War of Money (Korean: 쩐의 전쟁; RR: Jjeonui Jeonjaeng; also known as Money's Warfare) is a 2007 South Korean television drama series adaptation of Park In-kwon's comic of the same name. Starring Park Shin-yang and Park Jin-hee,[1][2] it aired on SBS from May 16 to July 19, 2007 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 20 episodes.
| War of Money | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster for War of Money | |
| Also known as | Money's Warfare Money War |
| Written by | Lee Hyang-hee Yoo Jung-soo |
| Directed by | Jang Tae-yoo |
| Starring | Park Shin-yang Park Jin-hee Shin Dong-wook Kim Jung-hwa |
| Music by |
|
| Original language | Korean |
| No. of episodes | 20 (16 + 4) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Lee Yong-suk Kim Young-sup (SBS Drama Division) |
| Producers | Seo Jeong-pil Jo Yoon-jong |
| Running time | Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 (KST) |
| Production company | Victory Production |
| Original release | |
| Network | SBS TV |
| Release | May 16 – July 19, 2007 |
Originally scheduled for 16 episodes, due to its popularity it was extended to 20, but only Park Shin-yang starred in the four-episode "bonus round."
Plot
editGeum Na-ra was once a top-ranked investment banker, until his life falls apart when his debt-ridden father commits suicide after constantly being harassed by loan sharks. Traumatized, his mother collapses and is rushed to the hospital. Na-ra applies for a bank loan but is flatly denied, and his disgruntled boss takes advantage of Na-ra's troubles and uses them as an excuse to fire him. His mother eventually dies, despite his and his sister Eun-ji's (Lee Young-eun) desperate efforts to obtain cash to pay for her hospital fees. Newlywed Eun-ji had become a room salon hostess, while Na-ra agreed to break up with his longtime girlfriend Lee Cha-yeon (Kim Jung-hwa) in exchange for cash from Cha-yeon's disapproving grandmother Madam Bong (Yeo Woon-kay). Believing that it's the source of all evil, Na-ra declares war on money and becomes obsessed with avenging his parents' deaths. However, realizing the only way to defeat his enemy is to understand the enemy, Na-ra decides to become a loan shark himself, and begins working as a ruthless money collector for the notorious loan shark Ma Dong-po (Lee Won-jong), while learning the trade secrets along with life's philosophies from the old and legendary pro Dokgo Chul (Shin Goo) who reluctantly takes Na-ra under his wing.
Na-ra enters into a rivalry with Ha Woo-sung (Shin Dong-wook), another moneylender who works for Madam Bong and has secretly loved Cha-yeon for years. Then Na-ra meets Seo Joo-hee (Park Jin-hee). Joo-hee was supposed to marry a divorced man to solve her family's financial problems, but on the day of the wedding, Na-ra showed up to collect the debts and ended up ruining her plans. Joo-hee vows to take her revenge on him but she falls in love with him instead. When Na-ra learns that his gangster boss Ma Dong-po was the very man responsible for his father's death, he keeps his cool, waiting for the right time and the right place to seek his revenge. Meanwhile, competition between banks and loan sharks is getting tense and a war over money threatens to erupt.
Cast
editMain characters
edit- Park Shin-yang as Geum Na-ra
- Park Jin-hee as Seo Joo-hee
- Shin Dong-wook as Ha Woo-sung
- Kim Jung-hwa as Lee Cha-yeon
Supporting characters
edit- Shin Goo as Dokgo Chul
- Lee Won-jong as Ma Dong-po
- Lee Young-eun as Geum Eun-ji
- Jung Jae-soon as Lee Kyung-ja
- Nam Il-woo as Geum Sang-soo
- Park In-hwan as Seo In-chul
- Jung Soo-young as Kim Hyun-jung
- Jang Dong-jik as Kang In-hyuk
- Yeo Woon-kay as Madam Bong
- Kim Roi-ha as Kim Dong-goo
- Lee Moon-sik as boss of securities company
- Kim Hyung-bum as Jo Chul-soo
- Lee Jae-yong as Oh Jae-bong
- Choi Sung-ho as Lee Young-suk
- Kim Kwang-sik as Soo-pyo
- Kim Hee-jung as Dong-po's wife
- Jo Sang-ki as wayward son
- Lee Ki-yeol as insurance examiner
- Min Ji-young as Eun-joo
- Lee Byung-joon as Kim Min-goo
- Lee Dol-hyung as homeless person
- Im Sung-eun as swindler
- Choi Min as inspector of So-Mang bank
- Park Seung-jae as the CEO
- Kim Yong-il as the CEO's right-hand man
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Daesang (Grand Prize) | Park Shin-yang | Won | |
| Top Excellence Award, Actress | Park Jin-hee | Won | ||
| Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries | Lee Won-jong | Won | ||
| Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries | Kim Jung-hwa | Nominated | ||
| New Star Award | Shin Dong-wook | Won | ||
| Lee Young-eun | Won | |||
| Top 10 Stars | Park Shin-yang | Won | ||
| Park Jin-hee | Won | |||
| Netizen Popularity Award | Park Shin-yang | Won | ||
| Achievement Award | Shin Goo | Won | ||
| 2008 | Best Drama | War of Money | Won | |
| Best Director (TV) | Jang Tae-yoo | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor (TV) | Park Shin-yang | Won | ||
| Best Actress (TV) | Park Jin-hee | Nominated |
Ratings
edit- In the table below, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.
- NR denotes that the drama did not rank in the top 20 daily programs on that date.
| Ep. | Original broadcast date | Average audience share | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TNmS[4] | AGB Nielsen[5] | ||||
| Nationwide | Seoul | Nationwide | Seoul | ||
| 1 | May 16, 2007 | 17.3% (5th) | 18.8% (4th) | 16.4% (7th) | 17.9% (6th) |
| 2 | May 17, 2007 | 23.3% (2nd) | 25.2% (2nd) | 22.5% (2nd) | 24.2% (2nd) |
| 3 | May 23, 2007 | 26.5% (2nd) | 29.4% (1st) | 24.5% (2nd) | 26.4% (2nd) |
| 4 | May 24, 2007 | 28.8% (2nd) | 30.9% (1st) | 26.6% (2nd) | 28.3% (2nd) |
| 5 | May 30, 2007 | 27.3% (2nd) | 28.7% (1st) | 25.5% (2nd) | 26.0% (2nd) |
| 6 | May 31, 2007 | 30.5% (1st) | 32.3% (1st) | 30.0% (1st) | 31.0% (1st) |
| 7 | June 6, 2007 | 33.5% (1st) | 35.2% (1st) | 32.5% (1st) | 33.1% (1st) |
| 8 | June 7, 2018 | 31.9% (1st) | 33.2% (1st) | 34.1% (1st) | 36.0% (1st) |
| 9 | June 13, 2007 | 33.4% (1st) | 35.6% (1st) | 33.5% (1st) | 34.8% (1st) |
| 10 | June 14, 2007 | 34.6% (1st) | 37.1% (1st) | 33.9% (1st) | 34.5% (1st) |
| 11 | June 20, 2007 | 34.6% (1st) | 36.7% (1st) | 34.9% (1st) | 37.0% (1st) |
| 12 | June 21, 2007 | 35.3% (1st) | 35.9% (1st) | 35.2% (1st) | 35.6% (1st) |
| 13 | June 27, 2007 | 34.3% (1st) | 36.5% (1st) | 33.3% (1st) | 35.0% (1st) |
| 14 | June 28, 2007 | 34.2% (1st) | 36.0% (1st) | 34.6% (1st) | 35.6% (1st) |
| 15 | July 4, 2007 | 34.5% (1st) | 36.3% (1st) | 34.8% (1st) | 35.7% (1st) |
| 16 | July 5, 2007 | 36.0% (1st) | 37.3% (1st) | 36.3% (1st) | 36.6% (1st) |
| Average | % | % | % | % | |
War of Money Bonus Round
editBecause of the series' high viewership ratings of over 30%, SBS filmed an additional four episodes featuring new characters and a new plot not found in the original comic, titled War of Money Bonus Round. Park Shin-yang was the only main cast member who reprised his role (Park Jin-hee and Shin Goo were unable due to scheduling conflicts). Among his costars were Kim Ok-vin, who played Geum Na-ra's girlfriend, and Park Hae-mi, who portrayed a physically-challenged moneylending tycoon. Under the theme "poetic justice" or "dilemma," the bonus round did not focus on revenge, but on Na-ra's new challenges as an ingenious debt collector. Ratings were also successful, recording over 25%.[6]
Cast
edit- Park Shin-yang as Geum Na-ra
- Kim Ok-vin as Lee Soo-young
- Jung So-young as Kang Hye-won
- Park Hae-mi as Chairwoman Jin
- Seo Jun-young as Kim Byul, Chairwoman Jin's son
- Chae Min-seo as beautiful lady (cameo)
- Park Jin-hee as ex-secretary of a corrupt congressman (cameo, ep 4)
Controversy
editAccording to his contract, Park Shin-yang was paid ₩45 million per episode for the original 16 episodes. But to appear in the four extra episodes, he negotiated a fee of ₩170 million per episode.
The producers agreed, but later reneged on the deal, alleging that Park tried to capitalize on the drama's high popularity by asking for too much money. Park took legal action, and in November 2009, he won the lawsuit, with the Seoul District Court ruling (upheld by the Seoul High Court) that "although the guarantees promised in the extra contract were three times higher than those paid for Park's appearances in the original contract," the two contracts were independent of each other, and the second contract was legal and binding.[7][8]
Consequently, the Corea Drama Production Association (CODA) banned Park from appearing in any dramas produced by members of the association for an indefinite period. Calling Park's ₩170 million per episode fee higher than the fee paid to an outsourcing production company by a broadcaster, CODA said such exorbitant actor's salaries shouldn't be tolerated since it adversely affects the drama production industry, from writers and producers to technical staff. Following CODA's announcement, about 5,600 overseas fans issued a joint petition to denounce the decision.[9][10]
After a three-year absence on television, the ban on Park was lifted in 2011.[11]
Remake
editA Japanese drama remake also titled War of Money (銭の戦争, Zei no Senso), starring Tsuyoshi Kusanagi and Yuko Oshima, will air on Fuji TV in January 2015.
References
edit- ^ "Park Jin-hee Earns Her Paycheck in War of Money". The Chosun Ilbo. June 22, 2007. Archived from the original on 2010-11-10. Retrieved 2013-08-14.
- ^ "Finance Ministry Hires Loan Shark Stars for PR". The Chosun Ilbo. July 19, 2007. Archived from the original on 2014-08-12. Retrieved 2013-08-14.
- ^ "2007 Year-end Korean drama awards round-up". Hancinema. January 7, 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-01-16. Retrieved 2013-08-25.
- ^ "TNMS Daily Ratings: this links to current day-select the date from drop down menu". TNMS Ratings (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 5, 2018. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
- ^ "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 March 17, 2017. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
- ^ "Money War Special Round (DVD) (English Subtitled) (SBS TV Drama)". YesAsia. Retrieved 2013-08-14.
- ^ Park, Si-soo (8 May 2009). "Actor Park Shin-yang Wins Legal Battle". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2013-08-14.
- ^ "Actor Wins Legal Battle Over Unpaid Guarantees". The Korea Times. November 2, 2009. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-08-14.
- ^ Han, Sang-hee (December 11, 2008). "Park Banned From Major Production Companies Works". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on 2014-08-08. Retrieved 2013-08-14.
- ^ Lee, Seon-min (December 12, 2008). "Should TV Actors Be Paid Exorbitant Fees?". The Chosun Ilbo. Archived from the original on 2018-02-03. Retrieved 2013-08-14.
- ^ Park, Si-soo (June 26, 2013). "Who is the highest paid actor?". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on 2024-10-05. Retrieved 2013-08-14.
External links
edit- War of Money official SBS website (in Korean)
- War of Money at HanCinema
- War of Money at IMDb