''Jeong Do-jeon'' () is a 2014 South Korean television series starring

Cho Jae-hyun Cho Jae-hyun (born June 30, 1965) is a South Korean film, stage, and TV actor. He is commonly dubbed "director Kim Ki-duk's persona" since Cho has starred as leading and supporting characters in a number of films directed by Kim. Early years a ...

in the title role as

Jeong Do-jeon Jeong Dojeon (Korean: 정도전, Hanja: 鄭道傳, 1342 – October 6, 1398), also known by his pen name Sambong (Korean: 삼봉), was a prominent Korean scholar-official during the late Goryeo to the early Joseon periods. He served as the first ...

, a real-life historical figure (1342–1398) who was one of the most powerful scholars and politicians of his time and a close supporter of King Taejo, the founder of the

Joseon Dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

. The period drama shows the crucial role Jeong had in the planning and founding of Joseon and the obstacles he faced in the process, as well as his lasting impact on Joseon's politics and laws. It aired on

KBS1 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 4 to June 29, 2014 on Saturdays and Sundays at 21:40 for 50 episodes. ''Jeong Do-jeon'' received solid ratings and was hailed by critics as one of the most "authentic and realistic" Korean historical dramas in the new millennium. The series won the Grand Prize (Daesang), Best Director and Best Writer at the 41st Korea Broadcasting Awards, and Cho Jae-hyun won Best TV Actor at the 50th

Baeksang Arts Awards The Baeksang Arts Awards (), also known as the Paeksang Arts Awards, are awards for excellence in film, television and theatre in South Korea. The awards were first introduced in 1965 by Chang Key-young, the founder of the Hankook Ilbo newspap ...

Plot

The drama begins in 1374, the final year of

King Gongmin Gongmin of Goryeo (23 May 1330 – 27 October 1374), also known by his Mongolian name, Bayan Temür., was 31st ruler of Goryeo from 1351 to 1374. He was the second son of King Chungsuk. Biography Early life Goryeo had been a semi-autonomou ...

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificati ...

. Those times were marked by abuse of power, corruption and political chaos, as government officials and scholars dream of a new dynasty and a new era.

was an aristocrat and politician who assisted Yi Seong-gye (later King Taejo) when he seized power and established a new dynasty,

Joseon Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

. After Taejo became the first king of Joseon, he left all state affairs to Jeong, making him the most powerful and influential man who shaped the 500-year-long dynasty by laying down Joseon's ideological, institutional, and legal foundations. Deciding all policies from military affairs,

diplomacy Diplomacy comprises spoken or written communication by representatives of states (such as leaders and diplomats) intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. 1 ...

, and down to education, he laid down Joseon's political system and

tax law Tax law or revenue law is an area of legal study in which public or sanctioned authorities, such as federal, state and municipal governments (as in the case of the US) use a body of rules and procedures (laws) to assess and collect taxes in a ...

s, replaced

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

with

Confucianism Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...

as national religion, moved the capital from

Kaesong Kaesong (, ) is a special city in the southern part of North Korea (formerly in North Hwanghae Province), and the capital of Korea during the Taebong kingdom and subsequent Goryeo dynasty. The city is near the Kaesong Industrial Region close t ...

to Hanyang (present-day

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

), changed the kingdom's political system from

feudalism Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structur ...

to highly centralized

bureaucracy The term bureaucracy () refers to a body of non-elected governing officials as well as to an administrative policy-making group. Historically, a bureaucracy was a government administration managed by departments staffed with non-elected offi ...

, and wrote a code of laws that eventually became Joseon's constitution. He even decided the names of each palace, eight provinces, and districts in the capital. He also worked to free many

slave Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

s and reformed land policy. Jeong died just six years after the foundation of Joseon, killed in 1398 by his political archenemy Yi Bang-won, Taejo's fifth son. Yi killed his two half-brothers (including the crown prince) as well as Jeong and his supporters in a coup that came to be known as the " First Strife of Princes", eventually becoming

King Taejong Taejong of Joseon (13 June 1367 – 8 June 1422), personal name Yi Bang-won ( Korean: 이방원; Hanja: 李芳遠), was the third ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea and the father of King Sejong the Great. Before ascending to the throne, he ...

, the third king of Joseon.

Cast

Main characters

Kang Yi-seok Kang Yi-seok (born November 11, 1998) is a South Korean actor. Kang began his career as a child actor, and has starred in television series such as ''Mr. Goodbye'' (2006), ''First Wives' Club'' (2007), '' Five Fingers'' (2012) and ''Ugly Alert'' ...

as young Jeong Do-jeon *

Yoo Dong-geun Yoo Dong-geun (born June 18, 1956) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his leading roles in the historical television dramas ''Tears of the Dragon'', '' Empress Myseongseong'', and '' Yeon Gaesomun''. He was also an adjunct professo ...

as Yi Seong-gye, later King Taejo *

Park Yeong-gyu Park Yeong-gyu (born 28 October 1953) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in ''Attack the Gas Station ''Attack the Gas Station!'' ( ko, 주유소 습격 사건) is a 1999 Korean crime-comedy film directed by Kim Sang-jin ...

as Yi In-im *

Seo In-seok Seo In-seok (born February 22, 1949) is a South Korean actor. Seo made his acting debut in 1976, and among his notable television series are the historical dramas '' Emperor Wang Gun'' (2000) and ''Jeong Do-jeon Jeong Dojeon ( Korean: 정도� ...

Choe Yeong Choi Young (Korean: 최영; 1316–1388), also romanized as Choe Yeong, was a Korean general born in Hongseong or CheorwonKBS World"Choe Yeong, the Victorious General of Goryeo Dynasty", Koreans in History, 2011-02-04. during the Goryeo peri ...

Im Ho Im Ho (; born January 27, 1970) is a South Korean actor, best known for his roles mostly as an emperor in historical dramas. His notable roles were included in the television series ''Jang Hui-bin'' (1995) and ''Dae Jang Geum'' (2003). Personal ...

Jeong Mong-ju Jeong Mong-ju (Korean: 정몽주, Hanja: 鄭夢周, January 13, 1338 – April 26, 1392), also known by his pen name Poeun (Korean: 포은), a historical figure during the transition period of the Korean dynasty moving from Goryeo (918-1392) to ...

**Won Duk-hyun as young Jeong Mong-ju *

Ahn Jae-mo Ahn Jae-mo (born September 20, 1979) is a South Korean actor and singer. Ahn is best known for playing gangster-turned-politician Kim Du-han in ''Rustic Period'' (2002). He has appeared in other period dramas such as ''Tears of the Dragon'' ( ...

as Yi Bang-won, later

Supporting characters

People surrounding Jeong Do-jeon

Lee Ah-hyun Lee Ah-hyun (born April 13, 1972) is a South Korean actress. She made her acting debut in the television drama In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than ...

as Lady Choi, Jeong Do-jeon's wife *Lee Choon-shik as Deuk-bo Ah-beom *Im Dae-ho as Nam Eun *Lee Byung-wook as Yoon So-jong *Jeon Hyeon as Jo Joon *Park Yoo-seung as Shim Hyo-saeng *Kim Jung-min as Jung Jin *Lee Doo-seok as Jung Young *Yoo Jang-young as Jung Yoo

People surrounding Yi Seong-gye

Lee Il-hwa Lee Il-hwa (born February 24, 1971) is a South Korean actress. She made her acting debut in 1991, and has since appeared in numerous television drama In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fict ...

as Lady Kang, later

Queen Sindeok Queen Sindeok (신덕왕후 강씨; 12 July 1356 – 15 September 1396), of the Goksan Kang clan, was a posthumous name bestowed to the second wife and queen consort of Yi Dan, King Taejo; the first monarch of the Korean Joseon Dynasty. She was ...

*Sun Dong-hyuk as Yi Ji-ran *Kang In-ki as Yi Bang-woo, later Prince Jinan *Lee Tae-rim as Yi Bang-gwa, later King Jeongjong *Kim Yoon-tae as Jo Young-gyu *Song Yong-tae as Bae Geuk-ryeom *Song Geum-sik as Byun An-ryeol *Park Byung-ho as

Muhak Muhak (무학, 1327–1405) was a Korean Buddhist monk that lived during the transition between the Goryeo and the Joseon kingdoms. Life Muhak was a Buddhist monk and an advisor to Yi Seong-gye who became King Taejo, the founder of the Joseon Dyn ...

Goryeo Conservative Party

Jung Ho-keun Jung Ho-keun (born September 28, 1964) is a South Korean actor and shaman, who mostly was a supporting actor in television dramas. In 2008, Jung played the leading role in a stage musical production of ''Hi Franceska'', adapted from '' Hello F ...

as Im Kyun-mi *Kim Min-sang as Uhm Heung-bang *Bang Hyung-joo as Ji Yoon *Kwon Tae-won as Ahn Sa-ki

Goryeo Royal House

*Kim Myung-soo as

*Lee Deok-hee as Queen Myeongdeok *Lee Seung-min as Consort, Lady Jeong of Ahn clan *Lee So-yoon as Consort, Lady Yik of Han clan *

Park Jin-woo Park Jin-woo (born July 3, 1983) is a South Korean actor.His instagram is jinwoo_731. He made his acting debut in 2004 with the romantic comedy '' My Little Bride'' and sitcom '' Nonstop 5''. Park has since starred in films and television serie ...

as King Woo **

Jung Yoon-seok Jung Yoon-seok (born April 30, 2003) is a South Korean actor. He won Best Young Actor award in 2009 SBS Drama Awards for his role in '' Temptation of Wife''. Early life and education Born to Korean-Chinese parents, Jung began his acting c ...

as Monino, later King Woo *

Jeon Ye-seo Jeon Ye-seo (born July 26, 1981) is a South Korean actress. Filmography Television series Film Awards and nominations References External links * * Jeon Ye-seo Fan Cafeat Daum * * * * Jeon Ik-ryungon Daum Jeon Ik- ...

as Lady Jang, Monino's nanny *Seo Yi-an as Consort Geun of the Yi clan *Kim Jin-tae as Kyung Bok-heung *Lee Jung-sung as Choe Man-saeng *Seo Woo-jin as Hong Ryun

Young Scholars/Intellectuals

Park Ji-il Park Ji-il (Korean: 박지일, born September 1960) is a South Korean theatre, film and television actor. He is known for his supporting roles in various TV series and films. His better known works are: 2011 TV series ''The Thorn Birds'', 2013 ...

Yi Saek Yi Saek (Korean language, Korean: 이색, Hanja: 李穡, 17 June 1328 – 17 June 1396), also known by his pen name Mogeun (Korean language, Korean: 목은), was a Korean people, Korean writer and poet. His family belonged to the Hansan Yi clan ...

*Kim Seung-wook as Park Sang-choong *Lee Kwang-ki as

Ha Ryun Ha Ryun (January 22, 1348 – November 24, 1416), also spelled as Ha Yun, was a Joseon politician and Neo-Confucian scholar, educator, and writer. He served as Chief State Councillor during the reign of King Taejong from 1408 to 1409, from 140 ...

*Kim Cheol-ki as

Kwon Geun Gwon Geun (1352–1409) was a Korean Neo-Confucian scholar at the dawn of the Joseon dynasty, and a student of Yi Saek. He was one of the first Neo-Confucian scholars of the Joseon dynasty, and had a lasting influence on the rise of Neo-Confucian ...

Jung Hee-tae Jung Hee-tae (Korean: 정희태, Jeonghuitae, born 5 July 1974) is a South Korean actor. He is known for his roles in '' My Mind's Flower Rain'' (2016), ''My Father Is Strange'' (2017) and 2018 drama series '' Radio Romance''. He has appeared ...

as Yi Soong-in *Shin Yong-gyu as Yi Cheom

People of Geopyeong Bugok

Jang Tae-sung Jang Tae-sung (born September 27, 1980) is a South Korean actor. He has mostly played supporting role A supporting character is a character in a narrative that is not the focus of the primary storyline, but is important to the plot/protago ...

as Hwang Cheon-bok *Lee Dae-ro as Hwang Yeon *Kang Ye-sol as Yang Ji

Production

''Jeong Do-jeon'' was broadcaster KBS's response to mounting criticisms against historical dramas that have come to rely too much on fiction rather than facts. Korean TV critics called for the restoration of authentic period pieces, which had become increasingly rare since the beginning of the new millennium. Hoping that the drama can simultaneously entertain and retain historical integrity, Jang Seong-hwan, a KBS executive said during the press conference, "We have been eager to produce this project for a long time. As a public broadcaster, we felt that we had a duty to create dramas that promote a proper awareness of history." The drama sets itself from others in the same genre by focusing on the life of a politician rather than the lives of monarchs. It underwent a two-year pre-production and had a budget of (). To create ''Jeong Do-jeon'', the production team formed an advisory panel that consisted of history experts, all with

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

s or

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

s in Korean history, concentrating on the era in which Jeong lived. The cast members also attended a four-month course taught by famed historian Lee Deok-il on

and the various government regulations that were created with the start of the

era (while

's national religion was

, Joseon was built strictly upon

Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a Religious Confucianism, religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, ...

values). The words quoted by Jeong Do-jeon, "If you capture the hearts of the people, the people obey you. But if you fail to win their hearts, they will indeed betray you," were in the production notes on the drama's website. Head writer Jeong Hyeon-min in particular perused many books on the Goryeo times, as well as biographies of the figures in the drama. Jeong had previously worked for a decade as an aide to 10 Korean lawmakers from both the ruling

Saenuri Party The Liberty Korea Party () was a conservative political party in South Korea that was described variously as right-wing, right-wing populist, or far-right. Until February 2017, it was known as the Saenuri Party (), and before that as the Han ...

and the main opposition

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, and his ability to approach the drama's plot from a political spectrum was the reason executive producer Kim Hyeong-il hired him to write the TV series. Some cultural observers noted that the current political situation in Korea - with liberals and conservatives locked in power games - was quite similar to the setting of ''Jeong Do-jeon''. Director Kang Byung-taek called Jeong "rational and practical. The two are important values in Korea today."

Reception

''Jeong Do-jeon'' received solid average ratings of 12 percent (according to AGB Nielsen Korea), and the drama's official website received 500 posts in its first two weeks. Unlike other Korean dramas, its primary viewer

demographic Demography () is the statistical study of populations, especially human beings. Demographic analysis examines and measures the dimensions and dynamics of populations; it can cover whole societies or groups defined by criteria such as edu ...

are men over 40. Another factor that has contributed to its success is the recent publication of books on Jeong's life. The history books led another broadcaster MBC to also plan a drama about the pivotal scholar. However, the success of KBS's program has caused MBC to postpone its plans indefinitely. In addition, KBS worked to create synergy with its history talk show, ''The Day, History Journal'', which runs at 10:30 p.m. on Sundays, right after ''Jeong Do-jeon'' finishes. Since the drama's first episode, the history talk show has dealt with Jeong, the fall of Goryeo and the rise of Joseon over three consecutive episodes. The history talk show invites not just historians as panel members, but also poets, film directors and pop culture critics.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * *{{hancinema drama, Jeong_Do-jeon, Jeong Do-jeon 2014 South Korean television series debuts 2014 South Korean television series endings Korean Broadcasting System television dramas Korean-language television shows Television series by KBS Media Television series set in the Joseon dynasty Television series set in Goryeo South Korean historical television series Television series set in the 14th century Television shows set in Seoul Television shows set in Kaesong Television shows set in South Hamgyong Province