''Dong Yi'' () is a 2010 South Korean

historical television series History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

starring

Han Hyo-joo Han Hyo-joo (Korean: 한효주; born February 22, 1987) is a South Korean film and television actress, model and singer. She is best known for her leading roles in television series such as ''Heaven & Earth'' (2007), ''Iljimae'' (2008), '' Brill ...

in the

title role The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piece. The title of ...

, along with Ji Jin-hee, Lee So-yeon and

Bae Soo-bin Bae Soo-bin (born Yoon Tae-wook on December 9, 1976), is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in the television dramas ''Brilliant Legacy'', ''Temptation of an Angel'', ''49 Days'', and '' Dong Yi''. He also starred in the films ...

. The series centers on the love story between King Sukjong and Choe Suk-bin. It aired from 22 March to 12 October 2010 on MBC TV's Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 time slot for 60 episodes. ''Dong Yi'' was a hit across Asia and recorded the highest ratings for Korean dramas on Japanese network

NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestr ...

. It also recorded solid viewership ratings in the mid-20% to 30% range in South Korea, and Han won acting awards for her performance including Daesang (Grand Prize) at the

MBC Drama Awards The MBC Drama Awards () is an awards ceremony presented by Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) for outstanding achievements in Korean dramas aired on its network. It is held annually in December. Unlike its counterparts in KBS and SBS, MB ...

Plot

Childhood

Set during the reign of King Sukjong in 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 r ...

, the series is based on real-life historical figure Choe Suk-bin. Dong-yi's father and brother are members of the Sword Fraternity, which is wrongfully accused of murdering noblemen. She hides her identity and enters the palace as a servant for the Bureau of Music, determined to reveal her family's innocence and find the true orchestrators of the noblemen's deaths.

As a court lady inspector

Dong-yi rises from the humble position of a servant to a court lady inspector through her shrewd investigative skills and relentless drive for justice. The court is split between the Westerners faction (backed by the

Queen Dowager A queen dowager or dowager queen (compare: princess dowager or dowager princess) is a title or status generally held by the widow of a king. In the case of the widow of an emperor, the title of empress dowager is used. Its full meaning is clear ...

and

Queen Min Empress Myeongseong or Empress Myungsung (명성황후 민씨; 17 November 1851 – 8 October 1895In lunar calendar, the Empress was born on 25 September 1851 and died on 20 August 1895), informally known as Empress Min, was the official wife ...

) and the Southerners faction (backed by the King's favored concubine, Jang Ok-jeong). Unaware of his true identity, Dong-yi befriends the King and becomes his trusted confidante. Originally, Dong-yi admires Ok-jeong on the basis that both are clever, ambitious women from the common classes. However, she is horrified to realize that Jang Ok-jeong and her brother, Jang Hee-jae, are poisoning the Queen Dowager for refusing to acknowledge Ok-jeong as a royal concubine. They also frame the innocent Queen Min for the Queen Dowager's death with false proof. Queen Min is stripped of her title and exiled to the countryside. Jang Ok-jeong takes her place as the Queen, and her son, Yi Yun, is declared Crown Prince. The Southerners are more powerful than ever. Dong-yi vows to find the evidence that proves the Deposed Queen's innocence and bring her back into the palace. While investigating the Royal Treasury, Dong-yi discovers proof that Jang Hee-jae bribed officials and apothecaries to frame Queen Min. Before she can bring this evidence to the King, Dong-yi is gravely injured by Jang Hee-jae's assassins. She hides in a distant province as she recuperates her health. There, she discovers that Jang Hee-jae is involved in a conspiracy with the

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

envoys: in exchange for the Emperor's approval of Crown Prince Yun, Hee-jae will give them military records of the Joseon border. Dong-yi escapes Hee-jae and returns to the capital with proof that he planned to expose matters of state interest to a foreign government. The King is overjoyed to see her again, and he realizes that he is in love with her.

As royal consort

Despite her commoner status, Dong-yi is brought into the court as the King's concubine. Through her new position, she exposes that Queen Jang, her brother and the Southerners faction had contrived to sell state secrets to the Qing envoys to strengthen the position of Crown Prince Yun. Jang Hee-jae and the majority of the Southerners are stripped of their courtly titles and exiled. Ok-jeong should also be exiled; however, as the mother of the Crown Prince, she is merely demoted to her previous rank of concubine of the first class (Hui-bin). Lady Min is declared innocent and returns to the inner court as Queen. Dong-yi is highly favored by the Queen for proving her innocence and convincing the King to reinstate her to her former position. She declared Dong-yi a concubine of the fourth junior rank and an official member of the royal family. Dong-yi gives birth to the King's second son, Prince Yeongsu, who unfortunately dies of smallpox a few months later.

The new Sword Guild and the past exposed

The Sword Fraternity is resurrected. Unlike their former iteration, they are violent and murder nobles who are involved in corruption and cause the commoners to suffer. Dong-yi fears that her identity as a traitor's daughter will be exposed, and she decides to investigate. She learns that the leader of the fraternity is her old childhood friend, Gae-dwo-ra. She realizes that Lord Oh Tae-suk had murdered his fellow Southerners in order to consolidate power and had blamed the Sword Fraternity, resulting in the death of her father and brother. Jang Mu-yeol, a Southerner police chief, realizes the unusual connection between Dong-yi and the Sword Fraternity, and uses it to supplant Oh Tae-suk as the head of the Southerners faction and remove Hui-bin's enemy, Dong-yi. He murders Oh Tae-suk and blames the Sword Fraternity for his death, and traps Dong-yi into trying to help the injured Gae-dwo-ra. The King and the court realize Dong-yi's true past and identity. She is charged with being a traitor's daughter, hiding her identity, and helping a rebel group. The Southerners petition to have her executed, but the King merely exiles her from the palace.

In exile

The King is heartbroken by his separation from Dong-yi. Despite being forbidden to do so, he goes to her residence and spends the night with her. She gives birth to her second child, Yi Geum. The six-year-old Geum is bright and intelligent, but he longs to meet his father. On an undercover outing, the King recognizes Geum as his son and befriends him, posing as an administrative officer. Hui-bin learns about the King's secret meetings with Yi Geum and his lingering affection for Dong-yi. Her mother hires assassins to burn Dong-yi's residence in order to kill her and her son. The royal guards, who were instructed to watch over the residence, rescue both mother and son from the fire. The King has been waiting to bring Dong-yi and her son to court. When Geum turns seven, he is required to receive royal education. However, the King uses the failed assassination attempt on the pair's lives as a pretext to bring both into the palace early.

Return to the palace

Many members of the court seek to promote Geum (now titled Prince Yeoning) as Crown Prince, replacing Hui-bin's son. Queen Min, who has no children of her own, adores him and supports his claim. However, she suddenly dies of an illness. Rumors spread throughout the palace that Crown Prince Yun is infertile due to an undisclosed condition. If so, Prince Yeoning would be the natural alternative to be the King's heir. Hui-bin's supporters begin to abandon her and the Crown Prince in favor of Dong-yi and her son. Desperate to retain her son's position, Hui-bin attempts to assassinate Dong-yi and Yeoning. Dong-yi is injured, but the prince is unharmed. The King executes Hui-bin for using black magic to kill the Queen, hiding Crown Prince Yun's infertility, and attempting to kill Dong-yi and Prince Yeoning. Before her execution, Hui-bin acknowledges her wrongs and begs Dong-yi to protect the Crown Prince. The king offers for Dong-yi to become Queen and Geum to become the Crown Prince. However, Dong-yi refuses. She cites all the chaos Hui-bin has caused in court, and she asks the King to create a law preventing concubines from becoming Queen in hopes that similar power struggles do not occur. The King agrees and appoints Lady Kim as Queen. The King knows that Crown Prince Yun will always regard his half-brother Prince Yeoning as a threat. For both to survive, both must become Kings. Because the Crown Prince is infertile, he will rule first after the King; Geum will follow him. Because Geum has a commoner mother, the King knows that the courtiers will not respect his position, so he decides to abdicate so that Yi Yun would become King and Yi Geum will be cemented as the Crown Prince. However, Queen Kim adopts Yeoning, giving him royal protection and ensuring that he will follow Crown Prince Yun to the throne after his death. Dong-yi decides to leave the palace so that she can help the poor commoners.

A new King

Dong-yi's son later becomes the 21st monarch of Joseon,

King Yeongjo Yeongjo of Joseon (31 October 1694 – 22 April 1776), personal name Yi Geum (Korean: 이금, Hanja: 李昑), was the 21st monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He was the second son of King Sukjong, by his concubine Royal Noble Consort Suk ...

, the father of

Crown Prince Sado Crown Prince Sado (Hangul: 사도세자, Hanja: 思悼世子; 13 February 1735 – 12 July 1762), personal name Yi Seon (Hangul: 이선, Hanja: 李愃), was the second son of King Yeongjo of Joseon. His biological mother was Royal Noble ...

and grandfather of Yi San.

Cast

Main

as Choe Dong-yi, Royal Noble Consort Suk **

Kim Yoo-jung Kim Yoo-jung (; born September 22, 1999) is a South Korean actress. She debuted as a model for a confectionery brand at the age of four. After her acting debut in 2003, she became one of the best known child actresses in Korea since then, aft ...

as young Choe Dong-yi * Ji Jin-hee as King Sukjong * Lee So-yeon as Jang Ok-jeong, Royal Noble Consort Hui *

as Cha Chun-soo *

Park Ha-sun A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. N ...

* Jung Jin-young as Seo Young-gi

Supporting

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 Oh Tae-suk *

Lee Kye-in Lee Kye-in (born May 16, 1952) is a South Korean actor. Among his notable television series are ''Chief Inspector'' (1972-1989), ''Country Diaries'' (1980-2002), '' Emperor Wang Gun'' (2000-2002), and ''Jumong Chumo (Hangul: 추모, Hanja: ...

as Oh Tae-poong *

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 ...

as Oh Yoon *

Kim Yu-seok Kim Yu-seok (born 22 September 1966) is a South Korean actor. He starred in the films ''The Power of Kangwon Province'' (1998), ''The Isle'' (2000), ''Possible Changes'' (2005), ''Long and Winding Road'' (2006), and ''Family Matters'' (2006), a ...

as Jang Hee-jae *Son Il-kwon as Hong Tae-yoon *Shin Guk as Royal Secretary *Na Sung-kyoon as Jung In-gook *Kim Dong-yoon as Shim Woon-taek * Park Jung-soo as Queen Dowager Hyeonryeol *

Kim Hyeseon Kim Hyeseon (born September 28, 1969) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her leading role in the television drama ''First Wives' Club'' (2007–2008). Career Kim Hyeseon began modeling when she was in middle school. While att ...

as Court Lady Jung *Kim So-yi as Court Lady Bong *Ahn Yeo-jin as Court Lady Jo *Lim Sung-min as Court Lady Yoo * Jeong Yu-mi as Jung-eum *Kang Yoo-mi as Ae-jong *Oh Eun-ho as Shi-bi *

Han Da-min Han Da-min (born Ham Mi-na on November 1, 1983) is a South Korean actress. She starred in the television drama ''You're Only Mine ''You're Only Mine'' () is a 2014 South Korean morning soap opera broadcast by SBS starring Lee Min-young, ...

as Eun-geum *Choi Ha-na as Mi-ji *Lee Jung-hoon as Lee Jong-ok *Choi Jae-ho as Park Do-soo *Yeo Ho-min as Oh Ho-yang *Lee Hee-do as Hwang Joo-shik *

Lee Kwang-soo Lee Kwang-soo (, born July 14, 1985) is a South Korean actor, entertainer, and model. He made his acting debut in the sitcom ''Here He Comes'' (2008) and received further recognition for his roles in medical melodrama ''It's Okay, That's Love'' ...

as Park Yeong-dal *Jung Sung-woon as Choe Dong-joo *

Jung In-gi Jung In-gi (born September 12, 1966) is a South Korean actor. Jung made his acting debut in 1990, and has remained active in mainstream and independent film as well as television, notably in ''Jury'' (2013), '' The Five'' (2013) and ''Gap-dong ...

as Kim Hwan *Jung Ki-sung as Kim Hwan's disciple *Lee Sook as Lady Park * Kim Hye-jin as Seol-hee *

Choi Ran Choi Ran (born November 30, 1960) is a South Korean actress. She made her acting debut in 1979 and became best known as a supporting actress in television dramas, notably those written by the Hong sisters Hong Jung-eun (born 1974) and Hong ...

as Lady Yun *

Yeo Hyun-soo Yeo Hyun-soo (born September 21, 1982) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Film Television series Variety show Awards References External links * * * * 1982 births Living people South Korean male film acto ...

as Gae-dwo-ra **Choi Soo-han as young Gae-dwo-ra *

Jung Eun-pyo Jung Eun-pyo (born March 27, 1966) is a South Korean actor. He is active in both stage and screen since 1990, notably in the film ''Kilimanjaro'' (for which he won Best Supporting Actor at the Grand Bell Awards) and the television dramas ''Moon ...

as Gae-dwo-ra's father *Jung Sun-il as Park Doo-kyung *Kwon Min as Cha Soo-taek *

Choi Jong-hwan Choi Jong-hwan (; born September 24, 1964) is a South Korean actor. Choi won Producer's Award for his role in ''Gyebaek'' and ''The Duo'' at the MBC Drama Awards The MBC Drama Awards () is an awards ceremony presented by Munhwa Broadcastin ...

as Jang Mu-yeol *

Lee Hyung-suk Lee Hyung-Suk (born September 9, 2000) is a South Korean actor. He began his career as a child actor The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage or in movies or television. An adult who began their a ...

as Yi Geum, Prince Yeoning **

Lee Seon-ho Lee may refer to: Name Given name * Lee (given name), a given name in English Surname * Chinese surnames romanized as Li or Lee: ** Li (surname 李) or Lee (Hanzi ), a common Chinese surname ** Li (surname 利) or Lee (Hanzi ), a Chinese s ...

*Shin Gyu-ri as Seo Hye-in, Princess Consort Dalseong **Jung Mo-rye as

Queen Jeongseong Queen Jeongseong (정성왕후 서씨; 12 January 1693 – 3 April 1757), of the Daegu Seo clan, was the first wife of King Yeongjo of Joseon and the adoptive mother of Crown Prince Sado. Biography The future queen was born on 12 January 1693 i ...

* Yoon Chan as Crown Prince Yi Yun *Heo Yi-seul as Young-sun *

Maeng Sang-hoon Maeng Sang-hoon (born October 29, 1960) is a South Korean actor from the Sinchang Maeng clan. Filmography Television series Film References External links * * * 1960 births Living people South Korean male television ...

as Kim Goo-sun *

Oh Yeon-seo Oh Yeon-seo (, born Oh Haet-nim []; June 22, 1987), is a South Korean actress, singer and model and is best known for her roles in television dramas '' My Husband Got a Family'' (2012), '' Jang Bo-ri is Here!'' (2014), ''Shine or Go Crazy'' (201 ...

as Queen Kim * Nam Da-reum as Prince Eunpyeong *

Chun Ho-jin Chun Ho-jin (born September 9, 1960) is a South Korean actor. Early life Chun studied chemistry at Inha University but dropped out to pursue acting. His father Chun Gyu-deok was among the first generation of professional wrestlers in the count ...

as Choe Hyo-won *

Lee Jae-yong Lee Jae-yong (; born 23 June 1968), known professionally in the West as Jay Y. Lee, is a South Korean business magnate and the chairman of Samsung Electronics. He is the only son of Hong Ra-hee and Lee Kun-hee, chairman of Samsung until his de ...

as Jang Ik-heon *Choi Il-hwa as Seo Jung-ho

Production

''Dong Yi'' was written by Kim Yi-young and directed by Lee Byung-hoon. Lee previously directed the hit 2003 period drama ''

Jewel in the Palace ''Dae Jang Geum'' (; literally "The Great Jang-geum"), also known as ''Jewel in the Palace'', is a 2003 South Korean historical drama television series directed by Lee Byung-hoon. It first aired on MBC from September 15, 2003 to March 23, 20 ...

''. It was filmed at

Yongin Daejanggeum Park Yongin Daejanggeum Park (; ), previously known as MBC Dramia (), is an outdoor film set owned by Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation in the city of Yongin in Gyeonggi province, South Korea. Background Built in 2005, the site comprises a total area o ...

located at Cheoin District,

Yongin Yongin () is a city in the Seoul Capital Area, the largest in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. With a population over 1 million, the city has developed rapidly since the 21st century, recording the highest population growth of any city in the cou ...

Gyeonggi Province Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Its name, ''Gyeonggi'', means "京 (the capital) and 畿 (the surrounding area)". Thus, ''Gyeonggi-do'' can be translated as "Seoul and the surrounding areas of Seoul". Seoul, the na ...

, where other historical dramas such as ''

Moon Embracing the Sun ''Moon Embracing the Sun'' (, also known as ''The Moon that Embraces the Sun'' or ''The Sun and the Moon'') is a 2012 South Korean television drama series, starring Kim Soo-hyun, Han Ga-in, Jung Il-woo, and Kim Min-seo. It aired on MBC from ...

'', ''

Jumong Chumo (Hangul: 추모, Hanja: 鄒牟), posthumously Chumo the Holy (Hangul: 추모성왕, Hanja: 鄒牟聖王), was the founding monarch of the kingdom of Goguryeo, and was worshipped as a god-king by the people of Goguryeo and Goryeo. ''Chumo ...

'' and ''

Queen Seondeok Queen Seondeok of Silla ( ko, 선덕여왕 ; 595~610 – 17 February 647/January 8, Lunar Calendar) reigned as Queen Regnant of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, from 632 to 647. She was Silla's twenty-seventh ruler, and its first re ...

'' were also filmed.

Ratings

In the table below, represent the lowest ratings and represent the highest ratings.

Awards

; 2010

3rd Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * H ...

Korea Drama Awards The Korea Drama Awards () is an awards ceremony for excellence in television in South Korea. It was established in 2007, and is held annually in October in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province as the official main event of the annual Korea Drama Fes ...

* Best Actress:

* Best Supporting Actor:

* Achievement Award: Lee Byung-hoon ;

2010 MBC Drama Awards The 2010 MBC Drama Awards () is a ceremony honoring the outstanding achievement in television on the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) network for the year of 2010. It was held on December 30, 2010 and hosted by Kim Young-man and actress Lee ...

* Daesang (Grand Prize):

* Top Excellence Award, Actor: Ji Jin-hee * Excellence Award, Actress: Lee So-yeon * Best New Actress:

* Golden Acting Award, Supporting Actor:

* Best Young Actor:

* Popularity Award, Actress:

* Viewer's Favorite Drama of the Year: ''Dong Yi'' ; 2011 1st Hong Kong Cable TV Awards * Best Drama * Best Actor: Ji Jin-hee * Best Actress:

; 2011 47th

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 ...

* Best Actress (TV):

References

External links

*
''Dong Yi''
at MBC Global Media * *
''Dong Yi''
on

{{Works by AStory South Korean historical television series Television series set in the Joseon dynasty MBC TV television dramas 2010 South Korean television series debuts 2010 South Korean television series endings Korean-language television shows