Moving (Korean: 무빙) is a 2023 South Korean action fantasy sci-fi television series written by Kang Full, and co-directed by Park In-je and Park Yoon-seo. The series stars an ensemble cast including Ryu Seung-ryong, Han Hyo-joo, Zo In-sung, Cha Tae-hyun, Ryoo Seung-bum, Kim Sung-kyun, Lee Jung-ha, Go Youn-jung, and Kim Do-hoon. Based on the eponymous Kakao webtoon by Kang, the series is a supernatural drama that depicts the familial story of three teenage high school students and their parents who discover their super powers. The first season was released from August 9 to September 20, 2023. After seven days of availability, it became the most watched Korean original series on Disney+ globally and Hulu in the United States, based on hours streamed. In November 2024, it was announced that production of a second season had begun, with an aim to release sometime in 2026.
Moving won 6 awards at the 2023 Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards including Best Creative, Best Lead Actor, Best Writer, Best Newcomer Actor and Actress, and Best Visual Effects awards. The series also won the Baeksang Arts Award Grand Prize – Television at the 60th Baeksang Arts Awards. Moving also received the top honor (Grand Prize) at the Blue Dragon Series Awards, and Best Actor and Best Actress nominations for its leads Ryu Seung-ryong and Han Hyo-joo, respectively.
The major success of the series is said to have revitalized the streaming service Disney+, which was struggling to gain a foothold in Korea. It also launched the careers of up-and-coming young actors Lee Jung-ha, Go Youn-jung, and Kim Do-hoon.
Contents
Cast
Main
Ryu Seung-ryong as Jang Ju-won
Hui-soo's father who opens a fried chicken shop. He possesses superhuman strength and regeneration abilities. He is a former top mob enforcer turned former Agency for National Security Planning (ANSP) black-ops agent with the code name Guryongpo, and Doo-sik's partner during his time in the ANSP.
Han Hyo-joo as Lee Mi-hyun
Doo-sik's wife and Bong-seok's mother, who opens a tonkatsu restaurant, whose five senses—sight, hearing, smell, taste, and reflexes—are enhanced to a superhuman level. She is a former ANSP intelligence analyst and the youngest-ever graduate in the history of the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
Zo In-sung as Kim Doo-sik
Mi-hyun's husband and Bong-seok's father. He is a former ANSP black-ops agent who operated under the code name Moonsan and possesses flying abilities. After a secret mission to assassinate Kim Il Sung, he is apprehended by the NIS.
Cha Tae-hyun as Jeon Gye-do
Kim Joon as young Jeon Gye-do
A theater actor-turned-bus driver who has the ability to generate electricity.
Ryoo Seung-bum as Frank
Kim Tae-yul as young Frank
An orphan with healing abilities who becomes an American-raised assassin. He pursues the retired agents under the orders of the CIA.
Kim Sung-kyun as Lee Jae-man
Gang-hoon's father, who opens a mini mart. He possesses superhuman strength and speed, but is cognitively impaired.
Supporting
Kim Hee-won as Choi Il-hwan
A former Special Forces 3rd Brigade member turned PE teacher, under the orders of the NIS, who teaches the superhuman children.
Yoo Seung-mok as Jo Rae-hyuk
The principal of Jeongwon High School. He is actually a NIS black ops agent, and under the orders of Yong-jun, he searches for agents with superpowers and gathers any students with powers.
Shin Jae-hwi as Bang Ki-soo
A delinquent student of Class 3–3 at Jeongwon High School. He has conflicts with Gang-hoon and is aware of the existence of the superhumans.
Shim Dal-gi as Shin Hye-won
A transfer student at Jeongwon High School. She is also Hui-soo's classmate at their former school Jangkyung High School.
Kim Jong-soo as Hwang Ji-sung
A former NIS agent turned security guard at Jeongwon High School.
Jeon Seok-ho as Yoon Sung-wook
A NIS agent who becomes a part-time PE teacher of Jeongwon High School.
Park Han-sol as Han Byul
A student of Class 3–3 at Jeongwon High School. She is a vlogger who loves to capture everything that happens in school with her camera. She has a crush on Gang-hoon. Her personality is bubbly and happy, yet very scared in scary situations.
Yoon Sa-bong as a cleaner
Special appearances
Son Byong-ho as Kim Hyun-sung
The minister of MSS.
Lee Ho-jung as Yang Se-eun
Seong-hwa's daughter. She has the ability to see through everything, which she inherited from her parents.
Son Bo-seung as the handicapped son of a butcher
as Kim Young-tak
A student at Jeongwon High School. He is found ineligible and transfers to another high school. He is originally one of the characters in Kang Full's past comic, Timing.
Song Duk-ho as Seo Yu-ra's boyfriend
Jang Kyeong-go's bully.
Episodes
All episodes were written by Kang Full, and directed by Park In-je and Park Yoon-seo.
Production
Season 1
South Korean webtoon artist Kang Full rose to popularity in 2003 with his romance webtoon Love Story. Kang then explored other genres, including the superhero genre with Timing (2005) and Moving (2015). On January 6, 2020, it was announced that Studio & New would produce a television series based on Moving. It is the first screen adaptation of Kang Full's webtoons to be scripted by the author himself. On September 9, 2020, it was revealed that Zo In-sung had received an offer to appear in the series. In August 2021, it was reported that the series was being produced by Studio & New. Due to its extensive use of special effects, Moving had a high production budget, ranging between ₩50–65 billion. The series includes over 7,000 CGI shots. On October 13, 2021, Disney+ announced Moving as their tentpole show for the pan-Asian market. In February 2021, it was reported that the joint production agreement had been cancelled and Park In-je would replace director Mo Wan-il due to differences between co-producers JTBC and Next Entertainment World.
On October 29, 2021, the lineup of the lead stars was revealed by releasing photos of the cast reading the script. After completing the casting of the series on August 23, 2021,filming began on August 26. By January 2022, about half of filming had been completed. The production staff members were divided into two teams; the second team was led by director Park Yoon-seo.
Season 2
According to Osen in November 2024, Kang Full had already begun working on the script for the second season, and several stars had been informed. However, filming was expected to debut three years after the first season, given the large scope of the project. Pre-production was reported to be underway by that time, with a target release date for the second season sometime in 2026. During a press conference held in Singapore on November 21, 2024, the Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific announced that the second season had begun development.
Original soundtrack
The show's soundtrack album was released on January 19, 2024.
Release
Moving, after facing delays in production, premiered on Disney+ on August 9, 2023. It was made available in 65 markets and countries through the platform and in the United States through Hulu. The first seven episodes were released on August 9, followed by two episodes per week, and the final three episodes on September 20.
The drama was aired for the first time on linear television via MBC on December 22, 2024.
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes website, the series has an approval rating of 100% based on 9 reviews, with an average rating of 8.4/10.
Pierce Conran of South China Morning Post rated the series five out of five and wrote, "In adapting his own webcomic for the screen, Kang Full has stitched together a rich canvas combining a multitude of characters who weave in and out of his story, each of them fleshed out and given their moment to shine."
Viewership
After seven days of availability, Moving became the most watched Korean Disney+ original series on the platform globally and on Hulu in the United States, based on hours streamed. In its first week of release, Moving became the most watched series in numerous countries in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, including South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and countries in Southeast Asia, based on hours watched. The series also had the biggest premiere ever on Disney+ in South Korea, based on hours watched in its first week of availability. The executive vice president of original content strategy of the Walt Disney Company (APAC), Carol Choi, said the response "exceeded our expectations". Variety called the series "the next breakout hit from Asia after Squid Game".
After Moving's premiere, the use time of Disney+ in South Korea increased by 145%, reaching an all-time high of 196 million minutes in the series' fifth week of availability.
On December 15, 2023, the Walt Disney Company Korea announced that Moving had become the most-watched local original series of the year on Disney+ in South Korea.
Accolades
Moving, with six nominations, was the most nominated series at the 2023 Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards. All six nominations led to wins at the award show on October 8, 2023.
