# Bride of the Century (백년의 신부)
**Bride of the Century** (백년의 신부, *Baeknyeon-ui Shinboo*) is a 2014 South Korean weekend television drama broadcast by TV Chosun, starring [Lee Hong-gi](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-hong-gi) of the band FTISLAND and actress Yang Jin-sung. The story centers on a chaebol (Korean family-owned business conglomerate) family, the Taeyang Group, laboring under a curse: every first bride who marries into the family's eldest son dies.[1](https://www.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2014/02/21/2014022103992.html) It ran from February 22 to April 12, 2014, with the screenplay by Baek Young-sook, and the drama's stated focus was self-discovery and the search for sincere love.[2](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Bride_of_the_Century)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Korean title | 백년의 신부 (*Baeknyeon-ui Shinboo*), English title Bride of the Century[2](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Bride_of_the_Century) |
| Network and run | TV Chosun weekend special drama, 2014-Feb-22 to 2014-Apr-12[2](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Bride_of_the_Century) |
| Production | Directed by Yoon Sang-ho, written by Baek Young-sook; produced by Aura Media[3](https://upimg.baike.so.com/doc/7357165-7623486.html) • [4](https://www.inews24.com/view/815226) |
| Leads | Lee Hong-gi as Choi Kang-joo; Yang Jin-sung in a dual role as Na Doo-rim and Jang Yi-kyung[5](https://lisaespinosa.com/2014/03/17/bride-of-the-century-character-introductions/) |
| Premise | A chaebol family curse holds that the first bride to marry the Taeyang Group's eldest son always dies[1](https://www.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2014/02/21/2014022103992.html) |
| Early ratings | Nielsen Korea: episode 1 at 0.474%, episode 2 at 0.399%, episode 3 rising to 0.764%[6](https://seore.org/w/%EB%AC%B8%EC%84%9C%3A%EB%B0%B1%EB%85%84%EC%9D%98%20%EC%8B%A0%EB%B6%80) |
| Overseas reach | Rights sold or in contract for Japan, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, the United States, and South America; a Chinese remake was agreed for joint production[4](https://www.inews24.com/view/815226) |
## Premise and setting
The drama is set around the Taeyang Group, one of South Korea's leading chaebol families, whose history carries a curse: the first bride who comes to marry the family's eldest son always dies.[1](https://www.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2014/02/21/2014022103992.html) Against this background it tells of a young man and woman who overcome adversity and achieve sincere love.[1](https://www.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2014/02/21/2014022103992.html) Reviews at the time credited the show's unusual material, the family curse combined with an Eastern fantasy element embodied by the house guardian spirit Sung Joo-shin, for drawing viewer curiosity.[7](https://www.tenasia.co.kr/article/2014050951434) • [8](https://www.bntnews.co.kr/article/view/bnt201402270129)
## Cast and characters
**Lee Hong-gi** played the male lead Choi Kang-joo, the cold and rude first son of the haunted family, courteous at home but abrasive in public.[5](https://lisaespinosa.com/2014/03/17/bride-of-the-century-character-introductions/) His casting drew attention as an acting transformation for the FTISLAND vocalist, and his "chic man" performance became a talking point during the broadcast.[8](https://www.bntnews.co.kr/article/view/bnt201402270129)
**Yang Jin-sung** carried a dual role: Na Doo-rim, the plucky heroine who lives with her ailing grandmother and bears an uncanny resemblance to Kang-joo's cold fiancée, and Jang Yi-kyung, that fiancée herself, a product of a rich lifestyle and a controlling mother.[5](https://lisaespinosa.com/2014/03/17/bride-of-the-century-character-introductions/) The supporting cast included Choi Il-hwa as Kang-joo's father Choi Il-do, Kim Seo-ra as his scheming mother Kim Myeong-hee, Shin Eun-jung as the ruthless Ma Jae-ran, Sung Hyuk as Jang Yi-hyun, and Jang Ah-young as Lee Roo-mi.[5](https://lisaespinosa.com/2014/03/17/bride-of-the-century-character-introductions/) A then-rookie [Jung Hae-in](https://www.edgepedia.org/jung-hae-in), later to become a well-known leading actor, played Choi Kang-in, Kang-joo's idol-group-member younger brother; the fictional group in the drama was played in actuality by the rookie group LC9.[5](https://lisaespinosa.com/2014/03/17/bride-of-the-century-character-introductions/)
## Broadcast and ratings
The first episode aired on TV Chosun on February 22, 2014, at 8 p.m.[1](https://www.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2014/02/21/2014022103992.html) Its scheduling came as part of the channel's early-2014 move to rebuild its drama lineup, a slate that began in January 2014 with *There Is a Blue Bird*, of which Bride of the Century's placement was a part.[6](https://seore.org/w/%EB%AC%B8%EC%84%9C%3A%EB%B0%B1%EB%85%84%EC%9D%98%20%EC%8B%A0%EB%B6%80)
Ratings started low on the small cable channel but climbed. By Nielsen Korea's measure the first episode drew 0.474% and the second 0.399%, with the third nearly doubling to 0.764%.[6](https://seore.org/w/%EB%AC%B8%EC%84%9C%3A%EB%B0%B1%EB%85%84%EC%9D%98%20%EC%8B%A0%EB%B6%80) The March 1 episode, which featured a public kiss between Kang-joo and Doo-rim at a concert attended by fans, plus a cake-eating contest sequence, pushed the Seoul and capital-area rating past 1%.[9](https://v.daum.net/v/20140302120512682) Lee Hong-gi noted on Twitter in late February that the rerun's rating was higher than the original broadcast's, asking whether word of mouth was spreading.[8](https://www.bntnews.co.kr/article/view/bnt201402270129)
## International reception
The drama traveled quickly for a cable-channel production. Director [Yoon Sang](https://www.edgepedia.org/yoon-sang)-ho said at a March 2014 press conference that a Japanese broadcast was already confirmed, that Chinese download views had exceeded 10 million, and that remake contract requests had come from China.[10](https://v.daum.net/v/20140313114413280) By April the production company Aura Media had agreed with the Beijing-based producer Xinmeichengpin Culture Media on a jointly produced Chinese version to air within the year, and rights had been sold or were in contract for Japan, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, the United States, and South America.[4](https://www.inews24.com/view/815226) In June 2014 the drama premiered to Chinese-language audiences on Taiwan's Star Channel, with a Japanese broadcast scheduled for July; reports attributed the export momentum partly to Lee Hong-gi's overseas popularity.[11](https://www.fnnews.com/news/201406191757542476) During the run, Lee Hong-gi was voted the Korean male actor fans most wanted to meet at a Chinese fan meeting on WeChat, and the drama's title ranked above *My Love from the Star* as the top search term on Chinese portal sites at one point.[4](https://www.inews24.com/view/815226)
## Soundtrack
An OST album for the drama was released on April 11, 2014.[12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89i2r4y3Jlg) Its fourth single, "What I Wanted to Say" (아직 하지 못한 말), was sung by Lee Hong-gi himself as the male version of the same song performed by AOA's Choa on OST Part 3; the lyrics convey the hero's dawning awareness of love.[13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g04uEWvsitA)
## References
1. [TV조선, '진정한 사랑을 찾아서' (Chosun Ilbo, February 21, 2014)](https://www.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2014/02/21/2014022103992.html)
2. [Bride of the Century, DramaWiki](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Bride_of_the_Century)
3. [百年的新娘 (360百科)](https://upimg.baike.so.com/doc/7357165-7623486.html)
4. ['백년의신부', 중국판 나온다 "올 하반기 공동제작" (iNEWS24, April 10, 2014)](https://www.inews24.com/view/815226)
5. [Bride of the Century: Character Introductions (Lisa Espinosa, March 17, 2014)](https://lisaespinosa.com/2014/03/17/bride-of-the-century-character-introductions/)
6. [문서:백년의 신부 (seore.org)](https://seore.org/w/%EB%AC%B8%EC%84%9C%3A%EB%B0%B1%EB%85%84%EC%9D%98%20%EC%8B%A0%EB%B6%80)
7. [해외 판권계약 봇물..드라마 한류 여전히 뜨겁다 (Ten Asia, May 9, 2014)](https://www.tenasia.co.kr/article/2014050951434)
8. ['백년의 신부' 이홍기, 시청률 5% 공약 예고 (bntnews, February 27, 2014)](https://www.bntnews.co.kr/article/view/bnt201402270129)
9. ['백년의 신부' 이홍기 키스신-저주 정체 밝혀지며 시청률 껑충 (Daum/Financial News, March 2, 2014)](https://v.daum.net/v/20140302120512682)
10. ['백년의 신부' 日 방송 확정에 中 리메이크 요청까지 '한류바람' (TV Report via Daum, March 13, 2014)](https://v.daum.net/v/20140313114413280)
11. ['백년의 신부', 이홍기 亞 인기 힘입어 대만-일본-중국 방송 (Financial News, June 19, 2014)](https://www.fnnews.com/news/201406191757542476)
12. [[MV] LEE HONG GI _ What I wanted to say (백년의 신부 OST), YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89i2r4y3Jlg)
13. [TV조선 드라마 '백년의 신부' OST '이홍기 - 아직 하지 못한 말' MV, YouTube (FTISLAND official channel)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g04uEWvsitA)
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*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 contemporary drama › Fantasy, supernatural, and science fiction series › Premiered 2010 to 2022*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license