim Sung-taek. It aired on MBC from June 24, 2002 to June 27, 2003 on Mondays to Fridays at 20:20 for 246 episodes. ''Miss Mermaid'' became a nationwide hit upon airing, reaching a peak viewership rating of 43.6%. The cast won several trophies at the 2002

MBC Drama Awards The MBC Drama Awards () is an awards ceremony presented by Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) for outstanding achievements in Korean dramas aired on its network. It is held annually in December. Unlike its counterparts in KBS and SBS, MBC ...

, notably the Daesang ("Grand Prize") for Jang Seo-hee. The series led to Jang's pan-Asian popularity, particularly in China. But ''Miss Mermaid'' was also criticized for

Im Sung-han Im Sung-han (born Im Young-ran on August 24, 1960) is a South Korean television screenwriter. Her best-known dramas include ''Miss Mermaid'' and ''Dear Heaven''. Career Im Sung-han began her career writing for single-episode anthologies. Her fir ...

's sensationalistic writing and unrealistic plot twists, as well as the show's multiple extensions.

Plot

Eun Ah-ri-young is a successful

television drama In film and television show, television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or docudrama, semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humour, humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms t ...

screenwriter with a past. Her father Eun Jin-sub had an affair and left their family for the other woman, and shortly after her autistic brother died and her mother Han Kyung-hye went blind. Ah-ri-young's unrelenting hate for her father throughout her childhood and adolescence drives her to meticulously plan her vengeance. Knowing that Jin-sub's new wife Shim Soo-jung is a popular actress, Ah-ri-young works her way up the ranks until she earns enough cachet in the TV industry. Then she writes a script that's a thinly veiled autobiography of her father's affair and its aftermath, and casts the unsuspecting Soo-jung in the role of the blind mother to make her feel guilty. To complete her revenge and cause the maximum amount of pain, Ah-ri-young also plots to steal the fiancé of her half-sister Eun Ye-young, the gentle-natured Lee Joo-wang. Helping Ah-ri-young in her plans is Jo Soo-ah, her mother's friend whose ulterior motive is that she wants Ah-ri-young to marry her son Ma Ma-joon. But Ah-ri-young finds herself falling in love with Joo-wang for real, and she eventually realizes that there is more to life than hatred and learns the true meaning of forgiveness.

Cast

Main

as Eun Ah-ri-young, a television screenwriter *Jung Young-sook as Han Kyung-hye, Ah-ri-young's mother *

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 Eun Jin-sub, Ah-ri-young's father, Kyung-hye's ex-husband *

Han Hye-sook Han Hye-sook (born August 20, 1951) is a South Korean actress. Han won the Grand Prize in the controversial but highly rated television drama ''Dear Heaven'' at the SBS Drama Awards The SBS Drama Awards (), also known as SBS Awards Festival, ...

as Shim Soo-jung, a famous actress, Jin-sub's wife *

Woo Hee-jin Woo Hee-jin (born May 24, 1975) is a South Korean actress. Woo began modeling in commercials when she was in sixth grade, then made her acting debut in 1987. She became a household name when she starred in campus drama ''Feelings'' (1994), sitco ...

as Eun Ye-young, a reporter, jin-sub and Soo-jung's daughter *Sa Mi-ja as Geum Ok-sun, Joo-wang's grandmother *

Kim Yong-rim Kim Yong-rim (born March 3, 1940) is a South Korean actress. Kim made her acting debut in 1961 and has since worked steadily in Korean dramas, notably ''Silver Grass'', for which she won the Grand Prize (Daesang) at the MBC Drama Awards The ...

as Geum Sil-ra, Joo-wang's mother *

Kim Byung-ki Kim Byung-ki (born November 2, 1948) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Television series Film Awards and nominations References External links * * 1948 births Living people South Korean male television actors ...

as Lee Sung-soo, the president of Sun Daily Newspaper, Joo-wang's father * Kim Sung-taek as Lee Joo-wang, a reporter, Ye-young's fiancé *

Go Doo-shim Go Doo-shim (; born May 22, 1951) is a South Korean actress. Career A native of Jeju Island, Go Doo-shim made her acting debut in 1972 and since then she had a prolific career on television, film and theater. Best known for playing the quintes ...

as Jo Soo-ah a.k.a. Jo Young-chun, a friend of Kyung-hye and Soo-jung *

Jeong Bo-seok Jeong Bo-seok (; born 1961) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Television series Film Television show Theater Awards and nominations References External linksJung Bo-seok Fan Cafeat Daum * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jeon ...

as Ma Ma-joon, Soo-ah's son *Lee Jae-eun as Ma Ma-rin, Soo-ah's daughter *Choi Jae-ho as An Hyung-sun, a television director

Supporting

*Seo Kwon-soon as Hong Mi-sung, the mother of Ah-ri-young's ex-boyfriend *

Yoo Hye-ri Yoo Hye-ri is a South Korean actress and model. She is known for her roles in dramas such as Golden Pouch, Sweet Home, Sweet Honey and You're Only Mine. Personal life She was married to actor Lee Geun-hee in 1994. She met him when they were per ...

as herself *

Jeon Mi-seon Jeon Mi-seon (December 7, 1970 – June 29, 2019) was a South Korean actress. Though best known as a supporting actress in films and television series such as ''Memories of Murder'' (2003), ''Moon Embracing the Sun'' (2012), and ''Hide and Seek ...

as Yoon Sung-mi, a reporter who is friend of Ah-ri-young *Choi Seon-ja as Dong-jin's mother, a housekeeper of the Lee family *Sa Kang as Yoo Jin-kyung, Ma-rin's friend *Park Tam-hee as Baek Soo-rim, Mi-sung's ex-daughter-in-law

Awards

2002

*Daesang (Grand Prize):

*Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Serial Drama:

*Excellence Award, Actress in a Serial Drama:

*Special Acting Award:

, Jung Young-sook,

*Best New Actor: Kim Sung-taek *Writer of the Year:

*Best Couple Award: Kim Sung-taek and

*Viewer's Choice, Actress of the Year:

*Journalists' Choice, Actress of the Year:

References

External links

*{{hancinema drama, Miss_Mermaid, Miss Mermaid MBC TV television dramas 2002 South Korean television series debuts 2003 South Korean television series endings Korean-language television shows South Korean romance television series South Korean melodrama television series