The Tale of Lady Ok
Promotional poster
Hangul	옥씨부인전
Lit.	The Story of Lady Ok
RR	Okssibuinjeon
MR	Okssibuinjŏn
Genre	Historical drama Romantic thriller
Written by	Park Ji-sook
Directed by	Jin Hyuk
Starring	Lim Ji-yeon Choo Young-woo Yeonwoo Kim Jae-won
Music by	Chung Yea-kyung[1]
Opening theme	"Bold Escape" by Chung Yea-kyung      Forest Christenson
Country of origin	South Korea
Original language	Korean
No. of episodes	16
Production
Running time	70–85 minutes[2]
Production companies	SLL[3] Copus Korea Co. Ltd. [ko][3]
Original release
Network	JTBC
Release	November 30, 2024 (2024-11-30) – January 26, 2025 (2025-01-26)

The Tale of Lady Ok (Korean: 옥씨부인전) is a 2024–2025South Korean television series starringLim Ji-yeon,Choo Young-woo,Yeonwoo andKim Jae-won. It aired onJTBC every Saturday and Sunday at 22:30 (KST) from November 30, 2024 to January 26, 2025. It is also available forstreaming onViu andKocowa in selected regions.

Set in theJoseon period, the story is about the journey to success of a female slave named Goo Deok, whose name "Ok Tae-young", status, and even her husband were fake.

Goo Deok is a servant who escapes slavery and later becomes a legal expert, assuming the name of "Ok Tae-young". Even in difficult situations, she does not hesitate to help people. However, she has a secret. Her secret is that her name, husband, and her status are all fake. She happens to meet Cheon Seung-hwi. He is a story-teller and travels all around the country, reciting stories to people. He happens to meet "Ok Tae-young" and falls in love with her at first sight.

• Lim Ji-yeon as "Ok Tae-young" / Goo Deok^[4]

A legal expert in Joseon. She is loved by everyone because she helps others even in difficult situations. However, her assumed name, identity, and even her husband are all fake.

• Choo Young-woo as Song Seo-in / Cheon Seung-hwi / Sung Yoon-gyeom^[4]

1. Seung-hwi – A story-teller who covers his face with a veil and travels around the country reciting novels to people. He falls in love with "Ok Tae-young" at first sight when he meets her by chance and supports her wholeheartedly even after he finds out about her true identity.

2. Yoon-gyeom – Do-gyeom's older brother and later husband of "Ok Tae-young" who strongly resembles Seung-hwi.

• Yeonwoo as Cha Mi-ryeong / Baek Sun-hee^[5]
  • Choi Da-hye as young Baek Sun-hee^[6]

An eager apprentice learning from "Ok Tae-young", and Lord Cha Cheon-sik and Lady Hong's daughter, assuming the name "Cha Mi-ryeong". "Cha Mi-ryeong" is hiding her secret as being Lady Song's daughter and is looking for revenge on Ok Tae-young.

• Kim Jae-won as Sung Do-gyeom^[5]

A beloved figure in the village. Sung Do-gyeom holds great respect for "Ok Tae-young" who has been a pillar of support since his childhood.

• Kim Mi-sook as Mrs. Han^[7]

The real Ok Tae-young's grandmother.

• Lee Jae-won [ko] as Man Seok^[8]

Seung-hwi's servant and best friend.

• Kim Jae-hwa as Mak Sim^[9]

The Ok family's servant and "Tae-young"'s devoted admirer.

• Yoon Seo-ah as Baek Yi^[10]

Mak Sim's daughter and "Tae-young"'s servant and best friend. (eps. 1–3)

• Oh Dae-hwan as Ddokki^[11]

A male servant of the OK family who likes Mak Sim.

• Yoon Ji-hye as Madam Kim

The head of Yuhyangso (유향소, translated asMother's Sanctuary).

• Lee Seo-hwan as Kim Nak-soo

A rich but greedy nobleman and Goo Deok's villainous master.

• Ha Yul-ri as Kim So-hye^[12]

Kim Nak-soo's daughter who often abuses Goo-deok and the other servants, and sought revenge against Goo-deok after she ran away. She was later made a government slave for her criminal association with Park Jun-gi.

• Jeon Ik-ryung as Lady Song^[13]

A vicious and cruel person who treats slaves like animals and commits atrocities that are brutal, ruthless and creepy.

• Kim Sun-bin as Baek Do-gwang^[14]

Lady Song's son.

• Yoon Hee-seok as Lord Cha Cheon-sik
• Hong Jin-ki as Kkeut Dongi^[15]

"Tae-young"'s family member.

• Jung Soo-young as Mrs. Hong^[16]
• Hong Bi-ra as Lady Lee^[17]
• Sung Dong-il as Sung Kyu-Jin^[18]

A just and righteous magistrate who is the father of Yoon-gyeom and Do-gyeom.

• Choi Jung-woo as Park Jun-gi^[19]

A corrupt and immoral official who marries So-Hye as his concubine and also schemed to get rid of "Tae-young". He was, in the end, arrested for corruption and died from torture.

• Kim Dong-gyun as Lee Chung-il^[20]

Madam Kim's husband.

• Son Na-eun as Ok Tae-young^[21]

The real Ok Tae-young, who died in a fire.

• Lee Sang-hee as Gae Jook

Kim Nak-soo's servant and Goo Deok's father.

DirectorJin Hyuk, who previously worked onMaster's Sun (2013),The Legend of the Blue Sea (2016–2017) andSisyphus: The Myth (2021), and writer Park Ji-sook, who wroteMy Spring Days (2014) andUncle (2021–2022), teamed up to create the series.^[5]

On December 6, 2023, it was reported thatLim Ji-yeon andChoo Young-woo were confirmed as the lead actors of the series.^[4] On May 28, 2024, actor Lee Jae-won was confirmed to join the cast.^[22] On June 11, 2024,Yeonwoo andKim Jae-won were reported to appear in the series.^[23]

JTBC confirmed that the series would premiere in the second half of 2024.^[24] The series was confirmed to broadcast on November 30, 2024, and would be airing every Saturday and Sunday at 22:30 (KST).^[25] It would also be available to stream onKocowa in the Americas, Europe, and Oceania.^[26]

The Korea Times praisedThe Tale of Lady Ok for its progressive depiction of Goo-deok(Lim Ji-yeon), a female slave who defies societal norms in the Joseon Dynasty to become a legal advocate for the oppressed. Lim's powerful performance and the drama's fusion of historical and modern themes have resonated with viewers, achieving a peak rating of 11.1%. The story is commended for empowering women through a compelling narrative of justice and resilience.^[27]

Pierce Conran ofSouth China Morning Post highlightsThe Tale of Lady Ok as a refreshing departure from typical Joseon-era dramas. Lim Ji-yeon's compelling portrayal of Ok Tae-young was praised as a character evolving from a servant to a noblewoman, adding depth to the genre's traditional costume intrigue. The drama's nuanced storytelling and engaging performances captivated viewers with its focus on personal transformation within a period setting offers a unique twist to familiar narratives.^[28]

Writing forForbes, Joan MacDonald praisedLim Ji-Yeon for her convincing Lady Ok/Gudeok, someone whose spirit could not be confined by the limitations of her surroundings.^[29] Drama critic Gong Hee-jung praised Lim Ji-yeon for showing significant growth and maturity in her performance. She noted that Lim skillfully blended the character's emotions with the personality Ok Tae-young might possess, reflecting the actress's effort. Lim was also praised for fitting seamlessly into the role of a self-reliant woman overcoming challenges. Gong highlighted that while many dramas portray women's independence, The Tale of Lady Ok stands out for focusing on resolving issues within a legal framework rather than solely through personal effort.^[30]

The series ranked eighth globally onNetflix's "TV Shows (Non-English)" from December 2 to 8, 2024, with 1.6 million views despite being only released in some Asian region initially.^[31] The Top 10 countries include Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam.^[32]

The show also generated significant buzz in South Korea, leading the drama category on Good Data Corporation FUNdex during December 10 and topping both TV and OTT charts within two weeks of its release. Lim Ji-yeon and Choo Young Woo ranked first and second in actor popularity respectively.^[33][34] Lim maintained her top spot for drama performers who generated the most buzz for two consecutive weeks in a row.^[35]

ActressLim Ji-yeon was unexpectedly excluded from the Best Actress nomination at the61st Baeksang Arts Awards, despite leading the JTBC drama The Tale of Lady Ok, which achieved high ratings (peaking over 13%) and critical acclaim. While the drama itself and her co-starChu Young-woo received nominations, Lim's absence from the list sparked widespread confusion and disappointment among fans and viewers. Public opinion remains divided—some accept the limitation of spots, while others insist Lim's performance warranted recognition. It was noted that while Baeksang's judging process is confidential and based on multiple factors like acting skill, contribution, and buzz, debates about fairness persist due to this controversial omission.^[36]

The Tale of Lady Ok : South Korea viewers per episode (millions)

Season		Episode number																Average
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
	1	0.920	1.490	1.666	1.921	1.789	2.097	1.714	1.984	2.461	2.632	1.861	2.106	1.923	2.313	2.401	3.292	2.038

Source:Audience measurement performed nationwide byNielsen Korea.^[37]

• Official website(in Korean)
• Production website atSLL(in English and Korean)
• The Tale of Lady Ok atIMDb 
• The Tale of Lady Ok atHanCinema

• 2024 South Korean television series debuts
• 2025 South Korean television series endings
• JTBC television dramas
• Korean-language television shows
• South Korean historical television series
• South Korean romance television series
• South Korean thriller television series
• Television series by SLL
• Television series set in Joseon

• Pages using the EasyTimeline extension
• CS1 uses Korean-language script (ko)
• CS1 Korean-language sources (ko)
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from December 2024
• Articles containing Korean-language text
• Articles with Korean-language sources (ko)