Man from the Equator (; also known as The Equator Man) is a 2012 South Korean television series, starring Uhm Tae-woong, Lee Joon-hyuk, Lee Bo-young and Im Jung-eun. A tense, emotionally charged tale of brotherhood and betrayal, it follows two best friends with a tragic, twisted history that follows them from youth to adulthood. It aired on KBS2 from March 21 to May 24, 2012 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 (KST) for 20 episodes.
After premiering in last place among its more high-profile competitors The King 2 Hearts and Rooftop Prince, the viewership ratings for Man from the Equator steadily climbed due in large part to Uhm Tae-woong's praise-worthy acting and the well-combined plot of romance, fate, revenge and success. Out of a total of 20 episodes, 16 rated number one in its timeslot.
One the driven top student and the other a happy-go-lucky troublemaker, Jang-il (Siwan) and Sun-woo (Lee Hyun-woo) become unlikely buddies in high school, both poor but proud in their own ways. Their fathers both have ties to a powerful businessman who orders Jang-il's father to kill Sun-woo's father. One desperate crime begets another, and the boys' friendship derails in a shocking betrayal. The attack leaves Sun-woo blind and in a coma. Thirteen years later, their fates will come to a head when they meet again as adults. Jang-il (Lee Joon-hyuk) has become a prosecutor haunted by his past, while Sun-woo (Uhm Tae-woong), the young CEO of investment trust company Royal Tree, is plotting his revenge. Their fates are intertwined with the women they loveâÂÂJi-won (Lee Bo-young), a volunteer reader for visually impaired people who now works as a VIP party planner at a five-star hotel, and Soo-mi (Im Jung-eun), a hyper-realism painter. As Jang-il and Sun-woo vow to destroy each other, the truth unravels in a harrowing cycle of deception and revenge as the crimes and secrets of yesteryear come to light.
In the table below, <span style="color:blue">the blue numbers</span> represent the lowest ratings and <span style="color:red">the red numbers</span> represent the highest ratings.