# Player (TV series)
**Player** (플레이어) is a 2018 South Korean crime action television series broadcast on the cable channel OCN as a 14-episode Saturday-Sunday original drama. It follows a four-person team of criminals, each the best in a specialist field, who recover and redistribute illicit money accumulated by corrupt figures in politics and the underground economy. The show billed itself as a "money steal action drama."
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Native title | 플레이어 (Player) |
| Network | OCN, Saturday-Sunday 10:20 p.m. |
| Run | September 29 to November 11, 2018, 14 episodes of about 60 minutes |
| Genre | Crime, action, comedy, mystery, thriller |
| Main cast | Song Seung-heon, Krystal (Jung Soo-jung), Lee Si-eon, Tae Won-suk |
| Writer / director | Shin Jae-hyung / Go Jae-hyun |
| Production | Studio Dragon and iWill Media |
| Premiere / finale ratings | 4.474% nationwide (a new record OCN original premiere); finale 5.8% average, 6.7% peak |
## Premise and characters
The series assembles four specialists, described in publicity as the strongest players in their respective fields: **Kang Ha-ri**, the scheming con man who designs each operation, played by [Song Seung-heon](https://www.edgepedia.org/song-seung-heon); **Cha A-ryeong**, a nationally acknowledged top driver who grew up on the streets after being abandoned by her parents, played by Krystal; **Im Byeong-min**, a hacking master, played by [Lee Si-eon](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-si-eon); and **Do Jin-woong**, a born fighter nicknamed the "fist fairy," played by Tae Won-suk.[1](https://www.yna.co.kr/amp/view/AKR20181012089500848) • [2](https://www.koreandrama.org/player/)
The team's targets are the hidden fortunes of criminals, with the show's framing emphasizing a "crime profit recovery" crew that robs only the pockets of bad men. Early episodes chart the four moving from a loose, money-motivated grouping into a genuine team; episode 6, broadcast October 14, shows the others rescuing Cha A-ryeong from a hostage situation, and she repays them by catching her captor with a high-speed chase on a steep hill road.[3](https://sports.donga.com/ent/article/all/20181015/92396354/1)
The overarching antagonist is a shadowy figure known only as "that person" (그 사람), played by Kim Jong-tae. The finale reveals that he was responsible for the death of Kang Ha-ri's father, Choi Hyun-gi, fifteen years earlier; Kang Ha-ri and the now-wanted Im Byeong-min and Do Jin-woong track him down and livestream his misdeeds, ending the series with the villain punished and the team intact.[4](https://www.mk.co.kr/news/hot-issues/8553696)
## Production
Casting of Song Seung-heon, Krystal, and Lee Si-eon was confirmed in June 2018, with Tae Won-suk joining as the fourth lead.[5](https://v.daum.net/v/oPpDgoa6IH?f=p) Writer Shin Jae-hyung had received the New Writer Prize in the full-length novel category of the 2011 Korea Mystery Literature Award, and director Go Jae-hyun had previously directed *Syndrome* and *Black*.[5](https://v.daum.net/v/oPpDgoa6IH?f=p) The drama was produced by [Studio Dragon](https://www.edgepedia.org/studio-dragon) and iWill Media and followed *Voice 2* as OCN's weekend original.[5](https://v.daum.net/v/oPpDgoa6IH?f=p) • [6](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfBtQDFAC9U)
The production drew corporate support deals typical of Korean cable dramas: the hair-growth device brand Hairbeam sponsored the series, and the service robot Furo-D, made by FutureRobot, was placed in scenes.[1](https://www.yna.co.kr/amp/view/AKR20181012089500848) • [7](https://zdnet.co.kr/view/?no=20180930105407)
## Broadcast and ratings
The premiere on September 29, 2018 drew a 4.474% nationwide rating (5.226% in Seoul), which Soompi reported as a new record for the first episode of an OCN original drama, surpassing the 3.9% set by *Voice 2*.[8](https://www.soompi.com/article/1238227wpp/player-sets-new-ocn-record-highest-drama-premiere-ratings) • [9](https://asianwiki.com/Player_%28Korean_Drama%29) Ratings rose and fell through the run, dipping to 3.720% for episode 5 and peaking with the finale.[9](https://asianwiki.com/Player_%28Korean_Drama%29)
The last episode, broadcast November 11, 2018, reached an average 5.8% and a peak of 6.7% across paid platforms including cable, IPTV, and satellite, and placed first in OCN's target demographic of viewers aged 25 to 49 with a 4.6% average.[10](https://www.soompi.com/article/1261493wpp/player-airs-finale-highest-viewership-ratings-yet)
**A broadcast incident** drew an apology. Episode 4, aired October 7, showed a silhouette photograph intended to represent the unseen villain, but the image resembled former president [Roh Moo-hyun](https://www.edgepedia.org/roh-moo-hyun). The production issued a statement the next day, saying it had failed to review the image carefully, offered a sincere apology, and disciplined the staff member responsible.[11](https://m.go.seoul.co.kr/news/entertainment/broadcastN/2018/10/08/20181008500153)
## Reception and sequel
Korean press credited the show with a satisfying, action-driven ending and noted Krystal's action performance in the driver role as a discovery of the series.[4](https://www.mk.co.kr/news/hot-issues/8553696) • [12](https://www.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2018/11/12/2018111200568.html) On the Chinese review site Douban it holds a 7.8 rating from 10,501 users, rating better than 57% of drama titles and 65% of action titles on the site.[13](https://movie.douban.com/subject/30194940/) At the series' close, the four leads described the production warmly; Song Seung-heon said he would remember more scenes from this drama than any of his previous works because he transformed into many characters.[14](https://www.soompi.com/article/1261223wpp/player-cast--express-gratitude-sadness-drama-comes-close)
The property continued as a franchise. A sequel, *Player 2: War of the Swindlers* (플레이어2: 꾼들의 전쟁), aired on tvN in mid-2024 as a 12-episode series starring Song Seung-heon and [Oh Yeon-seo](https://www.edgepedia.org/oh-yeon-seo).[15](https://file.myasset.com/sitemanager/upload/2024/0908/142356/20240908142356400_0_ko.pdf) Before its broadcast, industry reports indicated that simultaneous release with a global streaming platform such as Disney+ was under discussion for the sequel.[16](https://v.daum.net/v/pAVJZcBETE)
## References
1. [Won-tek Hairbeam Air supports OCN weekend drama Player, Yonhap News (October 12, 2018)](https://www.yna.co.kr/amp/view/AKR20181012089500848)
2. [Player, KoreanDrama.org](https://www.koreandrama.org/player/)
3. [Krystal of Player, rough but pretty, Sports Donga (October 15, 2018)](https://sports.donga.com/ent/article/all/20181015/92396354/1)
4. [Player finale: Song Seung-heon succeeds in revenge against That Person, Maeil Business Star Today (November 12, 2018)](https://www.mk.co.kr/news/hot-issues/8553696)
5. [Song Seung-heon, Krystal, Lee Si-eon confirmed for OCN Player, News1 via Daum (June 4, 2018)](https://v.daum.net/v/oPpDgoa6IH?f=p)
6. [OCN drama Player production press conference, Sports Chosun on YouTube (September 20, 2018)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfBtQDFAC9U)
7. [FutureRobot sponsors Player with Furo-D robot, ZDNet Korea (September 30, 2018)](https://zdnet.co.kr/view/?no=20180930105407)
8. [The Player sets new OCN record for highest original drama premiere ratings, Soompi (September 29, 2018)](https://www.soompi.com/article/1238227wpp/player-sets-new-ocn-record-highest-drama-premiere-ratings)
9. [The Player (Korean Drama), AsianWiki](https://asianwiki.com/Player_%28Korean_Drama%29)
10. [The Player airs finale with highest viewership ratings yet, Soompi (November 12, 2018)](https://www.soompi.com/article/1261493wpp/player-airs-finale-highest-viewership-ratings-yet)
11. [Player apologizes for use of silhouette evoking former president Roh Moo-hyun, Seoul Shinmun (October 8, 2018)](https://m.go.seoul.co.kr/news/entertainment/broadcastN/2018/10/08/20181008500153)
12. [What Player left behind: the discovery of an action-playing Krystal, The Chosun Daily (November 12, 2018)](https://www.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2018/11/12/2018111200568.html)
13. [Player (玩家), Douban](https://movie.douban.com/subject/30194940/)
14. [Player cast members express gratitude and sadness as drama comes to a close, Soompi (November 11, 2018)](https://www.soompi.com/article/1261223wpp/player-cast--express-gratitude-sadness-drama-comes-close)
15. [Studio Dragon company report, line-up including Player 2: War of the Swindlers on tvN (2024), MyAsset](https://file.myasset.com/sitemanager/upload/2024/0908/142356/20240908142356400_0_ko.pdf)
16. [Player 2 may choose tvN with Disney+ pairing, Bloter via Daum](https://v.daum.net/v/pAVJZcBETE)
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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 › Thriller, crime, and mystery series › Spy and action thrillers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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