appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Pierce Conran

This article contains spoilers.
3.5/5 stars
Lead cast: Lim Ji-yeon, Choo Young-woo
Latest Nielsen rating: 13.58 per cent
How often do we get to see a Korean period drama that does not feature a royal family? Not often enough, if The Tale of Lady Ok is anything to go by.
In this saga set in Korea’s Joseon era (1392-1897) about a slave who rises to become a noblewoman and eminent legal mind before seeing everything she has accomplished almost slip through her fingers, the king of Joseon never appears.


That is not to say he is completely absent; his name does come up, and ultimately a decree he signs grants the titular character the right to officially cast off her roots as a slave.
A little goes a long way and the king’s minor, off-screen appearance here has the wonderful effect of making this story appear as though it is taking place on a grander canvas.
All too often, period dramas constrain themselves to Machiavellian power plays within palace walls. Even if they do not start there, it is where a lot of their stories end up.
The Tale of Lady Ok avoids the Joseon seat of power and instead takes place in different towns and villages, including a few forays into Qing dynasty China.

Lim Ji-yeon (The Glory) plays Gu-deok, a slave owned by the family of wicked magistrate Kim Nak-soo (Lee Seo-hwan, who viewers may now recognise as Lee Jung-jae’s best friend in Squid Game season 2) and terrorised by his vile daughter Kim So-hye (Ha Yul-ri, Pyramid Game).
Gu-deok escapes and goes to work at a remote inn, where she befriends a travelling noblewoman who dies while trying to save her when fire breaks out. Gu-deok assumes the deceased noblewoman’s name, Ok Tae-young, at the insistence of the latter’s grandmother and goes to live in Cheongsu County.
From this point on the bulk of the story takes place in Cheongsu, but the series continues to evolve thanks to the long time span over which it unfolds. Villains and allegiances change over the course of Lady Ok’s nine years in the county.
By the time Nak-soo and So-hye, who has been looking for her escaped slave this whole time, make their inevitable return, it feels like we are reaching the culmination of a grand tale.

Nak-soo appears as the new Cheongsu magistrate in episode 12, following which Lady Ok is faced with several predicaments including a fabricated plague. But there is a brief lull in the episodes before that, after Lady Ok peaks as a legal advocate in Cheongsu and before her true identity is revealed.
That short narrative reshuffle aside, the only consistent problem with The Tale of Lady Ok has been the confusing stories of Cheon Seung-hwi, a storyteller also known as Song Seo-in, and idealistic nobleman Sung Yoon-gyum – both played by Choo Young-woo.
Lady Ok has known Seung-hwi since her slave days and as a noblewoman she ends up marrying Yoon-gyum, who coincidentally looks exactly like him.
Yoon-gyum eventually leaves for personal reasons and later Seung-hwi appears, pretending to be Yoon-gyum to save Lady Ok from the social repercussions of being a widow – a label which, in the staunchly patriarchal Joseon Kingdom, comes with punishing responsibilities.

After not doing much for most of the series, Seung-hwi appears as a hero and proceeds to constantly sacrifice himself for Lady Ok, to the point of laying down his life.
Given that Lady Ok has repeatedly put herself in harm’s way to protect slaves and commoners in Cheongsu, it seems a shame that Seung-hwi has to sweep in to replace her as the hero of this tale.
Yoon-gyum also returns at the eleventh hour to out-hero Seung-hwi. It is revealed he went away for noble reasons, during which time he lost his voice, and now devotes himself to saving people.
His voice suddenly returns at a crucial moment, allowing him to save Lady Ok and a camp of villagers from being burned alive.
The Tale of Lady Ok is fresh in several respects, but Seung-hwi and Yoon-gyum’s late-stage heroic antics undermine Lady Ok’s strength and independence, showing how hard it is for K-dramas to let go of outmoded stereotypes.

That said, Choo is blameless in all of this as he gives his all to both characters. The actor is even more impressive in the medical drama The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call, which just debuted on Netflix.
Yet these are ultimately minor quibbles about what has largely been a satisfying period drama confidently led by Lim.
The Tale of Lady Ok offers a rich portrait of a strong character and proves that Joseon era dramas need not only be the realm of wicked kings and dashing princes.
The Tale of Lady Ok is streaming on Viu.


Disney+ K-drama Doctor on the Edge: Lee Jae-wook, Shin Ye-eun lead island medical romcom

K-drama Reborn Rookie: Lee Jun-young’s corporate body-swap fantasy hums with melodrama

HBO Max K-drama Fifties Professionals: Shin Ha-kyun action comedy revisits hits of old

Netflix K-drama The Wonderfools review: Park Eun-bin lifts fun but flawed superhero romp

Korean drama reviews

K-drama The Tale of Lady Ok review: Lim Ji-yeon, Choo Young-woo lead fresh Joseon era saga

Lim Ji-yeon in a still from The Tale of Lady Ok.

Lim Ji-yeon in a still from The Tale of Lady Ok, in which she plays a slave-turned-noblewoman who almost loses it all.

Lim’s character comes from a humble background before assuming the identity and status of noblewoman Ok Tae-young.

Choo Young-woo plays storyteller Cheon Seung-hwi and idealistic nobleman Sung Yoon-gyum in the series.

Lim in a still from The Tale of Lady Ok.

Choo in a still from The Tale of Lady Ok.

The Tale of Lady Ok star Lim Ji-yeon on why period K-drama made ‘a big mark’ on her career

Lim Ji-yeon in a still from The Tale of Lady Ok. The actress said starring in the historical K-drama, which is streaming on Netflix Korea, brought her “so much growth”.

Lim as antagonist Park Yeon-jin in a still from The Glory. Photo: Netflix

Lim says starring in The Tale of Lady Ok made her realise how much she could love a character she was playing.

Lim, who claims not to possess natural talent as an actress, says it’s all about putting in the effort. Photo: Netflix

Lim at first didn’t think she was suited to act in a historical drama, but her desire to take on new challenges eventually overrode her concern.

7 of the best new K-dramas to watch in January 2025, including When the Stars Gossip

Lee Min-ho in a still from When the Stars Gossip, one of our seven Korean drama picks to watch in January 2025. Photo: Netflix

K-drama Study Group a breezy school fight drama with Hwang Min-hyun taking on the bullies

Hwang Min-hyun as student and fighter Yoon Ga-min in a still from K-drama Study Group. Han Ji-eun, Cha Woo-min and Lee Jong-hyun co-star.

Hwang Min-hyun as reluctant fighter Yoon Ga-min in a still from Study Group.

Han Ji-eun as teacher Lee Han-kyung in a still from Study Group.

Hwang Min-hyun as Ga-min in a still from Study Group.

The 13 most anticipated K-drama series of 2025 ranked, from Squid Game 3 to Tempest

Jisoo in a still from Newtopia.

Kim Min-ha in a still from Way Back Love, which debuted at the 2024 Busan International Film Festival to rave reviews and is one of 13 K-dramas to look forward to in 2025. Photo: TVing

The main cast of Can This Love Be Translated? a K-drama from the Hong Sisters.

The main cast members of Two Women.

The main cast of The Price of Confession.

The main cast of When Life Gives You Tangerines.

Kim Da-mi (left) and Son Suk-ku in a still from Nine Puzzles.

Gong Myung (left) and Kim Min-ha in a still from Way Back Love. Photo: TVing

Jun Ji-hyun in a still from Tempest.

Squid Game season 3 follows shortly after season 2, which was in effect half a series.

Lifestyle

K-drama

K-Pop

Entertainment

Culture

Film & TV

Lim confidently plays a slave turned noblewoman in this largely satisfying story which, unlike most period K-dramas, isn’t about royals


Lim confidently plays a slave turned noblewoman in this largely satisfying story which, unlike most period K-dramas, isn’t about royals.


K-drama news

What's hot in Korea

South Korean celebrities

Fame and celebrity

TV shows and streaming video

An assessment or critique of a service, product or creative endeavour.  Film reviews, restaurant reviews, reviews of art exhibitions. (Eg. Crazy Rich Asians: an important film, yes, but a good one?)


Review

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Lim confidently plays a slave turned noblewoman in this largely satisfying story which, unlike most period K-dramas, isn’t about royals

Lim confidently plays a slave turned noblewoman in this largely satisfying story which, unlike most period K-dramas, isn’t about royals