Queen of Tears

Queen of Tears

Queen of Tears (Korean: 눈물의 여왕) is a 2024 South Korean romantic comedy television series written by Park Ji-eun, co-directed by Jang Young-woo and Kim Hee-won, and starring Kim Soo-hyun, Kim Ji-won, Park Sung-hoon, Kwak Dong-yeon, and Lee Joo-bin. The series explores the nuances of a married couple going through a difficult time together. It aired on tvN from March 9, to April 28, 2024, every Saturday and Sunday at 21:20 (KST). It is also available for streaming on TVING in South Korea, and on Netflix in selected regions.

According to Nielsen Korea, the series recorded a nationwide TV rating of 24.850% for its final episode and became the highest-rated tvN series, surpassing Crash Landing on You. In Netflix's biannual Engagement Report released in September 2024, Queen of Tears was the most-watched Korean television series of all time on Netflix, with 682.6 million hours viewed in total. Queen of Tears became the first Korean television series to win at both the Asian Academy Creative Awards and Asian Television Awards in the same year, receiving the Best Direction at the former and the Best Scriptwriting at the latter. The series also won the Best Drama award at the Korea Drama Awards and the Seoul International Drama Awards.

Plot

Queen of Tears

The story revolves around Hong Hae-in – a third-generation chaebol heiress of the Queens Group – and Baek Hyun-woo, the son of farmers from Yongdu-ri. With the couple on the verge of divorce after three years of marriage, Hae-in was diagnosed with brain cancer one day, forcing them to confront their deep-seated issues and regain love towards each other. When Hae-in's health condition deteriorates, Hyun-woo is forced to confront his own selfishness and the mistakes he has made. Yoon Eun-sung, Hae-in's childhood friend who harbors a long-held love for her, comes to offer his support and care to Hae-in. As Hae-in fights her illness, the couple is forced to confront their past mistakes and understand their personality differences.

Cast and characters

Queen of Tears

Queen of Tears' main cast at the press conference on March 7, 2024.

Main

• Kim Soo-hyun as Baek Hyun-woo • Moon Seong-hyun as teen Baek Hyun-woo • Choi Yi-an as child Baek Hyun-woo

Hae-in's husband and the legal director of Queens Group. Born in the rural area of Yongdu-ri, he is a lawyer who graduated from Seoul National University.

• Kim Ji-won as Hong Hae-in • Hwang Ji-ah as teen Hong Hae-in • Min Seo-hyung as child Hong Hae-in

Hyun-woo's wife and the CEO of Queens Department Store. She is a third-generation chaebol heiress and granddaughter of the Queens family.

• Park Sung-hoon as Yoon Eun-sung / David Yoon • Lee Joo-won as child Yoon Eun-sung

Hae-in's university acquaintance. He is a former Wall Street analyst and M&A expert who returns to South Korea as a famous investor.

• Kwak Dong-yeon as Hong Soo-cheol • Kim Joon-eui as child Hong Soo-cheol

Hae-in's younger brother and the CEO of Queens Mart.

• Lee Joo-bin as Cheon Da-hye • Choi Na-rin as child Cheon Da-hye

Hae-in's family

• Kim Kap-soo as Hong Man-dae

Hae-in's grandfather and the chairman of Queens Group.

• Lee Mi-sook as Moh Seul-hee

• Jung Jin-young as Hong Beom-jun

Hae-in's father and the vice-chairman of Queens Group.

• Na Young-hee as Kim Seon-hwa

• Kim Jung-nan as Hong Beom-ja

• Park Yoon-hee as Hong Beom-seok

Hae-in's uncle and the former CEO of Queens Distribution.

Hyun-woo's family

• Jeon Bae-soo as Baek Du-gwan

• Hwang Young-hee as Jeon Bong-ae

• Kim Do-hyun as Baek Hyun-tae

• Jang Yoon-ju as Baek Mi-seon

Hyun-woo's elder sister who runs a beauty salon.

Yongdu-ri

• Kim Young-min as Yong-song

A selfless person similar to Oh Eun-young.

President of Yongdu-ri Youth Association and Du-gwan's rival.

• Park Sung-yeon as Kang-mi

Chun-sik's wife and a regular customer at Mi-seon's beauty salon.

• Lee Soo-ji as Bang-sil

Hyun-woo's childhood friend from church and a regular customer at Mi-seon's beauty salon.

Others

• Kim Joo-ryoung as Grace Ko / Ko Jeong-ja

A private secretary who is in charge of the Queens family's affairs.

• Moon Tae-yu as Kim Yang-ki

A respected divorce lawyer. He is Hyun-woo's university friend and reliable supporter.

• Jeong Ji-hwan as Kim Min-gyu

Extended

• Seo Sang-won as Park Jin-guk

An employee at the Queens Department Store's cosmetics section.

• Kwak Jin-seok as Pyeon Seong-uk

Special appearances

• Lee Hang-na as a prisoner • Im Chul-soo as a private investigator • Ko Kyu-pil as a private investigator • Heo Tae-hee • Seo Ye-hwa as Kim Ye-na

• Sebastian Roché as Liam Braun

• Dieter Hallervorden as a Sanssouci Park guard • Song Joong-ki as Vincenzo Cassano • Kim Shin-rok as Hyeon-suk

• Hong Jin-kyung as private investigator Hong

• Jo Se-ho as private investigator Hong's right-hand man • Nam Chang-hee as private investigator Hong's left-hand man

Production

Development

Screenwriter Park Ji-eun started preparing her new project entitled Queen of Tears about two years after finishing Crash Landing on You (2019–2020), which starred Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin. Lee Eung-bok, who has directed hit dramas like Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016–2017), Descendants of the Sun (2016), Mr. Sunshine (2018), and Sweet Home (2020–present), was reportedly in talks to join the team at that time.

Studio Dragon confirmed that the production of Queen of Tears would start in the first half of 2023, and the series was expected to be released in the second half of 2023. It is co-directed by Jang Young-woo, who worked on Crash Landing on You (2019–2020) and Bulgasal: Immortal Souls (2021–2022), and Kim Hee-won, who worked on Vincenzo (2021) and Little Women (2022). Aside from Studio Dragon, the series is also co-produced by Culture Depot and Showrunners.

The first script reading was conducted on March 30, 2023, near Sangam-dong, Mapo District, Seoul.

Initially estimated at over ₩40 billion, the total budget of the series was ₩56 billion, costing ₩3.5 billion per episode.

Casting

In April 2022, Park Ji-eun proposed the female lead role in her new project to Lee Ji-eun, but the offer was declined. Kim Soo-hyun received a proposal for the male lead role the next day.

The appearances of Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won were officially confirmed in December 2022. This is the third collaboration between Park and Kim Soo-hyun, after My Love from the Star (2013–2014) and The Producers (2015).

Park Sung-hoon, Kwak Dong-yeon, and Lee Joo-bin were cast in February and April 2023, respectively.

Filming

Principal photography took place between April and December 2023, across various cities in South Korea and Germany.

Original soundtrack

Queen of Tears

The soundtrack of the series, led by music director Nam Hye-seung and featuring artists BSS, 10cm, Heize, Crush, Hong Isaac, Kim Na-young, Paul Kim, Choi Yu-ree, So Su-bin, and Dori, was revealed on March 6, 2024. Zerobaseone's Kim Tae-rae also participated in the soundtrack, while the series' lead actor, Kim Soo-hyun, lent his voice for the first time in 10 years.

Album

Queen of Tears' soundtrack album was released on April 30, 2024; it contains all of the singles and background tracks from the series.

Chart performance

Chart (2024)	Peak position
South Korean Albums (Circle)	9

Singles

Singles included on the album were released from March 9 to April 27, 2024. A special single from the series, "Way Home" (Korean: 청혼; lit. Marriage Proposal), sung by Kim Soo-hyun, was released on April 29, 2024.

Chart performance

<table><thead><tr><th>Title</th><th>Year</th><th>Peak chart positions</th><th>Notes</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>KOR Circle</td><td>KOR Songs</td><td>US World</td><td>WW</td></tr><tr><td>"The Reason of My Smiles" (BSS)</td><td>2024</td><td>93</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>Part 1</td></tr><tr><td>"Tell Me It's Not a Dream" (10cm)</td><td>100</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>Part 2</td></tr><tr><td>"Hold Me Back" (Heize)</td><td>46</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>Part 3</td></tr><tr><td>"Love You With All My Heart" (Crush)</td><td>6</td><td>8</td><td>4</td><td>184</td><td>Part 4</td></tr><tr><td>"Fallin'" (Hong Isaac)</td><td>97</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>Part 5</td></tr><tr><td>"Can't Get Over You" (Paul Kim)</td><td>51</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>Part 6</td></tr><tr><td>"From Bottom of My Heart" (Kim Na-young)</td><td>102</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>Part 7</td></tr><tr><td>"Last Chance" (So Soo-bin)</td><td>114</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>Part 8</td></tr><tr><td>"Promise" (Choi Yu-ree)</td><td>115</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>Part 9</td></tr><tr><td>"Heart Flutter" (Dori)</td><td>159</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>Part 10</td></tr><tr><td>"More Than Enough" (Kim Tae-rae)</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>Part 11</td></tr><tr><td>"Way Home" (Kim Soo-hyun)</td><td>73</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>—</td><td>Special</td></tr><tr><td>"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that region.</td></tr></tbody></table>

Release

Queen of Tears

Queen of Tears was originally part of tvN's 2023 drama lineup and was scheduled for broadcast in December 2023. However, it was moved to the first half of 2024, due to the changes in the network's Saturday–Sunday lineup. According to a Metro Seoul article, the series was rescheduled to air in March 2024. tvN confirmed the news after releasing its 2024 drama lineup. The series premiered on March 9, 2024, at 21:20 (KST). It is also available for streaming on TVING and Netflix.

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 6 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.2/10.

Forbes wrote that "many K-dramas end with 'happily ever after', but Queen of Tears starts that way", adding that the series "not only has a solid cast, but boasts a talented screenwriter and two directors with a track record of drama success". Tanu I. Raj of NME gave the series 4 out of 5 stars and described it as "a whirlwind office romance", which is "buoyant and decidedly comic". Geoffrey Bunting of Time described the first six episodes of the series as a "bucks convention, sending up familiar tropes of the genre for a truly unexpected viewing experience". Pierce Conran of South China Morning Post gave a score of 4/5, and wrote that "through 16 episodes threaded between tales of family woes, illness and corporate intrigue" and "Baek Hyun-woo and Hong Hae-in captured each other's hearts, as well as those of the audience at home". Joly Herman of Common Sense Media wrote that "courtesan restraint is definitely not on display in this production, which features dynasty infighting in a current setting with hints of past Korean dramas". Kate Sánchez of But Why Tho? gave a score of 9/10, and stated that "sometimes unwieldy but always entertaining" and "already leading the pack for best drama of the year".

Viewership

According to Nielsen Korea, the series recorded a nationwide TV rating of 24.850% for its final episode and became the highest-rated tvN series, surpassing Crash Landing on You.

Queen of Tears ranked third in Netflix's Global Top 10 TV (Non-English) category two days after its release and received a strong response from twelve countries, with 5.4 million hours watched by 2.6 million viewers in its first week. It remained on the chart as No. 2 for its second and third week, respectively. On its fourth week, the series topped the chart with 41.4 million hours watched by 4.3 million viewers, and remained on the chart for the next 10 consecutive weeks. Queen of Tears amassed a total of 373.2 million hours during its broadcast run from March 9 to April 28.

According to Netflix's biannual Engagement Report released in September 2024, Queen of Tears was the most-watched Korean drama of all time on Netflix, with 682.6 million hours viewed in total. In addition, it logged 29 million views in total, becoming the 14th most-watched show overall on Netflix as of September 2024 and also ranked third as the most-watched global non-English language series during the first half of 2024.

Ep.	Original broadcast date	Average audience share (Nielsen Korea)
Nationwide	Seoul
1	March 9, 2024	5.853% (1st)	6.495% (1st)
2	March 10, 2024	8.660% (1st)	9.822% (1st)
3	March 16, 2024	9.594% (1st)	11.125% (1st)
4	March 17, 2024	12.985% (1st)	13.857% (1st)
5	March 23, 2024	10.964% (1st)	12.197% (1st)
6	March 24, 2024	14.068% (1st)	15.225% (1st)
7	March 30, 2024	12.833% (1st)	14.048% (1st)
8	March 31, 2024	16.143% (1st)	17.886% (1st)
9	April 6, 2024	15.570% (1st)	17.236% (1st)
10	April 7, 2024	18.952% (1st)	20.926% (1st)
11	April 13, 2024	16.767% (1st)	18.509% (1st)
12	April 14, 2024	20.732% (1st)	23.242% (1st)
13	April 20, 2024	20.179% (1st)	22.257% (1st)
14	April 21, 2024	21.625% (1st)	23.925% (1st)
15	April 27, 2024	21.056% (1st)	23.920% (1st)
16	April 28, 2024	24.850% (1st)	28.381% (1st)
Average	15.671%	17.441%
Special	May 4, 2024	5.027% (1st)	5.586% (1st)
May 5, 2024	3.896% (1st)	4.070% (1st)

Accolades

Awards and nominations

<table><thead><tr><th>Award ceremony</th><th>Year</th><th>Category</th><th>Nominee / Work</th><th>Result</th><th>Ref.</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>APAN Star Awards</td><td>2024</td><td>Best Supporting Actor</td><td>Jeon Bae-soo</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Best Supporting Actress</td><td>Kim Jung-nan</td><td>Won</td></tr><tr><td>Best Young Actor</td><td>Lee Joo-won</td><td>Won</td></tr><tr><td>Best Couple Award</td><td>Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Best Drama</td><td>Queen of Tears</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Best OST</td><td>"The Reasons of My Smile" (BSS)</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>"More Than Enough" (Kim Tae-rae (Zerobaseone))</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Best Screenwriter</td><td>Park Ji-eun</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Best Supporting Actor</td><td>Kwak Dong-yeon</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Best Young Actor</td><td>Moon Seong-hyun</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries</td><td>Lee Mi-sook</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Popularity Star Award, Actor</td><td>Kim Soo-hyun</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Popularity Star Award, Actress</td><td>Kim Ji-won</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries</td><td>Kim Soo-hyun</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries</td><td>Kim Ji-won</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Asian Academy Creative Awards</td><td>2024</td><td>Best Direction (Grand Final)</td><td>Jang Young-woo and Kim Hee-won</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Best Direction (National – Korea)</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Best Screenplay (National – Korea)</td><td>Park Ji-eun</td><td>Won</td></tr><tr><td>Best Screenplay (Grand Final)</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Asian Pop Music Awards</td><td>2024</td><td>Best OST (Overseas)</td><td>"The Reasons of My Smile" (BSS)</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Asian Television Awards</td><td>2024</td><td>Best Scriptwriting (Grand Final)</td><td>Park Ji-eun</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Best Scriptwriting (National – Korea)</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Baeksang Arts Awards</td><td>2024</td><td>Best Actor (Television)</td><td>Kim Soo-hyun</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Brand of the Year Awards</td><td>2024</td><td>Actors of the Year (Drama)</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Actress of the Year (Drama)</td><td>Kim Ji-won</td><td>Won</td></tr><tr><td>Actors of the Year (Vietnam)</td><td>Kim Soo-hyun</td><td>Won</td></tr><tr><td>Actress of the Year (Vietnam)</td><td>Kim Ji-won</td><td>Won</td></tr><tr><td>Drama of the Year (Vietnam)</td><td>Queen of Tears</td><td>Won</td></tr><tr><td>Cable TV Broadcasting Awards</td><td>2025</td><td>PP Special Award (VOD Category)</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>CJ ENM's 30th Anniversary Visionary Selections</td><td>2025</td><td>Drama Category</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Consumer Rights Day KCA Culture & Entertainment Awards</td><td>2024</td><td>Best Drama</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Daejeon Special Film Festival</td><td>2024</td><td>Best Supporting Actress</td><td>Yoon Bo-mi</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Filmarks Awards</td><td>2024</td><td>Excellence Award (Streaming Drama)</td><td>Queen of Tears</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Grand Prize (Streaming Drama)</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Financial News New Trend Awards</td><td>2024</td><td>New Trend Icon Award (Public's Choice) – Film and Drama Category</td><td>Kim Ji-won</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Fundex Awards</td><td>2024</td><td>Best Actress – TV Drama</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Best TV Drama</td><td>Queen of Tears</td><td>Won</td></tr><tr><td>Grand Prize (Daesang)</td><td>Won</td></tr><tr><td>Best Actor – TV Drama</td><td>Kim Soo-hyun</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Global TV Demand Awards</td><td>2025</td><td>Most In-Demand Asian Original Series</td><td>Queen of Tears</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Golden Disc Awards</td><td>2025</td><td>Best OST</td><td>"Love You With All My Heart" (Crush)</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Korea Drama Awards</td><td>2024</td><td>Best Couple Award</td><td>Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Best Drama</td><td>Queen of Tears</td><td>Won</td></tr><tr><td>Best OST Award</td><td>"More Than Enough" (Kim Tae-rae (Zerobaseone))</td><td>Won</td></tr><tr><td>Global Star Award</td><td>Kim Soo-hyun</td><td>Won</td></tr><tr><td>Hot Star Award (Female)</td><td>Kim Ji-won</td><td>Won</td></tr><tr><td>Best Newcomer Award</td><td>Lee Joo-bin</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Best Supporting Actor</td><td>Park Sung-hoon</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Kwak Dong-yeon</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Best Supporting Actress</td><td>Kim Jung-nan</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Jang Yoon-ju</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Global Star Award</td><td>Kim Ji-won</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Grand Prize (Daesang)</td><td>Kim Soo-hyun</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Kim Ji-won</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Hot Star Award (Male)</td><td>Kim Soo-hyun</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>K-World Dream Awards</td><td>2024</td><td>Best OST</td><td>"Love You With All My Heart" (Crush)</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Korea First Brand Awards</td><td>2025</td><td>Best Actor (Vietnam)</td><td>Kim Soo-hyun</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Best Actress (Vietnam)</td><td>Kim Ji-won</td><td>Won</td></tr><tr><td>Korea Grand Music Awards</td><td>2024</td><td>Best OST</td><td>"Love You With All My Heart" (Crush)</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>"The Reasons of My Smile" (BSS)</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>MAMA Awards</td><td>2024</td><td>Best OST</td><td>"Love You With All My Heart" (Crush)</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Melon Music Awards</td><td>2024</td><td>Best OST</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Newsis Hallyu Expo</td><td>2024</td><td>Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award</td><td>Kim Soo-hyun for Queen of Tears</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Seoul International Drama Awards</td><td>2024</td><td>Outstanding Korean Drama</td><td>Queen of Tears</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Outstanding Korean Drama OST</td><td>"The Reasons of My Smile" (BSS)</td><td>Won</td></tr><tr><td>Asia Star Popularity Award, Actor</td><td>Kim Soo-hyun</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Asia Star Popularity Award, Actress</td><td>Kim Ji-won</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Seoul Music Awards</td><td>2025</td><td>OST Award</td><td>"Love You With All My Heart" (Crush)</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>TAG Awards Chicago</td><td>2025</td><td>Best Series</td><td>Queen of Tears</td><td>Won</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

Listicles

Publisher	Year	Listicle	Placement	Ref.
Cine21	2025	Best Content of 2024	2nd place
Collider	2024	The 10 Most Romantic TV Shows of 2024	6th place
NME	The 10 Best K-Dramas of 2024 – so far	Included
The 10 Best Korean Dramas of 2024	1st place
Screen Rant	20 Best K-Dramas of 2024	1st place
South China Morning Post	The 15 best K-dramas of 2024	14th place
Tatler Asia	8 Best K-Drama Releases of 2024	1st place
Teen Vogue	13 Best K-Dramas of 2024	Included

Remake

Queen of Tears

In October 2024, CJ ENM announced that Queen of Tears would have a Turkish remake, in collaboration with O3 Medya and Dass Yapim. It is set to premiere at a later date. It aired under the title Aşk ve Gözyaşı and premiered on September 19, 2025.