The series depicts the dizzying crisis and miraculous rekindling of love between Hong Hae-in, a third-generation
chaebol heiress of Queens Group, and Baek Hyun-woo, the son of farmers from Yongdu-ri, and their three years of marriage.[5]
Cast
Main
Kim Soo-hyun as Baek Hyun-woo: Hae-in's husband and the legal director of Queens Group. He was born in the rural area of Yongdu-ri and became a lawyer after graduating from
Seoul National University.[6]
Kim Ji-won as Hong Hae-in: Baek Hyun-woo's wife and the CEO of Queens Department Store. She is a third-generation
chaebol heiress and granddaughter of the Queens family.[6]
Park Sung-hoon as Yoon Eun-sung / David Yoon: Hae-in's university acquaintance, who has a liking for Hae-in. He is a former
Wall Street analyst and M&A expert who returns to South Korea as a famous investor.[6]
Studio Dragon confirmed that the production of Queen of Tears would start in the first half of 2023, and the series was expected to be released in the second half of 2023. It is co-directed by
Jang Young-woo [
ko], who worked on Crash Landing on You (2019–2020) and Bulgasal: Immortal Souls (2021–2022), and
Kim Hee-won, who worked on Vincenzo (2021) and Little Women (2022).[30] Aside from Studio Dragon, the series is also co-produced by
Culture Depot and Showrunners.[31]
The total budget of the series was
₩56 billion (
US$48.95 million) costing
₩3.5 billion (
US$3.06 million) per episode.[33] It was initially estimated to be over
₩40 billion (
US$34.97 million).[34]
Casting
In April 2022, Park Ji-eun proposed the female lead role in her new project to
Lee Ji-eun, but the offer was declined.[29]Kim Soo-hyun received a proposal for the male lead role the next day.[35]
Principal photography of the series began from April to December 2023,[43][44] and it took place in various cities in South Korea and Germany.[45][46]
Original soundtrack
The soundtrack of the series, led by music director
Nam Hye-seung and features artists
BSS,
10cm,
Heize,
Crush, Isaac Hong,
Kim Na-young,
Paul Kim,
Choi Yu-ree, So Su-bin, and Dori, was revealed on March 6, 2024.[47] The series' lead actor,
Kim Soo-hyun, confirmed his participation to lend his voice for the first time in 10 years.[48]Zerobaseone's Kim Tae-rae also partake for the series' soundtrack.[49]
Queen of Tears was originally part of
tvN's 2023 drama lineup and was scheduled for broadcast in December 2023 however due to the changes in the networks'
Saturday–Sunday lineup, it was moved to the first half of 2024.[50][51][31] According to a Metro Seoul article, the series was rescheduled to air in March 2024;[52] this piece of news was confirmed when tvN released its 2024 drama lineup.[53][54] It was later confirmed that the release date would be on March 9, 2024, at 21:20 (
KST) and that the series would also be available for
streaming on
TVING and
Netflix.[55]
Reception
Critical response
Forbes wrote that "many K-dramas end with 'happily ever after', but Queen of Tears starts that way", adding that the series "not only has a solid cast, but boasts a talented screenwriter and two directors with a track record of drama success".[56] Tanu I. Raj of NME gave the series 3 out of 5 stars and described it as "a whirlwind office romance", which is "buoyant and decidedly comic".[57]
Viewership
Queen of Tears ranked seventh in Netflix's Global Top 10 TV (Non-English) category after two days of its release and received a warm response in 12 countries from March 4–10, with 3.3 million hours watched by 1.2 million viewers in its first week.[56] During the second week, the series soar to third rank with 19.1 million hours watched by 3.4 million viewers.[58] On its third week, the series fell down one rank but viewership increased to 30 million hours watched by 4.2 million viewers and ranked among the top 10 in 42 countries and at number one in seven countries.[59]Queen of Tears finally clinched the top spot on its fourth week and accumulated 41.4 million hours watched by 4.3 million viewers.[60] It dropped its place to second rank but gained 53.7 million hours watched by 4.3 million viewers on its fifth week.[61] It dropped again to third rank but viewership rose to 64.8 million watched by 4.4 million viewers.[62]
Queen of Tears : South Korea viewers per episode (millions)
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on
Phabricator and on
MediaWiki.org.
Season
Episode number
Average
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
1
1.519
2.064
2.384
3.126
2.826
3.561
3.276
4.044
4.130
4.741
4.510
5.227
5.217
5.466
5.189
TBD
TBD
Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by
Nielsen Korea.[63]
In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.
This series airs on a cable channel/pay TV which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (
KBS,
SBS,
MBC and
EBS).
Accolades
Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination
^Kim, Myung-mi (February 28, 2024).
김수현♥김지원 세기의 결혼, 현실은 정반대?(눈물의 여왕) [Kim Soo-hyun♥Kim Ji-won's marriage of the century, is reality just the opposite? (Queen of Tears)] (in Korean). Newsen.
Archived from the original on March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024 – via
Naver.
^
abcdeAhn, Tae-hyun (January 12, 2024).
'눈물의 여왕' 김수현·김지원·박성훈·곽동연·이주빈, 출연 라인업 완성 ['Queen of Tears' Kim Soo-hyun, Kim Ji-won, Park Seong-hoon, Kwak Dong-yeon, and Lee Joo-bin complete the cast lineup] (in Korean). News1.
Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2024 – via
Naver.
^
abHa, Soo-jung (March 18, 2024).
'김수현 아역' 누구길래..'눈물의 여왕' 문성현, 교복 입고 임팩트↑ [Who is the 'child actor Kim Soo-hyun'?..'Queen of Tears' Moon Seong-hyun, makes an impact in school uniform↑] (in Korean). Osen.
Archived from the original on March 18, 2024. Retrieved March 24, 2024 – via
Naver.
^Queen of Tears. Episode 12 (in Korean). April 14, 2024.
tvN.
^
abcQueen of Tears. Episode 5 (in Korean). March 23, 2024.
tvN.
^
abQueen of Tears. Episode 3 (in Korean). March 16, 2024.
tvN.
^
abcdefghiKang, Min-kyung (January 26, 2024).
재벌 회장 김갑수→이장 전배수, 김수현♥김지원 부부와 극과 극('눈물의 여왕') [Chaebol Chairman Kim Gap-soo→Village Head Jeon Bae-soo, couple Kim Soo-hyun♥Kim Ji-won's family are polar opposites ('Queen of Tears')] (in Korean). Ten Asia.
Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024 – via
Naver.
^해인 가족 [Hae-in family]. CJ ENM (in Korean). Retrieved April 24, 2024.
^Jin, Byung-hoon (March 17, 2024).
'눈물의 여왕' 김지원, 죽을 병 걸리더니 공감 능력 생겼다 ['Queen of Tears' Kim Ji-won gains empathy after getting ill]. Field News (in Korean).
Archived from the original on March 17, 2024. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
^Queen of Tears. Episode 6 (in Korean). March 24, 2024.
tvN.
^현우 가족 [Hyun-woo family]. CJ ENM (in Korean). Retrieved April 24, 2024.
^
abcdef용두리 [Yongdu-ri]. CJ ENM (in Korean). Retrieved April 24, 2024.
^Hong, Se-young (February 23, 2023).
[단독] 김주령 대세 행보, 김수현♥김지원 '눈물의 여왕' 합류 [[Exclusive] Kim Joo-ryoung's trending move, joins Kim Soo-hyun♥Kim Ji-won 'Queen of Tears'] (in Korean).
Sports Dong-a.
Archived from the original on May 12, 2023. Retrieved May 13, 2023 – via
Naver.
^Hwang, Su-yeon (May 3, 2023).
[단독] 윤보미, '눈물의 여왕' 합류...김수현·김지원과 호흡 [[Exclusive] Yoon Bo-mi joins 'Queen of Tears'...working with Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won] (in Korean). Xports News.
Archived from the original on May 19, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023 – via
Naver.
^Kim, Na-yeon (February 2, 2024).
문태유, 김수현 든든한 지원군 된다..'눈물의 여왕' 캐스팅 [공식] [Moon Tae-yu becomes a strong supporter for Kim Soo-hyun...'Queen of Tears' casting [Official]] (in Korean). Star News.
Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024 – via
Naver.
^기타 [Others]. CJ ENM (in Korean). Retrieved April 24, 2024.
^Lee, Seul-bi (March 9, 2024).
김수현·오정세, 세상 반가운 투샷...특별한 케미 빛난다 (눈물의 여왕) [Kim Soo-hyun and Oh Jeong-se, a two-shot that welcomes the world...Special chemistry shines (Queen of Tears)] (in Korean).
Sports Dong-a.
Archived from the original on March 9, 2024. Retrieved March 9, 2024 – via
Naver.
^Moon, Ji-yeon (April 12, 2024).
[단독] 김신록, ♥김도현과 '재벌집' 이어 '용두리' 부부..'눈물의 여왕' 뜬다 [[Exclusive] Kim Shin-rok, ♥Kim Do-hyun and 'Chaebol House' followed by 'Yongdu-ri' couple..'Queen of Tears' on the rise] (in Korean).
Sports Chosun.
Archived from the original on April 12, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024 – via
Naver.
^
abcKim, Na-yeon (March 3, 2024).
홍진경·조세호·남창희, '눈물의 여왕' 카메오 출연 "박지은의 페르소나 된듯"[종합] [Hong Jin-kyung, Jo Se-ho, and Nam Chang-hee make cameo appearances in 'Queen of Tears' "It seems like they have become Park Ji-eun's persona" [Comprehensive]] (in Korean). Osen.
Archived from the original on March 3, 2024. Retrieved March 3, 2024 – via
Naver.
^
abKang, Hyo-jin (April 6, 2022).
아이유 측 "박지은 작가 신작, 제안 받았으나 정중히 고사"[공식입장] [IU's side "I was offered a new project by writer Park ji-eun, but I politely declined" [Official Position]] (in Korean).
SPOTV News.
Archived from the original on April 6, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2024 – via
Naver.
^Go, Jae-wan (December 5, 2024).
김수현·김지원, 박지은 작가 신작 '눈물의 여왕'(가제) 주연 확정[공식] [Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won, confirmed to star in writer Park Ji-eun's new work 'Queen of Tears' (Working Title) [Official]] (in Korean).
Sports Chosun.
Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024 – via
Naver.
^
abHwang, Hye-jin (July 13, 2023).
[단독]김수현X김지원 '눈물의 여왕', 올해 편성 최종 불발..내년 기약 [[Exclusive] Kim Soo-hyunXKim Ji-won's 'Queen of Tears' fails to finalize this year..Commitment for next year] (in Korean). Star News.
Archived from the original on July 14, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2024 – via
Naver.
^Kim, Yang-soo (March 28, 2023).
김수현x김지원 '눈물의 여왕', 첫 삽 뜬다...30일 대본리딩 [Kim Soo-hyun x Kim Ji-won's 'Queen of Tears' will make their first shovel...Reading the script on the 30th] (in Korean). Joy News 24.
Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024 – via
Nate.
^Choi, Ji-yoon (April 21, 2024).
[초점]560억 들인 '눈물의 여왕', 그 이상의 가치 [[Focus] 'Queen of Tears' costing 56 billion won, worth more than that] (in Korean).
Newsis. Retrieved April 21, 2024 – via
Naver.
^Yang Ji-won (December 7, 2023).
스튜디오드라곤, 물량 감소에도 올해 두 자릿수대 성장률-현대차 [Studio Dragon sees double-digit growth this year despite declining volumes - Hyundai Motor Company]. E Daily (in Korean).
Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
^Tae, Yoo-na (April 7, 2022).
[단독] 김수현, '별그대' 작가 신작 주인공 물망 [[Exclusive] Kim Soo-hyun, expected as the protagonist of 'My Love from the Star' writer] (in Korean). Ten Asia.
Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024 – via
Naver.
^Yang, Yoo-jin (November 4, 2022).
김수현, 박지은 작가와 재회할까..."'눈물의 여왕' 검토 중" [공식입장] [Will Kim Soo-hyun and Park Ji-eun Reunite..."'Queen of Tears' is under review" [Official Position]] (in Korean). My Daily.
Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2024 – via
Naver.
^Yoo, Ji-hye (November 22, 2022).
[단독] 김지원, '눈물의 여왕' 주연...김수현과 호흡 [[Exclusive] Kim Ji-won to stars in 'Queen of Tears'...working with Kim Soo-hyun] (in Korean).
Sports Dong-a.
Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024 – via
Naver.
^Tae, Yoo-na (December 5, 2022).
[공식] 김수현·김지원 부부된다...박지은 작가 '눈물의 여왕(가제)' 주연 확정 [[Official] Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won become a married couple...confirms lead role in writer Park Ji-eun's 'Queen of Tears (working title)'] (in Korean). Ten Asia.
Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2024 – via
Naver.
^Choi, Ji-yoon (December 5, 2022).
김수현·김지원, 부부 연기는 어떨까...'눈물의 여왕' [Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won, how about playing a married couple...'Queen of Tears'] (in Korean). Newsis.
Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024 – via
Naver.
^Hong, Se-young (February 23, 2023).
[단독] '더 글로리' 박성훈 알록달록한 행보, '눈물의 여왕' 합류 [[Exclusive] 'The Glory' Park Sung-hoon's colorful steps, joins 'Queen of Tears'] (in Korean).
Sports Dong-a.
Archived from the original on May 12, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023 – via
Naver.
^Jeon, Hyo-jin (February 23, 2023).
[단독] 곽동연, 박지은 작가 '눈물의 여왕' 출연...김지원과 호흡 [[Exclusive] Kwak Dong-yeon, appears in writer Park Ji-eun's 'Queen of Tears'...working with Kim Ji-won] (in Korean).
Sports Dong-a.
Archived from the original on May 12, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2023 – via
Naver.
^Yeon, Hui-seon (April 4, 2023).
이주빈, '눈물의 여왕' 합류...곽동연과 부부 호흡 [공식입장] [Lee Joo-bin joins 'Queen of Tears'...working as couple with Kwak Dong-yeon [Official Position]] (in Korean). Osen.
Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2024 – via
Naver.
^Kim, Ji-woo (December 5, 2022).
김수현·김지원, 박지은作 '눈물의 여왕' 주연 확정[공식] [Kim Soo-hyun, Kim Ji-won confirmed to star in Park Ji-eun's 'Queen of Tears' [Official]] (in Korean).
Sports Kyunghyang.
Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024 – via
Naver.
^Lee, Ho-yeon (April 24, 2024).
문경사과·천안배 '눈물의 여왕' 고맙다! [Mungyeong Apples and Cheonan Pears in 'Queen of Tears' thank you!]. Ilyo (in Korean). Retrieved April 24, 2024.
^Kang, Min-kyung (March 6, 2024).
[공식] 부석순→홍이삭·소수빈, 김수현♥김지원 '눈물의 여왕' OST 가창 [[Official] BSS→Hong Isaac, So Soo-bin, singing OST for Kim Soo-hyun♥Kim Ji-won 'Queen of Tears'] (in Korean). Ten Asia.
Archived from the original on March 9, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024 – via
Naver.
^Kim, Min-ji (April 18, 2024).
[단독] '눈물의 여왕' 김수현, 10년 만에 드라마 OST 직접 부른다...기대 ↑ [[Exclusive] 'Queen of Tears' Kim Soo-hyun sings the drama OST himself for the first time in 10 years...Expectations ↑] (in Korean). News1.
Archived from the original on April 18, 2024. Retrieved April 18, 2024 – via
Naver.
^Moon, Ji-yeon (February 9, 2023).
김수현·이준기 온다..'눈물의 여왕'→'아스달 연대기2' tvN 라인업 [Kim Soo-hyun and Lee Joon-gi are coming..'Queen of Tears'→'Arthdal Chronicles 2' tvN lineup] (in Korean).
Sports Chosun.
Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024 – via
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^Lee, Kyung-ho (April 13, 2023).
[단독]김수현X김지원 '눈물의 여왕', 12월 토일드라마 편성 [[Exclusive] Kim Soo-hyun X Kim Ji-won's 'Queen of Tears', organized as a Saturday and Sunday drama in December] (in Korean). Star News.
Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2023 – via
Naver.
^Jang, Yeong-woo (October 16, 2023).
문경시, '2023년 문경시 영상진흥위원회' 개최 [Mungyeong City holds '2023 Mungyeong City Film Promotion Committee']. Metro Seoul (in Korean).
Archived from the original on November 5, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
^Hong, Se-young (January 10, 2024).
김수현♥김지원 '눈물의 여왕' 3월 첫방 확정...tvN 라인업 [종합] [Kim Soo-hyun♥Kim Ji-won 'Queen of Tears' confirmed for the first broadcast in March...tvN lineup [Comprehensive]] (in Korean).
Sports Dong-a.
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^Park, Jung-sun (January 12, 2024).
김수현·김지원·박지은 작가 '눈물의 여왕', 3월 편성 [Kim Soo-hyun, Kim Ji-won and writer Park Ji-eun 'Queen of Tears' to be released in March] (in Korean). JTBC News.
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^Lee, Soo-hyun (February 6, 2024).
"왜 예쁘지?"...김수현X김지원 '눈물의 여왕', 티저 공개→3월 9일 첫 방송 ["Why so pretty?"...Kim Soo-hyun X Kim Ji-won 'Queen of Tears' Teaser Released→First Broadcast on March 9] (in Korean). Top Star News.
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^
abChoi, Hee-jae (March 13, 2024).
김수현X김지원 '눈물의 여왕', 넷플릭스 글로벌 톱 7위 [Kim Soo-hyun X Kim Ji-won's 'Queen of Tears', ranks 7th in Netflix global top 10 chart] (in Korean). E Daily.
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^Jang, Min-soo (March 27, 2024).
'피지컬100 시즌2', 넷플릭스 글로벌 1위...'눈물의 여왕' '닭강정'도 톱10 ['Physical 100 Season 2' ranks 1st globally on Netflix...'Queen of Tears' 'Chicken Nugget' also top 10]. MHN Sports.
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^Yoon, Hyo-jung (April 10, 2024).
'기생수' 공개 첫주에 넷플릭스 글로벌 1위...'눈물의 여왕' 2위 ['Parasyte' ranks first globally on Netflix in its first week of release...'Queen of Tears' 2nd place] (in Korean). News1.
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^Park, Jin-young (April 17, 2024).
[순위표] 김수현♥김지원 역시 강하다...'눈물의 여왕', 글로벌 3위 [[Ranking] Kim Soo-hyun♥Kim Ji-won are also strong...'Queen of Tears', ranked 3rd globally] (in Korean). Joy News 24.
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60회 맞은 '백상예술대상' TV·영화·연극 후보 공개 [60th 'Baeksang Arts Awards' TV, Film and Theater Candidates Revealed] (in Korean). JTBC News.
Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2024 – via
Naver.