The Matchmakers (TV series)

The Matchmakers is a 2023 South Korean television series starring Rowoon and Cho Yi-hyun. It aired on KBS2 from October 30 to December 25, 2023, every Monday and Tuesday at 21:45 (KST). It is also available for streaming on Wavve in South Korea and, on Viki and Viu in selected regions.

Synopsis
The series tells the story about a young widower, named Shim Jung-woo (Rowoon), and a young widow, named Jung Soon-deok (Cho Yi-hyun), joining forces to marry off three unmarried women who represent the problem of "old maids" in Joseon.

Main

 * Rowoon as Shim Jung-woo
 * A Confucian scholar who becomes the youngest person to pass the state civil service examination.


 * Cho Yi-hyun as Jung Soon-deok
 * A widow and the second daughter-in-law of the Left State Councilor, she secretly works as Yeoju-daek, the best matchmaker and bangmul seller in Hanyang.

People around Shim Jung-woo

 * Kim Hyun-mok as Kim Oh-bong
 * Jung-woo's butler.


 * Kim Geon-ho as Yoo Eui-won
 * Jung-woo's doctor. He is a member of the State Council.


 * Kim Yeon-woo as Shim Myung-woo
 * Jung-woo's older brother.


 * Lee Sang-gu as Shim Jin-ho
 * Jung-woo's father.

People around Jung Soon-deok

 * Heo Nam-jun as Jung Soon-gu
 * Soon-deok's older brother. He works as a government inspector.


 * Bang Eun-jung as Gae Dong-yi
 * Soon-deok's maid who supports her double life.

The Left State Councilor's family
 * Park Ji-young as Lady Park So-hyeon
 * Soon-deok's mother-in-law.


 * Lee Hae-young as Jo Yeong-bae
 * Soon-deok's father-in-law who is the Left State Councilor.


 * Lee Soon-won as Park Bok-ki
 * Lady Park's younger brother who is a Minister of Military Affairs.


 * Oh Ye-joo as Jo Ye-jin
 * The famous daughter of the Jo family and Soon-deok's sister-in-law. She is considered Hanyang's best bride material with a lot of talent.


 * Kim Si-woo as Jo Geun-seok
 * The son of Soon-deok's deceased elder brother-in-law and the eldest grandson of the Jo family. Currently registered as Soon-deok's son.


 * Park Seong-jin as Jo In-hyeon
 * The deceased eldest son of the Left State Councilor.


 * Yoon Yeo-won as Jo In-guk
 * Soon-deok's deceased husband.


 * Kim Ga-young as Sam-wol's mother
 * The family maid and Lady Park's right-hand woman.

People in the palace

 * Jo Han-chul as the King
 * King of Joseon and Jung-woo's father-in-law.


 * Jin Hee-kyung as the Queen
 * The crown prince's mother.


 * Hong Dong-young as Lee Jae
 * The crown prince.


 * Seo Jin-won as Do Seung-ji
 * The king's closest right-hand man.


 * Park Hyun-jung as Royal Noble Consort Sukbin Park
 * Prince Jin-seong's mother and a concubine who was favored by the King.


 * Kim Da-heein as Kim Moon-gun
 * A minister.


 * Hwiyoung as Lee Jwa-rang
 * Park Bok-ki's close aide who is good at literary and martial arts.


 * Park Chae-young as Princess Hyojeong
 * Jung-woo's deceased wife.

The Maeng family

 * Choi Hee-jin as Lady Cho
 * Mother of the three Maeng sisters and a former matchmaker.


 * Jung Shin-hye as Maeng Ha-na
 * The eldest daughter of the Maeng sisters.


 * Park Ji-won as Maeng Doo-ri
 * The second daughter of the Maeng sisters who is known as Mak De-nyeo (a woman with a harsh tongue) due to her foul mouth.


 * Jung Bo-min as Maeng Sam-soon
 * The third daughter of Maeng sisters who is a novelist. She disguises herself as a man using the pen name "Hwa Rok".

Groom candidates

 * Son Sang-yeon as Lee Si-yeol
 * A Sungkyunkwan Confucian student and the eldest grandson of the Sungkyunkwan Daeseong family. He is considered the best groom material in Hanyang.


 * Choi Kyeong-hoon as Yoon Bu-gyeom
 * Jo Ye-jin's first love. He is an only son and orphan who farms with his grandparents.


 * Bin Chan-wook as Heo Sook-hyun
 * A scholar who dreams of becoming a colonel.


 * Jung Woo-jae as Kim Jip
 * A romanticist traveling around the eight provinces in search of a woman who will truly love him rather than his family.


 * Cho Chang-hee as Jang Chun-bae
 * He is using his wealth to find a young bride.


 * Go Deok-won as Han Jong-bok
 * He has been preparing for the civil service exam for 10 years. He is looking for a bride who can support him well.

People in the Hongwol Gaekju

 * Park Hwan-hee as Yeoju-daek
 * A merchant who makes and sells makeup. She lives in Hanyang with her daughter.


 * Jeong Seung-gil as Hong Cheon-soo
 * The owner of Hongwol Gaekju, who sets the trend for Hanyang noble ladies.


 * Jeong Yeon as Mrs. Lee
 * A member of the Bangmul Merchants.


 * Jeong Ji-an as Masan-daek
 * A member of the Bangmul Merchants.


 * Park Bo-bae as Jonju-daek
 * A member of the Bangmul Merchants.


 * Lee So-e as Gaeseong-daek
 * The youngest member of the Bangmul Merchants.


 * Lee Ye-ju as Bok-hee
 * Yeoju-daek's daughter.

Others

 * Kim Dong-ho as Ahn Dong-gun
 * A former sergeant, but nowadays he is a laborer who hunts down runaway slaves.


 * Woo Hyun-joo as Lady Jung
 * Lee Si-yeol's mother.


 * Lee Chang-min as Mae Gol-seung
 * A monk at Seonhwasa Temple.


 * Jang Hye-jin as Lady Song
 * Yang A-reum as Lee Cho-ok
 * Maeng Ha-na's friend who supposedly committed suicide. Jung Soon-gu is investigating her death.

Casting
On July 5, 2023, Rowoon and Cho Yi-hyun confirmed their appearances in the series.