''The Reputable Family'' (; lit. "Noble Household") is a 2010 South Korean television series starring
Cha In-pyo
Cha In-pyo (; born October 14, 1967) is a South Korean actor and director.
Early life
Cha graduated from Rutgers University in the U.S. with a degree in economics. His father ran a shipping company and had intended for Cha to take over the f ...
,
Han Go-eun
Han Go-eun (; born March 10, 1975) is a South Korean actress.
Career
Han Go-eun won the Super Elite Model Contest in 1995, and after several years of modeling, she began acting full-time in 1998. That year, she made her acting debut in the film ...
,
Kim Sung-min, and Lee Hee-do. 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 1 to February 21, 2010, on Saturdays and Sundays at 21:40 for 16 episodes.
The historical drama revolves around the Choi (or Choe) family, a famous clan based in
Gyeongju
Gyeongju ( ko, 경주, ), historically known as ''Seorabeol'' ( ko, 서라벌, ), is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province in South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, ...
,
North Gyeongsang Province
North Gyeongsang Province ( ko, 경상북도, translit=Gyeongsangbuk-do, ) is a province in eastern South Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Gyeongsang province, and remained a province of Korea until the ...
. After the death of the head of their family, Choi Jin-lip during the
second Manchu invasion of Korea
The Qing invasion of Joseon (Korean: Byeongja Horan) occurred in the winter of 1636 when the newly-established Qing dynasty invaded the Joseon dynasty, establishing the former's status as the hegemon in the Imperial Chinese Tributary System and ...
(which ended in humiliating defeat for 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 ...
), his grandson Guk-seon vows to reclaim the honor of his clan. The Choi family must overcome obstacles and hardships both in their hometown Gyeongju, and in 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 ...
).
Many of the scenes were filmed at the
Korean Folk Village
Minsok village (Korean Folk Village) is a living museum type of tourist attraction in the city of Yongin, a satellite city in the Seoul Metropolitan Area in the province of Gyeonggi in South Korea. It was first opened on October 3, 1974 (ground ...
in Seoul. The series failed to attract many viewers, receiving an average rating of 10.9%. But it was recognized as a well-made
drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...
among critics.
Synopsis
In 1636, at a time of war, Choi Jin-lip donates his fortune to a crowd of
refugee
A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution. s out of generosity when they flood into his quiet village. Choi Guk-seon is unhappy with his grandfather being too generous with poor people. Before leaving for Gyeongju, Jin-lip leaves his grandson a word of great significance, saying "People are the most valuable asset in the world."
But the world that Guk-seon knew begins to change around him. Won-il's father, Kim Ja-chun buys the land Choi Jin-lip gave to his slaves for free. A group of refugees led by Gil-man takes a commission from Ja-chun. After witnessing all the changes, Guk-seon comes to realize what his grandfather tried to say. Guk-seon leaves for Hanyang to stand on his own feet. Upon Yu Hyeong-won's advice Guk-seon borrows money to start his reclamation work on wastelands in Gyeongju. He gathers villagers and introduces
performance-related pay Performance-related pay or pay for performance, not to be confused with performance-related pay rise, is a salary or wages paid system based on positioning the individual, or team, on their pay band according to how well they perform. Car salesmen o ...
which results in a huge success. Kim Ja-chun and Won-il start to get nervous about Guk-seon's success.
Cast
*
Cha In-pyo
Cha In-pyo (; born October 14, 1967) is a South Korean actor and director.
Early life
Cha graduated from Rutgers University in the U.S. with a degree in economics. His father ran a shipping company and had intended for Cha to take over the f ...
as Choi Guk-seon
**
Yeo Jin-goo
Yeo Jin-goo (, born August 13, 1997) is a South Korean actor. Yeo began his career as a child actor, debuting in the film ''Sad Movie'' (2005). Nicknamed " Nation's Little Brother", he went on to play the younger characters of the lead roles in ...
as young Guk-seon
*
Han Go-eun
Han Go-eun (; born March 10, 1975) is a South Korean actress.
Career
Han Go-eun won the Super Elite Model Contest in 1995, and after several years of modeling, she began acting full-time in 1998. That year, she made her acting debut in the film ...
as Han Dan-yi
**
Moon Ga-young
Moon Ga-young (; born July 10, 1996) is a German-born South Korean actress. She is best known for her roles in ''Heartstrings'' (2011), ''EXO Next Door'' (2015), '' Tempted'' (2018), ''Welcome to Waikiki 2'' (2019), ''Find Me in Your Memory'' ...
as young Dan-yi
*
Kim Sung-min as Kim Won-il
**
Noh Young-hak
Noh Young-Hak (born April 1, 1993) is a South Korean actor.
Filmography
Television series
Films
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Noh, Young-hak
1993 births
Living people
Male actors f ...
as young Won-il
* Lee Hee-do as Kim Ja-chun (Won-il's father)
*
Jung Dong-hwan
Jung Dong-hwan (born August 5, 1949) is a South Korean actor. Jung began his career in theater, then was most active in Korean cinema in the 1980s, with leading roles in ''Late Autumn'' (1982), ''Jung-kwang's Nonsense'' (1986), and ''A Top Knot ...
as Jang Gil-taek
* Kim Myung-soo as Kim Soo-man
*
Kim Yeong-cheol as Choi Jin-lip
*
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 Choi Dong-ryang (Guk-seon's father)
* Go Jung-min as Lady Jung
* Ahn Jung-hoon as adult Ban-dol
* Jung Han-hun as Shim Won-gyo
* Lee Han-soo as Sang-nam
*
Choi Jong-won
Choi Jong-won (born January 27, 1950) is a South Korean actor and politician. Choi began his acting career in theater, then made his screen debut in 1978 and became known as a veteran actor of stage, film and television of over forty years. He w ...
as Choi Won-young
* Ahn Hae-sook as Dong-ryang's wife
* Kim Sun-hwa as Ja-chun's wife
* Jang Soon-gook as Ok-dong
* Kim Duk-hyun as Lee Seo-bang
* Kim Hye-jung as woman from Yeongsan
* Choi Woo-suk as Sang-baek
Historical basis
The Choi family of
Gyeongju
Gyeongju ( ko, 경주, ), historically known as ''Seorabeol'' ( ko, 서라벌, ), is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province in South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, ...
was first known for their admirable ancestor Choi Chi-won, a genius scholar from the
Silla
Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms of K ...
Kingdom. The family's fame increased when general Choi Jin-lip became a war hero during the
second Manchu invasion of Korea
The Qing invasion of Joseon (Korean: Byeongja Horan) occurred in the winter of 1636 when the newly-established Qing dynasty invaded the Joseon dynasty, establishing the former's status as the hegemon in the Imperial Chinese Tributary System and ...
in the 17th century.
But it was the time of Choi Guk-seon, the 19th generation descendant of Choi Chi-won, when the family earned nationwide respect. Succeeding his father Choi Dong-ryang, who accumulated wealth through land development, Choi Guk-seon was able to join the ranks of rich people who owned fields yielding ten thousand ''seok'' of rice, thanks to his diligent efforts and thriftiness. After that, however, Choi no longer sought to increase his fortune, and instead gained a reputation for
philanthropy
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...
.
In 1671, the third year of
King Hyeonjong's reign, the nation was plagued by severe crop failure. Choi installed a large cauldron in his yard and opened a storehouse. He said, "What's the use of making a fortune, while people are starving to death out there? Boil rice
porridge
Porridge is a food made by heating or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants, typically grain, in milk or water. It is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, (dried) fruit or syrup to make a sweet cereal, ...
in the cauldron and let starving people eat it. Make clothes for those who were poorly dressed." From that day on, porridge was boiled in the cauldron every day, with starving people from near and far flocking to the Choi's house.
Even in the years of poor harvest, when tens of thousands of people died of hunger per year, people in Gyeonggju survived as long as they visited the wealthy Choi family. Based on his values in life, Choi created "six principles" as the family
code of conduct
A code of conduct is a set of rules outlining the norms, rules, and responsibilities or proper practices of an individual party or an organization.
Companies' codes of conduct
A company code of conduct is a set of rules which is commonly writt ...
:
# Do not take up a government post higher than ''jinsa'' (someone who passed the primary state exam only).
# Do not pile up a fortune larger than ten-thousand ''seok'' of rice. If the property exceeds that amount, return the remainder to society.
# Never purchase land from farmers during a year of bad harvest.
# Treat passers-by well.
# Daughters-in-law must wear cotton in the first three years of marriage.
# Let no one within your sphere starve to death.
The tenets were to encourage the family to be humble enough to live with neighbors in harmony and to take care of needy people, rather than pursuing high government posts for family reputation or individual glory.
On the eve of his death, Choi Guk-seon ordered his son to bring all due bills specifying debts to be collected. He decided to return real estate-related documents to their original owners and burn
IOU
An IOU (Abbreviation, abbreviated from the phrase "I owe you") is usually an informal document acknowledging debt. An IOU differs from a promissory note in that an IOU is not a negotiable instrument and does not specify repayment terms such as th ...
s for money. As Choi's last wish became generally known, people lined up in front of his house hoping to be
tenant farmer
A tenant farmer is a person (farmer or farmworker) who resides on land owned by a landlord. Tenant farming is an agricultural production system in which landowners contribute their land and often a measure of operating capital and management, ...
s on Choi's land. The farmers were eager to work, resulting in high productivity. Of 3,000 ''seok'' of rice the Choi family produced each year, the family spent 1,000 ''seok'' for passers-by and distributed another 1,000 ''seok'' to neighbors in need. Even so, the family was able to accumulate wealth over 12 generations for some 300 years.
However, the family's fame as the privileged rich class ended in the 20th century. The last member of the rich Choi family was Choi Joon, who used up all the family property. He took bank loans, keeping his farmland as
collateral
Collateral may refer to:
Business and finance
* Collateral (finance), a borrower's pledge of specific property to a lender, to secure repayment of a loan
* Marketing collateral, in marketing and sales
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Collate ...
, to provide funds for
independence activists
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
during the
Japanese colonial period. Choi Joon set up a store as a means of helping fund the interim government in Shanghai. In ten years, his debt snowballed to , worth 30-thousand ''seok'' of rice. Learning about that fact, Japan
torture
Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts c ...
d him severely but he never gave up on his will. After Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule, he poured all the remaining properties into the establishment of universities. As a result, he had no money or farmland to pass down to his children. Still, the Choi family descendants are proud of their heritage, and their philanthropy is remembered in Korea to the present day.
Notes
This is the first of the "
noblesse oblige
''Noblesse oblige'' (; ; literally “nobility obliges”) is a French expression from a time when French (more specifically, Anglo-Norman) was the language of the English nobility, and retains in English the meaning that nobility extends beyo ...
" series produced by
KBS in 2010, followed by ''
The Great Merchant
''The Great Merchant'' (; lit. ''Merchant Kim Man-deok'') is a 2010 South Korean historical drama starring Lee Mi-yeon, Han Jae-suk, Park Sol-mi, Ha Seok-jin, and Go Doo-shim. It aired on KBS1 from March 6 to June 13, 2010 on Saturdays and Sunday ...
'' and ''
Freedom Fighter, Lee Hoe-young
''Freedom Fighter, Lee Hoe-young'' () is a 2010 South Korean historical television series, starring Jung Dong-hwan, Ahn Jae-mo, Lee Ah-yi, Hong Il-kwon and Kwon Oh-joong. Based on the life of Korean independence fighter Lee Hoe-yeong, the drama w ...
''.
References
External links
''The Reputable Family'' official KBS website
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reputable Family, The
Korean-language television shows
2010 South Korean television series debuts
Korean Broadcasting System television dramas
2010 South Korean television series endings
Television series set in the Joseon dynasty
South Korean historical television series