Empress Ki (TV series)

Empress Ki (Korean: 기황후; Hanja: 奇皇后; RR: Gi Hwanghu) is a South Korean historical drama television series starring Ha Ji-won as the titular Empress Ki.[1] It aired on MBC from October 28, 2013 to April 29, 2014 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 51 episodes.

Empress Ki
Promotional poster for Empress Ki. Left to right: Toghon Temür, Empress Ki, Wang Yoo.
GenreHistorical
Based onEmpress Gi
Written by
Directed by
  • Han Hee
  • Lee Sung-joon
Starring
ComposerKim Jang Woo soundtrack
Country of originSouth Korea
Original languageKorean
No. of episodes51
Production
Executive producerJoo Sung-woo
ProducerCho Yoon-jung
Running time60 minutes
Production companyVictory Contents
DistributorMunhwa Broadcasting Corporation
Release
Original networkMunhwa Broadcasting Corporation
Picture formatHDTV 1080i 16:9
Original releaseOctober 28, 2013 (2013-10-28) –
April 29, 2014 (2014-04-29)
Chronology
Preceded byGoddess of Fire
Followed byTriangle
External links
Website
Empress Ki at Victory Contents

A domestic and overseas hit, the series received the Golden Bird Prize for Serial Drama at the 9th Seoul International Drama Awards. Ha Ji-won also won the Grand Prize at the MBC Drama Awards for her performance.

Title

The early working title was Hwatu (Korean: 화투; lit. "Battle of Flowers") but the title was changed to prevent confusion with the similarly named playing cards.[2]

Synopsis

The series revolves around Gi Seungnyang, a Goryeo-born woman who ascends to power despite the restrictions of the era's class system, and later marries Toghon Temür (Emperor of Mongol Empire) to become an empress of the Yuan dynasty, instead of her first love, Wang Yu. It managed to highlight the deep love the Emperor embedded in Lady Ki and depicts her loves and political ambitions.[3]

Cast

Main
Fiancée of Wang Yoo / The Jackal / Empress and Consort of Toghon Temür / Empress of Yuan
King of Goryeo / Fiance of Ki Nyang / Seung Nyang’s First Love
Emperor of Yuan
Empress or Wife of Toghan Temür / Daughter of Regent El Temür

Supporting

Special appearances

Original soundtrack
Empress Ki
OST
Soundtrack album by
Various Artists
Released2013 (2013)
Genre
Language{{Korean}}
LabelStone Music Entertainment
Hwa&Dam Pictures
Glove Entertainment

OST Part 1
No.TitleArtistLength
1."Thorn Love" (가시사랑)4men3:34
2."Thorn Love" (Inst.) 3:34
Total length:7:58

OST Part 2
No.TitleArtistLength
1."Love Wind" (사랑 바람)WAX3:05
2."Love Wind" 3:05
Total length:6:10

OST Part 3
No.TitleArtistLength
1."Love You" (사랑 합니다)Junsu3:41
2."Love You" (Inst.) 3:41
Total length:8:52

OST Part 4
No.TitleArtistLength
1."Just Once" (한번만)Soyou4:11
2."Just Once" (Inst.) 4:11
Total length:8:22

OST Part 5
No.TitleArtistLength
1."The Wind" (ㅂ람결)Park Wan-kyu3:29
2."The Wind" (Inst.) 3:29
Total length:6:58

OST Part 6
No.TitleArtistLength
1."The Day"ZIA3:35
2."The Day" (Inst.) 3:35
Total length:7:50

OST Part 7
No.TitleArtistLength
1."To the Butterfly" (나비에게)Ji Chang-wook4:06
2."To the Butterfly" (Inst.) 4:06
Total length:8:12
Disc 2:
No.TitleArtistLength
1."Empress Ki (Opening Title)"Kim Jang Woo3:20
2."Empress ki (Main theme)"Kim Jang Woo5:14
3."Emperor"Kim Jang Woo2:20
4."Destiny"Kim Jang Woo5:29
5."Flower Blossom"Kim Jang Woo5:38
6."The Greatest Day"Kim Jang Woo2:38
7."Fate"Kim Jang Woo4:47
8."Princess"Kim Jang Woo2:58
9."Heroes"Kim Jang Woo2:09
10."Horse Riding"Kim Jang Woo1:31

Reception

The series attained high ratings during its run, ranking first in its timeslot with a peak viewership rating of 33.9 percent.[4][5] According to a report by Taiwan's drama channel ETTV, the series was ranked as the best foreign program for 2014 with 5.35% viewership rating, becoming the second Korean drama after Jewel in the Palace (2003) to do so.[6] It also received positive reviews for its strong acting skills, gripping background and elaborate scenes.[7]

Despite its popularity, the series was criticized for its inclusion of fictional elements regarding the characters and storyline. Much concern was raised over the series' depiction of the titular Empress Ki, who was portrayed as a brave warrior in the series. Historians were worried that the audience would overlook the fact that the real-life Empress Ki was responsible for attacking her native land.[7][8]

Ratings

In this table, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.

Ep. Original broadcast date Average audience share
TNmS Ratings[9] AGB Nielsen[10]
Nationwide Seoul National Capital Area Nationwide Seoul National Capital Area
1 October 28, 2013 10.1% (13th) 12.3% (8th) 11.1% (9th) 13.3% (4th)
2 October 29, 2013 12.0% (6th) 14.6% (4th) 13.6% (4th) 15.8% (4th)
3 November 4, 2013 11.7% (11th) 14.9% (4th) 12.8% (6th) 14.5% (5th)
4 November 5, 2013 12.7% (6th) 15.4% (4th) 14.5% (4th) 16.6% (3rd)
5 November 11, 2013 14.0% (5th) 17.3% (4th) 14.5% (5th) 16.1% (4th)
6 November 12, 2013 14.6% (4th) 18.6% (4th) 16.3% (4th) 18.7% (3rd)
7 November 18, 2013 15.2% (4th) 18.4% (4th) 15.5% (5th) 17.6% (3rd)
8 November 19, 2013 16.5% (4th) 20.1% (3rd) 16.9% (4th) 18.6% (3rd)
9 November 25, 2013 15.4% (4th) 19.1% (4th) 17.2% (4th) 19.5% (3rd)
10 November 26, 2013 16.2% (4th) 19.5% (3rd) 18.1% (3rd) 19.6% (3rd)
11 December 2, 2013 17.7% (4th) 20.8% (3rd) 17.8% (5th) 20.5% (2nd)
12 December 3, 2013 18.4% (4th) 21.7% (3rd) 19.0% (4th) 21.0% (3rd)
13 December 9, 2013 19.1% (4th) 23.6% (2nd) 20.2% (3rd) 23.5% (2nd)
14 December 10, 2013 18.4% (4th) 23.3% (1st) 19.5% (3rd) 21.9% (2nd)
15 December 16, 2013 17.7% (4th) 21.7% (4th) 18.8% (4th) 21.5% (3rd)
16 December 17, 2013 18.1% (4th) 21.9% (2nd) 18.8% (3rd) 21.4% (3rd)
17 December 23, 2013 17.3% (4th) 20.5% (2nd) 17.3% (4th) 20.1% (2nd)
18 December 24, 2013 17.3% (3rd) 20.5% (2nd) 17.5% (3rd) 19.9% (2nd)
19 January 6, 2014 17.0% (3rd) 21.8% (2nd) 17.9% (3rd) 20.4% (3rd)
20 January 7, 2014 18.5% (3rd) 23.8% (2nd) 19.1% (3rd) 21.3% (2nd)
21 January 13, 2014 18.2% (3rd) 23.7% (2nd) 19.6% (3rd) 22.9% (2nd)
22 January 14, 2014 19.0% (3rd) 23.9% (2nd) 20.3% (3rd) 22.1% (2nd)
23 January 20, 2014 19.5% (3rd) 23.6% (2nd) 20.8% (3rd) 23.6% (2nd)
24 January 21, 2014 20.7% (3rd) 24.7% (2nd) 22.6% (2nd) 26.2% (2nd)
25 January 27, 2014 21.4% (3rd) 27.0% (2nd) 22.8% (2nd) 26.8% (1st)
26 January 28, 2014 22.0% (2nd) 26.3% (2nd) 24.9% (2nd) 28.6% (1st)
27 February 3, 2014 24.2% (2nd) 29.8% (1st) 23.9% (2nd) 27.7% (1st)
28 February 4, 2014 24.0% (2nd) 29.3% (1st) 25.3% (2nd) 29.1% (1st)
29 February 10, 2014 20.8% (2nd) 25.3% (1st) 22.7% (2nd) 25.3% (1st)
30 February 17, 2014 25.3% (2nd) 30.9% (1st) 26.5% (2nd) 29.9% (1st)
31 February 18, 2014 25.6% (2nd) 30.9% (1st) 26.6% (1st) 29.4% (1st)
32 February 24, 2014 24.4% (2nd) 31.0% (1st) 25.3% (2nd) 28.8% (1st)
33 February 25, 2014 27.9% (2nd) 33.6% (1st) 28.6% (1st) 31.3% (1st)
34 March 3, 2014 26.1% (2nd) 32.4% (1st) 26.2% (2nd) 29.7% (1st)
35 March 4, 2014 26.5% (2nd) 32.3% (1st) 28.3% (1st) 31.4% (1st)
36 March 10, 2014 26.0% (2nd) 31.4% (1st) 29.2% (2nd) 30.8% (1st)
37 March 11, 2014 27.1% (2nd) 32.4% (1st) 29.2% (1st) 32.4% (1st)
38 March 17, 2014 25.6% (2nd) 30.7% (1st) 27.7% (2nd) 31.3% (1st)
39 March 18, 2014 25.0% (2nd) 29.3% (1st) 26.5% (2nd) 29.7% (1st)
40 March 24, 2014 22.4% (2nd) 27.5% (2nd) 24.4% (2nd) 27.9% (2nd)
41 March 25, 2014 24.0% (2nd) 29.8% (1st) 26.0% (2nd) 28.8% (1st)
42 March 31, 2014 23.5% (2nd) 27.2% (2nd) 25.0% (2nd) 28.8% (1st)
43 April 1, 2014 24.1% (2nd) 27.4% (2nd) 25.0% (2nd) 27.9% (1st)
44 April 7, 2014 23.9% (3rd) 27.8% (2nd) 24.3% (2nd) 27.2% (1st)
45 April 8, 2014 23.5% (2nd) 28.7% (2nd) 25.5% (2nd) 28.7% (1st)
46 April 14, 2014 23.9% (2nd) 28.0% (2nd) 25.3% (2nd) 28.3% (1st)
47 April 15, 2014 23.8% (2nd) 28.9% (1st) 26.1% (2nd) 28.8% (1st)
48 April 21, 2014 22.7% (2nd) 25.6% (2nd) 22.9% (2nd) 24.9% (1st)
49 April 22, 2014 23.9% (2nd) 27.2% (2nd) 26.6% (2nd) 29.4% (1st)
50 April 28, 2014 25.7% (2nd) 30.6% (1st) 26.2% (2nd) 28.7% (1st)
51 April 29, 2014 28.3% (2nd) 33.9% (1st) 28.7% (2nd) 31.7% (1st)
Average 20.7% 25.1% 21.9% 24.7%
Ratings in the Philippines

It aired on GMA Network from October 20, 2014 to April 14, 2015, on weeknights (Monday to Thursday) at 10:00 PM PST for 100 episodes.[11] Each episode runs 1 hour including commercial breaks. It was pre-empted on December 31, 2014 to give way to the Countdown to 2015 GMA New Year Special and on April 2 to 3, 2015 to give way on the Holy Week programming. The entire series was dubbed in Filipino. It was the highest rated Korean drama in the Philippines for 2015. It was re-aired on GMA News TV from July 12, 2016 to January 20, 2017.

Ratings in the Philippines
Episode #
(in PH)		 Broadcast date Average audience share
AGB Nielsen[12] Kantar Media[13]
Mega Manila Nationwide
1 October 20, 2014 12.6% 7.3%
2 October 21, 2014 12.8% 7.0%
3 October 22, 2014 12.7% 6.8%
4 October 23, 2014 12.9% 7.5%
5 October 27, 2014 12.5% 6.4%
6 October 28, 2014 11.1% 6.8%
7 October 29, 2014 12.8% 6.9%
8 October 30, 2014 12.8% 7.5%
9 November 3, 2014 13.3% 7.1%
10 November 4, 2014 12.2% 7.5%
11 November 5, 2014 13.9% 7.9%
12 November 6, 2014 12.7% 7.5%
13 November 10, 2014 13.2% 7.4%
14 November 11, 2014 13.0% 7.3%
15 November 12, 2014 14.6% 8.4%
16 November 13, 2014 14.9% 8.5%
17 November 17, 2014 13.8% 8.4%
18 November 18, 2014 14.6% 8.4%
19 November 19, 2014 14.3% 8.6%
20 November 20, 2014 14.4% 8.4%
21 November 24, 2014 14.5% 8.7%
22 November 25, 2014 13.9% 8.2%
23 November 26, 2014 16.0% 8.4%
24 November 27, 2014 14.5% 8.1%
25 December 1, 2014 14.8% 9.2%
26 December 2, 2014 15.1% 9.2%
27 December 3, 2014 14.1% 9.7%
28 December 4, 2014 15.2% 9.9%
29 December 8, 2014 15.8% 8.3%
30 December 9, 2014 14.7% 7.9%
31 December 10, 2014 16.2% 9.2%
32 December 11, 2014 15.4% 6.8%
33 December 15, 2014 14.0% 8.1%
34 December 16, 2014 15.0% 9.0%
35 December 17, 2014 15.1% 8.7%
36 December 18, 2014 15.9% 9.8%
37 December 22, 2014 15.6% 9.1%
38 December 23, 2014 16.2% 8.9%
39 December 24, 2014 15.1% 11.9%
40 December 25, 2014 15.2% 8.1%
41 December 29, 2014 16.4% 7.8%
42 December 30, 2014 16.3% 9.5%
43 January 1, 2015 16.4% 8.9%
44 January 5, 2015 16.6% 8.9%
45 January 6, 2015 18.2% 10.3%
46 January 7, 2015 17.5% 9.5%
47 January 8, 2015 16.3% 9.0%
48 January 12, 2015 17.2% 9.2%
49 January 13, 2015 17.7% 9.8%
50 January 14, 2015 19.1% 11.0%
51 January 15, 2015 17.9% 10.1%
52 January 19, 2015 19.3% 10.2%
53 January 20, 2015 19.0% 10.8%
54 January 21, 2015 19.0% 11.1%
55 January 22, 2015 21.1% 11.3%
56 January 26, 2015 19.9% 10.0%
57 January 27, 2015 19.6% 10.5%
58 January 28, 2015 20.3% 10.9%
59 January 29, 2015 21.1% 11.4%
60 February 2, 2015 19.2% 10.2%
61 February 3, 2015 19.3% 11.2%
62 February 4, 2015 19.2% 11.6%
63 February 5, 2015 20.6% 11.8%
64 February 9, 2015 20.5% 12.8%
65 February 10, 2015 19.8% 11.7%
66 February 11, 2015 21.3% 12.3%
67 February 12, 2015 20.8% 12.4%
68 February 16, 2015 21.3% 12.3%
69 February 17, 2015 20.4% 12.5%
70 February 18, 2015 22.1% 13.2%
71 February 19, 2015 21.6% 13.2%
72 February 23, 2015 21.3% 14.1%
73 February 24, 2015 20.6% 13.7%
74 February 25, 2015 19.8% 14.4%
75 February 26, 2015 19.1% 14.0%
76 March 2, 2015 19.8% 12.7%
77 March 3, 2015 19.8% 12.1%
78 March 4, 2015 19.7% 12.6%
79 March 5, 2015 20.7% 13.1%
80 March 9, 2015 18.9% 13.1%
81 March 10, 2015 19.5% 13.5%
82 March 11, 2015 19.6% 13.4%
83 March 12, 2015 19.3% 13.1%
84 March 16, 2015 18.2% 12.4%
85 March 17, 2015 19.0% 12.6%
86 March 18, 2015 20.2% 13.2%
87 March 19, 2015 20.5% 13.1%
88 March 23, 2015 20.5% 13.9%
89 March 24, 2015 21.5% 14.6%
90 March 25, 2015 21.5% 15.3%
91 March 26, 2015 21.0% 14.6%
92 March 30, 2015 21.4% 14.9%
93 March 31, 2015 22.1% 14.9%
94 April 1, 2015 22.8% 15.8%
95 April 6, 2015 21.6% 15.1%
96 April 7, 2015 22.0% 14.0%
97 April 8, 2015 21.6% 14.9%
98 April 9, 2015 22.3% 15.9%
99 April 13, 2015 23.9% 16.6%
100 April 14, 2015 25.2% 17.2%
Average 17.66% 10.73%

Awards and nominations
YearAwardCategoryRecipientResult
2013
MBC Drama Awards[14]
 Grand Prize (Daesang)Ha Ji-wonWon
Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Special Project DramaNominated
Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Special Project DramaJoo Jin-moWon
Excellence Award, Actor in a Special Project DramaJi Chang-wookWon
Writer(s) of the YearJang Young-chul, Jung Kyung-soonWon
Best New ActressBaek Jin-heeWon
2014
50th Baeksang Arts Awards
Best New Actress (TV)Won
9th Seoul International Drama Awards[15]
 Best Series DramaEmpress KiWon
Best ActressHa Ji-wonNominated
7th Korea Drama Awards[16]
 Grand Prize (Daesang)Nominated
Best DramaEmpress KiNominated
Best Production DirectorHan Hee, Lee Sung-joonNominated
Top Excellence Award, ActorJi Chang-wookNominated
Excellence Award, ActressBaek Jin-heeNominated
3rd APAN Star Awards
 Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Serial DramaJoo Jin-moNominated
Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Serial DramaHa Ji-wonNominated
Excellence Award, Actor in a Serial DramaJi Chang-wookNominated
Best Supporting ActressBaek Jin-heeNominated
Yoon A-jungNominated

References
  1. Oh, Jean (October 24, 2013). "Ha Ji-won back in The Empress Ki". The Korea Herald. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  2. Kwak, Hyun-soo (August 14, 2013). "Ha Ji Won's new drama is renamed Empress ki". Korea Star Daily via Yahoo!. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
  3. Do, Je-hae (August 2, 2013). "Period pieces dominate Korean cinema, TV". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on September 17, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
  4. "Ha Ji-won meets fans in Taipei". Korea JoongAng Daily.
  5. "K-Drama Ratings: "Empress Ki" Is As Strong As Its Main Character". KDramaStars. April 16, 2014.
  6. ""Empress Ki" Viewership Rating in Taiwan Reaches Over 5%, Follows the Success of "Dae Jang Geum" in 2004". Soompi.
  7. "Fact vs. fiction in TV drama". The Korea Times. November 3, 2013.
  8. ""Empress Ki" Reigns Over The Ratings But Not Without Controversy". KDramaStars. November 6, 2013.
  9. "TNmS Daily Ratings: this links to current day-select the date from drop down menu". TNmS Ratings (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 28, 2013. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
  10. "AGB Daily Ratings: this links to current day-select the date from drop down menu". AGB Nielsen Media Research (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 26, 2013. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
  11. "Empress Ki". GMA Network. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  12. "PEP Alerts | PEP.ph: The Number One Site for Philippine Showbiz". Pep.ph. Archived from the original on October 15, 2015. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  13. "National TV Ratings". Abscbnpr.com. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  14. "Kim Byung-man, Ha Ji-won win grand prizes". The Korea Times. December 31, 2013.
  15. Sohn, Ji-ae (September 5, 2014). "Alien love story steals the show at Seoul drama festival". Korea.net. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  16. "Korea Drama Awards 2014 – Nominees List". Beatus Corner. September 7, 2014. Archived from the original on December 26, 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
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