''Coffee Prince'' () is a 2007 South Korean television series starring

Gong Yoo Gong Ji-cheol (; born July 10, 1979), known professionally as Gong Yoo (), is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his starring roles in the television series ''Coffee Prince'' (2007), '' Guardian: The Lonely and Great God'' (2016–2017 ...

Yoon Eun-hye Yoon Eun-hye (; born October 3, 1984) is a South Korean singer and actress. She debuted as a member of South Korean girl group Baby Vox, staying with the group from 1999 to 2005, as well as WSG Wannabe, a female project group in 2022. Yoon has ...

Lee Sun-kyun Lee Sun-kyun (; March 2, 1975 – December 27, 2023) was a South Korean actor. Internationally, he was best known for his role in Bong Joon-ho's Academy Award–winning film ''Parasite'' (2019), for which he won a Screen Actors Guild Award alo ...

, and Chae Jung-an. Based on the novel of the same name written by Lee Sun-mi, it was aired on MBC's Mondays and Tuesdays at the 21:55 ( KST) from July 2 and August 28, 2007 consisting of 17 episodes. The drama portrays the story of an unlikely romance between a tomboyish woman, who dresses like a man in order to get work, and a young food empire mogul. It contains homoerotic elements, as the man does not initially know of the tomboy's true sex. Hailed as a hit for its high ratings, the drama received positive reviews from critics and won multiple awards.

Synopsis

The first coffeeprince shop in restaurants of Location

Choi Han-gyeol (

) is the grandson of chairwoman Bang ( Kim Young-ok) of Dong-in Foods, a company that has a thriving coffee business. He has never had a job and does not care for responsibility. Han-gyeol is hung up on his first love, Han Yoo-joo ( Chae Jung-an), who only sees him as a friend. Go Eun-chan (

) is a 24-year-old

tomboy A tomboy is a girl or young woman who generally expresses masculine traits. Such traits may include wearing androgynous or unfeminine clothing and engaging in activities and behaviors traditionally associated with boys or men. Origins The w ...

who is often mistaken for a guy. Her father died when she was 16 years old and since then she has taken over as the breadwinner in her family. When Han-gyeol and Eun-chan meet, he, not knowing that she is a girl, decides to hire her to pretend to be his gay lover so that he can escape the blind dates arranged by his grandmother. After getting an ultimatum from his grandmother, Han-gyeol takes over a rundown old coffee shop, later renamed "Coffee Prince," to prove that he's capable, both to his grandmother and to Yoo-joo. In order to attract female customers, he only hires good-looking male employees. Eun-chan, desperate for money, continues to hide her gender to get a job at Coffee Prince. Soon, feelings start to develop between Eun-chan and Han-gyeol. As Han-gyeol is unaware that Eun-chan is a woman, he starts to question his sexuality and is thrown into turmoil.

Cast

Main

as Choi Han-gyeol :The grandson of chairwoman Bang of Dongin Foods, a company that has a thriving coffee business. He is an intelligent man but is fiercely independent and abhors the thought of being tied down by one career in his life. *

as Go Eun-chan :A cheerful, friendly girl with a large appetite, she works multiple jobs to support her family. With her short haircut, baggy clothes and flat chest, Eun-chan resembles a boy and is often mistaken for one. *

as Choi Han-sung :A talented record producer and Han-gyeol's cousin. * Chae Jung-an as Han Yoo-joo :Han-gyeol's first love, and Han-sung's ex-girlfriend, a talented professional painter.

Supporting

Lee Eon Lee Eon (; 5 February 1981 – 21 August 2008) was a South Korean actor and model best known for his performance in the Korean television series ''Coffee Prince (2007 TV series), Coffee Prince''. Early life and career Lee Eon was born Park San ...

as Hwang Min-yeop :Coffee Prince waiter. Strong and sweet-natured but not very smart, he is slavishly devoted to Eun-sae, who treats him with disdain, and is the first to discover Eun-chan's true gender. *

Kim Dong-wook Kim Dong-wook (; born July 29, 1983) is a South Korean actor. After appearing in student short films and several minor parts, Kim became a star through his supporting role in the popular TV series '' Coffee Prince'' (2007), followed by box offi ...

as Jin Ha-rim :Coffee Prince waiter. Outgoing and hot-tempered, he is fond of Eun-chan. * Kim Jae-wook as Noh Sun-ki :Coffee Prince chef. A taciturn half-Japanese heartthrob, he is recruited to make his popular waffles at the cafe. *

Kim Chang-wan Kim Chang Wan (; born February 22, 1954) is a South Korean singer, actor, and writer. Early life and education Kim along with his younger brothers Kim Chang-hoon and Kim Chang-ik, began composing music during their mid-teens, and formed the ...

as Hong Gae-shik :Coffee Prince co-manager. His cafe is failing before Han-gyeol is ordered in to clean it up and relaunch it. * Kim Young-ok as Han-gyeol and Han-sung's grandmother :A stern and powerful woman, she is the head of the family and threatens to withdraw her financial support of Han-gyeol unless he proves he can run a business and be responsible. * Kim Ja-ok as Han-gyeol's mother *

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 ...

as Han-gyeol's father * Han Ye-in as Go Eun-sae :Eun-chan's younger sister. Eun-sae has dreams of becoming a rich and famous music star. *

Park Won-sook Park Won-sook (; born January 19, 1949) is a South Korean actress. Filmography Television series Film Variety show Music video Theater Books Awards References External links * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Park, Won-so ...

as Eun-chan and Eun-sae's mother *

Lee Han-wi Lee Han-wi (born June 17, 1961) is a South Korean actor. Since his acting debut in 1983, Lee has become a prolific supporting actor on Korean film and television. He is particularly known for his mastery of ad-libbing. Personal life Lee marr ...

as Mr. Ku, a butcher who is infatuated with Eun-chan's mother *Kim Jung-min as DK, Yoo-joo's ex-boyfriend *Ban Hye-ra as Yoo-joo's mother *Choi Eun-seo as Ha Da Young, the girl who wants to learn to make waffles * Nam Myeong-ryeol as Myung Jae, Han-gyeol's real father * Han Da-min as Han Byul * Yoon Seung-ah as girl playing cards with Han-gyeol on the plane (

bit part In acting, a bit part is a role in which there is direct interaction with the principal actors and no more than five lines of dialogue, often referred to as a five-or-less or under-five in the United States, or under sixes in British televisio ...

, ep 1)

Production

Filming locations

Many of the scenes filmed on location in

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

are as follows: * The "Coffee Prince" was an old coffee shop in

Hongdae area Hongdae () is a neighborhood in Mapo District, Seoul, South Korea, near Hongik University ("Hongik Daehakgyo" in Korean), after which it is named. The neighborhood is known for its urban arts and indie music culture, local shops, clubs, cafés ...

, which was remodeled for the filming. The eponymous cafe was reopened after filming concluded with the wall flowers painting by Han Yoo-joo and other props from the drama on display. * Seoul Animation Center at the foot of

Namsan Namsan () is a peak in Jung District, Seoul, South Korea. It was also known as Mongmyeoksan () in the past. It offers some hiking, picnic areas and views of downtown Seoul's skyline. The N Seoul Tower is located at the summit of Namsan. The ...

Yejang-dong Yejang-dong () is a legal '' dong'' (neighbourhood) of Jung District, Seoul, South Korea. It is administered by its administrative dong, Myeong-dong and Pil-dong. See also *Administrative divisions of South Korea South Korea is made up o ...

Jung-gu Jung District (), meaning "Central District", is the name of a ''gu'' (district) in several South Korean cities: *Jung District, Busan *Jung District, Daegu * Jung District, Daejeon * Jung District, Incheon *Jung District, Seoul * Jung District, Ul ...

: The roof top was used as the exterior terrace of Choi Han-gyeol's house. You can see this rooftop garden thoroughly from this scen
Coffee Prince, 17회, Sweet Scene
* Yeonhui Matgil (or Yeonhee Street of Flavors),

Yeomni-dong Yeomni-dong () is a '' dong'' (neighbourhood) of Mapo District, Seoul, South Korea. See also *Administrative divisions of South Korea South Korea is made up of 22 first-tier administrative divisions: 6 List of special cities of South Korea ...

Mapo-gu Mapo District () is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea. Mapo has a population of 381,330 (2015) and has a geographic area of 23.87 km2 (9.22 sq mi), and is divided into 24 '' dong'' (administrative neighborhoods). Mapo is located in ...

: the location of the Chinese restaurant where Han-gyeol and Eun-chan ate. * The jogging course at Palgakjeong on the Bugak Skyway, Pyeongchang-dong,

Jongno-gu upright=1, Bosingak bell pavilion Jongno District () is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea. It is the historic center of Seoul that contains Gyeongbokgung, the main royal palace of the Joseon dynasty, and the Blue House, the for ...

: Where Han-gyeol goes jogging; and where he met Yoo-joo and Eun-chan who brought competing packed meals for him. * The interior and exterior of the Gwanghwamun branch of Kyobo Book Centre: Where Han-gyeol buys books on coffee to encourage Eun-chan to become a barista. * Hongdae Playground (or Hongik Children's Park) in

: Where Han-gyeol bought Yoo-joo a hat from a street vendor (along Wausan-ro between the playground and

Hongik University Hongik University (; colloquially as Hongdae) is a private university in Mapo District, Mapo, Seoul, South Korea. It was founded in 1946. The university also maintains a branch campus in Sejong City. The university's colloquial name, "Hongdae ...

). * Stone wall road between Duksung Girls High School and Pungmoon Girls High School, across the road from the start of Insa-dong Street that runs from Insa-dong to Samcheong-dong in

: Where Han-gyeol helped Eun-chan in the rain, when she encounters a bully on her way home while carrying bags of dolls for sewing work. In 2011, the

and the coffee shop were featured in a

National Geographic Channel National Geographic (formerly National Geographic Channel; abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo or Nat Geo TV) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by the National Geographic Global Networks unit of Disney Enter ...

-produced documentary on the

Korean Wave The Korean Wave, or ''hallyu'' (; ), is a cultural phenomenon in which the global popularity of South Korean popular culture has dramatically risen since the 1990s. Worldwide interest in Korean culture has been led primarily by the spread of K-p ...

titled ''Seoul's Got Soul''.

Original soundtrack

Ratings

Source
TNS Media Korea

Awards and nominations

International broadcast

It aired in Japan on

Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as or , is a Japanese television station that serves the Kantō region as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network System (FNS). The station is owned-and- ...

beginning August 11, 2010 as part of the network's "

Hallyu The Korean Wave, or ''hallyu'' (; ), is a cultural phenomenon in which the global popularity of South Korean popular culture has dramatically risen since the 1990s. Worldwide interest in Korean culture has been led primarily by the spread of K- ...

Alpha Summer Festival." It aired in the Philippines on

GMA Network GMA Network (an acronym of its legal name, Global Media Arts and commonly known as GMA) is a Television in the Philippines, Philippine commercial broadcast network, serving as the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network (company), ...

from January 1 to March 19, 2008 and received high ratings during its run. The series was re-aired with English subtitles on

Animax Asia Animax is an Asian pay television channel owned by KC Global Media Asia. The channel was originally owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, and took its name from the Japanese satellite TV network; which was then-majority owned by subsidiary Sony ...

in 2010 and on

GMA News TV GMA News TV (GNTV; visually rendered in uppercase in its logo) is a 24-hour Philippine-based international pay television channel owned by Citynet Network Marketing and Productions Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of GMA Network Inc. It was ...

from September 19 to October 14, 2016 at 11:00pm. It aired in Thailand on Channel 7 beginning April 19, 2008. It aired in Indonesia on

Indosiar PT Indosiar Visual Mandiri, commonly known as Indosiar, is an Indonesian over-the-air television broadcaster, established on 19 July 1991, with test broadcasts commencing on 18 December 1994, and officially launching on 11 January 1995. It ha ...

Global TV The Global Television Network (more commonly called Global, or occasionally Global TV) is a Canadian English-language terrestrial television network. It is currently Canada's second most-watched private terrestrial television network after ...

. The series aired in Malaysia in 2010 on

with Malay dub and English subtitles. It aired in the Middle East on MBC 4 beginning December 8, 2013, dubbed as ''Makha al amir''. It was dubbed in

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

and aired in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

on Puthuyugam TV beginning October 2014. It aired in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

on ETC beginning September 2016.

Remake

In 2012, the TV series was

remade Bas-Lag is a fictional universe in which several of China Miéville's novels are set. Bas-Lag is a world where both magic (referred to as thaumaturgy) and steampunk technology exist, and where many intelligent races live. This world and the nove ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

and the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

(for the latter, see Coffee Prince (2012 TV series)). In 2017, the Malaysian remake of ''Coffee Prince'' directed by Michael Ang was aired on

Astro Ria Astro Ria is a 24-hour Southeast Asian Malay language television channel exclusive to the Astro satellite television provider. It was one of the first 22 channels to be launched on Astro in 1996. Astro Ria offered mainly dramas & reality show ...

. In 2018, a Chinese remake of the series titled ''Prince Coffee Lab'', directed by Kang Shin-hyo of ''

The Heirs ''The Heirs'' (), also known as ''The Inheritors'', is a Korean drama, South Korean television series starring Lee Min-ho, Park Shin-hye, and Kim Woo-bin. Written by Kim Eun-sook, the drama is set in a high school populated by the privileged an ...

'', was aired.

References

External links

* * * {{IMDb title, 1772685 MBC TV television dramas 2007 South Korean television series debuts 2007 South Korean television series endings Korean-language television shows South Korean romantic comedy television series South Korean television series remade in other languages Television series set in restaurants Works about coffee Television shows based on South Korean novels