2019 South Korean television series
When the Camellia Blooms Promotional poster
Hangul 동백꽃 필 무렵
RR Dongbaekkkot pil muryeop MR Tongbaekkot p'il muryŏp Genre Written by Lim Sang-choon Directed by Cha Yeong-hoon Starring Country of origin South Korea Original language Korean No. of episodes 40[ a] Production Producer Kim Hie-yeol Camera setup Single-camera Running time 35 minutes[ a] Production company Pan Entertainment Original release Network KBS2 Release September 18 (2019-09-18 ) – (2019-11-21 )
When the Camellia BloomsKorean : 동백꽃 필 무렵 South Korean television series starringGong Hyo-jin andKang Ha-neul . It aired onKBS2 's Wednesdays and Thursdays at 22:00 (KST ) from September 18 to November 21, 2019.[ 3] [ 4] Netflix in South Korea and mostAsia-Pacific and English speaking countries after their television broadcast.[ b] [ 5]
When the Camellia Blooms became the highest rated mini-series drama airing in 2019 with a single episode rating of 23.8%.[ 6] Nielsen Korea , the drama also became the second highest rated drama of 2019 with all episodes' average ratings of 14.83% behind SBS'sThe Fiery Priest [ 7] [ 8]
When the Camellia Blooms received 10 nominations at the56th Baeksang Arts Awards , winning 4 –Grand Prize for Television ,Best Screenplay ,Best Actor forKang Ha-neul andBest Supporting Actor forOh Jung-se , and won multiple awards at2019 KBS Drama Awards including Grand Prize forGong Hyo-jin .[ 9] [ 10]
When the Camellia Blooms is the story of Oh Dong-baek (Gong Hyo-jin ), a single mother who moves to the fictional town of Ongsan and opens a bar named Camellia. Dong-baek faces many challenges and meets a variety of colourful characters as she attempts to settle down in the small town. Six years later, Dong-baek meets playful Yong-sik (Kang Ha-neul ), a justice seeking police officer who declares his love for her. Meanwhile, a notorious killer sets out to claim Dong-baek as his next victim. Yong-sik balances his attempts to woo Dong-baek who does her best as a single working mother, while also discovering the killer's identity.
A single mother who runs a bar called "Camellia" in Ongsan. She is the mother of Pil-gu and ex-girlfriend to Jong-ryul. Although initially she does not reciprocate Yong-sik's feelings, she eventually grows to like him the more he spends time with her and her son. A police officer with a strong instinct for finding and beating up criminals. He moves back to his hometown Ongsan after being demoted and there he meets and falls for Dong-baek. He vows to always be on her side and protect both her and her son, even at his mother's disapproval. He becomes focused on catching the serial killer known as "Joker" after Dong-baek becomes his next target. A famous baseball player and ex-boyfriend to Dong-baek. He is shown to be continuously self-centered and jealous of Yong-sik's relationship with Dong-baek and Pil-gu. Wife to Jong-ryul she's insecure and mainly focuses on trying to be a social media icon. She is mostly neglectful of her daughter and takes advantage of her relationship with Jong-ryul for fame. Dong-baek's landlord, who repeatedly hits on her. He is unhappily married to Ja-young. A very intelligent lawyer and wife to Gyu-tae. She often talks down to her husband because of his incompetency. A part time employee at Camellia and Dong-baek's friend. She is a kleptomaniac. She often talks about moving to Copenhagen and is always looking for ways to gain enough money, leading her to blackmail others. She died before the first episode and the series goes through flashbacks. Dong-baek's 8-year-old son, who plays baseball and is very protective of his mother. Yong-sik's widowed mother who runs a marinated crab restaurant in Ongsan. The chief police in Ongsan and Yong-sik's superior. Dong-baek's mother who abandoned her as a child. Lee Jae-woo as Kwon Oh-joonPark Yeon-woo as Park Seong-min Hwang Young-hee as Lee Hwa-jaBaek Eun-hye as Sung-heeLee Jin-hee as Geum-okYoo Yeon as Lee Ji-ho Jeon Guk-hyang as Hong Eun-sil Kim Geon as Song Joon-gi Yoon Seong-woo as Soo-bong Seo Jang-hyeon as Dae-seong Kim Dae-gon as Shaman performing funeralJang Ye-rim as restaurant employee Jeong Eun-jeong as waitress Park Bo-eun as staff Kyeong Gi-hyeon as staff Kim Han-na as Hye-in Kang Tae-woong as Number 7 Kwon Eun-seong as Hye-hoon Jeon Eun-mi as co-op member Hong Seo-joon as Jeong Chan-geol Kim Gi-cheon as Park Man-seop Special appearances [ edit ] Original soundtrack [ edit ] Released on October 3, 2019 (2019-10-03 ) No. Title Singer Length 1. "Foolish Love" (이상한 사람) John Park 3:45 2. "Foolish Love" (Inst.) 3:45
Released on October 9, 2019 (2019-10-09 ) No. Title Singer Length 1. "Loser" O.WHEN 4:04 2. "Loser" (Inst.) 4:04
Released on October 10, 2019 (2019-10-10 ) No. Title Singer Length 1. "You Are My Vitamin" (너는 내게 비타민 같아) Motte (ft.Yongzoo ) 3:59 2. "You Are My Vitamin" (Inst.) 3:59
Released on October 16, 2019 (2019-10-16 ) No. Title Singer Length 1. "You Are As Pretty As A Flower" (꽃처럼 예쁜 그대) Onestar 3:41 2. "You Are As Pretty As A Flower" (Inst.) 3:41
Released on October 23, 2019 (2019-10-23 ) No. Title Singer Length 1. "Good To Be With You" (괜찮나요) Soyou 4:20 2. "Good To Be With You" (Inst.) 4:20
Released on October 31, 2019 (2019-10-31 ) No. Title Singer Length 1. "Like A Heroine In The Movie" (영화 속에 나오는 주인공처럼) Punch 3:55 2. "Like A Heroine In The Movie" (Inst.) 3:55
Released on November 6, 2019 (2019-11-06 ) No. Title Singer Length 1. "At That Time" (그 무렵) Kim Na-young 4:33 2. "At That Time" (Inst.) 4:33
Released on November 7, 2019 (2019-11-07 ) No. Title Singer Length 1. "When Winter Comes" (겨울이 오면) Kim Feel 4:19 2. "When Winter Comes" (Inst.) 4:19
Released on November 13, 2019 (2019-11-13 ) [ 14] No. Title Singer Length 1. "Destiny Tells Me" (운명이 내게 말해요) Heize 3:12 2. "Destiny Tells Me" (Inst.) 3:12
Released on November 14, 2019 (2019-11-14 ) No. Title Singer Length 1. "I'll Be With You" Ga Eun 3:36 2. "I'll Be With You" (Inst.) 3:36
Released on November 20, 2019 (2019-11-20 ) No. Title Singer Length 1. "Mom" (내 맘) Kim Yeon-ji 3:15 2. "Mom" (Inst.) 3:15
Released on December 1, 2019 (2019-12-01 ) No. Title Singer Length 1. "The First Noel" (노엘) Kim Yeon-ji , Onestar,Yongzoo , Ga Eun, Ra.L, Lim Ji Eun, James Kang, Samma Choir6:19 2. "The First Noel" (Inst.) 6:19
No. Title Singer Length 1. "Wrong Ideology" Kae Mi 2:20 2. "Omg" Park Jeong Hwan 2:02 3. "Why Are You Looking At Me Like That?" Yoo Min Ho 2:10 4. "Bloom" Lee Geon Yeong 3:08 5. "Ong-san, Spring" Park Mi Seon 1:44 6. "Tiki Tiki" Park Yun Seo 2:15 7. "Rash" Lee Seong Gu 2:06 8. "Gustalas" Ra.L 2:13 9. "Righteous Yongsik" Yoo Min Ho 1:39 10. "Smell Like Something Fishy" Park Jeong Hwan 1:46 11. "Sleepyhead" Lee Geon Yeong 2:11 12. "Don't Stop Mess" Ra.L 2:02 13. "I Mean, It's Almost" Park Mi Seon 1:36 14. "What's wrong with you, Hyangmi?" Kae Mi 1:46 15. "Jayeong" Park Mi Seon 2:51 16. "Good Old Days" Park Jeong Hwan 2:02 17. "Dongbaek and Yongsik" Park Mi Seon 1:34 18. "Divorce Lawyer" Yoo Min Ho 2:03 19. "Camellia" Yoo Min Ho 4:55 20. "Dazzling" Lee Geon Yeong 4:07 21. "Mom, My Mom" Kae Mi 3:00 22. "Shadow" Lee Seong Gu 1:29 23. "Hillside" Lee Geon Yeong 4:16 24. "Why Tiptoeing Around" Park Yun Seo 2:58 25. "Don't Mess With Me" Park Yun Seo 3:41 26. "I said, Don't mess with me" Park Yun Seo 3:12 27. "Neighbor" Lee Seong Gu 1:22 28. "When the Camellia Blooms" Kae Mi 1:50
Title Year Peak Remarks Ref. KOR "Like A Heroine In The Movie"(영화 속에 나오는 주인공처럼 Punch ) 2019 55 Part 6 [ 15]
When the Camellia Blooms : South Korea viewers per episode (millions)
Episodes Episode number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1–10 1.019 1.271 1.112 1.377 1.453 1.662 1.228 1.629 1.597 2.033 11–20 1.782 2.290 2.054 2.415 1.900 2.561 1.943 2.378 2.198 2.713 21–30 2.360 3.156 2.386 2.960 2.651 3.179 2.722 3.376 2.774 3.383 31–40 2.852 3.511 3.410 3.940 2.564 3.305 3.445 3.944 3.670 4.491
Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by
Nielsen Media Research .
[ 16] Average TV viewership ratings Ep. Original broadcast date Title Average audience share AGB Nielsen[ 17] TNmS Nationwide Seoul Nationwide 1 September 18, 2019 The Woman with the Germanium Bracelet 6.3% (11th) 6.7% (8th) 7.4% 2 7.4%(6th) 7.6%(7th) 8.7% 3 September 19, 2019 The Good, the Bad, and the Cheap 6.7%(9th) 7.0%(8th) 6.4% 4 8.3%(6th) 8.7%(5th) 7.9% 5 September 25, 2019 The Mutt's Strategy 8.6%(7th) 9.4%(5th) 7.5% 6 10.0%(4th) 11.0%(3rd) 8.7% 7 September 26, 2019 The Country Boy 7.7%(8th) 7.4%(7th) 7.5% 8 10.0%(5th) 10.0%(4th) 9.2% 9 October 2, 2019 A Wish, an Affair, and Turmoil 9.3%(7th) 10.1%(3rd) 8.4% 10 11.5%(2nd) 12.4%(2nd) 9.3% 11 October 3, 2019 1986.08.29. Born to Be a Hippo 10.2%(5th) 10.6%(5th) — N/a 12 12.9%(4th) 13.7%(3rd) 13 October 9, 2019 The Ongsan Fairy 11.0%(5th) 12.5%(4th) 9.4% 14 13.1%(2nd) 14.9%(2nd) 11.0% 15 October 10, 2019 The Lynx of This Area 11.0%(4th) 11.6%(4th) 10.7% 16 14.5%(3rd) 15.2%(2nd) 12.9% 17 October 16, 2019 I Will Welcome Everyone 11.0%(5th) 11.8%(4th) 10.2% 18 13.4%(3rd) 14.7%(2nd) 11.5% 19 October 17, 2019 Nice People Can't Get Lucky 12.1%(5th) 13.3%(3rd) 10.0% 20 14.9%(2nd) 16.1%(2nd) 12.8% 21 October 23, 2019 The Hero Appears at the Last Minute 12.9%(4th) 13.3%(3rd) 10.3% 22 16.9%(2nd) 17.5%(2nd) 14.0% 23 October 24, 2019 Don't Forget Me 13.3%(4th) 13.3%(3rd) 12.7% 24 16.2%(2nd) 16.1%(2nd) 15.1% 25 October 30, 2019 The End Of All The Flirting 14.3%(2nd) 15.3%(2nd) 12.8% 26 16.9%(1st) 17.9%(1st) 14.9% 27 October 31, 2019 My Mom's Age Lines 15.0%(3rd) 15.5%(2nd) 14.3% 28 18.4%(1st) 18.8%(1st) 16.9% 29 November 6, 2019 Mother 15.2%(2nd) 15.5%(2nd) 14.1% 30 18.2%(1st) 18.7%(1st) 16.0% 31 November 7, 2019 Switching Offense and Defense 15.7%(2nd) 16.5%(2nd) 14.1% 32 18.8%(1st) 19.7%(1st) 17.0% 33 November 13, 2019 The Ongsan Avengers 17.9%(2nd) 18.8%(2nd) 14.5% 34 20.7%(1st) 22.1%(1st) 16.3% 35 November 14, 2019 Life of an 8-year-old 14.0%(3rd) 14.6%(3rd) 13.4% 36 18.1%(1st) 19.3%(1st) 16.7% 37 November 20, 2019 7 Years and 3 Months of Motherhood 18.1%(2nd) 18.6%(2nd) 16.1% 38 20.4%(1st) 21.2%(1st) 19.1% 39 November 21, 2019 Do Miracles Happen? 19.7%(2nd) 20.8%(2nd) 16.6% 40 23.8% (1st) 24.9% (1st) 19.8% Average 13.9% 14.6% — [ c] Special Episodes 1 November 27, 2019 The Camellia Has Bloomed 8.8%(8th) 8.8%(7th) 9.1% 2 9.1%(7th) 9.4%(6th) 9.0% 3 November 28, 2019 6.6%(12th) 7.0%(11th) 7.5% 4 7.6%(9th) 8.1%(6th) 8.2% In this table,the blue numbers the red numbers N/A denotes that the rating is not known.Each night's broadcast is divided into two 35-minute episodes with a commercial break in between.
Awards and nominations [ edit ] ^a b In order to circumvent Korean laws that prevent commercial breaks in the middle of an episode, what would previously have been aired as single 70 minute episodes are now being repackaged as two 35 minute episodes, with two episodes being shown each night with a commercial break between the two.[ 2] ^ For Japan, all episodes were launched at once on November 15, while for the rest of the world it was launched weekly from September 28. ^ Due to some ratings not recorded, the exact average rating is unknown. ^a b Kim, Na-hwi (June 12, 2019).[단독] 모델 지이수, '동백꽃 필 무렵' 출연..김지석 아내+SNS 스타 役 OSEN The Chosun Ilbo .Archived from the original on August 14, 2019. RetrievedAugust 14, 2019 . ^ Park, Jin-hai (May 16, 2017)."Drama viewers angry over commercial breaks" .The Korea Times Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. RetrievedApril 17, 2020 – viaPressReader . ^ Kang, Seo-jung (July 22, 2019).'동백꽃 필 무렵' 공효진강하늘김지석오정세염혜란지이수 라인업 완성[공식] OSEN The Chosun Ilbo .Archived from the original on August 14, 2019. RetrievedAugust 14, 2019 . ^ "Kong Hyo-jin to Pair with Kang Ha-neul in Upcoming TV Series" .The Chosun Ilbo Archived from the original on July 13, 2019. RetrievedAugust 14, 2019 .^ "NEW KOREAN DRAMA WHEN THE CAMELLIA BLOOMS SHEDS LIGHT ON COMPASSIONATE LOVE IN ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP" .Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. RetrievedFebruary 21, 2021 .^ 웃음·눈물 동시에 잡은 '동백꽃 필 무렵', 시청률 20% 돌파···'풍상씨' 넘을까 Naver Archived from the original on 2022-02-13. Retrieved2019-11-16 .^ 최재경.'열혈사제' 2019년 미니시리즈 단연 1위...기승전열혈사제 The Seoul Economic Daily Archived from the original on 25 December 2019. Retrieved29 November 2019 . ^ '동백꽃 필 무렵' 꽉 막힌 해피엔딩♥…자체 최고 '23.8%' 유종의 미 Top Daily News .Archived from the original on 2021-03-17. Retrieved2019-11-21 .^a b MacDonald, Joan (May 8, 2020)."Baeksang Arts Awards Announces Nominees And Plans To Proceed Without An Audience" .Forbes the original on May 10, 2020. RetrievedMay 8, 2020 . ^a b Jang, Woo-young (January 1, 2020).공효진, 생애 첫 연기 대상…'동백꽃' 트로피 싹쓸이 (종합) [2019 KBS 연기대상] OSEN the original on December 31, 2019. RetrievedJanuary 1, 2020 – viaNaver . ^a b Kim, Min-ji (July 9, 2019).[공식입장] 공효진X강하늘, '동백꽃 필 무렵' 출연…9월 첫방 News1 (in Korean).Naver .Archived from the original on January 31, 2021. RetrievedAugust 14, 2019 . ^ Lee, So-dam (July 10, 2019).김지석, '동백꽃 필 무렵' 출연 확정.."공효진 첫사랑 스타야구선수 된다" [공식] OSEN Naver .Archived from the original on January 30, 2021. RetrievedAugust 14, 2019 . ^ Moon, Ji-yeon (July 23, 2019).[공식] 손담비, '동백꽃 필 무렵' 합류..공효진X강하늘과 호흡 Sports Chosun Naver .Archived from the original on July 23, 2019. RetrievedAugust 14, 2019 . ^ Kwak, Hyeon-soo (November 13, 2019).헤이즈, '동백꽃 필 무렵' OST 참여…오늘(13일) 오후 6시 공개 Sports Donga (in Korean).Archived from the original on December 6, 2021. RetrievedDecember 6, 2021 – viaNaver . ^ "Week 45, 2019 Digital Chart" . November 3–9, 2019.Archived from the original on June 27, 2022. RetrievedNovember 15, 2019 .^ "Nielsen Korea" .AGB Nielsen Media Research (in Korean).Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. RetrievedSeptember 18, 2019 .^ "Nielsen Korea" .AGB Nielsen Media Research (in Korean). Archived fromthe original on March 17, 2017. RetrievedSeptember 18, 2019 .^ "2019 신뢰받는 미디어 'JTBC'…영향력 미디어 '유튜브' 신규진입" . 11 December 2019.Archived from the original on 2023-10-21. Retrieved2019-12-13 .^ " . 24 April 2020.Archived from the original on 2021-01-29. Retrieved2020-05-18 .^ MacDonald, Joan (June 5, 2020)."2020 Baeksang Arts Awards Honor The Best Korean Dramas And Films" .Forbes the original on June 5, 2020. RetrievedJune 6, 2020 . ^ Kim, Myung-mi (September 1, 2020).제47회 '한국방송대상' 수상자 발표, 방탄소년단→강하늘까지(공식입장) Newsen (in Korean).Archived from the original on September 2, 2020. RetrievedSeptember 1, 2020 – viaDaum . ^ " .seouldrama.org .Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. RetrievedAugust 7, 2020 .^ "Asia Contents Awards" .asiacontentsawards.com (in Korean). Archived fromthe original on 2021-01-26. Retrieved2020-10-28 .^ Soo, Young-hwang (January 22, 2021).김승우, 'APAN STAR AWARDS' 2회 연속 단독 MC JoongAng Ilbo Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. RetrievedJanuary 22, 2021 . ^ hhs422@mtstarnews.com, 한해선 (2024-08-31)."드라마나 현실이나..'사불' 현빈♥손예진 '최고의 커플' 1위 [창간 20주년 설문]" .스타뉴스 (in Korean). Retrieved2025-12-19 . {{cite web }}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link )
1970s 1980s Kim Min-ja (A Lonely Affair ) (1980) Ulhwa (1981)A Life-sized Buddha (1982)Winds of Change (1983)The Five Indian Kingdoms (1984)Korea's Butterflies (1985)Shin Bong-seung (500 Years of Joseon Dynasty ) (1986) The Boil (1987)Love and Ambition (1988)Kim Hye-ja (Winter Mist andSand Castle ) (1989)1990s Peace, the Arduous Way to Go andTree Blooming with Love (1990)The Second Republic (1991)Eyes of Dawn Go Doo-shim (My Husband's Woman Kim Hee-ae (Sons and Daughters ) (1993)Park Chul (My Mother's Sea ) (1994) Sandglass Korea's Reptiles (1996)The Most Beautiful Goodbye (1997)Lee Jang-soo (Offspring ) (1998) Jang Soo-bong (When Time Flows ) (1999) 2000s 2010s 2020s * awarded to theatrical play or film
