''Joseon X-Files'' () is a 2010

South Korean television series Korean dramas (; RR: ''Han-guk deurama''), more popularly known as K-dramas, are television series in the Korean language, made in South Korea. They are popular worldwide, especially in Asia, partially due to the spread of Korean popular cultu ...

starring Kim Ji-hoon,

Im Jung-eun Im Jung-eun (; born March 31, 1981) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her roles in '' Unsolved'' (also known as ''Secret Investigation Record'') and ''Man from the Equator''. Television series Films * ''Rainbow Goddess'' (2020 ...

, Kim Kap-soo and Jo Hee-bong. It aired on

tvN TVN may refer to: * TVN (Australian TV channel), a former horse racing channel * Televisión Nacional de Chile, a public broadcaster * TVN (Indonesia), a former television station; predecessor of Rajawali Televisi * TVN (Norway), or TVNorge, a comm ...

from August 20 to October 29, 2010, on Fridays at 24:00 for 12 episodes. The

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romance film, romances, adventure f ...

is based on cases detailed in the

Annals of the Joseon Dynasty The ''Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty'' (also known as the ''Annals of the Joseon Dynasty'' or the ''True Record of the Joseon Dynasty''; ko, 조선왕조실록 and ) are the annual records of Joseon, the last royal house to rule K ...

while incorporating mysterious and supernatural elements. The original Korean title's literal translation is ''Secret Investigation Records'', and the series is also known as ''Joseon X-Files: Secret Book'' ().

Plot

Mysterious incidents are recorded in the

that cannot be explained through science. In this

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 ...

-era alternate history, Kim Hyung-do ( Kim Ji-hoon) is an inspector with a strong focus on investigating into administrative misdeeds. This brings him into direct contact with a secret organization within the government. Dealing with strange, paranormal and possibly alien phenomena, the duty of this organization is to keep everything under control, leaving only secret records. Occurring during the reign of

King Gwanghae Gwanghae-gun or Prince Gwanghae (4 June 1575 – 7 August 1641), personal name Yi Hon (Hangul: 이혼, Hanja: 李琿), was the 15th ruler of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. As he was deposed in a coup d'état, he did not receive a temple name. ...

, the episodes make various allusions to the political turmoils of the period. These individual stories are: :E01–02: The Secret Light (Parts 1 & 2) :E03: The Curse of Shilla's Gold :E04: Behind Those Crimson Eyes :E05: The Sealed Tale :E06: Ghosts at Yi Du's House :E07: The Four Dimensions Village :E08: The Immortal Prophet :E09: Attack of the Changgwi :E10: Return to Dragon Palace :E11-E12: The Rebirth of the Dubak God (Parts 1 & 2) In these various contexts, investigator Kim Hyung-do avoids superstition and searches for realistic explanations while investigator Heo Yoon-yi (

) is more open to supernatural possibilities, including secrets of her own. The finale doesn't explain everything. Kim Hyung-do's last reply to Heo Yoon-yi is only "I know who you are".

Cast

Main

* Kim Ji-hoon as Kim Hyung-do, inspector of the

Saheonbu Saheonbu ( ko, 사헌부; Hanja: , ) administered inspections during Goryeo and Joseon dynasty in Korea. The organ inspected Hanyang, the capital, and periphery. It has several nicknames. It was also responsible for licensing officials, impeachmen ...

, senior 6th rank. *

as Heo Yoon-yi, bookshop owner, the other inquirer. * Jo Hee-bong as Jang Man, adjutant of Kim Hyung-do. * Kim Kap-soo as Ji Seung, one of the six Royal Secretaries, 3rd senior rank. Head of the inquirers.

Cameos

83 other actors are named in the hard-subbed credits. Among them:Han Cinema, op.cit. *Noh Young-guk as Yi Hyeong-wuk, revoked governor of the Gangwon Province, former teacher of Kim Hyung-do (E01–02). *Jo Jung-eun as Suk-mi, daughter of the magistrate and lover of the cursed boy (E04) *Yun Jong-hwa as Oh Gyeong-wun, son of Baek-yi, writer of prophetic stories (E05) *

Jo An Jo Kyung-jin (born November 14, 1982), known professionally as Jo An, is a South Korean actress. She is best known for the films ''Lifting King Kong'' (2009) and ''My Little Hero'' (2013), as well as the family drama '' Jolly Widows'' (2009) an ...

as Bu-ok, the gisaeng from a previous life (E05) *

Jeon So-min Jeon So-min (; born April 7, 1986) is a South Korean actress, model and author. Jeon made her debut in 2004 with sitcom ''Miracle''. In 2006, she made her big-screen debut through the film, ''Cinderella''. Jeon played her first leading role in ...

as shaman Choi Eui-shin, avenging her father (E06) *

Kim Eung-soo Kim Eung-soo (; born February 12, 1961) is a South Korean actor. Kim lived in Japan for seven years, where he studied filmmaking at the Japan Institute of the Moving Image The , formerly known as the Yokohama Broadcasting Technical School, is a ...

as Yi Du, Chief of Royal Palace Guards (E06, E08) *Jang Dae-yoon as Lee Bang-hyeon, the mercy killer (E09) *Kim Ji-won as Ja-geun, little girl at Noryang Island (E10) *Myung Gye-nam as Eo Sun-kwon, the mayor of the island (E10) *Kim Yoon-tae as Kang Yu-seok, deceased leader of the Dubak sect (E11–12) *Go Seo-hee as Su-hee, head shaman, daughter of Kang Yu-seok (E11–12) *Choi Min as executive of the Dubak sect (E11–12)

References

External links

''Joseon X-Files'' official tvN website
* *{{IMDb title, 2146531 Television series set in the Joseon dynasty 2010 South Korean television series debuts 2010 South Korean television series endings Alternate history television series Korean-language television shows TVN (South Korean TV channel) television dramas Fictional government investigations of the paranormal South Korean fantasy television series South Korean mystery television series South Korean science fiction television series Television series by MBC C&I