Man from the Equator (; also known as The Equator Man) is a 2012 South Korean television series, starring Uhm Tae-woong, Lee Joon-hyuk, Lee Bo-young and Im Jung-eun. A tense, emotionally charged tale of brotherhood and betrayal, it follows two best friends with a tragic, twisted history that follows them from youth to adulthood. It aired on KBS2 from March 21 to May 24, 2012 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 (KST) for 20 episodes.
After premiering in last place among its more high-profile competitors The King 2 Hearts and Rooftop Prince, the viewership ratings for Man from the Equator steadily climbed due in large part to Uhm Tae-woong's praise-worthy acting and the well-combined plot of romance, fate, revenge and success. Out of a total of 20 episodes, 16 rated number one in its timeslot.
Plot One the driven top student and the other a happy-go-lucky troublemaker, Jang-il (Siwan) and Sun-woo (Lee Hyun-woo) become unlikely buddies in high school, both poor but proud in their own ways. Their fathers both have ties to a powerful businessman who orders Jang-il's father to kill Sun-woo's father. One desperate crime begets another, and the boys' friendship derails in a shocking betrayal. The attack leaves Sun-woo blind and in a coma. Thirteen years later, their fates will come to a head when they meet again as adults. Jang-il (Lee Joon-hyuk) has become a prosecutor haunted by his past, while Sun-woo (Uhm Tae-woong), the young CEO of investment trust company Royal Tree, is plotting his revenge. Their fates are intertwined with the women they love—Ji-won (Lee Bo-young), a volunteer reader for visually impaired people who now works as a VIP party planner at a five-star hotel, and Soo-mi (Im Jung-eun), a hyper-realism painter. As Jang-il and Sun-woo vow to destroy each other, the truth unravels in a harrowing cycle of deception and revenge as the crimes and secrets of yesteryear come to light.
Cast Uhm Tae-woong as Kim Sun-woo Lee Hyun-woo as teenage Sun-woo Formerly a problem child with a penchant for getting into fist fights, Sun-woo discovers his new-found passion for learning after he befriends top student Jang-il. One day, Kyung-pil, whom he looked up to as a father, dies mysteriously. While trying to discover the truth behind his death, Sun-woo gets into a fatal accident. Years later, he establishes himself as a successful businessman. His new goal now is to solve the mystery behind Kyung-pil's death while coming face to face with his former childhood best friend and nemesis, Jang-il. Lee Joon-hyuk as Lee Jang-il Yim Si-wan as teenage Jang-il Jang-il is from a poor family and grew up in the countryside. From a young age, he excelled in his academic studies, dreaming of one day making it in the real world. His efforts pay off and he becomes a celebrated public prosecutor. Jang-il's greed and ambition for fame and fortune makes him betray his childhood best friend Sun-woo, and he must now live with his dark and lonely secret. Lee Bo-young as Han Ji-won Kyung Soo-jin as young Ji-won Im Jung-eun as Choi Soo-mi Park Se-young as young Soo-mi Kim Yeong-cheol as Jin No-shik Sun-woo's biological father Lee Won-jong as Lee Yong-bae Lee Jae-yong as Choi Kwang-chun Lee Dae-yeon as Kim Kyung-pil Sun-woo's adoptive father, a timid but kind man. Cha Hwa-yeon as Ma Hee-jung Lee Seung-hyung as Department head Cha Jeong Ho-bin as Moon Tae-joo Kim Soo-hyun as Mr. Koon Kang Ji-sub as Prosecutor Choi Yoon-suk Kim Hye-eun as Park Yoon-joo Park Hyo-jun as Geumjool Lee Chan-ho as teenage Geumjool
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 shareTNmS RatingsAGB NielsenNationwideSeoul National Capital AreaNationwideSeoul National Capital Area 1 21 March 20127.9%8.7%7.7%8.0% 2 22 March 20128.1%9.1%8.1%8.2% 3 28 March 20128.7%9.0%8.1%8.2% 4 29 March 20128.9%9.5%8.5%8.9% 5 4 April 201211.4%12.6%10.2%10.7% 6 5 April 20129.6%11.1%10.2%10.5% 7 11 April 201213.1%15.8%14.3%15.4% 8 12 April 201211.7%13.4%10.8%11.2% 9 18 April 201212.1%13.4%12.0%12.6% 10 19 April 201213.3%14.7%13.1%13.9% 11 25 April 201215.6%16.7%15.0%15.7% 12 26 April 201213.6%15.7%15.2%16.1% 13 2 May 201213.4%15.0%14.7%15.3% 14 3 May 201213.1%14.6%13.9%14.9% 15 9 May 201212.5%15.5%14.6%16.0% 16 10 May 201212.9%14.5%14.2%15.5% 17 16 May 201213.5%15.4%15.1%15.3% 18 17 May 201213.6%16.4%14.2%14.9% 19 23 May 201212.8%14.8%14.3%15.5% 20 24 May 201213.8%16.3%14.1%15.1% Average 12.0% 13.6% 12.4%% 13.1%
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Recipient Result20125th Korea Drama Awards Grand Prize (Daesang) Uhm Tae-woong Excellence Award, Actress Kim Hye-eun 1st K-Drama Star Awards Excellence Award, Actor Uhm Tae-woong KBS Drama Awards Top Excellence Award, Actor Uhm Tae-woong Top Excellence Award, Actress Lee Bo-young Excellence Award, Actor in a Mid-length Drama Uhm Tae-woong Lee Joon-hyuk Excellence Award, Actress in a Mid-length Drama Lee Bo-young Actor of the Year (awarded by PDs from all three broadcasters) Uhm Tae-woong Best New Actor Lee Hyun-woo Best New Actress Park Se-young Best Supporting Actor Lee Jae-yong Best Supporting Actress Cha Hwa-yeon 201349th Baeksang Arts Awards Best TV Actor Uhm Tae-woong
References
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