''Royal Secret Agent'' () is a South Korean historical comedy,

detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads th ...

television series. The series is directed by Kim Jung-min and stars

Kim Myung-soo Kim Myung-soo (; born March 13, 1992), known professionally as L, is a South Korean singer, actor, and model. He debuted as a vocalist of boy band Infinite in 2010 and its sub-group Infinite F in 2014. He left Woollim Entertainment in August 201 ...

Kwon Nara Kwon Na-ra () (changed her name legally to Kwon Ah-yoon (), known by her birth name Nara), is a South Korean singer and actress. She is best known as one of the original members of the South Korean girl group Hello Venus. Career Beginnings an ...

Lee Tae-hwan Lee Tae-hwan (; born February 21, 1995) is a South Korean actor, model and singer. Since his acting debut in 2013, he has starred in television dramas and web series, notably '' Pride and Prejudice'' (2014) and '' W''. He is a member of 5urpris ...

Lee Yi-kyung Lee Yi-kyung (born January 8, 1989) is a South Korean actor. Career Lee made his acting debut in 2011, and first gained recognition from playing a rebellious student in the teen drama ''School 2013''. Thereafter, he played supporting roles in t ...

, and Jo Soo-min. Written by Kang Min-sun and Park Sung-hoon the series is about a government position in

Joseon dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

known as

Secret royal inspector The secret royal inspector in Korea was a temporary position unique to the Joseon Dynasty, in which an undercover official directly appointed by the king was sent to local provinces to monitor government officials and look after the populace whil ...

, who monitors corrupt government officials while remaining undercover. It aired on

KBS2 The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, a ...

every Monday and Tuesday at 21:30 ( KST) from December 21, 2020 to February 9, 2021.

Synopsis

Set in the era of

the series revolves around Sung Yi-gyum (

), a state examination top scorer who works in the administrative and research department of the government office. He is caught gambling and as punishment, he is re-assigned to a new position as a

secret royal inspector The secret royal inspector in Korea was a temporary position unique to the Joseon Dynasty, in which an undercover official directly appointed by the king was sent to local provinces to monitor government officials and look after the populace whil ...

to investigate the corrupt practices of public officers. Yi-gyum carries out his new job with the help of Hong Da-in (

), a female inspector, and Park Chun-sam (

), his talkative but affectionate servant.

Cast

Main

The three musketeers

as Sung Yi-gyum, a

Kwon Na-ra Kwon Na-ra () (changed her name legally to Kwon Ah-yoon (), known by her birth name Nara), is a South Korean singer and actress. She is best known as one of the original members of the South Korean girl group Hello Venus. Career Beginnings an ...

as Hong Da-in/Honglang/Lee Young-sin, female police posing as a courtesan whose beauty is comparable to

Hwang Jini Hwang Jini or Hwang Jin-Yi (; 1506 – 1560), also known by her gisaeng name Myeongwol ("bright moon", ), was one of the most famous gisaeng of the Joseon Dynasty. She lived during the reign of King Jungjong. She was noted for her exceptional ...

. She becomes a member of Royal Secret Agent's entourage. *

as Park Chun-sam, Sung Yi-gyum's servant.

Around three musketeers

as Sung Yi-beom, Sung Yi-gyum's half-brother, head of the band of vigilante * Jo Soo-min as Kang Soon-ae, Sung Yi-gyum's ex-lover, daughter of a courtesan

Supporting

Ahn Nae-sang Ahn Nae-sang (born December 25, 1964) is a South Korean actor. He began his career on the stage, and in 1994 made his film debut in the Bong Joon-ho short film ''Baeksekin'' ("White Man" or "White-collar worker"), followed by Jang Sun-woo's ''B ...

as Jang Tae-seung, Chief Royal Secretary *

Son Byong-ho Son Byong-ho (born August 25, 1962) is a South Korean actor. Son is known for his role in action films, notably, ''R-Point'' (2004), '' Running Wild'' (2006), ''The Good, the Bad, the Weird'' (2008) and ''Insu, The Queen Mother ''Insu, the Qu ...

as Kim Byeong-geun, Chief State Councillor * Kim Young-cheol * Choi Jong-won as Kang In-chung, corrupt sheriff *

Shin Ha-young Shin Ha-young also known mononymously as Ha-young is a South Korean actress and model. She is known for her drama roles in ''Doctor Prisoner'', ''Chocolate'' and ''Soul Mechanic''. Biography and career She was born on August 11, 1993, in South ...

as Kim Mi-ok * Park Joo-hyung as Seo Yong * Kim Kyung-sook * Lee Min-woo *

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 ...

* Chae Dong-hyun as Kim Man-hee, Kim Byeong-geun's first son * Jong Ho as Man Deok * Shin Ji-hoon as Choi Do-kwan * Jo Deok-hee as Jung Moon-ho * Yang Byung-yeol as Civil servant Kim

Production

By July 2020 the main cast of the series with Lee Tae-hwan, Kim Myung-soo, Kwon Nara and Lee Yi-kyung was finalized. The broadcast was initially scheduled to be premiered on November 2, 2020, but due to re-proliferation of COVID-19, the production was delayed. In October group script reading was held. The still photos in the period costume, from the set of series were released by KBS as the filming progressed.

Original soundtrack

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Episodes

Viewership

As per the audience rating of AGB Nielsen Media Research, the second part of the final episode, recorded 14% average TV viewership ratings. This is the record for its own highest ratings.

Notes

International broadcast

The series is available same time as Korea, as an iQIYI Original and exclusively on iQIYI globally (except China and Korea) with multi-languages subtitles. It is also available non-exclusively on iQIYI in South Korea.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
''Royal Secret Agent''
at Daum * * * {{Works by IWill Media Korean Broadcasting System television dramas Korean-language television shows 2020 South Korean television series debuts 2021 South Korean television series endings Alternate history television series Television series set in the Joseon dynasty South Korean historical television series South Korean comedy television series Television series by IWill Media Television productions suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic