Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist

Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist is a South Korean television series starring Kim Min-jae in the title role, along with Kim Hyang-gi and Kim Sang-kyung. Based on the novel of the same title that won the Excellence Award in the 2016 Korea Story Contest, it depicts the stories of psychiatrists in Joseon.

The series aired on tvN from August 1 to September 6, 2022 and aired every Monday and Tuesday at 22:30 (KST) for 12 episodes in the first season. The second season aired from January 11 to February 9, 2023 and aired every Wednesday and Thursday at 22:30 (KST) for 10 episodes. It is also available for streaming on Viu in selected regions.

Synopsis
Yoo Se-yeop (Kim Min-jae) is a genius physician for the royal family, but is expelled from the capital after falling victim to a conspiracy. He later meets an eccentric teacher, Gye Ji-han (Kim Sang-kyung), and a widow, Seo Eun-woo (Kim Hyang-gi), in the mysterious and beautiful Gyesu Village. He is reborn as a true doctor who aims to heal people's hearts, writing the prescription of happiness.

Main

 * Kim Min-jae as Yoo Se-yeop / Yoo Se-poong
 * Born to a noble family, he becomes the head acupuncturist of the palace. When the King dies after he performs acupuncture on him, he is expelled from the palace and his father is murdered. Traumatised by these events, he can no longer practice acupuncture and cannot sleep because of nightmares. After wandering around for a year, he arrives at Gyesu Village, where he gains the nickname Poong.


 * Kim Hyang-gi as Seo Eun-woo
 * A young widow who listens to the stories of those who are sick. She is the daughter of the magistrate of Sorak. Following her husband's death on her wedding day, she was constantly bullied by her in-laws, who attempt to enforce her to suicide (multiple times), so that the family will reap the rewards of her being declared a virtuous woman (Yeolnyeo). After being freed from her in-laws, she starts learning medicine at Gyesu Clinic in order to become a female physician.


 * Kim Sang-kyung as Gye Ji-han
 * The head of Gyesu Clinic. A geeky doctor and Yoo Se-poong's 'outside-of-the-box' teacher. Though he appears to be greedy for money, he is a warm-hearted person who helps those in need.

Gyesu Village

 * Ahn Chang-hwan as Man-bok
 * Yoo Se-poong's loyal servant who stays with him after his expulsion from the capital. Together they relocate to Gyesu Village after wandering around the countryside for a year.


 * Jeon Guk-hyang as 'Grandmother'
 * An old woman with dementia who mistakes Yoo Se-yeop for her son, Poong.


 * Yeon Bora as Nam-hae
 * The housekeeper and cook of Gyesu Clinic.


 * Kim Su-an as Ip-bun
 * Gye Ji-han's daughter.


 * Han Chang-min as Jang-goon
 * An autistic boy in charge of the medicine warehouse of Gyesu Clinic.

Royal Court

 * Yoo Sung-joo as Cho Tae-hak
 * The Left State Councillor. He controls the court and moves Joseon behind the king.


 * Lee Seo-hwan as Shin Gwi-soo
 * An ambitious physician in the royal court.


 * Oh Kyung-joo as the Crown Prince
 * The Crown Prince, who becomes the King following his father's death. He has a close relationship with Yoo Se-poong.


 * Kang Young-seok as Jeon Kang-il
 * An inspector who comes to inspect the county council.


 * Woo Da-bi as Lee Seo-yi
 * A royal princess and King's half-sister.


 * Jang Sun as Court Lady Jung
 * A court lady who serves princess Lee Seo-yi.

Sorak County

 * Jung Won-chang as Cho Shin-woo
 * A Royal Inspector who grew up in Sorak, and the adopted son of Cho Tae-hak.


 * Kim Hak-sun as Seo Hyun-ryeong
 * The magistrate of Sorak, and Seo Eun-woo's father.


 * Kim Hyung-Mook as Im Soon-man
 * A greedy nobleman in Sorak.

Other

 * Jung Min-ah as Queen
 * Baek Sung-cheol as Ahn Hak-soo
 * Sorak's new governor

Special appearances

 * Ahn Nae-sang as the King (Ep. 1)
 * Jang Hyun-sung as Minister Yoo Hoo-myung, Yoo Se-poong's father (Ep. 1)
 * Oh Dae-hwan as a palace physician (Ep. 1)
 * Yoon Byung-hee as a tightrope-walker (Ep. 1)
 * Kim Joo-ryoung as Seo Eun-woo's mother-in-law (Ep. 1–3)
 * Go Geon-han as Lee Ho-jun, Seo Eun-woo's brother-in-law (Ep. 2–3)
 * Lee Sang-yi as Kim Yun-gyeom, son of 'Grandmother' (Ep. 2)
 * Jang Hee-ryung as Hyo-yeon, a noble lady (Ep. 4–5)
 * Baek Seok-kwang as Gil-su, Hyo-yeon's fiancé (Ep. 4–5)
 * Moon Yong-il as Gaeban, Hyo-yeon's servant (Ep. 4–5)
 * Lee Ji-ha as Lord Jo's wife (Ep.5–6)


 * Oh Han-gyeol as Seok-cheol, the illegitimate son of Lord Jo (Ep.5–6)
 * Son Jong-hak as Lord Jo, Seok-cheol's father (Ep.5–6)
 * Jung Ye-bin as Seok-cheol's mother, and Lord Jo's concubine (Ep.5–6)
 * Kim Han-na as Jang Yoo-jeong, a bookstore owner's daughter who married a poor nobleman (Ep.7)
 * Ahn Sang-woo as Jang Yoo-jeong's husband (Ep.7)
 * Ji-eun as Heo, a woman involved with Jang Yoo-jeong's husband (Ep.7)
 * Park Jae-wan as Jeon Kyu-hyung, a teacher who was killed in the past (Ep.8)
 * Lee Kyu-hyun as Moo-yeong, an herbalist and Yeon-hwa's lover (Ep.9)
 * Jeon Hye-yeon as Yeon-hwa, a noble lady and Moo-yeong's lover (Ep.9)
 * Park Si-hyun as Heo, the wife of nobleman Choi Jam-pan (Ep.9)
 * Park Se-hyun as Wol, a court lady from the Royal Kitchen (Ep.10–12)


 * Lee Min-ji as Deok-hee, a court lady (Ep.1–2)
 * Choi Jae-seop as Eunuch Yun, the king's aide (Ep.1–2)
 * Choi Ji-soo as Jeong-soon, An officer who works at a paper mill and a bully in So-cheon (Ep.3–4)
 * Lee Ga-eun as So-cheon, An officer who works on a paper (Ep.3–4)
 * Jo Soo-ha as Chun-wol, the courtesan of Mohwagak. (Ep.7–8)

Production
On March 31, 2022, a bus carrying the production staff of Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist was involved in a collision. A PD from the directing department was killed and ten others were injured in the accident. Filming of the drama was halted. On May 11, 2022, the production company announced that the drama had resumed filming the previous week.

The series is planned to span multiple seasons, with the first season consisting of 12 episodes.