# Miss Korea (TV series)

Miss Korea (Korean: 미스코리아) is a South Korean television series starring Lee Sun-kyun, Lee Yeon-hee, Lee Mi-sook, Lee Sung-min, Song Seon-mi, and Lee Ki-woo. It aired for 20 episodes on MBC from December 18, 2013, to February 26, 2014.

## Plot

Set in the year 1997, a cosmetics company is in bad financial shape during the IMF crisis, so to save the company, Hyung-joon along with his fellow employees attempt to make 25-year-old Ji-young into Miss Korea, a nationwide beauty pageant winner. Back in their high school days, Ji-young was the most beautiful and popular girl on campus, but she now works as an elevator girl.

## Cast
### Main

* Lee Yeon-hee as Oh Ji-young
    25 years old, "Dream" department store's elevator girl. She was Kim Hyung-joon's junior in high school and his first love.
* Lee Sun-kyun as Kim Hyung-joon
    29 years old, president of ViVi cosmetics, who has huge debt to loan sharks (for his cosmetics factory) and additionally needs money to launch a new developed product of his company - BB cream.
* Lee Mi-sook as Ma Ae-ri
    54 years old, ex-Miss Korea, owner of Queen Beauty Salon, coach of future Miss Korea.
* Lee Sung-min as Jung Seon-saeng
    39 years old, gangster working for a loan shark. He is assigned to Kim Hyung-joon to ensure collecting debt from him. His given name (Seon-saeng) means teacher in Korean. Because of that, his full name sounds like family name with title (teacher Jung).
* Song Seon-mi as Go Hwa-jung
    31 years old, chief researcher of ViVi cosmetics.
* Lee Ki-woo as Lee Yoon
    29 years old, investment agent of M&A company Human Partners Korea. He was Kim Hyung-joon's classmate in high school.

### Supporting
#### Queen Beauty Salon

* Ko Sung-hee as Kim Jae-hee, Miss Korea candidate, coached by Queen Beauty Salon. Daughter of congressman Kim Sung-chul.
* Heo Seung-jae as Yoon Sil-jang, Ma Ae-ri's assistant
* Park Guk-sun as Choi Soo-yeon, Miss Korea candidate, coached by Queen Beauty Salon.
* Kang Tae-oh as Ma Ae-ri's son

#### Cherry Beauty Salon

* Hong Ji-min as Yang Choon-ja, owner of Cherry Beauty Salon. Ma Ae-ri's ex-assistant who become her rival.
* Kang Han-na as Im Seon-joo, Miss Korea candidate, coached by Cherry Beauty Salon.
* Ha Yeon-joo as Shin Sun-young, Miss Korea candidate, coached by Cherry Beauty Salon.

#### ViVi Cosmetics

* Oh Jung-se as Kim Heung-sam, planning director of ViVi cosmetics
* Choi Jae-hwan as Kim Kang-woo, researcher of ViVi cosmetics
* Jo Sang-ki as Kim Kang-shik, director of BaDa cosmetics, Kim Kang-woo's older brother

#### Oh Ji-young's family

* Jang Yong as Oh Jong-goo, Oh Ji-young's grandfather
* Jung Kyu-soo as Oh Myun-sang, Oh Ji-young's father
* Jung Suk-yong as Oh Woong-sang, Oh Ji-young's uncle
* Baek Bong-ki as Oh Ji-seok, Oh Ji-young's brother

#### "Dream" department store

* Jang Won-young as Department head Park
* Yoo Eun-ho as Jung Eun-ah, "Dream" department store elevator girl
* Kim Ye-won as Lee Young-sun, "Dream" department store elevator girl
* Park Ha-na as Han So-jin, "Dream" department store elevator girl
* Moon Ji-in as Kim Yoo-ra, "Dream" department store elevator girl

#### Others

* Go In-beom as congressman Kim Sung-chul, Kim Jae-hee's father
* Im Ye-jin as Go Bong-hee, Kim Hyung-joon's mother
* Jung Seung-kil as President Hwang, loan shark
* Oh Min-ae as Director Choi
* Jung So-min as gas station attendant whom Ma Ae-ri targets to become Miss Korea 1998 (cameo, ep 20)

## Ratings

In the table below, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.
| Episode # | Original broadcast date | Average audience share | Average audience share | Average audience share | Average audience share |
| Episode # | Original broadcast date | TNmS Ratings | TNmS Ratings | AGB Nielsen | AGB Nielsen |
| Episode # | Original broadcast date | Nationwide | Seoul National Capital Area | Nationwide | Seoul National Capital Area |
| 1 | December 18, 2013 | 7.6% | 8.7% | 7.0% | 8.0% |
| 2 | December 19, 2013 | 7.1% | 9.5% | 7.3% | 8.4% |
| 3 | December 25, 2013 | 8.2% | 10.6% | 7.7% | 8.1% |
| 4 | December 26, 2013 | 8.1% | 9.9% | 7.7% | 8.5% |
| 5 | January 1, 2014 | 8.1% | 8.9% | 9.5% | 10.8% |
| 6 | January 2, 2014 | 8.3% | 10.2% | 8.9% | 9.6% |
| 7 | January 8, 2014 | 6.9% | 7.6% | 7.4% | 8.4% |
| 8 | January 9, 2014 | 8.5% | 11.0% | 8.5% | 9.4% |
| 9 | January 15, 2014 | 6.8% | 7.9% | 6.8% | 7.7% |
| 10 | January 16, 2014 | 7.9% | 9.8% | 7.1% | 7.6% |
| 11 | January 22, 2014 | 7.3% | 9.0% | 7.1% | 7.2% |
| 12 | January 23, 2014 | 8.6% | 8.6% | 6.7% | 7.5% |
| 13 | January 29, 2014 | 5.6% | 6.5% | 5.9% | 6.8% |
| 14 | January 30, 2014 | 8.9% | 9.8% | 8.6% | 10.0% |
| 15 | February 5, 2014 | 6.4% | 7.4% | 6.8% | 7.8% |
| 16 | February 6, 2014 | 7.5% | 8.2% | 7.3% | 8.2% |
| 17 | February 13, 2014 | 5.7% | 6.2% | 4.8% | 4.9% |
| 18 | February 19, 2014 | 6.8% | 7.9% | 7.0% | 8.6% |
| 19 | February 20, 2014 | 5.8% | 7.0% | 5.9% | 7.3% |
| 20 | February 26, 2014 | 5.5% | 5.6% | 6.2% | 7.0% |
| Average | Average | 7.2% | 8.4% | 7.2% | 8.1% |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
| 2014 | 7th Korea Drama Awards | Best New Actress | Ko Sung-hee | Nominated |
| 2014 | MBC Drama Awards | Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries | Lee Yeon-hee | Nominated |
| 2014 | MBC Drama Awards | Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Lee Sun-kyun | Nominated |
| 2014 | MBC Drama Awards | Golden Acting Award, Actress | Lee Mi-sook | Won |
| 2014 | MBC Drama Awards | Best New Actress | Ko Sung-hee | Won |