''Brain'' () is a 2011

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

medical drama A medical drama is a Television film, television movie or film in which events center upon a hospital, clinic, doctor's office, a paramedic, or any other medical topic or environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television), dramatic progra ...

, starring

Shin Ha-kyun Shin Ha-kyun (; born May 30, 1974) is a South Korean actor. He first gained recognition for his role in ''Joint Security Area'' (2000), followed by notable performances in '' Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance'' (2002), ''Save the Green Planet!'' (2003 ...

, Choi Jung-won,

Jung Jin-young Jung Jin-young may refer to: * Jung Jin-young (actor) (born 1964), South Korean actor * Jung Jin-young (singer) (born 1991), South Korean musician {{disambig ...

and Jo Dong-hyuk. The series revolves around a top neurosurgeon who is obsessed with success and dreams of becoming the hospital director, then finds himself embroiled in professional rivalries and an unexpected romance. The series received positive reviews, particularly for

's performance. It aired on

KBS2 KBS 2TV is a South Korean free-to-air Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen ...

from November 14, 2011 to January 17, 2012 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 20 episodes.

Plot

Lee Kang-hoon (

) is a

neurosurgeon Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the medical specialty that focuses on the surgical treatment or rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, ...

in his early 30s. He graduated from Korea's most prestigious

medical school A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, professional school, or forms a part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, ...

with the best grades and completed his

residency Residency may refer to: * Artist-in-residence, a program to sponsor the residence and work of visual artists, writers, musicians, etc. * Concert residency, a series of concerts performed at one venue * Domicile (law), the act of establishing or m ...

. Ashamed of his poor, uneducated parents, he has sworn since he was young that he will change his own fate. He chose

neurosurgery Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the specialty (medicine), medical specialty that focuses on the surgical treatment or rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system ...

, the least popular department, because there he can easily gain privileges by making connections with senior doctors. Seo Joon-suk ( Jo Dong-hyuk), who was born with everything, is the person Kang-hoon despises the most and views him as his rival. Kim Sang-chul (

Jung Jin-young Jung Jin-young may refer to: * Jung Jin-young (actor) (born 1964), South Korean actor * Jung Jin-young (singer) (born 1991), South Korean musician {{disambig ...

) is a caring, empathetic neurosurgeon professor in his mid-50s who acts as a mentor to Yoon Ji-hye ( Choi Jung-won). Joon-suk likes Ji-hye, but she has feelings for Kang-hoon. The series takes a shocking turn when Kang-hoon learns that Sang-chul caused his father's death.

Cast

Main characters

as Lee Kang-hoon : Main protagonist of the series. An arrogant neurosurgeon who lives with his mother and sister, he is haunted by the death of his father when he was a child. At first he does not like Ji-hye, but grows to have feelings for her. * Choi Jung-won as Yoon Ji-hye : A doctor who comes from a middle-class family. She is very fond of Kim Sang-chul, whom she considers her mentor. She starts to fall for Kang-hoon. *

Jung Jin-young Jung Jin-young may refer to: * Jung Jin-young (actor) (born 1964), South Korean actor * Jung Jin-young (singer) (born 1991), South Korean musician {{disambig ...

as Kim Sang-chul : Head of the hospital who cares for his patients. He has a dark past involving the accidental death of Kang-hoon's father on the surgery table, with young Kang-hoon as a witness. * Jo Dong-hyuk as Seo Joon-suk : A doctor who comes from rich family whose maid happened to be Kang-hoon's mother. He has a crush on Ji-hye. *

Claudia Kim Kim Soo-hyun (; born 25 January 1985), better known by the stage name Claudia Kim, is a South Korean actress and model. She has appeared in Western films such as ''Avengers: Age of Ultron'' (2015), ''The Dark Tower (2017 film), The Dark Tower'' ...

as Jang Yoo-jin : The daughter of a rich man whom Kang-hoon saved. Now she is trying to seduce Kang-hoon. Yoo-jin has a 5-year-old daughter.

Supporting characters

* Lee Sung-min - Go Jae-hak *

Ban Hyo-jung Ban Hyo-jung (; born November 27, 1942), birth name Ban Man-hee (), is a South Korean actress. She made her acting debut in 1964 with a bit part in Shin Sang-ok's film ''Rice'', and went on to a prolific career in television drama In fil ...

- Hwang Young-sun *Park Chul-ho - Park In-bum *

Im Ji-eun Im Ji-eun (; born February 27, 1973) is a South Korean actress. Filmography Television series Film Awards and nominations References External links Im Ji-eun Fan Cafeat Daum * * * 1973 births Living people South Korean tele ...

- Hong Eun-sook *

Jo Soo-min Jo Soo-min (; born March 5, 1999) is a South Korean actress. Filmography Film Television series Web series Television shows Awards and nominations References External links * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jo, Soo-min 1997 births L ...

- Im Hyun-jung *Kwak Seung-nam - Yang Bum-joon *

Shim Hyung-tak Shim Hyung-tak (, born January 12, 1978) is a South Korean actor. He starred in Korean dramas such as '' The Road Home'' (2009), '' Three Sisters'' (2010), '' Welcome Rain to My Life'' (2012), '' You Are the Boss!'' (2013), '' Let's Eat'' (2014 ...

- Jo Dae-shik * Kwon Yul - Yeo Bong-goo *

Song Ok-sook Song Ok-sook (; born August 14, 1960) is a South Korean actress. She has appeared in supporting roles in numerous television dramas, including ''Winter Sonata'', '' Beethoven Virus'', ''More Charming by the Day'', and '' Missing You''. Song is ...

- Kim Soon-im, Kang-hoon's mother *

Kim Ga-eun Kim Ga-eun (; born January 8, 1989) is a South Korean actress. Filmography Television series Web series Film Awards and nominations References External links * * 1989 births Living people South Korean television actress ...

- Lee Ha-young, Kang-hoon's sister * Kang Ye-seo - Choi Ryu-bi *Lee Seung-joo - Dong Seung-man *

Choi Il-hwa Choi Il-hwa (; born May 9, 1959) is a South Korean actor. He joined the Madang Sesil Theatre Group in 1983, and has since continued acting in Korean theater, television and film. Filmography Film *'' No Tomorrow'' (2016) *'' Wonderful Nightma ...

- Ahn Dong-suk *Heo Jung-gyu - Kong Duk-ki *Hong Il-kwon - Hwang Tae-sung *Ko In-beom - Jang Yoo-jin's father * Lee Hyun-woo - Park Dong-hwa (guest appearance) * Yoo Chae-yeong - Swimming instructor (guest appearance) *

Marco Marco may refer to: People Given name * Marco (actor) (born 1977), South Korean model and actor Surname * Georg Marco (1863–1923), Romanian chess player of German origin * Jindřich Marco (1921–2000), Czechoslovak photographer and numismat ...

- Man at swimming pool (guest appearance) *Lee Chan-ho - Na Jae-woong (guest appearance) *

Jeon Moo-song Jeon Moo-song (born September 28, 1941) is a South Korean actor. Jeon began his career on stage in the play 'Chunhyangjeon' in 1964 and has since been active in Korean theatre, film and television. In 1977, he performed as the title character ...

- Kim Shin-woo (guest appearance) * Kim Young-ok - Sa Bong-ja (guest appearance) *Hwang Bum-sik - Cha Hoon-kyung (guest appearance)

Production

Lee Sang-yoon Lee Sang-yoon (; born August 15, 1981) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his starring roles in '' Seoyoung, My Daughter'' (2012), '' Angel Eyes'' (2014), '' Liar Game'' (2014), '' On the Way to the Airport'' (2016), '' Whisper'' (20 ...

, Yoon Seung-ah, and Lee Hyun-jin were originally cast as the main characters (Lee Kang-hoon, Yoon Ji-hye and Seo Joon-suk, respectively), but after the

read-through The read-through, table-read, or table work is a stage of film, television, radio, and theatre production when an organized reading of the screenplay or script is conducted around a table by the actors with speaking parts. In addition to the ...

, the producers deemed them "too young" for their roles and the actors were subsequently fired.

Song Seung-heon Song Seung-heon (; born October 5, 1976) is a South Korean model and actor. He has acted in various Korean drama, television dramas, notably ''Autumn in My Heart'' (2000), ''East of Eden (South Korean TV series), ''East of Eden' (2008), ''My ...

and Kim Joo-hyuk were rumored to be offered the leading role, which eventually went to

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * * {{Song Hyun-wook 2011 South Korean television series debuts 2012 South Korean television series endings Korean Broadcasting System television dramas South Korean medical television series Korean-language television shows Television series by CJ E&M