Youth of May is set in the year 1980 during the Gwangju Uprising, follows the love story of medical student Hwang Hee-tae (Lee Do-hyun) and nurse Kim Myung-hee (Go Min-si). Rather than focusing on the frontline of the Gwangju Uprising, the drama is about the love and friendships of young people who would've had ordinary lives otherwise.
Hwang Hee-tae (Lee Do-hyun) becomes the pride of Gwangju when he enters Seoul National University College of Medicine with top marks. His best friend Kyung-soo (Kwon Young-chan), an avid pro-democracy activist, insists they open an illegal clinic for students on the run from the government. One day, a factory worker is injured during a protest. In exchange for the costs of discreetly transporting himself and the factory worker to his hometown, Hee-tae must go to a meeting with a potential marriage partner arranged by his father. At this meeting, Hee-tae meets Myung-hee (Go Min-si), a nurse persevering through the hardships of life. She only agrees to go to this meeting in place of her friend Soo-ryeon (Keum Sae-rok), because she needs to come up with the airfare to go study in Germany. However, Myung-hee and Hee-tae end up falling in love.
In May 1980, amidst the heated passion and cries for democracy that reverberate throughout Gwangju, Hee-tae and Myung-hee find themselves in a twist of fate.
Hwang Gi-nam's son and Song Hae-ryeong's stepson. A medical student who has a sly and mischievous side, but is determined and goal oriented underneath. Although Hwang Hee-tae entered Seoul National University's medical school with top scores, he postpones his graduation due to a trauma. Hee-tae appears to be carefree and lighthearted, but he's a figure who is more thoughtful than anyone else on the inside.
Kim Hyeon-cheol's only daughter. A nurse three years into her career, Myung-hee is a fighter who has already gone through all sorts of hardships in her young life. When facing injustice, she isn't afraid to stand up to her superiors at the hospital, and no matter what difficulties life throws her way, she determinedly chases her dream. Additionally, despite her relatively young age, Myung-hee is a responsible breadwinner who works hard to scrape a living and sends money to her younger brother back home. After crossing paths with Hee-tae, Myung-hee begins to change in subtle ways and shows new sides of herself.
Brother of Soo-ryeon and Lee Chang-geun's son, he is a businessman who works at a trading company after returning from his studies in France. With a three-year age gap, he is the oldest child, who places more importance on family than on himself. Soo-chan relates with Myung-hee because she similarly faces hardships as the head of a household.
Soo-chan's sister and Lee Chang-geun's daughter. A law student who desperately fights for social justice, because she feels responsibility for coming from a wealthy family. Soo-ryeon is a longtime friend of Myung-hee. While trying to help her friend with her dream, she finds herself starting an unexpected relationship with someone that leaves her conflicted.
Kim Myung-hee's mother and Kim Hyeon-cheol's wife. A housewife who took care of her sick husband and mother-in-law while raising Myung-hee and Myung-soo.
Jo Yi-hyun as Kim Myung-soo
Myung-hee's younger brother. Born a late child and raised in love, an innocent child. South Jeolla Province's national 1,000-meter runner will compete in the boys' event. He is good at running since he was young, and he always ran the relay as a class representative whenever there was a sports day. He's a deep-seated child who's trying to mediate between his father and his sister. He's a 12-year-old boy who can't even tie his shoelaces.
Vice President of Pyeonghwa Hospital. On behalf of the president of the Royal Family hospital. He is in charge of various hospital affairs and decisions.
A nurse in the emergency room of Pyeonghwa Hospital. Myung-hee's 1-year senior and military base. Due to heavy emergency room work stress, they are constantly demanding staffing.
A new nurse in the emergency room of Pyeonghwa Hospital. Myung-hee's direct junior (precepti). As a chic nurse who just graduated from nursing college, she is still a part of her daily routine.
Jang Won-hyeok as Yoo Byeong-cheol
A resident of the emergency room of Pyeonghwa Hospital. Subtracted suffers from overwork due to the work his seniors left behind, and he regrets choosing his major every night. Even though his personality is not caring, thanks to his personality that does not cross the line. Compared to other doctors, he communicates best with nurses.
Private. Hee-tae's college friend and martial law army deployed in Gwangju. He was arrested while attending the Department of Korean Language Education at Seoul National University and was forced to enlist. A discarded animal, a flower blooming on the side of the road. In the military, they are treated as "advisors". He has endured day by day from senior harassment and intense training in Chungcheong.
Corporal. The only person who takes care of Kyung-soo, the "advisor" through the opposition of Kyung-soo. When he tried luck and failed the entrance exam, he enlisted in Hyeon-gim instead of Samsu. Born from Gyeongsang-do's father and Jeolla-do's mother. He is proficient in both dialects, but because of the senior sergeant who has a seizure in Jeolla-do, he has been serving in Gyeongsang Province for several years, pretending to be from Gyeongsang Province.
Sergeant. The tyrant of the quarter grabbing Kyung-soo like a rat. Everyone is praying for a quick campaign through his vicious conduct. The date of dismissal is getting postponed after going to the brig because of the middle-severe harshness.
Boarding house owner's daughter. A cheeful high school student who has a crush on Hee-tae. She likes pop music and dreams of becoming a radio producer in Seoul.
Heo Jung-do as Lee Kyung-pil
The boarding house owner. Originally from Jinju, he lived in Gwangju for over 20 years. A Gyeongsang-do man living in Gwangju even after his wife and a native of Gwangju died. With the title of a boarding house owner, he rejoices that he is doing "lease" somewhere. As a housekeeper in charge of virtually all kinds of housework, he specializes in washing stains and cooking soup.
A passionate constable. An avid chic cop full of mistakes but full of motivation. When it comes to torch demonstrations or street demonstrations, he takes the lead in "citizen's guard". Before he was a policeman, he was just one citizen, a native of Gwangju.
Lee Hwang-eui as Han Suk-joong
An influential person working as a lawmaker in Jeonnam. The maintenance of the area that was born and raised in the family, which has been one by one since the Japanese colonial period. His survival strategy is to keenly catch the flow of power and find an "appropriate" position. It is a great pride to be an elder of a large church, and his wife is also active as a governor. Hwang Gi-nam, who bends like a tongue in his mouth, serves as a bridge to meet 'big hands'.
Hee-tae's only hometown friend and Myung-hee's church friend. He is currently studying Political Science and Diplomacy at Chonnam National University and a member of the movement for democracy.
Myung-hee's friend at the cathedral. She is currently attending the Department of Korean Language and Literature at Chosun University. Taking pictures is her hobby, and she has been learning photography from Hye-geon's father. Her goal is to get a job as a photojournalist at a newspaper in the future.
Jung Hee-tae as Kim Kyung-soo (older) (Ep. 1, 11–12)
Production
On October 6, 2020, Lee Do-hyun and Go Min-si's respective agencies announced that they were in talks for the lead roles.[17] They were confirmed to star in the series on December 21, making it their second collaboration after Sweet Home (2020), along with Lee Sang-yi and Keum Sae-rok in the roles of siblings.[18] Since the drama is set in Gwangju, most of dialogues are spoken in its dialect.
Youth of May : South Korea viewers per episode (thousands)
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Season
Episode number
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
1
N/A
N/A
861
738
N/A
862
907
957
798
885
927
908
Source: Audience measurement performed nationwide by Nielsen Korea.[19]
^Choi, Ji-eun (April 7, 2021). "'오월의 청춘' 이도현X고민시, 풋풋한 설렘 가득한 티저 포스터 공개" [Youth of May' Lee Do-hyun x Gomin-shi, unveiled teaser poster full of fresh excitement]. Top Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
^Choi, Ji-eun (2021-05-03). "웨이브, 드라마 '오월의 청춘' OTT 독점 공개" [Wavve, drama 'Youth in May' OTT exclusive release]. BizCenter (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2023-11-02. Retrieved 2022-07-07.
^Kim Hye-jung (April 29, 2021). "김보정 '오월의 청춘' 합류… 고민시와 호흡". Naver (in Korean). sports.khan. Archived from the original on April 29, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
^Lim Soo-bin (January 22, 2021). "오월의 청춘' 김은수 합류···이도현X고민시와 호흡". sedaily (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
^Hong Sung-hoon (February 24, 2021). "박세현, 드라마 '오월의 청춘' 출연 결정". nbnnews (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
^Hwang Soo-young (May 4, 2021). "권은빈, '오월의 청춘' 특별출연…철없는 前여친으로 눈길". isplus.live.joins (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
^Moon Ji-yeon (July 6, 2022). "제1회 청룡시리즈어워즈 후보 공개..'오징어 게임'·'SNL코리아' 최다노미" [The 1st Blue Dragon Series Awards nominees revealed.. Most Nominees for 'Squid Game' and 'SNL Korea'] (in Korean). Sports Chosun. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved July 6, 2022 – via Naver.
^Jung Ji-hyun (January 1, 2022). "차태현·이도현·김소현·박은빈, 최우수상 수상 [2021 KBS 연기대상]" [Cha Tae-hyun, Lee Do-hyun, Kim So-hyun, Park Eun-bin, Grand Prize Winner [2021 KBS Drama Awards]] (in Korean). My Daily. Archived from the original on January 1, 2022. Retrieved January 1, 2022 – via Naver.
^Lee Chang-gyu (January 1, 2022). "1980년 5월을 빛내주신 분들께"…김민재·정용화·권나라·고민시, 미니시리즈 우수상 [KBS 연기대상]" ["To the people who made May 1980 shine"... Min-jae Kim, Yong-hwa Jung, Nara Kwon, Min-si Ko, Miniseries Excellence Award [KBS Acting Awards]] (in Korean). EXportsnews. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved December 31, 2021 – via Naver.
^Jung Ji-hyun (December 31, 2021). "이이경·최대철·금새록·함은정, 조연상 수상 [2021 KBS 연기대상]" [Lee Yi-kyung, Choi Dae-cheol, Geum Sae-rok, Ham Eun-jung, Best Supporting Actor [2021 KBS Drama Awards]] (in Korean). My Daily. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved January 1, 2022 – via Naver.
^Jung Ji-hyun (December 31, 2021). "이이경·최대철·금새록·함은정, 조연상 수상 [2021 KBS 연기대상]" [Lee Yi-kyung, Choi Dae-cheol, Geum Sae-rok, Ham Eun-jung, Best Supporting Actor [2021 KBS Drama Awards]] (in Korean). My Daily. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved January 1, 2022 – via Naver.
^Jung Ji-hyun (December 31, 2021). "박규영·이세희·정수정, 신인상 공동 수상 [2021 KBS 연기대상]" [Park Gyu-young, Lee Se-hee, and Jung Su-jeong, jointly awarded the Rookie of the Year Award [2021 KBS Drama Awards]]. My Daily (in Korean). Naver. Archived from the original on December 31, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
^Yang So-young (January 1, 2022). "[KBS 연기대상] 지현우 대상 "'신사와 아가씨' 대표로 받아"[종합]" [[KBS Acting Awards] Ji Hyun-woo Grand Prize "Received as the representative of 'Gentleman and Lady'" [General]] (in Korean). Maeil Business Star Today. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved December 31, 2021 – via Naver.
^Son Ji-in (March 14, 2022). "옷소매 붉은 끝동'·'골 때리는 그녀들' 등 39편 한국PD대상 본심 진출" [39 Korean PD Awards, including 'Red Sleeves' and 'Those Who Hit the Goal'] (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 14, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2022 – via Journal.
^Jang Se-in (April 6, 2022). "제34회 한국PD대상, '키스 더 유니버스'·'꼬꼬무' 등 15편 수상" [The 34th Korea PD Awards, 15 films including 'Kiss the Universe' and 'Kokkomu' were awarded] (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 6, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2022 – via Journal.
