Equator Man casts its leading ladies

56 March 1, 2012February 29, 2012

by girlfriday

Geez, they sure are getting down to the wire on this one. I know it’s a drama about the men, but what kind of show casts its heroine two weeks before broadcast? Upcoming KBS drama Equator Man starring Uhm Tae-woong and Lee Jun-hyuk as besties who grow up to become enemies, has finally found its heroine in Im Jung-eun (Joseon X-Files). There were rumors for a while that Park Shi-yeon might take the role, but that clearly didn’t happen, which is maybe why they cut it so close with the casting. The 24-episode melodrama doesn’t really seem like my cup of tea, but who wouldn’t want to romance Uhm Tae-woong and Lee Jun-hyuk at the same time?

Im will be playing Sumi, an ambitious, independent woman who will stop at nothing to get what she wants. She sets her eyes on Lee Jun-hyuk’s prosecutor character, and delves into his past to use it to her advantage. She was born a shaman’s daughter and is single-minded about one thing: success. And I’m figuring that once the two men grow up to be frenemies, she’ll find a way to use them both to her advantage.

Second lead Lee Bo-young (Hooray for Love, pictured below) joined the cast a little earlier, though less information is given on her character. I don’t think anyone in this drama’s going to be particularly happy-go-lucky, so she’ll either go head-to-head with Im Jung-eun or become roadkill on her path to success. Im Jung-eun will be going straight from the set of her current daily drama When a Woman Puts on Makeup Twice into shoots for Equator Man on the same day it wraps. Yikes.

Equator Man, along with every drama ever, premieres March 14.

Via Star News

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1 Jules

March 1, 2012 at 10:21 AM

Wow. Well, all the best to the cast. I do like Lee Bo-Young. I'm not too familiar with the lead actress though...

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2 nokcha

March 1, 2012 at 10:28 AM

I liked lots in Joseon X Files! But I'll probably skip this.

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3 KitKat

March 1, 2012 at 10:29 AM

if only it were a rom-com...

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4 poyi

March 1, 2012 at 10:33 AM

i love im jung eun
she was spectacular in x files
but i enjoyed her brief role in swallow the sun as well

really beautiful lady
not too keen on watching this drama tho

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5 ck1Oz

March 1, 2012 at 10:36 AM

Come 14th March I can forget about sleeping.

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6 topper

March 1, 2012 at 10:48 AM

Are they trying to make live shoots even more "live". LOL.
And Uhm Force acknowledged that he signed on without looking at the script. It's totally KBS.

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JoseonPowerRangers

March 1, 2012 at 11:06 AM

he signed on without looking at the script.

is that even possible?
:o ???
why would he do that

i think KBS is doing a terrible job promoting this drama
they should try harder,

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topper

March 1, 2012 at 11:33 AM

1 Night 2 Days: Episode 374 recap. But maybe it was tongue in cheek.

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7 Kay

March 1, 2012 at 11:07 AM

How I wish PSY could take the lead lady... It's been a while since Coffee House
She needs to get back on screen soon

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pipit

March 1, 2012 at 9:49 PM

Me too.

The description of the female lead's character sounds interesting. I have nothing against bubbly, not too bright, inherently good heroine but my true love is for the dark, brilliant, ambitious, successful, complex characters of the hero/heroine.

And it might be interesting seeing PSH once more in this role.

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sandy80

March 2, 2012 at 6:57 AM

this is not your usual drama formula obviously the su mi character is the villain while LBY is the love interest of the lead this could make some sense since lee bo young is good in romance parts but I dont understand why would she accept a small part any way stupid management no doubt she has so much potential and she is always wasted

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pipit

March 3, 2012 at 8:44 AM

Villain heroines? Love them even more!

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8 Audrey

March 1, 2012 at 12:15 PM

I really like Lee Bo Young. She'll be good with both guys.
I don't know much about I'm Jung Eun. I will tuning in for Lee
Bo Young and the guys.

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gala

March 1, 2012 at 8:35 PM

im surprised she's labelled as second lead tho. i mean, i think LBY is in the "lead" status now. then again, maybe it's the better. cause for me, when she's in the "lead" status, she's usually getting overshadowed by her support. case in point: LSY overshadowing her in Birth of a Rich.

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pipit

March 1, 2012 at 9:53 PM

I wonder why did she agree to be a second lead after all those dramas where she's the female lead. Would there be a twist latter on?

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9 myra

March 1, 2012 at 12:24 PM

hello there...can i ask a silly question? it's not related to the topic, but it has something to do with kbs...well, looking at the 'currently airing dramas' section, why did you change the place for the kbs drama on monday and tuesday? i mean i was used to kbs being right after mbc, but now it's after sbs only on those days. and when the equator man premieres, where is it going to be? i hope you could arrange them the way they were, it was better...but please don't feel offended!

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Javabeans

March 1, 2012 at 12:35 PM

This is not the place for this question. But to answer it anyway, the dramas are listed in the order that they're listed in... because there needs to be some order. They can't all be first. It's arbitrary. One way isn't "better" than another.

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10 ccinta

March 1, 2012 at 1:11 PM

As the first few episodes will be played by the younger actors (Im Shi-wan & Lee Hyun-woo) - so no surprise that they didn't finalize the leading cast until yesterday. Saw the script reading pics last month and I only saw the child actors & some of the supporting actors (didn't see both Uhm Force & Lee Jun-hyuk there).

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11 ililaa

March 1, 2012 at 1:13 PM

How in the world is Lee Bo Young the SECOND lead? I'm not a big fan of hers but she's been around for so long! I'm slightly shocked (very LOL) that she's not the main. I have no clue who the other girl is.

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fantaCake

March 1, 2012 at 1:25 PM

I have the same doubt about LBY being the SECOND lead lady. It's just so very weird..

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Bellamafia

March 1, 2012 at 2:46 PM

yeah.. got me confused too... I've seen lots of LBY's dramas, but I haven't seen the other girl works yet. Oh well.. not that I'm going to watch it anyway..lols.

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susan sia

March 1, 2012 at 4:03 PM

have the same thoughts too.. LBY can't be the second lead as she is well known than the lead actress. anyway, will try to watch this .

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gala

March 1, 2012 at 8:38 PM

my question exactly. if they casted PSY, i could probably see that LBY might be the bigger TV actress (altho PSY, if i'm not mistaken, is the bigger one if in terms of movie and tv put together). but here? but maybe it's good that she's not picky with the status of lead or second-lead.

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12 ryuu99

March 1, 2012 at 1:30 PM

this is actually a bigger rival to The King (okay, 2 Hearts) than Rooftop Prince is. you never know. '09 it was Shining Inheritance, '10 it was Baker Kim Tak Goo, '11 it was Donghae every one of these is the underdog, or the unexpected hit of the year and even though dramas like Best Love, City Hunter, etc. were popular these dramas exceeded 40%+ ratings. so really, who knows. i still think The King (2 Hea..i can't say it) will be the top but i have a feeling this drama will be a close second. and both will probably annihilate Rooftop Prince. uh-oh what if Prince annihilates them instead? XD

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ccinta

March 1, 2012 at 1:41 PM

Haha, i still think it as The King (2 h...) too. So glad they've decided to change it back to "The King" (2 hearts as the subtitle) =)

I think the drama which brings makjang and angst to the viewers will come up on top. Will be interesting to see which drama come up on top in terms of ratings.

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JoseonPowerRangers

March 1, 2012 at 2:00 PM

1. SHining inheritance was a weekend drama
not a miniseries

2. Smile donghae aired Mon-Fri
and judging by its timeslot did not compete with any of the miniseries; usual mon/tue wed/thur dramas

3. You cannot compare ratings of family/weekend dramas to miniseries
some would argue even sageuks and mini series are not exactly comparable

so…

09' Queen Seon Deok
10' Baker King

/just saying

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ryuu99

March 1, 2012 at 2:56 PM

if they weren't, then why do these weekend drama actors and miniseries drama actors compete against each other during drama awards season?

bottomline, they're all dramas and no one is exempt or in an advantageous position of getting the coveted 40%+ ratings. you just proved it. Tak Goo got high ratings, and so did Shining Inheritance. it does not matter whether or not they're daily or miniseries my point was that each year the no-budget, less anticipated, ignored-at-first-glance dramas are the ones that always come out on top.

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JoseonPowerRangers

March 1, 2012 at 4:10 PM

there is a difference between the "average ratings for a weekend drama and miniseries

20% miniseries = hit

20% weekend drama = okay

so weekend dramas ARE in an advantageous position of getting 40%

Shining inheritance getting 40% is not the same as Baker getting 40%

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subject

March 1, 2012 at 4:05 PM

Agree with everything you wrote. but, I think like ryuu99 that "Equator Man" gonna be a hit. maybe not for most internet viewers which most likely prefer "Rooftop Prince" cause the 4F and then "The King" (thanks god they dropped the stupid "2 hearts"!), but there, in Korea, which anyways, only counts. I saw lots K-dramas, I'm not a big fan of Melodramas and saw only few of them (I have a weak heart, sorry). but the rating history say it load, that Korean people LOVE melo.

for example, let's see it by numbers from not long before.

A Thousand Days' Promise (SBS, Mon-Tus, 21:55, 17oct-20dec) - Average rating 15.2% (3rd)

Me Too, Flower! (MBC, Mon-Tus, 21:55, 9nov-28dec) - Average rating 6.1 (>top 20)

Poseidon (KBS2, Mon-Tus, 21:55, 17oct-8nov) - 8 last episodes - Average rating 9.2%
after that was "Brain" (14nov-20dec) - Average rating 11.6% (8th)

Sorry if it looks full of numbers, I really am person of statistics. :)

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JoseonPowerRangers

March 1, 2012 at 4:12 PM

i am inclined to agree with you

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karen

March 1, 2012 at 6:35 PM

there's already a drama that's exceeded the 40% rating the moon that embraces the sun so im not sure the king can compare to it but i'm actually rooting for rooftop prince i mean i love lee seung ki dont get me wrong im still gonna watch it but i just saw the teaser for rooftop prince and i think ill be suck a crack up, on the other hand i dont think im interested in this one i dont know the story just doesnt click with me

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13 sandy80

March 1, 2012 at 2:00 PM

hey you got this all wrong lee bo young is the leading lady she is the bigger name and I read the news and she is the lead it is so weird that you got this all wrong

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14 sandy80

March 1, 2012 at 2:02 PM

seriously seems u r not interested in this drama that you even got the news all wrong

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15 ccinta

March 1, 2012 at 3:00 PM

If anyone interested, this is the trailer for Equator Man: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7qBsSXXTOE

I'm a bit confused though - the trailer description mentioned that EM will be aired starting from March 14; 7.55pm KST. I thought it'll be aired at 9.55KST. Does it mean that EM will not go head-to-head in the same timeslot as RP & The King (2hearts)?

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Mystisith

March 1, 2012 at 3:15 PM

Thanks for the link. That teaser looks angsty, definitely not what i expected. I think KBS is doing a smart move in airing their drama just before the 2 monsters. This way they bypass the rivals and let King and Prince fight each other just after.

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ccinta

March 1, 2012 at 3:29 PM

Just realized there're two teasers. The first one above is the teaser for Lee Jun Hyuk's character - full of angst - so unexpected but it makes me want to watch the drama.

The second teaser is for Uhm Force's character - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vSxjSIG7kc. But unfortunately, there's no sound. hmm... calm-cool-collected character.

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topper

March 2, 2012 at 3:44 AM

All 3 are airing same day same time. Mar 14 9.55 pm.

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16 sandy80

March 1, 2012 at 3:32 PM

lots of confusion here... ok so lee bo young has been a leading lady for ten years or so while the other one is unknown how can this be? there is another thing after reading character description seems this su mi is the villain while lee bo young will be the love interest of the lead ? can someone fill us in on what is going on exactly

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susan sia

March 1, 2012 at 4:12 PM

yes, so confuse. better if the lead is Park Shi-yeon :)

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vic

March 1, 2012 at 6:31 PM

"The other one is unknown"? Get your facts straight,will you? Last time I checked, Im Jung Eun has been around since 2002,while your beloved Lee Bo Young since 2003 ;).Those are facts.

And now, a personal opinion: I think Im Jung Eun is much more charismatic than Lee Bo Young :).

I can't wait for this drama :D

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tugitra

March 1, 2012 at 7:17 PM

It's nothing about who coming into the showbiz earlier. I've been watching kdramas for more than 10 years. Like it or not, LBY is a bigger name. That's the fact.

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vic

March 1, 2012 at 9:39 PM

The fact that LBY is a bigger name doesn't subsequently makes IJE "unknown". Duh...

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sandy80

March 2, 2012 at 6:49 AM

really who cares since when she was around why dont u ask who knows her besides u.... and lee bo young is a great actress whether u like her or not does not matter btw your actress is playing the villain

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Vic

March 2, 2012 at 11:09 AM

You're writing the same things Tugitra said,and I already answered her.I like Lee Bo Young too,but it's my personal belief that she's not as talented as Im Jung Eun. You can have a personal opinion too,isn't it great? And don't worry, I'm not Im Jung Eun's only fan, lol :)). Back in 2010 while you were probably busy fangirling about Jang Geun Suk's haircut in Marry me Marry and about Cha Seung Won's abs in Athena, some of us actually watched and enjoyed Joseon X Files starring Im Jung Eun,so yeah, I'm pretty sure you're wrong when you say that I'm the only one who knows her,lol ;)

What we know for sure is that Im Jung Eun is the main character in this drama. And if what you say about her playing a villain is true (I doubt it), that means this drama will have a villain as the main character. It'd be brilliant to see her playing a villain. But are you sure about this?? I don't think it's true,koreans rarely make dramas with a villain as the main character,it's unconventional.Too bad because these dramas are always much more interesting than the trendy ones. Dramas with villains as the main characters,I can only remember "Story Of A Man" and "The Devil" ,two brilliant series.

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Trang

March 4, 2012 at 7:11 PM

LBY & IJE ^_^ I love them both. Anyway, I still think LBY is the first lead.

From hancinema

- Lovely woman Lee Bo-yeong

In the weekend drama "Hooray for Love" she was a divorcee who was abandoned by her husband. Now she is a happy woman who is loved at the same time by two men. She landed herself the role of Ji-won, luxury hotel VIP banquet manager, in the drama "Equator Man", wherein she is loved by Eom Tae-woong and Lee Joon-hyeok.

"The Equator Man" is also known as the male version of "Women in the Sun" from 2008. Leading male characters Eom Tae-woong and Lee Joon-hyeok face each other for a woman they both love.

17 subject

March 1, 2012 at 4:19 PM

Just came by to ask if anyone of you planning to recap "Equator Man"?
I LOVE Uhm Tae Woong, and that love makes me watch melo, which in regular days or with 99% of other actors, I would gladly give up the "pleasure" of watching melo.

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18 vic

March 1, 2012 at 6:25 PM

Im Jeong Eun is so beautiful ^_^

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19 Helenna

March 1, 2012 at 7:25 PM

Oh she's the one in When A Woman Does Her Makeup Twice. Hell, that drama sucks.

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Rob

March 1, 2012 at 9:44 PM

she's also in Joseon X Files, the best drama of the year 2010

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20 graygirl

March 2, 2012 at 4:11 AM

Hmmm... Quite disappointed with the female lead..

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21 Arhazivory

March 2, 2012 at 6:53 AM

-_-' Ok. I don't know what to do with these three dramas coming out at the same time?!!!! I love Uhm Tae Woong and right now, that and the dramatic feel of the drama is what makes me want to go for it. I love Seung Gi and Ha Ji Won, and the plot of a modern day king coupled with NK reunification sounds exciting.

But the plot that has me tickled the most is Rooftop Prince. Hehe. It sounds like the crack I hope it to be.

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22 Soulsera

March 2, 2012 at 1:32 PM

I don't know her. Err, it's not like my fault, is it?

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23 SeoHaSeurri22

March 3, 2012 at 8:28 PM

Hey come on JB and GF...

Please don't forget to list this drama in your new recaps for this year!!!!

Im begging you...plzzzz...(T o T)
*wholeheartedly kneeling*

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24 Thara

March 5, 2012 at 10:58 AM

Being second leads for Lee Bo Young and Lee Jun-hyuk aren't cool ...
BUT I am pretty sure that they two gonna make a great pairing .. Hope they ends up together, LBY and LJH ... I really love both of them :)) If they end up together, I don't mind whether LJH is villain or not. I wish LBY character will change LJH's mind...