The Hymn of Death

The Hymn of Death^[2] (Korean: 사의 찬미; RR: Saui chanmi) is a 2018 South Korean television miniseries based on true events, starring Lee Jong-suk and Shin Hye-sun. It aired on SBS from November 27 to December 4, 2018, and is available on Netflix worldwide.^[3][4]

The Hymn of Death
Promotional poster
Also known as	The Hymn of Death Death Song
Hangul	사의 찬미
Lit.	Praise of Death
RR	Saui chanmi
MR	Saŭi ch'anmi
Genre	Historical Romance Tragedy Melodrama
Written by	Jo Soo-jin
Directed by	Park Soo-jin
Starring	Lee Jong-suk Shin Hye-sun
Country of origin	South Korea
Original language	Korean
No. of episodes	6[a]
Production
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	35 minutes[a]
Production company	The Story Works
Original release
Network	SBS TV
Release	November 27 (2018-11-27) – December 4, 2018 (2018-12-04)

Synopsis

The series depicts the tragic romance between Joseon's first soprano Yun Sim-deok (Shin Hye-sun) and the genius playwright, Kim Woo-jin (Lee Jong-suk).

Cast

Main

• Lee Jong-suk as Kim Woo-jin
• Shin Hye-sun as Yun Sim-deok

Supporting

Woo-jin's family

• Kim Myeong-su as Kim Sung-gyu (Woo-jin's father)
• Park Sun-im as Jung Chum-hyo (Woo-jin's wife)

Sim-deok's family

• Kim Won-hae as Yoon Suk-ho (Sim-deok's father)
• Hwang Young-hee as Kim Ssi (Sim-deok's mother)
• Go Bo-gyeol as Yoon Sung-duk (Sim-deok's younger sister)
• Shin Jae-ha as Yoon Ki-sung (Sim-deok's younger brother)

People of Dong Woo-hee Theater

• Lee Ji-hoon as Hong Nan-pa^[5]
• Jung Moon-sung as Jo Myung-hee [ko]
• Oh Eui-shik as Hong Hae-sung [ko]
• Lee Joon-yi as Kyosuke Tomoda (new Japanese actor)
• Han Eun-seo as Han Ki-joo (Soprano, piano player)^[6]

People around Sim-deok

• Lee Sang-yeob as Gim Hong-gi^[7]
• Jang Hyun-sung as Lee Yong-moon
• Lee Cheol-min as government officer
• Kim Kang-hyun as Lee Seo-koo
• Jang Hyuk-jin as Dauchi
• Bae Hae-sun as Vocal Music Professor

Production

The first script reading took place on March 27, 2018.^[8] The filming began in late April, 2018.^[8]

The drama serves as a reunion between Lee Jong-suk and Shin Hye-sun who previously worked together on the KBS drama School 2013 (2013).

Original soundtrack

The Hymn of Death OST
Soundtrack album by Various artists
Recorded	2018
Genre	Soundtrack
Language	Korean English
Label	Danal Entertainment

Part 1

Released on November 27, 2018 (2018-11-27)

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"The Heart Only Knows" (가슴만 알죠)	Hong Jin-young	Hong Jin-young	Sohyang	5:03
2.	"The Heart Only Knows" (Inst.)		Hong Jin-young		5:03
Total length:					10:06

Part 2

Released on December 3, 2018 (2018-12-03)

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Stay With Me"	Oh Sung-hoon LONG CANDY	Oh Sung-hoon Lee Hyuck-joon	Song Ha-ye	3:45
2.	"Stay With Me" (Inst.)		Oh Sung-hoon Lee Hyuck-joon		3:45
Total length:					7:30

Part 3

Released on December 4, 2018 (2018-12-04)

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Falling In Love"	Oh Sung-hoon LONG CANDY	Oh Sung-hoon Park Ga-young	Hynn	3:45
2.	"Falling In Love" (Inst.)		Oh Sung-hoon Park Ga-young		3:45
Total length:					7:30

Viewership

The Hymn of Death : South Korea viewers per episode (thousands)

Season		Episode number						Average
		1	2	3	4	5	6
	1	1316	1194	N/A	932	N/A	948	N/A

Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by Nielsen Media Research.^[9]

Average TV viewership ratings

Ep.	Original broadcast date	Average audience share
		Nielsen Korea[10]		TNmS
		Nationwide	Seoul	Nationwide
1	November 27, 2018	7.4% (10th)	8.3% (9th)	5.9%[11]
2		7.8% (9th)	8.9% (6th)	6.5%[11]
3	December 3, 2018	4.7% (NR)	N/A	4.2%[12]
4		5.6% (NR)		5.1%[12]
5	December 4, 2018	4.7% (NR)		N/A
6		6.2% (16th)	7.0% (14th)
Average		6.1%	—[b]	—[b]
In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings. NR denotes that the series did not rank in the top 20 daily programs on that date. N/A denotes that the rating is not known.

Notes

1. In order to circumvent Korean laws that prevent commercial breaks in the middle of an episode, what would previously have been aired as single 70 minute episodes are now being repackaged as two 35 minute episodes, with two episodes being shown each night with a commercial break between the two.^[1]
2. Due to some ratings not being recorded, the exact average rating is unknown.