September 18 (2019-09-18) – November 21, 2019 (2019-11-21)
When the Camellia Blooms became the highest rated mini-series drama airing in 2019 with a single episode rating of 23.8%.[6] According to Nielsen Korea, the drama also became the second highest rated drama of 2019 with all episodes' average ratings of 14.83% behind SBS's The Fiery Priest.[7]
The series was met with praise by critics and audiences for its production and solid actors' performances. It also received favourable reviews for its realistic plot and unique genre combinations of romantic-comedy and thriller.[8]
The drama received 10 nominations at 56th Baeksang Arts Awards, winning 4 – Grand Prize for Television, Best Screenplay, Best Actor for Kang Ha-neul and Best Supporting Actor for Oh Jung-se and won multiple awards at 2019 KBS Drama Awards including Grand Prize for Gong Hyo-jin.[9][10]
When the Camellia Blooms is the story of Oh Dong-baek (Gong Hyo-jin), a single mother who moves to the fictional town of Ongsan and opens a bar named Camellia. Dong-baek faces many challenges and meets a variety of colourful characters as she attempts to settle down in the small town. Six years later, Dong-baek meets playful Yong-sik (Kang Ha-neul), a justice seeking police officer who declares his love for her. Meanwhile, a notorious killer sets out to claim Dong-baek as his next victim. Yong-sik balances his attempts to woo Dong-baek who does her best as a single working mother, while also discovering the killer’s identity.
A single mother who runs a bar called "Camellia" in Ongsan. She is the mother of Pil-gu and ex-girlfriend to Jong-ryul. Although initially she does not reciprocate Yong-sik's feelings, she eventually grows to like him the more he spends time with her and her son.
A police officer with a strong instinct for finding and beating up criminals. He moves back to his hometown Ongsan after being demoted and there he meets and falls for Dong-baek. He vows to always be on her side and protect both her and her son, even at his mother's disapproval. He becomes focused on catching the serial killer known as "Joker" after Dong-baek becomes his next target.
A famous baseball player and ex-boyfriend to Dong-baek. He is shown to be continuously self-centered and jealous of Yong-sik's relationship with Dong-baek and Pil-gu.
Wife to Jong-ryul she's insecure and mainly focuses on trying to be a social media icon. She is mostly neglectful of her daughter and takes advantage of her relationship with Jong-ryul for fame.
A part time employee at Camellia and Dong-baek's friend. She is a kleptomaniac. She often talks about moving to Copenhagen and is always looking for ways to gain enough money, leading her to blackmail others. She died before the first episode and the series goes through flashbacks.
^ abIn 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.[2]
^For Japan, all episodes were launched at once on November 15, while for the rest of the world it was launched weekly from September 28.
^Due to some ratings not recorded, the exact average rating is unknown.
^Kwak, Hyeon-soo (November 13, 2019). 헤이즈, '동백꽃 필 무렵' OST 참여…오늘(13일) 오후 6시 공개 [Heize participated in the OST for "When the Camellia Blooms". Released today (13th) at 6pm.]. Sports Donga (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021 – via Naver.
^Kim, Myung-mi (September 1, 2020). 제47회 '한국방송대상' 수상자 발표, 방탄소년단→강하늘까지(공식입장) [Announcing the winners of the 47th 'Korea Broadcasting Awards', BTS → Kang Haneul (Official Position)]. Newsen (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 2, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020 – via Daum.
