Sky Castle


Sky Castle is a 2018-2019 South Korean television series starring Yum Jung-ah, Lee Tae-ran, Yoon Se-ah, Oh Na-ra and Kim Seo-hyung. It aired on JTBC on Fridays and Saturdays at 23:00 time slot from November 23, 2018, to February 1, 2019. It is about the college entrance examination, private education, and the medical field in South Korea.
Sky Castle is the second-highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history. The drama received positive reviews from critics and won multiple awards, including four at the 55th Baeksang Arts Awards.

Synopsis

A satirical drama that closely looks at the materialistic desires of the upper-class parents in Korea and how they ruthlessly secure the successes of their families at the cost of destroying others' lives. The drama revolves around the lives of housewives living in a luxurious residential area called SKY Castle in suburban Seoul, where wealthy doctors and professors live. The wives are determined to make their husbands more successful and to raise their children like princes and princesses and to be top students. They want their children to go to top universities so they use every way possible to get that. They spend billions of won to hire coordinators for college entrance exams.
Han Seo-jin hires a co-ordinator Kim Joo-young to have her daughter Kang Ye-seo, a model student admitted to Seoul University Medical School. Following the suicide of Lee Myung-joo, mother of Young-jae, Hwang Chi-young 's family moves into the SKY castle and his family often has clashes with the other members of the castle, due to their differences in opinions. Following a tragic incident in the castle, the fates of the families are tangled and new revelations dawn.

Cast

Main

Kang family

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Reception

Sky Castle is currently the second-highest-rated Korean drama in cable television history. It was an unexpected commercial hit, rising from 1% viewership ratings to double-digit viewership ratings percentage; as well as topping the Contents Power Index rankings as well as the TV popularity ranking in Korea. Besides its popularity in South Korea, the series also gained immense popularity in China.

Critical reception

The drama series has drawn positive reviews as a dark comedy that casts light on some of the furtive and controversial aspects of Korean society. It has also stimulated explosive responses from viewers due to its relatable storyline over Korea's competitive education system. Culture critic Jung Duk-hyun says the drama has received attention from viewers, because it successfully strikes an uneasy chord while heightening societies curiosities over the lengths to which rich elite families obsess over education. He also says
"In terms of education, the drama satisfies people's desire to peek into what those closed rich family circles do for their children. But at the same time, viewers feel uneasiness when watching their stories. Those two conflicting emotions, 'wanting to know but feeling uncomfortable' makes for some interesting chemistry in the minds of drama fans and puts it on the must-see drama list." The drama is also popular in China, where similar conditions and vexations overlap with those of Korea's education system.

Controversies

The drama ignited a controversy for allegedly "inciting" the murder of psychiatrist Lim Se-won, as it aired a scene in which a patient chases after a doctor with a knife in his hand due to a grievance over his operation results.
Following the broadcast of episode 14 on January 5, several Korean netizens on online communities came up with their own theories about what would happen in the next episode. One netizen's theory was supported by what appeared to be a photo of the drama's cue sheet, and another theory was formed based on the character description in a recruitment notice for a new role in the drama. When episode 15 aired on January 11, these theories proved to be true, making viewers question if the story was leaked.
On January 12, the producers explained that "The story was not leaked. Our viewers came up with many theories. They happened to be correct by chance, which must be why people think they are spoilers."
On January 16, controversy rose again after a netizen uploaded photos of parts of the scripts for episode 17 and 18. The fact that the name "Cha Ki-joon" was left on the script drew much attention, and the photos began to spread on online communities. After an investigation into the rumors, the producers confirmed that the scripts for episodes 17 and 18 had been leaked.
The production team was accused of plagiarizing the song "We All Lie" from American musician Bea Miller's song "To the Grave" featuring Mike Stud. However, JTBC denied the accusations.

Ratings

In this table, represent the lowest ratings and represent the highest ratings.
The word SKY is an acronym used to refer to the three most prestigious universities in South Korea: Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University. The term is widely used in South Korea, both in media broadcast and by the universities themselves.
In South Korea, admission to one of the SKY universities is widely considered as determining one's career and social status. Many of South Korea's most influential politicians, lawyers, physicians, engineers, journalists, professors, and policymakers have graduated from one of the SKY universities.

Awards and nominations

International broadcast