King of Baking, Kim Tak Goo
Encyclopedia
- Note: This article uses Korean naming conventions. eg. In the name Kim Takgu, "Kim" is the surname and "Takgu" is the given name.
King of Baking, Kim Takgu (Hangul
Hangul
Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...
: 제빵왕 김탁구 Jeppangwang Kim Takgu), also spelled Takgoo, is a South Korean drama TV series broadcast on Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) that aired after after Happiness in the Wind
A Good Day For The Wind To Blow
The official English title of this South Korean comical/romantic drama series is "Happiness in the Wind". However, it is also known to some viewers as "A Good Day For the Wind to Blow" which airs on KBS World.-Synopsis:...
from June 9, 2010 to September 16, 2010 . The show stars Yoon Si Yoon (윤시윤) as Kim Takgu, Joo Won (주원) as Gu Majun, Lee Young Ah
Lee Young Ah
Lee Young Ah is a South Korean actress and model. She is best known for playing the role of Nguyen Jin Joo from Golden Bride, a 2008 drama that extended 14 episodes due to its popularity and is in Top 5 of Korean Dramas of the Year 2008 in Nielson Ratings and Top 7 in TNS, and on the popular...
(이영아) as Yang Misun and singer Eugene (유진) as Shin Yukyeong. It tells the story of how a determined young baker
Baker
A baker is someone who bakes and sells bread, Cakes and similar foods may also be produced, as the traditional boundaries between what is produced by a baker as opposed to a pastry chef have blurred in recent decades...
over comes many trials towards his goal of becoming the best baker in Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
. This story takes place in the 1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
to 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
, starting after his conception and finishing when he reaches his mid-20s.
The English version was renamed Bread, Love and Dreams and was broadcast on KBS World
KBS World
KBS World is a name of Korean Broadcasting System's international broadcasting service. It consists of KBS World Radio and a KBS World television channel.- History :...
. It contains subtitles, rather than being dubbed
Dubbing (filmmaking)
Dubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
. The show was broadcast in South Korea on KBS2 and internationally on KBS World
KBS World (TV channel)
KBS World is a South Korean television channel operated by Korean Broadcasting System aimed at international audiences outside South Korea. It was launched on July 1, 2003...
. The series became one of the most watched show in South Korean history, with its final episode receiving a 50.8% viewership rating (the record still belongs to the drama First Love but considering that it was broadcast at a time where there much less TV channels in Korea, Kim Takgu could be considered the most watched Korean TV series ever). The show's storyline stretches the entire season which was broadcast on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Despite its popularity, like most of KBS' dramas it only lasted one season. One of the shows main songs, "Hope Is a Dream That Never Sleeps" was sung by Super Junior's Kyuhyun
Kyuhyun
Cho Kyuhyun , best known mononymously as Kyuhyun, is a Korean pop singer. He is the youngest member of a very popular boy band Super Junior. In Super Junior, he is a main vocalist. He is also one of the first four Korean artists to appear on Chinese postage stamps...
.
Plot
Kim Takgu is the eldest son of Gu Il Jong, the chairman of Geosung Foods Enterprise, and Kim Misun, his mistress. The Chairman’s wife, Insok, is furious with her husband and shuns Takgu. When his mother is kidnapped, Takgu runs away from home and spends the next 14 years looking for her. Through his journey he enters a baking school owned by Pal Bong, a legend in the baking industry who coincidentally is also the same teacher who taught his father. There he finds Jo Jingu, the man who kidnapped his mother, but he tells Takgu that she accidentally fell of a cliff. Takgu decides to stay at the bakery and learn the art of making bread, like his father did before him. Majun, Takgu’s half-brother is also at the school, hoping to learn about baking in order to win his father’s approval and take over the family business. He is living under an assumed name and never reveals his true identity, still having a hatred for Takgu from their childhood.It is later revealed that Takgu’s mom is not dead and that she is looking for him. The Chairman, who also spent the past 14 years looking for Takgu, eventually finds out he is at the bakery and is furious at Majun for not telling him. The Chairman wants Takgu, his oldest son, to take over the family business instead of Majun. Majun plots to steal Takgu’s childhood friend Shin Yukyeong and embarrass his family in the process as revenge. Takgu eventually finds his mother, but Insok and her lover (and the Chairman’s assistant) Han plot to rob Takgu of his inheritance so that Majun will take the Chairman’s position. When the Chairman finds out about this, Han goes so far as to attempt to murder Takgu, but he is saved by Jo Jingu. Majun’s plan to embarrass his family works, but it doesn’t give him the satisfaction he expects. He reaches a truce with Takgu and the two agree to let their older sister Gu Jakyung run the company. The show ends with Takgu continuing to work at the bakery with his girlfriend Yang Misun while Majun decides to travel around the world with his new bride Shin Yukyeong. While Manger Han is in prison, the Chairman is happy that his loved ones have found happiness.
Cast
Main Characters- Yoon Si Yoon (윤시윤) as Kim Tak Goo
- Oh Jae Moo (오재무) as Kim Tak Goo (child)
- Eugene (유진) as Shin Yoo Kyung
- Jo Jung Eun (조정은) as Shin Yoo Kyung (child)
Gu family
- Jun Kwang RyulJun Kwang RyulJun Kwang Ryul is South Korean actor who best known for his roles as Heo Jun and Jumong as King Wu Hwa. Jun also played fathers of main protagonists include Shallow the Sun and Kim Tae-goo :Baker King he married with one son-Tv Dramas:*Warrior Baek Dong-soo - Kim Kwang-Taek*Sign - Lee...
(전광렬) as Gu Il Jong - Jun In Hwa (전인화) as Seo Insuk
- Joo Won (주원) as Gu Majun
- Shin Dong Woo (신동우) as Gu Majun (child)
- Choi Ja Hye (최자혜) as Gu Jakyung
- Ha Seung Ri (하승리) as Gu Jakyung (teen)
- Kang Ye Seo (강예서) as Gu Jakyung (child)
- Choi Yoon Young (최윤영) as Gu Jarim
- Kim So Hyun (김소현) as Gu Jarim (child)
Other characters
- Lee Young AhLee Young AhLee Young Ah is a South Korean actress and model. She is best known for playing the role of Nguyen Jin Joo from Golden Bride, a 2008 drama that extended 14 episodes due to its popularity and is in Top 5 of Korean Dramas of the Year 2008 in Nielson Ratings and Top 7 in TNS, and on the popular...
(이영아) as Yang Misun - Jung Sung Mo (정성모) as Han Seung Jae
- Jang Hang Sun (장항선) as Pal Bong (Misun's grandfather)
- Park Sang Myun (박상면) as Yang Inmok (Misun's father)
- Hwang Mi Sun (황미선) as Oh Youngja (Misun's mother)
- Park Sung Woong (박성웅) as Jo Jingu
- Lee Han Wie (이한위) as Heo Gapsoo
- Jun Mi Sun (전미선) as Kim Misun
- Jung Hye Sun (정혜선) as Madam Hong
- Kwon Yong Woon (권용운) as Shin Bae (Yoo Kyung's father)
- Park Yong Jin (박용진) as Go Jaebok
- Kang Chul Sung (강철성)
Reception
The show was extremely popular in South Korea, receiving a record viewer rating of 50.8%. Audiences were attached to the show because of its underdog vs. society theme. Naver listed it as the most searched for item in South Korea of 2010. It was the 7th most popular searched item on Yahoo! KoreaYahoo! Korea
Yahoo! Korea Corporation is the South Korean affiliate of Yahoo!. Its headquarters is the Yahoo! Tower on Teheranno in the Gangnam district of Seoul...
.
On December 20, 2010, the series received presidential honors in a ceremony that thanked cultural content producers for their achievements. In its 2010 Republic of Korea Content Award ceremony, the state-run Korea Creative Content Agency named the year’s winner as a part of a ceremony which is given to those who contribute to the overseas boom of Korean pop culture.
| Episode | Air date | TNmS ratings | AGB ratings | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National rating | Seoul Metropolitan Area | National rating | Seoul Metropolitan Area | ||
| 1 | June 9 | 15.7% | 16.3% | 14.2% | 13.8% |
| 2 | June 10 | 16.9% | 18.4% | 14.4% | 14.5% |
| 3 | June 16 | 28.5% | 29.1% | 26.4% | 28.3% |
| 4 | June 17 | 25.3% | 26.4% | 24.2% | 26.3% |
| 5 | June 23 | 28.5% | 28.6% | 27.1% | 28.4% |
| 6 | June 24 | 32.2% | 32.5% | 31.1% | 31.8% |
| 7 | June 30 | 33.4% | 33.6% | 31.0% | 32.2% |
| 8 | July 1 | 35.8% | 35.9% | 31.6% | 30.8% |
| 9 | July 7 | 38.1% | 38.6% | 33.4% | 34.7% |
| 10 | July 8 | 34.5% | 34.9% | 33.0% | 33.8% |
| 11 | July 14 | 35.9% | 35.2% | 34.1% | 34.0% |
| 12 | July 15 | 36.9% | 36.1% | 35.3% | 35.2% |
| 13 | July 21 | 38.5% | 37.7% | 37.3% | 37.0% |
| 14 | July 22 | 38.4% | 36.5% | 37.9% | 38.2% |
| 15 | July 28 | 39.7% | 39.2% | 36.6% | 35.7% |
| 16 | July 29 | 39.9% | 38.6% | 37.9% | 38.1% |
| 17 | August 4 | 42.5% | 42.3% | 39.5% | 39.8% |
| 18 | August 5 | 44.4% | 44.0% | 40.5% | 40.2% |
| 19 | August 11 | 44.9% | 44.0% | 42.3% | 42.4% |
| 20 | August 12 | 44.6% | 43.8% | 42.6% | 43.9% |
| 21 | August 18 | 44.0% | 42.6% | 41.9% | 42.4% |
| 22 | August 19 | 43.7% | 42.9% | 42.3% | 41.9% |
| 23 | August 25 | 44.1% | 44.1% | 43.6% | 44.6% |
| 24 | August 26 | 44.7% | 44.2% | 41.9% | 41.9% |
| 25 | September 1 | 45.8% | 44.9% | 44.0% | 44.4% |
| 26 | September 2 | 48.4% | 47.2% | 45.0% | 46.1% |
| 27 | September 8 | 47.5% | 47.0% | 43.3% | 43.2% |
| 28 | September 9 | 48.2% | 46.4% | 44.7% | 44.5% |
| 29 | September 15 | 46.5% | 45.5% | 45.3% | 44.2% |
| 30 | September 16 | 50.8% | 49.7% | 49.3% | 48.3% |
International broadcasts
The show aired in the Philippines on GMA NetworkGMA Network
GMA Network is a major commercial television & radio network in the Philippines. GMA Network is owned by GMA Network, Inc. a publicly listed company...
from January 3 to April 29, 2011 with the title The Baker King and it was dubbed into the Filipino language
Filipino language
This move has drawn much criticism from other regional groups.In 1987, a new constitution introduced many provisions for the language.Article XIV, Section 6, omits any mention of Tagalog as the basis for Filipino, and states that:...
.