''Swallow the Sun'' () is a 2009 South Korean television series starring

Ji Sung Ji Sung (born Kwak Tae-geun on 27 February 1977) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in the television dramas '' All In'' (2003), '' Save the Last Dance for Me'' (2004), ''New Heart'' (2007), ''Protect the Boss'' (2011), ' ...

, Sung Yu-ri,

Lee Wan Lee Wan (born Kim Hyung-soo on January 3, 1984) is a South Korean actor. Career Born as Kim Hyung-soo, he began his career in entertainment after starring in a music video alongside older sister, actress Kim Tae-hee. Using the stage name Lee ...

and

Jun Kwang-ryul Jun Kwang-ryul () is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in the television series '' Hur Jun'', ''Jumong'' and '' King of Baking, Kim Takgu''. Filmography Television series *''Jinxed at First'' (2022) *'' Kingmaker: The Chan ...

. It aired on SBS from July 9 to October 1, 2009 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 25 episodes.

Synopsis

The drama opens in the 1960–1970's, with a group of criminals that were brought to Jeju Island for manual labor as punishment under the harsh supervision of troop leaders. Among this group is Kim Il-hwan (

Jin Goo Jin Goo (born July 20, 1980) is a South Korean actor. He won Best Supporting Actor at the Grand Bell Awards and Blue Dragon Film Awards for his role in Bong Joon-ho's 2009 noir thriller ''Mother''. He is also known for his role in the critically ...

), an unrefined, rebellious man with no family and no direction in life. With nothing to lose, Il-hwan escapes from the rest of the infantry after combat with one of the troop leaders, Lee Soo-chang (

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 ...

). The rest of the troop eventually track him down and corner him on a cliff over Jeju's ocean. He jumps off and drifts in the sea, and is later found by Ahn Mi-yeon (

Im Jung-eun Im Jung-eun (; born March 31, 1981) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her roles in '' Unsolved'' (also known as ''Secret Investigation Record'') and '' Man from the Equator''. Television series Films * ''Rainbow Goddess'' (202 ...

), a "

haenyo (also spelled ) (Hangul: ; lit. "sea women") are female divers in the Korean province of Jeju, whose livelihood consists of harvesting a variety of mollusks, seaweed, and other sea life from the ocean. Known for their independent spirit, iron ...

" (traditional free diver). Although she is afraid of this rough stranger, she does not judge him for being a criminal and does not turn him in to the authorities. Instead, Mi-yeon hides him in caves near the shore of the island where she takes care of him. They fall in love; however, the troops eventually find them believing that he had taken Mi-yeon hostage. After Il-hwan is taken away, Mi-yeon discovers that she is pregnant. Their child, Kim Jung-woo (

Yeo Jin-goo Yeo Jin-goo (, born August 13, 1997) is a South Korean actor. Yeo began his career as a child actor, debuting in the film '' Sad Movie'' (2005). Nicknamed "Nation's Little Brother", he went on to play the younger characters of the lead roles in ...

) is raised in an orphanage after Mi-yeon passes away. The illegitimate, orphaned Jung-woo grows up into a small-time hoodlum with a rebellious temperament. As an adult in the present day (

), he saves the life of a rich and powerful businessman Jang Min-ho (

), which becomes his ticket to a better life. Swearing to serve Jang Min-ho, Jung-woo gets sent to

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

to look after Jang's son, Tae-hyuk (

). Tae-hyuk had grown up not knowing his parentage, until he was approached as an adult by Jang Min-ho who claimed to be his father and trained him in business management. Tae-hyuk asks Jung-woo to help him win the heart of Lee Soo-hyun ( Sung Yu-ri). Soo-hyun is a strong-willed young woman who overcame poverty and misfortune to studied overseas, and currently works as the manager of a world-famous circus troupe. Jung-woo will do anything to win favor with the Jang family, but Soo-hyun turns out to be his first love, whom he'd met as a child back in Jeju. Soo-hyun, who doesn't remember Jung-woo, finds herself gradually drawn to him as he pursues her under his master's name. Things get complicated when Jung-woo is suddenly sent to prison instead of Tae-hyuk. Jung-woo later learns the devastating truth that the man claiming to be Jang Min-ho is actually his father, Kim Il-hwan. It sets him on a whirlwind quest filled with crime, love and revenge, taking him from the glittering lights of

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

to the diamond mines of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. Jung-woo, Soo-hyun and Tae-hyuk encounter each other again where it all started, Jeju Island, as they work to develop

Seogwipo Seogwipo () is the second-largest city on Jeju Island, settled on a rocky volcanic coastline in the southern part of Jeju Province, South Korea. In July 2006, Seogwipo's boundaries were expanded to include the entire southern half of Jeju island. ...

into a world-class city.

Cast

as Kim Jung-woo **

as young Kim Jung-woo * Sung Yu-ri as Lee Soo-hyun **

Lee Young-yoo Lee Young-yoo (born July 10, 1998) is a South Korean actress and singer. She was born in Osaka, Japan to Korean parents. Lee began her acting career as a child actress in 2003, and among her notable television dramas are '' Bad Housewife'' (20 ...

as young Lee Soo-hyun *

as Jang Tae-hyuk *

as Jang Min-ho/Kim Il-hwan * Yoo Oh-sung as Jackson Lee *

So Yi-hyun So Yi-hyun (; born Jo Woo-jung, 조우정; August 28, 1984) is a South Korean actress, with starring and supporting roles in ''Hyena'', '' Assorted Gems'', '' Gloria'', '' Heartstrings'', ''Glowing She'', '' Cheongdam-dong Alice'', and '' Who Ar ...

as Yoo Mi-ran *Han Ji-yeon as Han Sun-young *

Kim Yong-gun Kim Yong-gun (; born May 8, 1946) is a South Korean actor. His sons Ha Jung-woo Kim Sung-hoon (born March 11, 1978), better known as Ha Jung-woo (), is a South Korean actor, film director, screenwriter and film producer. One of the highest gr ...

as Yoo Kang-hyun *Moon Chang-gil as Moon Sung-chul *Yeon Woo Hyun-jin as Amy *Jo Sang-kyu as Jo Chi-gook * Lee Jae-yong as Hyun Ki-sang *

Choi Ran Choi Ran (born November 30, 1960) is a South Korean actress. She made her acting debut in 1979 and became best known as a supporting actress in television dramas, notably those written by the Hong sisters Hong Jung-eun (born 1974) and Hong ...

as Choi In-sook *

Kim Byung-se Kim Byung-se (born September 26, 1962) is a South Korean actor. Kim attended California State University Long Beach. Kim is an avid golfer and can be often seen golfing on his Instagram. Him and his wife have two dogs. Filmography Film ...

as Tony *

Kim Jung-tae Kim Jung-tae (born Kim Tae-wook on December 13, 1972) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his supporting roles on film and television. Career He made his acting debut in 1999 with the film ''The Uprising'' under his birth name Kim Tae ...

as Han Seok-tae *

Ma Dong-seok Ma Dong-seok (born Lee Dong-seok on March 1, 1971), also known as Don Lee, is a South Korean–American actor. With his breakout performance in '' Train to Busan'' and subsequent leading roles, he has become one of South Korea's most successful ...

as Lee Kang-rae *Yeo Ho-min as Jang Se-dol **

Chae Sang-woo Chae Sang-woo (born March 31, 1999) is a South Korean actor. He began his acting career in 2008 as a child actor, notably in ''Deep Rooted Tree'' (2011). Filmography Film *''Wretches'' (2018) - Jo Seong-woo *'' The Huntresses'' (2014) - Sa-hyun ...

as young Jang Se-dol *Jung Ho-bin as Baek Shil-jang *Kim Sae-rom as Ha Sang-mi *

Hong Seok-cheon Hong Seok-cheon (born February 3, 1971) is a South Korean actor, television personality, restaurateur and member of the dissolved Democratic Labor Party. He caused considerable controversy in his home country when he came out as gay in 2000, a ...

as Jimmy *

as young Kim Il-hwan *

as Ahn Mi-yeon *

Park Gwang-hyun Park Gwang-hyun (born October 11, 1977) is a South Korean actor and singer. After winning the 1997 SBS Top Talent Competition, Park has appeared in television dramas, notably ''The Bean Chaff of My Life'' (2003), '' Sweet Buns'' (2004), ''Pi ...

as young Hyun Ki-sang *

as Lee Soo-chang *

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 Mi-yeon's mother *Song Joo-yeon as Se-ran *Son Il-kwon as Cheon Il-young *Lee Sol-gu as safe breaking criminal *Seo Ji-yeon as Jin-sook *Hyun Chul-ho as detective *

Shim Eun-jin Shim Eun-jin ( ko, 심은진; born February 6, 1981) is a South Korean singer and actress. She was a member of South Korean girl group Baby V.O.X. Career Shim Eun-jin launched her singing career in 1998 as a member of Baby V.O.X, one of the m ...

as vocalist *

Kim Roi-ha Kim Roi-ha (born November 15, 1965) is a South Korean actor. Notable roles include a detective in '' Memories of Murder'' (2003), and a gangster in ''A Bittersweet Life'' (2005). Kim won Best Actor at the 2001 Dong-A Theatre Awards for his por ...

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 ...

Production

The series, produced on a budget of , was adapted from the novel by Kang Chul-hwa. Screenwriter Choi Wan-kyu and director Yoo Chul-yong previously worked with actor

on '' All In'' (2003), which had similar themes of casino gambling and gangsters. With the exception for overseas shoots in

, United States and

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

, all the scenes in Korea were shot entirely in

City in

Jeju Province Jeju Province, officially Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, is one of the nine provinces of South Korea. The province comprises Jeju Island (; ), formerly transliterated as Cheju or Cheju Do, the country's largest island. It was previously k ...

. Renowned Canadian circus troupe

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; "Circus of the Sun" or "Sun Circus") is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Ju ...

was also featured in the drama. They appeared without being paid royalties, in order to break into the Korean market. Sung Yu-ri's character was also based on troupe member and synchronized swimmer Hong Yun-jin. Production was temporarily halted in early July 2009 when eight crew members tested positive for

swine flu Swine influenza is an infection caused by any of several types of swine influenza viruses. Swine influenza virus (SIV) or swine-origin influenza virus (S-OIV) refers to any strain of the influenza family of viruses that is endemic in pigs. As ...

. They were

quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...

d, the press conference was cancelled, and the premiere date was pushed back by one day.

Ratings

Source
TNS Media Korea

International broadcast

It aired in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

on '' Hallyu'' cable channel KNTV from February 13 to November 21, 2009 under the title . It also aired on cable channel BS NTV. It aired 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 bo ...

on '' Modernine TV'' on June 23, 2011 under the title ''ฝากรัก ณ ตะวันนิรันดร'' (''f̄āk rạk ṇ tawạn nirạndr''). th, Thai It aired in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

on ''VTC1'' on October 15, 2013 under the title ''Chinh Phục Mặt Trời''.

References

External links

''Swallow the Sun'' official SBS website
* *{{IMDb title, 1567718 Seoul Broadcasting System television dramas 2009 South Korean television series debuts 2009 South Korean television series endings Korean-language television shows South Korean action television series South Korean romance television series Television shows based on South Korean novels Television shows written by Choi Wan-kyu