{ "id": "ept4j5sbwv", "slug": "dear-hongrang", "title": "Dear Hongrang (탄금)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials", "label": "International serial drama and telenovelas", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia", "label": "East Asian drama series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.korean_sageuk", "label": "Korean historical drama (sageuk)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.korean_sageuk" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia", "label": "Asia (other) · 2021 and later: East Asian drama series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia", "path": [ { "id": "geo.asia", "label": "Asia (other)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021", "label": "Asia (other) · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials", "label": "International serial drama and telenovelas", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia", "label": "East Asian drama series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Dear Hongrang (탄금, Tangeum) is a 2025 Netflix Korean period mystery romance, 11 episodes, adapted from Jang Da-hye's novel Tangeum: Swallowing Gold, starring Lee Jae-wook and Cho Bo-ah as step-siblings in Joseon-era Joseon.", "snippet": "Dear Hongrang (탄금, Tangeum) is a 2025 Netflix Korean period mystery romance, 11 episodes, adapted from Jang Da-hye's novel Tangeum: Swallowing Gold, starring Lee Jae-wook and Cho Bo-ah as step-siblings in Joseon-era Joseon.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.korean_sageuk", "markdown": "# Dear Hongrang (탄금)\n\n**Dear Hongrang** (탄금, *Tangeum*) is a South Korean mystery romance period drama series released on Netflix on May 16, 2025, in which a long-missing heir to a Joseon-era merchant family returns with lost memories, and his half-sister suspects he is an imposter.[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/dear-hongrang-release-date-news) The 11-episode series stars [Lee Jae-wook](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-jae-wook), Cho Bo-ah, and Jung Ga-ram, and is directed by Kim Hong-sun and written by Kim Jin-a.[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/dear-hongrang-release-date-news) It is adapted from Jang Da-hye's 2021 novel *Tangeum: Swallowing Gold* (탄금: 금을 삼키다).[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/dear-hongrang-release-date-news)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Original title | 탄금 (*Tangeum*), the name of an ancient Chinese punishment in which a person must swallow gold until death[2](https://about.netflix.com/ko/news/dear-hongrang-premieres-may-16) |\n| Premiere | May 16, 2025, all 11 episodes on Netflix; TV-MA rating[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/dear-hongrang-release-date-news) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/dear_hongrang) |\n| Source material | 2021 novel *Tangeum: Swallowing Gold* by Jang Da-hye; historical fiction, not a true story[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/dear-hongrang-release-date-news) |\n| Setting | The Min Family's Guild in the mountains of South Korea during the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910)[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/dear-hongrang-release-date-news) |\n| Main cast | Lee Jae-wook as Hongrang, Cho Bo-ah as Jae-yi, Jung Ga-ram as Mu-jin, Uhm Ji-won as Min Yeon-ui, Park Byung-eun as Sim Yeol-guk, Kim Jae-uck as Grand Prince Han-pyeong[4](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/dear-hongrang-premieres-may-16) |\n| Reception | 80% average Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes (5 reviews); 7.6/10 on IMDb from about 4,100 ratings[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/dear_hongrang) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27554348/ratings/) |\n| Production | Produced by Acemaker Movieworks, H house, and Studio Dragon[6](https://uk.newonnetflix.info/info/81708925) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise and setting\n\n[The Sims](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-sims), who run the Min Family's Guild, are described by Netflix's Tudum companion site as the largest merchant family of the Joseon era. Their only son and heir, Hongrang, vanishes as a child, and his father Yeol-guk adopts Mu-jin, the son of a family that fell from grace, to provide a new heir. Jae-yi, Hongrang's half-sister, grows close to her adopted brother but never gives up searching for the real one. Twelve years later a grown man appears claiming to be Hongrang, with no memory of his childhood; his mother Yeon-ui welcomes him, but Jae-yi is convinced he is an imposter and sets out to learn who he really is, while battling growing feelings for him.[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/dear-hongrang-release-date-news)\n\nThe series is set at the Min Family's Guild in the mountains of South Korea sometime during the [Joseon dynasty](https://www.edgepedia.org/joseon-dynasty), which lasted from 1392 to 1910.[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/dear-hongrang-release-date-news) Netflix's Korean press release describes the show as a mystery melodrama sageuk (historical drama) in which romance grows between Hongrang and the half-sister who doubts him, alongside a renewed wave of child disappearances and suspicious rumors of a figure called the Snow Man.[2](https://about.netflix.com/ko/news/dear-hongrang-premieres-may-16)\n\n### Cast and characters\n\n- **Lee Jae-wook** as Hongrang, the returned heir; he had previously played Jang Uk across two seasons of Netflix's *Alchemy of Souls*[4](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/dear-hongrang-premieres-may-16)\n- **Cho Bo-ah** as Sim Jae-yi, Hongrang's half-sister[4](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/dear-hongrang-premieres-may-16)\n- **Jung Ga-ram** as Sim Mu-jin, the adopted son who took Hongrang's place[4](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/dear-hongrang-premieres-may-16)\n- **Uhm Ji-won** as Min Yeon-ui, Hongrang's mother and head of the Min Family's Guild[4](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/dear-hongrang-premieres-may-16)\n- **Park Byung-eun** as Sim Yeol-guk, the Chief Merchant and father of Hongrang and Jae-yi[4](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/dear-hongrang-premieres-may-16)\n- **Kim Jae-uck** as Grand Prince Han-pyeong, an artist with what Netflix calls the finest taste in Joseon[4](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/dear-hongrang-premieres-may-16)\n\n### Story and ending\n\nThe central identity question is resolved early: by the end of Episode 3, the returning man is revealed not to be Jae-yi's missing brother but an imposter sent to infiltrate and take over the Min family guild. His true history is that he was born a slave to a noble family, forced to serve as a \"talisman\" for a nobleman's son, and escaped with the help of a non-verbal friend, In-hoe; the two boys were then captured by figures known as the Snow Man and the Painter, who abused them for years.[7](https://time.com/7284135/dear-hongrang-netflix-ending-explained/) Although he was not born Hongrang, the character is called Hongrang throughout the series.[7](https://time.com/7284135/dear-hongrang-netflix-ending-explained/)\n\nThe real Hong-rang died as a child: after overhearing that a talisman marked Jae-yi for death, he climbed a hanok wall to remove it, slipped, and fell; a servant later found the injured boy, who then vanished, and the shaman Madame Gwigokja ordered him thrown into a well.[7](https://time.com/7284135/dear-hongrang-netflix-ending-explained/)\n\nThe Painter is revealed to be Crown Prince Han-pyeong, a benefactor of Sim Yeol-guk. For years Yeol-guk helped the Crown Prince abduct boys, bleach their skin with toxic chemicals, and cut, ink, and burn \"art\" into the flesh of their backs; Hong-rang was one of these boys, one of seven living \"talismans\" the prince planned to use in a ritual he believed would make him holy. Hong-rang and the Geomgyedan, the organization that trained him, stop the ritual, and in the final episode Hong-rang kills the Crown Prince.[7](https://time.com/7284135/dear-hongrang-netflix-ending-explained/)\n\nThe ending is tragic for the two leads. The alum and arsenic once used to whiten young Hong-rang's skin have poisoned his body, and his organs begin to shut down. After killing the Crown Prince he returns to Jae-yi's side as promised; the two vow to meet again, and Hong-rang dies in Jae-yi's arms. Other characters find resolution: Jae-yi learns the truth of her brother's disappearance and hands the guild's corrupt ledger to the authorities, Kkot-nim kills Yeol-guk, Mu-jin dies protecting his adoptive sister, and Jae-yi goes on to start an orphanage.[7](https://time.com/7284135/dear-hongrang-netflix-ending-explained/)\n\n## Title meaning\n\nThe Korean title 탄금 (*Tangeum*) refers to an ancient Chinese punishment in which the condemned must swallow gold until death. Netflix's Korean press release presents this as an image of the beautiful and cruel fate that befalls the two main characters.[2](https://about.netflix.com/ko/news/dear-hongrang-premieres-may-16) The English title, Dear Hongrang, uses the name of the returned heir instead.[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/dear-hongrang-release-date-news)\n\n## Reception\n\nOn Rotten Tomatoes the series holds an 80% average Tomatometer from 5 critic reviews.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/dear_hongrang) On IMDb it has a weighted rating of 7.6/10 from about 4,100 user ratings, with individual episode scores ranging from 7.9 to 9.2.[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27554348/ratings/) [The Indian Express](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-indian-express) gave the series 4 out of 5 stars, describing a genre-blending mix of mystery, fantasy, and period drama.[8](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/dear-hongrang-review-k-trauma-hits-again-10013778/lite/) [Marie Claire](https://www.edgepedia.org/marie-claire) included it among the best historical Netflix K-dramas of 2025.[9](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/netflix-korean-tv-shows-2025/)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Dear Hongrang Netflix K-Drama: Cast, Book, Trailer, Netflix Tudum](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/dear-hongrang-release-date-news)\n2. [넷플릭스 <탄금> 5월 16일 공개 확정, 티저 포스터&예고편 공개! (About Netflix, Korean)](https://about.netflix.com/ko/news/dear-hongrang-premieres-may-16)\n3. [Dear Hongrang, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/dear_hongrang)\n4. ['Dear Hongrang' Blends Mystery and Romance in New Period Drama Starring Lee Jae-wook and Cho Bo-ah, About Netflix](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/dear-hongrang-premieres-may-16)\n5. [Dear Hongrang (TV Series 2025) – Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27554348/ratings/)\n6. [Everything you need to know about \"Dear Hongrang\" on Netflix UK, New On Netflix UK](https://uk.newonnetflix.info/info/81708925)\n7. [Breaking Down the Bittersweet Ending of Netflix's Melodrama Mystery Dear Hongrang, TIME](https://time.com/7284135/dear-hongrang-netflix-ending-explained/)\n8. [Dear Hongrang Review, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/web-series/dear-hongrang-review-k-trauma-hits-again-10013778/lite/)\n9. [The Best Netflix K-Dramas of 2025, Marie Claire](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/netflix-korean-tv-shows-2025/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › Korean historical drama (sageuk)*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/dear-hongrang", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/dear-hongrang.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Dear Hongrang (탄금)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/dear-hongrang. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Dear Hongrang (탄금)](https://www.edgepedia.org/dear-hongrang)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/dear-hongrang](https://www.edgepedia.org/dear-hongrang). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Dear Hongrang (탄금)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/dear-hongrang. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Dear Hongrang is a 2025 Netflix Korean period mystery romance, 11 episodes, adapted from Jang Da-hye's novel Tangeum: Swallowing Gold, starring Lee Jae-wook and Cho Bo-ah as step-siblings in Joseon-era Joseon." }