''Road No. 1'' () is a 2010 South Korean television series, starring So Ji-sub,

Kim Ha-neul Kim Ha-neul (; born February 21, 1978) is a South Korean actress. After starting her career as a model, she rose to fame by starring in romantic-comedy films ''My Tutor Friend'' (2003) and ''Too Beautiful to Lie'' (2004) and the action-comedy f ...

and

Yoon Kye-sang Yoon Kye-sang (; born December 20, 1978) is a South Korean actor and singer. He began his career in 1999 as part of the K-pop boy band g.o.d, then left the group in 2004 and pursued an acting career. He made his acting debut in the film '' Fly ...

. The story revolves around two young soldiers, the woman they both love, and the

Korean war , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

that tears all their lives apart. The

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 b ...

's title, Road No. 1, refers to the route connecting

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 of ...

Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populat ...

, the soldiers' long and brutal road of sacrifice and survival. It aired on MBC from July 23 to August 26, 2010 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 20 episodes.

Plot

Lee Jang-woo ( So Ji-sub) would do anything for his childhood sweetheart Soo-yeon (

). When Soo-yeon's family falls on hard times, he joins the army in order to earn money to pay for her tuition. While Jang-woo is on his tour of duty, Soo-yeon studies hard and spends her time helping injured soldiers as a doctor. She patiently awaits Jang-woo's return, but one day receives word that he has died in combat. Fate brings another man into her life: Shin Tae-ho, a handsome and generous officer who graduated from the army academy at the top of his class. Though she can't forget Jang-woo, Soo-yeon finally decides to leave the past behind her and marry Tae-ho. On the eve of their wedding, Jang-woo suddenly appears again, revealing that the death notice had been a mistake. He had, in fact, been counting the days until he can return home and reunite with his lover. The next morning - June 25, 1950 - the North Korean army invades South Korea, marking the start of the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. With their lives and love already in turmoil, both Jang-woo and Tae-ho are sent north to the battlefield.

Cast

* So Ji-sub as Lee Jang-woo *

as Kim Soo-yeon *

as Shin Tae-ho *

Choi Min-soo Choi Min-soo (born March 27, 1962) is a South Korean actor. He is known as one of the most acclaimed actors in South Korea. Life and career Choi's family has been active in acting, and singing. Choi is the son of Choi Moo-ryong, a popular acto ...

as Yoon Sam-soo, Commander of the 2nd Company *

Son Chang-min Son Chang-min (; born April 24, 1965) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Television * ''Vengeance of the Bride'' (태풍의 신부/ 2022) *''Rookie Cops'' (너와 나의 경찰수업 / 2022) *''My Sassy Girl'' (엽기적인 그녀/ 2017) ...

as Oh Jong-ki * Kim Jin-woo as Kim Soo-hyuk *

Nam Bo-ra Nam Bo-ra (; born November 27, 1989) is a South Korean actress. She appeared in '' Sunny'', ''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 K ...

as Kim Soo-hee * Julien Kang as U.S. Marine Corps Platoon Leader * Kim Ye-ri as Jo In-sook

Supporting cast

Jin Seon-kyu Jin Seon-kyu (born September 13, 1977) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles on the big screen, such as '' The Outlaws'' (2017) and ''Extreme Job'' (2019). He won Best Supporting Actor award at the 38th Blue Dragon Film Awards ...

as Go Man-yong *Lee Kwan-hoon as Kwon Jin-chul *Kim Dong-gon as Kim Duk-shil *Kim Jung-woon as Kim Byung-goo *Park Kwan-shik as Kim Bok-soo *Han Gook-jin as Kim Sang-gook *Cha Hyun-woo as Ma Chang-kil *Min Bok-gi as Park Dal-moon *Oh Dae-hwan as Park Moon-ho *Shin Dam-soo as Lee Geun-bae *Kim Dong-hyun as Jang Doo-shik *Lee Jin-sung as Jo In-kye *

Park Byung-eun Park Byung-eun (born 14 July 1977) is a South Korean actor. Personal life Park majored in drama at Chung-Ang University. Park was set to debut with 90s South Korean boy group Taesaja in 1997, but gave up due to him feeling that he cannot sing ...

as Han Young-min *

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 Heo Chan-shik *

Song Jae-hee Song Jae-hee (born December 11, 1979) is a South Korean actor. Personal life In August 2022, Song announced that his wife was pregnant with their first child. His wife gave birth to a daughter on January 20, 2023. Filmography Film Televisio ...

as Yang Kang-tae *Kim Gun as Lee Joo-hwan *Jo Wan-ki as Park Hong-ki *Kim Soo-hwan as Woo Bum-jin *Noh Hyung-ok as Young-soo *Yoo Jung-ho as Byun Dae-young *

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 Soo-yeon *Jung Seung-won as trumpeter *Jang Min-ho as older Jang-woo * Choi Bool-am as older Tae-ho * Shin Hyun-joon as North Korean commissioned officer Jo Sang-wi (cameo) *

Lee Chun-hee Lee Chun-hee (born February 19, 1979) is a South Korean actor. Career Lee Chun-hee made his acting debut in the movie '' A Good Lawyer's Wife'' in 2003 and has since starred in several big screen roles such as '' The Aggressives'' (2005), ''Thr ...

as soldier in the Youngchongyo bombing (cameo) * Jung Kyung-ho as man who picks up garbage to sell (cameo) *

Hwang Bo-ra Hwang Bo-ra (born October 2, 1983) is a South Korean actress. Hwang made her acting debut in 2003 and became popular after she played a quirky-looking "cup noodle girl" in a ramyeon commercial. In 2007, Hwang played the daughter/narrator in bla ...

as girl from Jong-ki's hometown (cameo) *

Oh Man-seok Oh Man-seok (born January 30, 1975) is a South Korean actor. Best known for playing the titular transgender singer in rock musical '' Hedwig and the Angry Inch'', Oh's acting career spans theater, television and film. Career Theater beginnings ...

as North Korean soldier (cameo) *

Moon Chae-won Moon Chae-won (; born November 13, 1986) is a South Korean actress. Moon first attracted attention in 2008 in her supporting role as a gisaeng in '' Painter of the Wind''. She was next cast in ''Brilliant Legacy'', one of the top-rated Korean d ...

as female soldier taking care of older Jang-woo (cameo) *

Kim Yeo-jin Kim Yeo-jin (born June 24, 1972) is a South Korean actress and activist. Kim made her acting debut in the stage play ''What Do Women Live For'' in 1995, and has since remained active in film and television, drawing praise for her supporting role ...

as wife of soldier in squad 2 (cameo) *Jung So-young as (cameo)

Soundtrack

# Even Becoming the Wild -

Hwanhee Hwang Yoon-seok ( ko, 황윤석, born January 17, 1982), better known as Hwanhee ( ko, 환희), is a South Korean singer, actor and a member of South Korean R&B duo Fly to the Sky. Career Hwanhee graduated from Gwang Moon High School before hi ...

# Even If the World Separates Us -

Wheesung Choi Whee-sung (; born February 5, 1982), known professionally as Wheesung or by the stage name Realslow, is a South Korean R&B singer, record producer, and musical theatre actor. Career 1982: Early life and education Wheesung was born on ...

# Because I'm a Woman - IU # Same Heart -

Baek Ji-young Baek Ji-young (; born March 25, 1976), also known as Baek Z Young, is a South Korean singer. She made her debut in 1999, with the release of her album ''Sorrow''. Over her career she has released eight studio albums and won awards for Best Fem ...

# Idly - Naomi # Only You - Kim Jin-woo # The Sound of Memory - So Ji-sub # Youngchonmyeon - Kim Hyo-soo # Call of Korean (Inst.) - Hwang Sang-jun # Action No. 1 (Inst.) - Ryu Hyung-wook # A Flower On the Ruins (Inst.) - Noh Hyung-woo # Victory (Inst.) - Hwang Sang-jun # Battlefield (Inst.) - Noh Hyung-woo # Jang-woo's Theme (Inst.) - Hwang Sang-jun # Who Wanted This War? (Inst.) - Ryu Hyung-wook # Requiem (Inst.) - Hwang Sang-jun # Even Becoming the Wild (Guitar Version) -

# Even If the World Separates Us (Piano Version) -

# Because I'm a Woman (Piano Version) - IU # Same Heart (Humming Version) -

Special Bonus: #Call of Korean (TV Version) - Various Artists

Production

This was So Ji-sub and

's first acting collaboration after they were paired in a commercial shoot for fashion brand Storm in 1997. It was also Kim and

's onscreen reunion following the 2008 film '' Lovers of Six Years''. In preparation for their roles, the lead actors underwent military training with Korea's Fifth Division Army.

Reception

Expectations were high for the big-budget war epic, and it was sold to Japan before it premiered in Korea. But the series did not achieve high ratings, averaging 6% for its run.

Ratings

*In the ratings below, the highest rating for the show will be in and the lowest rating for the show will be in .

References

External links

*
''Road No. 1''
at MBC Global Media * * {{Kim Jin-min 2010 South Korean television series debuts 2010 South Korean television series endings MBC TV television dramas Korean-language television shows South Korean action television series South Korean romance television series South Korean military television series Television series by Logos Film