Set against the backdrop of towering views of Mount Jiri, it depicts the story of rangers and other employees of the Jirisan National Park who climb through the mysterious and unexplored regions of the mountain, trying to rescue the survivors and lost trekkers. The drama is centered around a mystery surrounding the mountain's many visitors - those who come to kill, and those who come to end their lives.
Nicknamed "Mountain Ghost God" and "Devil Seo" by her colleagues, she is the park's top ranger, who instinctively knows how to navigate the trails of the mountains. Her experience has made her knowledgeable enough to track down a lost hiker based on just a single leaf or blade of grass. In spite of this, she views the mountain as a dreadful place and had yearned to leave, but eventually stayed for her grandmother. Her cynical view of the mountain begins to change after she meets rookie ranger Hyun-jo, to whom she becomes a partner and confidante. She is 35-38 years old through the series.
A military academy graduate who once rose to the rank of a captain. He harbors a deep secret that he cannot tell anyone. After encountering an incident on Mount Jiri, he began to see incomprehensible visions of deaths occurring on the mountain. Believing this is the mountain's calling for him to save them, he becomes a ranger. As he travels the mountains with senior ranger Yi-kang, they become true partners to the extent of entrusting each other with their own lives. He later discovers something terrifying hidden in Mount Jiri, and this begins to alter his view of the beautiful mountains, and the people there. He is 34-37 years old through the series.
The head of the branch office of the park who has spent most of his life working as a park ranger. He is honest to a fault and has a strong sense of duty for his job. Despite being widely respected as a ranger, he had failed to be there for his family when they needed him. His family eventually left him, and the mountain is all he is left with. So he further dedicates his life to rescuing others and sees the lives of his subordinates as his responsibility.
An extremely realistic ranger who lives by the motto, "I need to take care of myself before I can take care of others". As such, he makes sure to take all his vacation days, does his job right on the clock and disappears right before he's dismissed. Under the surface, he has a good heart and has a deep camaraderie with the other rangers.
Nam Gi-ae as Lee Hyun-sook, Kang Hyun-jo's mother.[24]
Production
Development
Jirisan is created by director Lee Eung-bok and writer Kim Eun-hee. Writer Kim Eun-hee based the story of Jirisan on her interviews with national park workers. Kim said in an interview, "When I wrote Jirisan at the beginning, it didn't focus on rangers. I was more interested in stories about mountaineers. However, I was more intrigued about their work after interviewing them."[25]
Casting
On March 3, 2020, it was reported that Jun Ji-hyun was in talks to star in Kim Eun-hee's new television series.[26][27] On September 4, it was officially confirmed that Jun would star alongside Ju Ji-hoon.[28]Sung Dong-il and Oh Jung-se officially joined the main cast on September 10.[29]
Filming
Principal photography for the drama began on September 18, 2020, at Sannae-myun in Namwon, Jeonbuk.[30] The first outdoor shoot was held on October 29.[31] Production was halted from December 8 to 20 due to the rise in COVID-19 cases in South Korea.[32] Filming was completed in June 2021.[33]Jirisan is the first television series to be filmed at Jirisan National Park.[1]
Broadcasting
Jirisan was filmed with a budget of ₩32 billion (~US$27.4 million).[34] In 2020, iQIYI attained its overseas distribution rights for over ₩25 billion, around 80% of the production costs.[35][36] On September 25, 2021, tvN announced the series would air from October 23, on Saturdays and Sundays at 21:00 (KST).[7]
A 9.1% viewership rating was recorded nationwide for the series' first episode, making it the highest premiere rating on the network for a series on its first season, and the second overall after Hospital Playlist 2.[38]
Jirisan : South Korea viewers per episode (millions)
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Season
Episode number
Average
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
1
2.320
2.586
1.973
2.174
1.951
2.124
1.938
1.974
1.856
2.027
1.743
2.003
1.787
1.900
1.829
2.284
2.029
Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by Nielsen Korea[39]
In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.
This drama airs on a cable channel/pay TV which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (KBS, SBS, MBC and EBS).
^star, Y. T. N. (January 9, 2021). [Y메이커] CJ ENM 김제현 상무 "tvN, 전지현·주지훈 첫 만남… 조인성 예능기대" [[Y Maker] CJ ENM Managing Director Je-hyeon Kim “tvN, Jun Ji-hyun and Ju Ji-hoon first meeting… Looking forward to Jo In-sung’s variety show”]. YTN star (in Korean). Retrieved September 17, 2021.
^"[단독]전지현X주지훈 '지리산', 휴지기 마치고 26일 촬영 재개" [[Exclusive] Jun Ji-hyun X Ju Ji-hoon's 'Mountain Jirisan' resumes filming on the 26th after a hiatus]. Star News (in Korean). January 25, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2021 – via Naver.
^ abcdefLee, Hyeon-joo (September 11, 2020). "조한철·전석호·이가섭·고민시·주민경·김영옥, '지리산' 합류" [Jo Han-cheol, Jeon Seok-ho, Lee Ga-seop, Go Min-si, Ju Min-kyung, and Kim Young-ok join Jirisan]. Newsis (in Korean). Retrieved October 3, 2021.
^Kang, Nae-ri (September 28, 2021). "김국희, tvN '지리산' 캐스팅…전지현X주지훈과 호흡" [Kim Kook-hee, cast in tvN's 'Mt. Jirisan'... Breathing with Jun Ji-hyeon X Ju Ji-hoon]. YTN (in Korean). Retrieved September 28, 2021 – via Naver.
^Hwang, So-young (April 1, 2021). "[단독] 손석구, tvN '지리산' 합류…전지현-주지훈과 호흡" [[Exclusive] Son Seok-gu joins tvN's 'Mt. Jirisan'... Jeon Ji-hyeon and Joo Ji-hoon and Breath]. Daily Sports (in Korean). Retrieved October 1, 2021.
^Yoo Kyung-sang (November 7, 2021). "지리산' 전지현 첫사랑 과거사 드러났다, 짝사랑男 등짝 스매싱" [Jirisan’s Jeon Ji-hyun’s first love past revealed, one-sided love smashing] (in Korean). Newsen. Retrieved November 7, 2021 – via Naver.
^Park Soo-in (October 21, 2021). "박환희 '지리산' 특별출연, 전지현 주지훈과 호흡" [Park Hwan-hee made a special appearance in 'Mt. Jirisan' and worked with Jeon Ji-hyeon and Ju Ji-hoon] (in Korean). Newsen. Retrieved October 21, 2021 – via Naver.
^Hwang Soo-yeon (October 22, 2021). "김민호, '지리산' 2회 특별출연 예고…등산객 된다 [공식입장]" [Kim Min-ho to make a special appearance in 'Mt. Jirisan'... Become a hiker [Official position]] (in Korean). Exportsnews. Retrieved October 22, 2021 – via Naver.
^Hwag Hye-jin (October 23, 2021). "지리산' 측 "류승룡, 김은희 작가 인연으로 흔쾌히 특별출연…감사해" ['Jirisan' side "Ryoo Seung-ryong and Kim Eun-hee gladly made special appearances...thank you] (in Korean). Newsen. Retrieved October 23, 2021 – via Naver.
^Lee Joo-won (October 30, 2021). "'지리산' 주지훈, 과거 군인이었다.."그때부터 보였다, 귀신인지 모르겠지만" [Mt. Jirisan' Joo Ji-hoon was a former soldier... "I've seen it since then, I don't know if it's a ghost] (in Korean). iMBC. Retrieved October 30, 2021 – via Naver.
^Choi Na-young (November 1, 2021). "이채경, 생계형 범죄 저지른 남편 죽음에 처절한 '오열'('지리산')" [Chae-kyung Lee, 'grievous fever' at the death of her husband who committed a crime for a living ('Mt. Jirisan')] (in Korean). OSEN. Retrieved November 1, 2021 – via Naver.
^Yoo Byung-cheol (November 8, 2021). "지리산' 공성하, 조난자 아닌 비리경찰로 반전을 거듭한 신스틸러" ['Mt. Jirisan' Seong-ha Gong, a scene stealer who repeatedly turned into a corrupt police officer, not a shipwreck] (in Korean). Korea Economy TV. Retrieved November 8, 2021 – via Naver.
^Kim Myung-mi (November 17, 2021). "지승현 '지리산' 특별출연, 이응복 감독과 세번째 만남(공식입장)" [Ji Seung-hyeon's special appearance in 'Mt. Jirisan', third meeting with director Lee Eung-bok (official position)] (in Korean). Newsen. Retrieved November 17, 2021 – via Naver.
^Park Soo-in (November 22, 2021). "윤종석 '지리산' 특별출연, 인터넷 스트리머 변신한 하드캐리 열연" [Yoon Jong-suk's special appearance in 'Mt. Jirisan', hard-carry acting as an internet streamer] (in Korean). Newsen. Retrieved November 22, 2021 – via Naver.
^Choi Na-young (November 22, 2021). "지리산' 조완기 이장 특별출연, 마지막까지 발악하다 결국 사망 '충격" ['Mt. Jirisan' Lee Jang-gi's special appearance, trembling until the end, eventually died 'shocked] (in Korean). OSEN. Retrieved November 22, 2021 – via Naver.
^ abLee Joo-won (December 11, 2021). "'지리산' 주지훈 동생 이선빈, 전지현에 "그동안 감사했다" ['Mt. Jirisan' Joo Ji-hoon's younger brother Lee Sun-bin and Jun Ji-hyun "Thank you for that] (in Korean). iMBC. Retrieved December 11, 2021 – via Naver.
^Yu Gyeong-sang (December 11, 2021). "'지리산' 김갑수 남기애 이선빈, 주지훈 가족 특별출연 "그만 보내주자"" ['Mt. Jirisan' Kim Kap-soo, Nam Gi-ae, Lee Sun-bin, Ju Ji-hoon's family special appearance "Let's let him go"] (in Korean). Newsen. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
^Kim, Jin-seok (March 3, 2020). [단독]전지현, 김은희 작가作 드라마 '지리산' 주인공 [[Exclusive] Jun Ji-hyun, the main character of the drama Jirisan by Kim Eun-hee]. Ilgan Sports (in Korean). Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2020 – via Naver.
^Kim, Soo-hyun (September 10, 2020). '지리산' 성동일-오정세, 출연 확정…믿고 보는 라인업 완성 [공식] ['Jirisan' Sung Dong-il-Oh Jung-se confirmed to appear... Completion of the lineup you believe in [Official]]. Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved October 21, 2020.
^Kim, Kyung-hee (October 30, 2020). '지리산' 기대감 상승시키는 전지현X주지훈 슬쩍컷 공개 ['Mount Jiri' raises anticipation as the first stills of Jun Ji-hyun X Ju Ji-hoon are revealed]. iMBC (in Korean). Retrieved October 31, 2020.
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