Jewel in the Palace
Seo Jang-geum / Played by Lee Young-Ae
As a beautiful and intelligent woman
blessed with a positive attitude,
Jang-geum is haunted by numerous difficulties.
Yet, she overcomes them with an iron will.
She enters the royal palace at the age of ten and puts her
heart and soul into cooking,
finally achieving recognition for her talents.
However, she is entrapped in a conspiracy aimed a
t her mentor Lady Han, and she is expelled from the palace.
She is forced to work as a maidservant for the local government
in Jeju Island. There,
she studies medicine and re-enters the palace,
ultimately becoming the head physician and also the
first woman physician in the history of Joseon to serve the king.
Min Jung-ho / Played by Ji Jin-Hee
Min Jung-ho becomes closely bound to
Jang-geum after his appointment as a
Royal Guards officer.
He is an outstanding scholar
who not only passes the civil service examination
but also possesses great talent
as a military officer,
which leads to a position at the Royal Guards.
He is a learned man with intelligence and good looks.
Deeply touched by Jang-geum�s wisdom and passion for learning,
he helps her in many ways. At the same time,
he falls in love with her,
but his love also puts him in deep trouble.
Choi Geum-young / Played by Hong Li-na
Geum-young enters the royal palace
with Jang-Geum and becomes her
long-time rival in the royal kitchen.
She is the niece of Lady Choi,
who holds the place of power in the royal kitchen.
Arrogant and burning with ambition,
Geum-young has loved Min Jung-ho
ever since she was a little child,
but her love is never returned.
She considers Jang-geum her rival,
and is always out to defeat her.
King Jungjong / Played by Im Ho
He is the 11th king of the Chosun Dynasty.
A gentle man,
but at the same time irresolute and indecisive,
the king cherishes Jang-geum�s
many talents and later falls in love with her.
Lady Han (Han Ae-jong) / Played by Yang Mi-gyeong
Lady Han is an outstanding cook
and one of the teachers and mentors of the royal kitchen.
Strict in her principles,
yet warm-hearted, she cares for Jang-geum like a daughter.
She dies in a conspiracy planned by Lady Choi.
Lady Choi (Choi Seong-geum) / Played by Gyeon Mi-ri
She is the younger sister of rich man Choi Pan-sul
and the aunt of Geum-young.
Arrogant and self-assured,
she is a master of cooking
with a frightening tenacity to succeed.
Her desire for power leads her to plot for
the death of Madame Park,
the mother of Jang-geum, and Lady Han.
She also expels Jang-geum from the palace.
Summary
In the Jung Jong era of the Chosun Dynasty, little Jang Geum decides to work in the palace and enters the palace as her mother asked her to in her last wish before she died, after having been taken care of by Gang Duk Goo, Dae Ryeong Suk Soo. As a one big curious cat who cannot keep her curiosity under control and has to see for herself whatever she needs to know, Jang Geum sometimes makes mistakes. But she impresses people with her exceptionally delicate palate and cooking ability and is recognized by Han Sang Gung, her master and mentor for her talent.
One day, she finds out that Han Sang Gung was her mother��s best friend when they two were Na In, one of the junior titles for female workers in the palace, and they become very close. On the day of Royal Competition to select the best Sang Gung of the Soo Ra Gan, Han Sang Gung could not enter the palace due to the plot of Choi Pan Sool, but Jang Geum competes with Choi in Han��s place and takes the honor of being the best Sang Gung, a senior position of the titles held by female palace employees. However, Han and Jang Geum become involved in a duck dish accident again due to the malicious plot of Choi Pang Sool and Choi Sang Gung. As a result, they are sent into exile in Jeju Island and Han dies on the way to the island. While living as a government servant in Jeju, Jang Geum meets a medical assistant Jang Duck and returns to the palace after learning the medical skills from Jang Duck. After she becomes a medical assistant, Choi Sang Gung and her family continue to make every attempt to kick Jang Geum out of the palace. But each time, Jang Geum beats them with sincerity and integrity in her medical practice and becomes absolutely trusted by the queen by proving her outstanding medical knowledge and skills in many instances. She makes her name by performing many acts of medical miracles such as curing serious patients that even senior medical officials cannot cure, and despite all the hardships, manages to become the royal doctor for King Jung Jong, beating so many male competitors.