# My Dearest (연인)
**My Dearest** (연인; hanja 戀人, *Yeonin*, literally "Lover") is a 2023 South Korean historical romance television series broadcast on MBC, starring Namgoong Min and Ahn Eun-jin, set against the Qing invasion of Joseon in the winter of 1636.[1](https://content.mbc.co.kr/program/drama/3760126_64285.html) • [2](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/entertainment/my-dearest-tells-story-of-a-couple-during-war-in-traditional-period-piece/10558256) Directed by Kim Sung-yong and written by Hwang Jin-young, it follows a love story between two villagers in Neunggun-ri as war reaches their community.[1](https://content.mbc.co.kr/program/drama/3760126_64285.html) • [3](https://welcon.kocca.kr/en/directory/content/my-dearest--10561)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Native / English title | 연인 (戀人, Yeonin), also known as "Lover"; international title My Dearest[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/My_Dearest_(MBC)) • [5](https://www.signup.ondemandkorea.com/ko/program-landing/my-dearest) |
| Setting | 17th-century Neunggun-ri, during the Qing invasion of Joseon of winter 1636[2](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/entertainment/my-dearest-tells-story-of-a-couple-during-war-in-traditional-period-piece/10558256) • [3](https://welcon.kocca.kr/en/directory/content/my-dearest--10561) |
| Leads | Namgoong Min as Lee Jang-hyun; Ahn Eun-jin as Yoo Gil-chae; with Lee Hak-joo and Lee Da-in[1](https://content.mbc.co.kr/program/drama/3760126_64285.html) |
| Broadcast | MBC, Fridays and Saturdays at 21:50; Part 1 August 4 to September 2, Part 2 October 13 to November 18, 2023[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/My_Dearest_(MBC)) |
| Episode count | MBC's production sheet specifies 20 episodes of 70 minutes; broadcast databases list 21 episodes[6](https://content.mbc.co.kr/program/drama/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2023/08/25/My_Dearest.pdf) • [4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/My_Dearest_(MBC)) |
| Major awards | 2023 MBC Drama Awards: Grand Prize (Namgoong Min) and Drama of the Year; 2024 60th Baeksang Arts Awards: Best Actor[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/My_Dearest_(MBC)) |
| Streaming | Wavve in Korea; internationally on OnDemandKorea under the English title My Dearest[2](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/entertainment/my-dearest-tells-story-of-a-couple-during-war-in-traditional-period-piece/10558256) • [5](https://www.signup.ondemandkorea.com/ko/program-landing/my-dearest) |
## Premise and characters
MBC's official synopsis describes a man who proudly declared he would never marry falling in love with a woman who, after two failed marriages, still dreams of love.[1](https://content.mbc.co.kr/program/drama/3760126_64285.html) The setting is Neunggun-ri, a village in 17th-century Joseon facing the looming Qing invasion.[3](https://welcon.kocca.kr/en/directory/content/my-dearest--10561)
**The central couple.** Lee Jang-hyun (Namgoong Min) is a mysterious man who suddenly appears in Neunggun-ri's high society.[1](https://content.mbc.co.kr/program/drama/3760126_64285.html) Yoo Gil-chae (Ahn Eun-jin) is the eldest daughter of the scholar-official Yoo Kyo-yeon; KOCCA's directory describes her as a spirited noblewoman nicknamed the "9 Tailed Fox".[1](https://content.mbc.co.kr/program/drama/3760126_64285.html) • [3](https://welcon.kocca.kr/en/directory/content/my-dearest--10561) Around them stands a love quadrangle: Nam Yeon-jun (Lee Hak-joo) is a nobleman devoted to Confucian teachings and Gil-chae's first love, while Kyung Eun-ae (Lee Da-in) is Yeon-jun's wife-to-be and Gil-chae's best friend.[1](https://content.mbc.co.kr/program/drama/3760126_64285.html) • [5](https://www.signup.ondemandkorea.com/ko/program-landing/my-dearest) [Kim Yoon-woo](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-yoon-woo) plays Ryang-eum.[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/My_Dearest_(MBC))
For Ahn Eun-jin, previously seen in *The Good Bad Mother* (2023) and *The One and Only* (2021–2022), the role was her first lead in a period piece. Namgoong Min returned to a romantic role for the first time in five years and to a period piece for the first time in ten.[2](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/entertainment/my-dearest-tells-story-of-a-couple-during-war-in-traditional-period-piece/10558256)
## Production and broadcast
The series was written by Hwang Jin-young, whose earlier MBC credits include *[The Rebel](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-rebel-south-korean-tv-series)* (2017) and *The King's Daughter, Soo Baek-hyang* (2014), and directed by Kim Sung-yong, whose credits include *The Veil* (2021) and *My Healing Love* (2018).[6](https://content.mbc.co.kr/program/drama/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2023/08/25/My_Dearest.pdf) Production companies were MBC and 9ato [Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/entertainment) (9아토엔터테인먼트), with Kim Sung-yong joined by co-directors Lee Han-joon and Chun Soo-jin.[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/My_Dearest_(MBC))
**Two-part run.** The drama aired on MBC in the Friday–Saturday 21:50 slot in two parts separated by a break: Part 1 ran from August 4 to September 2, 2023, and Part 2 from October 13 to November 18, 2023.[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/My_Dearest_(MBC)) It also streamed on Wavve.[2](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/entertainment/my-dearest-tells-story-of-a-couple-during-war-in-traditional-period-piece/10558256) The total episode count differs between sources: MBC's official production sheet specifies 20 episodes of 70 minutes each, while DramaWiki lists 21 episodes actually broadcast, with the final episode airing November 18, 2023; the discrepancy is unresolved.[6](https://content.mbc.co.kr/program/drama/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2023/08/25/My_Dearest.pdf) • [4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/My_Dearest_(MBC)) Episode runtime likewise varies by source, from MBC's 70 minutes to IMDb's listing of about 1 hour 20 minutes.[6](https://content.mbc.co.kr/program/drama/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2023/08/25/My_Dearest.pdf) • [7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26228190/)
## Historical setting and accuracy
The drama is set during the Qing invasion of Joseon, known in Korean as the [Byeongja Horan](https://www.edgepedia.org/byeongja-horan) (병자호란, 丙子胡亂), which began in the winter of 1636 and ended with Qing victory, establishing a tributary relationship over Joseon.[2](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/entertainment/my-dearest-tells-story-of-a-couple-during-war-in-traditional-period-piece/10558256) • [8](https://journal.kci.go.kr/glocal/archive/articleView?artiId=ART003092090) Producer Kim Sung-yong called the invasion "the most earth-shattering event of the Joseon Dynasty [1392–1910]" and said he wanted to depict the period and historical background accurately.[2](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/entertainment/my-dearest-tells-story-of-a-couple-during-war-in-traditional-period-piece/10558256)
A peer-reviewed study of the series notes that it depicts the war's aftermath through Gil-chae's story: she is kidnapped as a prisoner, enslaved to a Qing official, sold in a slave market, and returns home with physical and mental scars. The study highlights the drama's critical treatment of the Neo-Confucian order and of late Joseon ruling-class men who despised the "returning woman" (환향, *hwanhyang*), a term for women who had been taken and came back.[8](https://journal.kci.go.kr/glocal/archive/articleView?artiId=ART003092090) IMDb user reviews similarly single out the realistic depiction of war's aftermath, including enslavement and the stigmatization of women.[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26228190/)
## Reception and comparison
**A traditional sageuk.** The drama deliberately avoids the fantasy elements common in other recently aired historical dramas, such as reincarnated characters, nine-tailed mythical creatures, or people with superpowers, presenting instead a traditional period piece about two lovers during the invasion.[2](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/entertainment/my-dearest-tells-story-of-a-couple-during-war-in-traditional-period-piece/10558256) On IMDb, where the series is listed under its original title "Yeon-in", it holds an audience score of 8.9/10 from about 3,900 votes.[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26228190/) User reviews place its treatment of the political debates during the invasion alongside the film *The Fortress* (2017) and its dramatization of the crown prince's fate alongside *The Night Owl* (2022).[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26228190/)
## Awards
At the 2023 42nd MBC Drama Awards the series won the Grand Prize (Daesang) for Namgoong Min and Drama of the Year; Ahn Eun-jin took the Top Excellence Award, Actress in a [Miniseries](https://www.edgepedia.org/miniseries), alongside supporting, new-actor, Best Couple, and Best Character awards.[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/My_Dearest_(MBC)) At the 2024 60th Baeksang Arts Awards it won Best Actor (Namgoong Min).[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/My_Dearest_(MBC)) At the 2023 35th Grimae Awards it won the Grand Prize/Daesang, Best Actor (Namgoong Min), Best Actress (Ahn Eun-jin), a Directing Award, and a Lighting Award.[4](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/My_Dearest_(MBC)) IMDb records 5 wins and 5 nominations in total.[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26228190/)
## International availability
The series streams internationally on OnDemandKorea under the English title *My Dearest*.[5](https://www.signup.ondemandkorea.com/ko/program-landing/my-dearest)
## References
1. [My Dearest :: MBC Global Media](https://content.mbc.co.kr/program/drama/3760126_64285.html)
2. ['My Dearest' tells story of a couple during war in traditional period piece, Korea JoongAng Daily](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/entertainment/my-dearest-tells-story-of-a-couple-during-war-in-traditional-period-piece/10558256)
3. [My Dearest, KOCCA Welcon content directory](https://welcon.kocca.kr/en/directory/content/my-dearest--10561)
4. [My Dearest (MBC), DramaWiki](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/My_Dearest_(MBC))
5. [연인 | My Dearest, OnDemandKorea](https://www.signup.ondemandkorea.com/ko/program-landing/my-dearest)
6. [My Dearest production information sheet (MBC, PDF)](https://content.mbc.co.kr/program/drama/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2023/08/25/My_Dearest.pdf)
7. [My Dearest (TV Series 2023), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26228190/)
8. [훼손당하(지 않)는 여성과 환향의 젠더지리: 역사드라마 <연인>(2023)을 중심으로, KCI journal article](https://journal.kci.go.kr/glocal/archive/articleView?artiId=ART003092090)
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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 historical drama (sageuk)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license