The Matchmakers (TV series)

The Matchmakers (Korean: 혼례대첩) is an ongoing South Korean television series starring Rowoon and Cho Yi-hyun. It premiered on KBS2 on October 30, 2023, and airs every Monday and Tuesday at 21:45 (KST) time slot.^[2] It is also available for streaming on Wavve in South Korea and, on Viki and Viu in selected regions.^[4][5]

The Matchmakers
Promotional poster
Hangul	혼례대첩
Hanja	婚禮大捷
Literal meaning	Wedding Battle
Revised Romanization	Hollyedaecheop
McCune–Reischauer	Hollyedaech'ŏp
Genre	Period drama^[1] Romantic comedy^[2]
Written by	Ha Soo-jin^[2]
Directed by	Hwang Seung-gi^[2] Kim Soo-jin^[2]
Starring	Rowoon Cho Yi-hyun
Music by	Park seung-jin
Country of origin	South Korea
Original language	Korean
No. of episodes	5 (as of November 13, 2023 (2023-11-13))
Production
Executive producer	Yoon Jae-hyuk (KBS)
Producers	Seok shin-ho Kwon Yong-han Eom Joo-young
Production companies	FNC Story Cine Zoo
Budget	₩17.2 billion^[3]
Original release
Network	KBS2
Release	October 30, 2023 (2023-10-30) – present (present)

Synopsis

The series tells the story about a young widower, Shim Jung-woo (Rowoon), and a young widow named Jung Soon-deok (Cho Yi-hyun), joining forces to marry off four young maidens who represent Joseon.

Cast

Main

• Rowoon as Shim Jung-woo^[6]

A Confucian scholar who becomes the youngest person to pass the state civil service examination.

• Cho Yi-hyun as Jung Soon-deok^[6]

A widow and the second daughter-in-law of the Jwauijeong, she appears as Yeo Ju-daek, the best matchmaker and bangmul seller in Hanyang.

Supporting

People around Shim Jung-woo

• Kim Hyun-mok as Kim Oh-bong^[7]

Jung-woo's butler.

• Kim Geon-ho as Yoo Eui-won^[7]

Jung-woo's doctor. He is a member of the National Assembly.

• Kim Yeon-woo as Shim Myung-woo^[8]

Jung-woo's older brother.

• Lee Sang-gu as Shim Jin-ho^[8]

Jung-woo's father.

People around Jung Soon-deok

• Heo Nam-jun as Jung Soon-gu

Soon-deok's older brother.

• Bang Eun-jeong as Gae Dong-yi^[9]

Soon-deok's maid who support her double life.

Jwauijeong's family

• Park Ji-young as Lady Park So-hyeon^[6]

The daughter of the Park clan and Soon-deok's mother-in-law.

• Lee Hae-young as Jo Yeong-bae^[6]

Soon-deok's father-in-law who is the left councilor.

• Lee Soon-won as Park Bok-ki^[10]

Lady Park's younger brother who is a Minister of Military Affairs.

• Oh Ye-joo as Jo Ye-jin^[6]

The famous daughter of the Jo family and Soon-deok's sister-in-law. She is Hanyang's best bride with a lot of talent.

• Kim Si-woo as Jo Geun-seok^[11]

He is the son of Soon-deok's deceased brother-in-law and the eldest grandson of the Jo family. But currently was registered as Soon-deok's son.

• Park Seong-jin as Jo In-hyeon^[11]

The deceased eldest son of Jwauijeong.

• Yoon Yeo-won as Jo In-guk^[11]

Soon-deok's deceased husband.

• Kim Ga-young as Sam-wol's mother^[7]

Jwauijeong's family maid and Lady Park's right-hand man.

People in the palace

• Jo Han-chul as the king^[6]

King of Joseon and Jung-woo's father-in-law.

• Jin Hee-kyung as the Queen^[6]

The crown prince's mother.

• Hong Dong-young as Lee Jae

The crown prince.

• Seo Jin-won as Do Seung-ji^[10]

The king's closest right-hand man.

• Park Hyun-jung as Royal Noble Consort Sukbin Park^[7]

Prince Jin-seong's mother and a concubine who was favored by the king.

• Kim Da-heein as Kim Moon-gun^[7]

A minister.

• Hwiyoung as Lee Jwa-rang^[12]

Park Bok-ki's close aide who is good at literary and martial arts.

• Park Chae-young as Princess Hyojeong

Jung-woo's deceased wife.

Maeng's family

• Choi Hee-jin as Mrs. Cho^[6]

Mother of Maeng's three sisters and a shaman.

• Jung Shin-hye as Maeng Ha-na^[6]

The eldest daughter of Maeng's sister.

• Park Ji-won as Maeng Doo-ri^[13]

The second daughter of Maeng's sister who is known as Mak De-nyeo (a woman with a harsh tongue) due to her foul mouth.

• Jung Bo-min as Maeng Sam-soon^[6]

The third daughter of Maeng's sister who is a novelist. She disguises herself as a man to deliver books.

Groom Candidates

• Son Sang-yeon as Lee Si-yeol^[10]

Sungkyunkwan Confucian student and the eldest grandson of the Sungkyunkwan Daeseong family. He is the best groom in Hanyang.

• Choi Kyeong-hoon as Yoon Bu-gyeom^[10]

Jo Ye-jin's first love. He was born as an only son in a Korean-American family, he farms with his grandparents.

• Bin Chan-wook as Heo Sook-hyun^[14]

A scholar who dreams of becoming a colonel.

• Jung Woo-jae as Kim Jip^[14]

A romanticist traveling around the eight islands in search of a woman who will truly love him rather than his family.

• Cho Chang-hee as Jang Chun-bae^[14]

He is using his wealth to find a young bride.

• Go Deok-won as Han Jong-bok^[14]

He has been preparing for the civil service exam for 10 years. He is looking for a bride who can support him well.

People in the Hongwol Gaekju

• Park Hwan-hee as Mrs. Yeoju^[10]

A potter. She lives in Hanyang with her daughter.

• Jeong Seung-gil as Hong Cheon-soo^[15]

The owner of Hongwol Gaekju, who sets the trend for Hanyang noble ladies.

• Jeong Yeon as Mrs Lee^[16]

A member of Bangmul Merchant's sign room.

• Jeong Ji-an as Masan-daek^[16]

A member of Bangmul Merchant's sign room.

• Park Bo-bae as Jonju-daek^[16]

A member of Bangmul Merchant's sign room.

• Lee So-e as Gae Seong-daek^[17]

The youngest member of Bangmul Merchant's sign room.

• Lee Ye-ju as Bok-hee^[16]

Mrs. Yeoju's daughter.

Others

• Kim Dong-ho as Ahn Dong-gun^[10]

A former sergeant, but nowadays he is a laborer who hunts down runaway slaves.

• Woo Hyun-joo as Mrs. Jung^[7]

Lee Si-yeol's mother.

• Lee Chang-min as Mae Gol-seung^[18]

A monk at Seonhwasa Temple.

• Jang Hye-jin as Mrs. Song^[18]

• Yang A-reum as Lee Cho-ok^[18]

Maeng Ha-na's close friend.

Production

Casting

On July 5, 2023, Rowoon and Cho Yi-hyun confirmed their appearances in the series.^[19]

Viewership

The Matchmakers : South Korea viewers per episode (thousands)

Season		Episode number																Average
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
	1	733	593	696	657	611	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD	TBD

Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by Nielsen Korea.^[20]

Average TV viewership ratings

Ep.	Original broadcast date	Average audience share (Nielsen Korea)^[20]
		Nationwide	Seoul
1	October 30, 2023	4.5% (13th)	4.2% (12th)
2	October 31, 2023	3.6% (14th)	3.4% (13th)
3	November 6, 2023	4.0% (17th)	4.0% (15th)
4	November 7, 2023	3.9% (12th)	3.7% (13th)
5	November 13, 2023	3.5% (18th)	3.5% (16th)
6	November 14, 2023
7	November 20, 2023
8	November 21, 2023
9	November 27, 2023
10	November 28, 2023
11	December 4, 2023
12	December 5, 2023
13	December 11, 2023
14	December 12, 2023
15	December 18, 2023
16	December 19, 2023
Average		—	—
In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.

References

1. "Cho Yi-hyun Excited About 1st Lead Role in Period Drama". The Chosun Ilbo. October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
2. Lee, Kyung-ho (May 31, 2023). "[단독]로운X조이현 '혼례대첩', 10월 편성..2023 KBS 월화극 대미 장식" (in Korean). Star News. from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
3. Kim, In-kyung (September 11, 2023). "에프엔씨엔터, 172억원 드라마 '혼례대첩' 제작 계약 체결". E Daily (in Korean). from the original on October 6, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023 – via Naver News.
4. Kim Hyun-jung (October 30, 2023). 드라마 '혼례대첩' 인물관계도·몇부작·출연진·OTT 알아보기 [Find out about the character relationships, episodes, cast, and OTT of the drama 'Wedding Battle']. Gukje News (in Korean). Retrieved October 30, 2023.
5. Ais Shah (September 30, 2023). "Pertembungan Dua Pencari Jodoh Dalam The Matchmakers| VIU". www.viu.com (in Indonesian). from the original on October 12, 2023. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
6. Kang Min-kyung (September 22, 2023). "[공식] 한양 최고 울분남 로운♥청상과부 조이현 '혼례대첩', 10월 30일 첫방" [[Official] Hanyang's most angry man, Rowoon ♥ Cheongsang widow Jo Yi-hyeon, 'Wedding Battle', first broadcast on October 30th] (in Korean). Ten Asia. from the original on September 25, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023 – via Naver.
7. Jang Soo-jeong (September 22, 2023). "로운·조이현 코믹 멜로 사극 '혼례대첩', 10월 30일 첫 방송" (in Korean). Dailyan. from the original on October 3, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
8. "혼례대첩". 혼례대첩 (in Korean). Retrieved October 27, 2023.
9. "방은정, KBS '혼례대첩' 캐스팅". entertain.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved October 17, 2023.
10. Yang So-young (September 22, 2023). "'혼례대첩' 로운 조이현 대본리딩 포착...조선판 러브 액츄얼리" (in Korean). Star Today. from the original on October 3, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2023 – via Naver.
11. "혼례대첩". 혼례대첩 (in Korean). Retrieved October 27, 2023.
12. Jeon Hyo-jin (October 27, 2023). "SF9 휘영, '혼례대첩' 출연" (in Korean). Sports Donga. Retrieved October 27, 2023 – via Naver.
13. Kim Won-gyeom (October 23, 2023). "박지원, 드라마 '혼례대첩' 캐스팅...'바느질 천재' 맹두리 역할" [Park Ji-won cast in drama 'Wedding Battle'... The role of 'sewing genius' Maeng Du-ri] (in Korean). SPOTV News. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
14. "혼례대첩". 혼례대첩 (in Korean). Retrieved October 27, 2023.
15. Hwang Soo-yeon (September 25, 2023). "정승길, '혼례대첩' 출연 확정...조이현과 호흡" [Jeong Seung-gil confirmed to appear in 'The Wedding Battle'... Working with Jo Yi-hyun] (in Korean). Xports News. from the original on October 3, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2023 – via Naver.
16. "혼례대첩". 혼례대첩 (in Korean). Retrieved October 27, 2023.
17. Kim Chae-yeon (October 26, 2023). "'솔로지옥' '더 글로리' 이소이, '혼례대첩'으로 첫 사극 도전 [공식]" [Lee So-i of 'Solo Hell' and 'The Glory' takes on her first historical drama with 'The Wedding Battle' [Official]] (in Korean). OSEN. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
18. "혼례대첩". 혼례대첩 (in Korean). Retrieved October 27, 2023.
19. Hyun, Hye-sun (July 5, 2023). "'혼례대첩' 로운·조이현, 조선판 커플 매니저 된다...사극 로코 세대교체" (in Korean). Sedaily. from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
20. Nielsen Korea ratings:
    • "Ep. 1" (in Korean). Nielsen Korea. October 30, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
    • "Ep. 2" (in Korean). Nielsen Korea. October 31, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
    • "Ep. 3" (in Korean). Nielsen Korea. November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
    • "Ep. 4" (in Korean). Nielsen Korea. November 7, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
    • "Ep. 5" (in Korean). Nielsen Korea. November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.

External links

• Official website (in Korean)
• The Matchmakers at HanCinema  
• The Matchmakers at IMDb