High Kick! was a South Koreansituation comedy revolving around the life of the Lee family. It aired in South Korea from Monday through Friday, in sitcom format. The show's popularity led to High Kick Through the Roof, which aired in 2009-2010, and , which aired in 2011-2012.
The head of the Lee family, he works alongside his daughter-in-law at his Korean medicine hospital. Being the oldest in the family, he can be harsh and strict toward his family members, and thinks only about himself. He always kicks or hits other members of the family. Due to this aggressive behavior, Soon-jae acts as the dictator of the Lee household and no one opposes what he says.
Soon-jae's wife, she is incredibly strong and has an enormous appetite, which she passes on to Joon-ha. Despite her age, she does all of the cooking and cleaning, and looks after Joon. Since Soon-jae and Hae-mi often berate and insult her, she often has daydreams of them suffering. Like Min-yong, she is annoyed by Hae-mi, and would do anything to embarrass her.
Son of Soon-jae and Moon-hee, he is a huge strong man with an enormous appetite, nicknamed as the "Lord of Gluttony". Laid off from the company he was working, he spends his time at home as an unsuccessful investor and depends on the earnings of his wife, who is the main doctor at his father's hospital.
A late-born son of Soon-jae and Moon-hee, he works as a P.E teacher at Pungpa High School where his nephews attend. Min-yong is the opposite of Joon-ha in many terms: he is a slim man with straight hair, less lazy, more handsome, and employed, but has the nasty attitude toward Soon-jae and Park Hae-mi, while Joon-ha is more like Moon-hee; a plump man with curly hair, very lazy, dumb looking, overweight, and unemployed, but more sympathetic than Min-yong. Returning to his parents house after a short-lived marriage with Shin Ji, he lives in an expanded and modified storeroom upstairs, which is connected with the main house with a firemen's pole.
Park Hae-mi as Park Hae-mi
The wife of Lee Joon-ha, she is a doctor that works with Lee Soon-jae. Hae-mi was in love with another man before her marriage. Accepting Joon-ha's proposal was to rival the lover who had dumped her, which Joon-ha finds out in one of the episodes. She gave financial support to Soon-jae's hospital when it was near the brink of closing down, and is much more popular than Soon-jae as a doctor. She is known for having a very strong personality, and in cutting people’s sentences as they speak. Lastly, she is known for using “Okay!” in all of her decisions and when talking to people.
The eldest son of Lee Joon-ha and Park Hae-mi. Being very bright, but physically small and soft, he is often portrayed as a "mama's boy," and always quarreling with his younger brother Yoon-ho, who is in the same class at Pungpa High School. An easy target to bully due to his weak appearance, while Yoon-ho would simply fight back no matter the odds. The contrast between the two brothers is one of the main themes of the show. At school he sits in the very front of the classroom along with Kim Bum, who has been best friends with him for a long time, and they embrace each other in a sign of friendship.
The youngest son of Lee Joon-ha and Park Hae-mi. He is a tall, strong, and handsome boy known for his high kick, and a motorcycle maniac. He also narrates the story of the show. He is very popular among the girls in Pungpa High School, though his grade is low and he sometimes demonstrates his utter ignorance. As one episode disclosed, Yoon-ho was as bright as Min-ho in his childhood, but after riding on the back of motorcycle of a friend of Joon-ha's, he became completely absorbed in fighting and motorcycles; Joon-ha is blamed by Hae-mi for Yoon-ho's bad grades and delinquent behavior. Yoon-ho is often misunderstood and sometimes blamed for things he did not do.
Shin Ji as Shin Ji a.k.a. Shin Bong-hee
The ex-wife of Lee Min-yong and the mother of Joon. Loves music, and is trying to get a job at a music industry, singing CF songs and taking auditions for musicals. She asked for a divorce from Min-yong, wishing to study abroad in Moscow, but came back to Korea in short time. Min-yong and her take turns in taking care of Joon, though Joon seems to be in the Lee household most of the time presumable due to Shin Ji's busy schedule.
An English teacher at Pungpa High School, and the homeroom teacher of Min-ho, Yoon-ho, Bum, Chan-sung and Seung-hyun. She rented the apartment that Min-yong and Shin Ji used to live in, and lives there with Shin Ji after her return from the short and unsuccessful attempt to study in Moscow.
Kim Bum as Kim Bum
Lee Min-ho's best friend, desiring to become the proper member of the family. The two boys are very close and care for each other. He had a crush on Yoo-mi later in the sitcom.
Lee Min-ho's girlfriend. Very pretty but extremely poor at studies, always getting lowest scores at school. She is also secretly three years older than her schoolmates, but only Kim Bum, Lee Min-ho, Lee Yoon-ho, and Lee Min-yong, who doesn't care about that so much, know it.
Minor
Lee Su-na as Lee Su-na a.k.a. Gaeseong-daek and Lee Yu-na
Na Moon-hee's best friend, currently jailed in prison for murdering her sister. She escaped from prison and fled to Moon-hee's house many times, but each time Soon-jae turned her in.
Yeom Seung-hyun as Yeom Seung-hyun
Another classmate of Min-ho and Yoon-ho, and the rival of Yoon-ho. In the later episodes, he competes with Yoon-ho for Seo Min-jung's attention.
Yum Seung-hyun's friend and one of Yoon-ho's rival, he's a trouble maker at Pungpa High School, but after being betrayed by Seung-hyun, he becomes Yoon-ho's friend.
Go Chae-min as Lee Jun
Min-yong and Shin Ji's infant child. At the very beginning of the show, the grown-up Joon appears as an astronaut. He can be seen in nearly every episode in a few scenes but never does anything apart from sleeping or just crying.
* Seo Kyeong-seok as 25-year-old Jun
Na Hye-mi as Na Hye-mi
A classmate of Yoo-mi, transferred from a different school in the later episodes. She chases Yoon-ho around, publicly broadcasts herself as Yoon-ho's girlfriend, lies to him for drawing his attention, and deeply annoys him.
Jeong Shin-woo as Nurse Yu
Park Seung-chan as Nurse Park
? as Yoo-mi's father
A somewhat mysterious man with a hidden agenda, he eventually dies, apparently shot in the chest and found by Min-yong on one stormy night. It is revealed that he worked as an agent for North Korea but changed sides, which led him to being hunted by his former comrades, who later killed him.
Hong Sun-chang as Hong Sun-chang
Vice Principal of Pungpa High School. He is extremely sarcastic.
Yoon Seo-hyun as Lee Seo-hyun
He is a detective and is usually seen handling the cases behind Yoo-mi's family. He also has a crush on Shin Ji.
Seo Min-jung's father. He opposes the relationship between Min-yong and Min-jung.
Seo Hyun as Han Young-min
Member of the staff in a musical Shin Ji played in. He has a crush on Shin Ji even though he is younger than her, and they go out for a short period of time.
It aired in Japan on cable channel KNTV from May 21, 2007 to January 8, 2008.
It aired in Vietnam on HTV3 called Gia đình là số 1 from November 11, 2009.
It aired in the Philippines on TV5 beginning April 5, 2010. Chicosci Song Diamond Shotgun Were Used As The Philippine Themesong Of The Series.
Adaptation
In Vietnam, the series was adapted by Điền Quân Media & Entertainment to be produced in 2016. The first episode was on air on every Monday through Thursday, beginning from January 18, 2017.
