''Inspiring Generation'' () is a 2014 South Korean television series starring

Kim Hyun-joong Kim Hyun-joong (; born June 6, 1986) is a South Korean actor, singer and songwriter. He is a member of the boy band SS501 and played roles in the Korean dramas '' Boys Over Flowers'' and ''Playful Kiss''. After debuting with SS501 in 2005, K ...

Im Soo-hyang Lim Soo-hyang (; born April 19, 1990) is a South Korean actress. She rose to fame playing leading roles in the television series '' New Tales of Gisaeng'' (2011) and ''Inspiring Generation'' (2014). After a series of supporting roles, she gained ...

and

Jin Se-yeon Jin Se-yeon (born Kim Yoon-jung on February 15, 1994) is a South Korean actress. Some of her notable television dramas are ''Bridal Mask'' (2012), ''Doctor Stranger'' (2014), ''Flowers of the Prison'' (2016), ''Grand Prince'' (2018) among othe ...

. It aired on

KBS2 The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, a ...

from January 15 to April 3, 2014 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 24 episodes. Based on the

manhwa (; ) is the general Korean language, Korean term for comics and print cartoons. Outside Korea, the term usually refers to South Korea, South Korean comics. is greatly influenced by Japanese Manga comics. Modern Manhwa has extended its rea ...

by Bang Hak-gi (published daily by ''Sports Seoul'' from June 1985 to June 1988), the drama series had a budget of and its story depicts the loves, friendships and patriotism of young Korean independence fighters in

1930s File:1930s decade montage.png, From left, clockwise: Dorothea Lange's photo of the homeless Florence Thompson shows the effects of the Great Depression; due to extreme drought conditions, farms across the south-central United States become dry a ...

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

Plot

A story of violence, love and friendship that travels between Korea, China and Japan in the 1930s. Shin Jung-tae (

) loses his father at the age of 15 when a Japanese soldier shoots him during the

Japanese occupation of Shanghai The history of Shanghai spans over a thousand years and closely parallels the development of modern China. Originally a small agricultural village, Shanghai developed during the late Qing dynasty (1644–1912) as one of China's principal tra ...

in the

. But instead of finding justice, Jung-tae is accused of his own father’s death. Jung-tae finds justice only by using his fists in the back alleys of

, growing up to become the best fighter on the continent.

Cast

Main characters

as Shin Jung-tae **

Kwak Dong-yeon Kwak Dong-yeon (; born 19 March 1997), is a South Korean actor and musician. He made his acting debut in the television series ''My Husband Got a Family'' in 2012 for which he received Best Young Actor Award at the Korea Drama Awards. He then st ...

as young Jung-tae *

as Lady Gaya Deguchi **

Joo Da-young Joo Da-young (born June 16, 1995) is a South Korean actress. She graduated from Chung-Ang University, Department of Theater and Film in 2014. She started her acting career as a child actress in 1999 with KBS1 television series ''TV Novel: Siste ...

as young Gaya *

as Yoon Ok-ryun **

Ji Woo Ji Woo (born Choi Ji-woo on November 25, 1997) is a South Korean actress. Life and career She attended Morak Middle School. In 2017, she was an honorary ambassador of the 9th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival alongside Cho Jin-wo ...

as young Ok-ryun

Supporting characters

Kim Jae-wook Kim Jae-wook (born April 2, 1983) is a South Korean model and actor. He is best known for his roles in the hit series '' Coffee Prince'' (2007), comedy film ''Antique'' (2008), mystery drama '' Who Are You?'' (2013), thriller ''Voice'' (2017), ...

as Kim Soo-ok *

Kim Kap-soo Kim Kap-soo (born April 7, 1957) is a South Korean actor. Since his acting debut in 1977, Kim has had a long career on the stage, in television dramas and film. In addition to acting full-time, he also has his own master class acting studio. F ...

as Toyama Denkai *Choi Jae-sung as Shin Young-chul *

Son Byong-ho Son Byong-ho (born August 25, 1962) is a South Korean actor. Son is known for his role in action films, notably, ''R-Point'' (2004), '' Running Wild'' (2006), ''The Good, the Bad, the Weird'' (2008) and ''Insu, The Queen Mother ''Insu, the Qu ...

as Choi Soo-ri *

Shin Seung-hwan Shin Seung-hwan is a South Korean actor. Filmography Film Television series Web series Television show Web shows References External links * * * Shin Seung-hwanat Daum Shin Seung-hwanat Naver Naver (Hangul: 네이버) is ...

as Jjang-ddol **Kim Dong-hee as young Jjang-ddol *

Kim Ga-eun Kim Ga-eun (born January 8, 1989) is a South Korean actress. Filmography Television series Web series Film Awards and nominations References External links * * 1989 births Living people South Korean television actresses ...

as So-so *

Yoon Hyun-min Yoon Hyun-min (born April 15, 1985) is a South Korean actor Biography After graduating from Cheongwon high school, Yoon was a baseball player for the Hanwha Eagles in 2005 and the Doosan Bears in 2006. He fell in love with the stage after wat ...

as Toyama Aoki *

Choi Cheol-ho Choi Cheol-ho (; born 2 March 1970) is a South Korean actor. He rose to fame after appearing in the hit drama ''Queen of Housewives'' (also known as ''My Wife is a Superwoman'', 2009). Other notable roles include King Seonjo in '' The Immortal L ...

as Shinjo Deguchi *

Shin Eun-jung Shin Eun-jung (born January 3, 1974) is a South Korean actress. She has played supporting roles in television dramas such as '' The Legend'' (2007), '' East of Eden'' (2008) and ''Faith Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''fe ...

as Kim Sung-deok *

Lee Cho-hee Lee Cho-hee (born October 4, 1989) is a South Korean actress. She was an ambassador for the 2013 Sangsang Madang Cinema Music Film Festival. Career Lee Cho-hee had a career breakthrough with her role as Song Da-Hee on the KBS weekend drama "O ...

as Mal-sook **Kim Min-ha as young Mal-sook *

Bae Noo-ri Bae Noo-ri (born February 4, 1993) is a South Korean actress. She began modeling in 2008 for the brand Litmus, then made her acting debut in 2010. Bae is best known for playing a shaman in a period television series ''Moon Embracing the Sun ...

as Yang-yang *

Jo Dong-hyuk Jo Dong-hyuk (born December 11, 1977) is a South Korean actor. He made his acting debut in ''Make It Big'' (2002), followed by erotic films ''Hypnotized'' (2004), ''The Intimate'' (2005), and ''Searching for the Elephant'' (2009). On television, ...

as Shinichi *

Choi Ji-ho Choi Ji-ho (born November 25, 1980) is a South Korean actor and model. He began his entertainment career in 2003 as part of Model Line's stable, walking the runways for Gucci, Armani, Nike, EXR, Lacoste, Dolce & Gabbana, as well as Korean desig ...

as Aka *Kwak Seung-nam as Genjo *

Yang Ik-june Yang Ik-june (born October 19, 1975) is a South Korean actor and film director. He is best known for the 2009 film '' Breathless'', which he wrote, directed, edited, and starred in. Career Born in Seoul in 1975, Yang graduated from the Departme ...

as Hwang Bong-shik *Jo Dal-hwan as Poong-cha *Ji Seung-hyun as Kang-gae *Nuel as Kkab-sae *

Kim Sung-oh Kim Sung-oh (born September 15, 1978) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his supporting roles ''Supporting Roles'' ( es, Papeles secundarios) is a 1989 Cuban drama film directed by Orlando Rojas. The film was selected as the Cub ...

as Jung Jae-hwa *Kim Seo-kyung as Mang-chi *Yoo Tae-woong as Shin Ma-juk *Seo Dong-gun as Cha Sang-ki *

Choi Il-hwa Choi Il-hwa (born May 9, 1959) is a South Korean actor. He joined the Madang Sesil Theatre Group in 1983, and has since continued acting in Korean theater, television and film. Filmography Film *'' No Tomorrow (2016) *''Wonderful Nightmare'' ...

as Seol Doo-sung *Jung Ho-bin as Wang Baek-san *

Song Jae-rim Song Jae-rim (; born February 18, 1985) is a South Korean actor and model. He began his career as a runway model for the Seoul collections of Juun. J, Herin Homme and Ha Sang Beg. He has also appeared in the magazines Bazaar Korea, Vogue Girl ...

as Mo Il-hwa *Lee Joon-seok as Won-pyung *Lee Chul-min as Bul-gom *

Uhm Tae-goo Uhm Tae-goo ( ko, 엄태구; born November 9, 1983) is a South Korean actor. He is known for his supporting roles in many critically acclaimed films, such as '' Coin Locker Girl'' (2015) and ''The Age of Shadows ''The Age of Shadows'' (; lit. ...

as Do-goo *Oh Soon-tae as Omogari *

Kim Roi-ha Kim Roi-ha (born November 15, 1965) is a South Korean actor. Notable roles include a detective in '' Memories of Murder'' (2003), and a gangster in ''A Bittersweet Life'' (2005). Kim won Best Actor at the 2001 Dong-A Theatre Awards for his por ...

as Shin Ga-jum *

Park Chul-min Park Chul-min (born January 18, 1967) is a South Korean actor. Career Park Chul-min began acting in his high school drama club at Chosun University High School, and though he majored in Business Administration at Chung-Ang University, he spent ...

as Old Man Fly *Kim Se-jung as Shin Chung-ah **Lee Ji-woo as young Chung-ah *

Kim Byung-ki Kim Byung-ki (born November 2, 1948) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Television series Film Awards and nominations References External links * * 1948 births Living people South Korean male television actors ...

as Fortune teller *

So Hee-jung So Hee-jung ( born on 28 May 1973) is a South Korean actress. She made her acting debut in 1994 in theater, since then, she has appeared in number of plays, films and television series. She got recognition for her supporting roles in ''The K2'' ...

as Mok Po-daek, Mal-sook's mother *Lee Sang-hee as Kim Cheom-ji *Jung Jin as Yamamoto Hagesawa *

Im Hyung-joon Im Hyung-joon (born May 10, 1974) is a South Korean actor. Personal life On January 2, 2012, Im married his non-celebrity girlfriend, who is ten years younger than him, at Gimpo Mayfield Hotel. They gave birth to the first child, a son, on Aug ...

as Koichi *Jo Ha-seok as Sasaki *Im Se-hwan as Tamada *

Moon Hee-kyung Moon Hee-kyung (born December 22, 1965) is a South Korean actress. Moon made her acting debut in musical theatre in 1995. She has also played supporting roles in films and television series, notably ''Skeletons in the Closet'' (also known as ''S ...

as Nun director *Hwang Chae-won as Ran-ran *Kim Yoon-hee as Ryoko Deguchi *Yeo Ho-min as Ma Dang-ga * Lee Hae-in as Sun Woo-jin *Han Je-in as Dan-shim *

Kim Jae-kyung Kim Jae-kyung (born December 24, 1988), formerly known mononymously as Jaekyung, is a South Korean actress and singer. Before transitioning to acting full-time, she was a member and leader of the South Korean girl group Rainbow. Early life and ...

as Meiling *Tae Hang-ho as Moon-bok

Original soundtrack

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Ratings

Awards and nominations

International broadcast

While it aired in Korea, the drama was simultaneously available online (with

subtitle Subtitles and captions are lines of dialogue or other text displayed at the bottom of the screen in films, television programs, video games or other visual media. They can be transcriptions of the screenplay, translations of it, or informati ...

s in several languages) on

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

-based video streaming website Viki. It aired in Japan on cable channel DATV beginning August 9, 2014. In Thailand aired on

PPTV HD PPTV HD ( th, พีพีทีวี เอชดี) is a digital terrestrial television channel in Thailand, owned by Bangkok Media and Broadcasting Co., Ltd., a company managed by Bangkok Airways and Bangkok Hospital group owner, Prasert Pr ...

beginning March 20, 2015.

References

External links

* * * * {{IMDb title, 3112622, Inspiring Generation 2014 South Korean television series debuts 2014 South Korean television series endings Korean Broadcasting System television dramas Korean-language television shows Television shows based on manhwa Television series set in Korea under Japanese rule South Korean action television series South Korean romance television series Second Sino-Japanese War television drama series