Strongest Chil Woo (; also known as ''Chilwu the Mighty'') is a 2008

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

n historical drama that aired on

KBS2 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 ...

. The titular hero is similar to a

Zorro Zorro ( Spanish for 'fox') is a fictional character created in 1919 by American pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo of Los Angeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed as a dashing masked vigilante w ...

during the Joseon period. The drama served as the last project of actor

Lee Eon Lee Eon (5 February 1981 – 21 August 2008) was a South Korean actor and model. Early life and career Lee Eon was born Park Sang-min on 5 February 1981. Lee began practicing ssireum while in elementary school, going on to win gold medals at K ...

, who died on August 21, 2008, in a motorcycle accident.

Synopsis

The series starts by stating: "Rather than being a person born in chaotic times, better to be reborn as a dog in peaceful times. However, there are some people who are born as dogs in chaotic times. This is their story." The series occurs during the reign (1623–1649) of

King Injo Injo of Joseon (7 December 1595 – 17 June 1649), born Yi Jong, was the sixteenth ruler of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. He was the grandson of King Seonjo and son of Prince Jeongwon. He was the king during the Later Jin invasion of Joseon, ...

, the 16th ruler of Joseon. Injo was the son of Prince Jeongwon, who himself was the 7th son of

King Seonjo Seonjo of Joseon (26 November 1552 – 16 March 1608) was the fourteenth king of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea from 1567 to 1608. He was known for encouraging Confucianism and renovating state affairs at the beginning of his reign. However, politi ...

, the 14th ruler of Joseon with Royal Noble Consort In of the Suwon Kim clan. The 15th ruler,

King Gwanghaegun 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. ...

, was the 3rd son of Seonjo with Gongbin of the Gimhae Kim clan and therefore the Injo's uncle. In 1623, Gwanghaegun was ousted of power by a political plot from the Western faction, that puts Injo on the throne. The turmoil of the civil war was thereafter increased by the Manchu invasions of 1627 and 1636. Two events are the cornerstones of the series and are stepwise described during numerous flashbacks. Both of them were instigated by the conservative Western faction. One of them is the bloody extermination of the "Rising Sun Utopia" (Muryundang), occurring during the year of the Snake (Gisa year, 1629, Injo '6), and the other is the assassination of

Crown Prince Sohyeon Crown Prince Sohyeon (소현세자, 昭顯世子, 5 February 1612 – 21 May 1645) was the first son of King Injo of Joseon Dynasty. Sohyeon was a hostage in the Manchu court at Shenyang, by the terms of the peace treaty concluded after War ...

by his father in 1645 (Injo '22). The main action is situated circa 1648. While elements of these former plots are re-emerging from the past despite a series of murders, a group of mysterious assassins is avenging the sadness of the poor people.

Episodes

There are 20 episodes. The action is not linear, with many flash-backs. # A sister to avenge # The zealous murderer of his daughter-in-law # Random murders at Naksu Bridge # Manchu varlet takes a riding lesson # Last love song of a betrayed poetess # A thief behind an elephant at Inseong-gun # The murder of the Unggi's leader # Eight years ago # Fake maebungu, true rapists # Russian attack at Qing's border # A broken sword # Headbands from the past # Malaria # Encounter at Muryun Dang # Legacy of Crown Prince Sohyeon # The Secret Record disappears # Prince's son presentation # A cursed twist of fate # A treacherous king # Bad guys are dying, too

Cast

Main cast

Eric Mun Eric Mun (born Mun Jung-hyuk on February 16, 1979) is a South Korean rapper, songwriter and actor. He is a member and leader of the South Korean boy band Shinhwa. He is also well known for several dramas such as '' Phoenix'' (2004), ''Super R ...

as Chil-woo (칠우), sergeant at the ''

Uigeumbu Uigeumbu (in Hangul:의금부, in Hanja: 義禁府) refers to the judiciary organ during Goryeo and Joseon dynasty in Korea. Another names are Geum-o or Wangbu (The ministry of the King). The structure was in charge of questioning the case of trea ...

'' in Seoul **Choi Su-han as young Chil-woo *

Ku Hye-sun Koo Hye-sun (; born November 9, 1984) is a South Korean actress, singer-songwriter, director and artist. She gained widespread recognition in the television dramas ''Pure in Heart'' (2006), ''The King And I'' (2007), ''Boys Over Flowers'' (2009) ...

as Yun So-yun (윤소윤), government slave at ''Uigeumbu'' **Lee Han-na as young So-yun *

Yoo Ah-in Yoo may refer to: * Yoo (Korean surname), also spelled Ryu or Yu, a Korean family name * YOO, the IATA code for Oshawa Airport See also * You, a pronoun {{Disambig ...

as Heuk-san (흑산), adopted as Kim Hyuk (김혁) by Kim Ja-seon **Ku Bon-sung as young Heuk-san *

Jeon No-min Jun No-min (born Jun Jae Yong on August 28, 1966) is a South Korean actor. Among his recent roles were the villainous Hwarang warrior Seolwon in ''Queen Seondeok'', and the fictional independence fighter Damsari in '' Bridal Mask''. Filmograp ...

as Min Seung-guk (민승국), historiographer of '' Chunchugwan'' *

as Jaja (자자), former bodyguard of Crown Prince Sohyeon *

Im Ha-ryong Im Ha-ryong (born Im Han-yong on October 31, 1952) is a South Korean actor and comedian. During the 1980s and 1990s, Im was one of Korea's foremost comedians (called "gag men") alongside Shim Hyung-rae and Kim Hyung-gon. As his brand of comedy b ...

as Choi Nam-deuk (최남득), Chil-woo's adoptive father * Song Ha-yoon as Yeon-du (연두) *Jang Jun-yeong as Cheol-seok (철석)

Extended cast

* Kim Young-ok as Chil-woo's adoptive grandmother *

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 Chil-woo's adoptive mother * Im Hyuk as Chief State Councilor Kim Ja-seon (김자선) *

Choi Jung-woo Choi Jung-woo (born February 17, 1957) is a South Korean actor. He began his acting career in theater, then became active as a supporting actor in film and television, notably in the sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or sit ...

* Song Yong-tae as ''Uigeumbu'' Commissioner * Jeong Won-jung as ''Uigeumbu'' Captain * Son Kwang-eob as Lieutenant at ''Uigeumbu'' * Jeong Jin as Sergeant Sa (사 나장) *

Shin Seung-hwan Shin Seung-hwan is a South Korean actor. Filmography Film Television series Web series Television show Web shows References External links * * * Shin Seung-hwanat Daum Shin Seung-hwanat Naver Naver (Hangul: 네이버) is ...

as Sergeant Oh (오 나장) * Park Jun-seo as Sergeant Jeong (정 나장) * Nam Myung Ryul as Jin Mu-yang, birth father of Heuk-san * Park Yong-gi as Heo Won-do (허원도) *

Park Bo-young Park Bo-young (, born February 12, 1990) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her leading roles in the hit films ''Scandal Makers'' (2008), '' A Werewolf Boy'' (2012) and ''On Your Wedding Day'' (2018), and the television series '' ...

as Woo-yeong (우영), Chil-woo's younger sister * Kim Byeong-chan, Butler Song * Oh Ji-young as Han Do-yeong's mother * Cha Jae-dol as Han Do-yeong (한도영) * Kang Jae as Jo An-jung (조안중), Son of Jinsang-gun * Lee Ho Seong as Jinsang-gun * Han Ye-in as Seo Geuk-ok (서금옥), daughter of the murdered night watchman *

Woo Hyun Woo Hyun (born 1964) is a South Korean actor, and former democracy activist. Filmography Film Television series Variety show References External links * Living people People from Gwangju South Korean male television actors So ...

as Kim Mal-jung (김말중), interpreter * Park Hyo-bin as Sam-wol (삼월) * Ko Jeong-min as Ok-byong (옥봉), famous woman poet Seok Hyeong * Kim Hong-pyo as Kim Jo-hyeon (김조현) * Lee Ji-eun as Song Ju-hee (송주희) * Jeon Yeong-bin as Mak-su (막수), leader of Heuk-san's militia *

Lee Seung-hyo Lee Seung Hyo (; born 5 May 1980), is a South Korean actor. He debuted as an actor in 2006. He rose to fame as Kim Alcheon in '' Queen Seon Deok''. Biography He had military service as a sniper in Joint Security Area (JSA) from December 2000 u ...

as Boon-nyeo (분녀) * Min Ah-ryeong as Min Eun-hee (민은희), Min Seung-guk's sister * Kim Ju-yong as Yong Gol Dae (용골대), General of Qing * Son Il-kwon as Lee Chi-seo (이치서) *

Kim Kyu-chul Kim Kyu-chul (born April 6, 1960) is a South Korean actor. Kim spent more than a decade as a stage actor before he made his onscreen breakthrough in 1993 with Im Kwon-taek's '' Seopyeonje'', considered one of the classics of Korean cinema. Kim ...

as Choe Won-sik (최원식) * Nam Seong-jin as Jo Seong-du (조성두) * Yang So-min as Crown Princess Minhoe of the Gang clan, Wife of Crown Prince Sohyeon *

Lee Seung-hyung Lee Seung-hyung is a South Korean actor. He is best known as a supporting actor in television dramas, notably in ''Brilliant Legacy'' (2009) and ''Prosecutor Princess ''Prosecutor Princess'' () is a 2010 South Korean television series starring ...

as spy ''Yusaeng'' *

Moon Won-joo Moon Won-joo is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in dramas such as ''Hot Stove League'', '' Nokdu Flower'' and ''Golden Apple''. He also appeared in movies '' My Girl and I'', '' The Cut'' and ''Attack the Gas Station 2 ''At ...

as Villager * Cha Soon-bae as ''Park Geom-yeol''

Cameos

* Nam Il-wu as Kim Hong-jo (김홍조), Woo-yeong's adoptive father (episode 1~3 & 13) *

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 Kang San-ha (강산하), Chil-woo's birth father (episode 1) * Kim Ji-seok as Petitioner (episode 1) * Kang In Duk as boss Woong-gi (episode 7) * Im Ho as

(episode 13)

Ratings

Source
TNS Media Korea

References

External links

* http://www.kbs.co.kr/drama/chilwoo/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Strongest Chil Woo (Tv Series) Korean Broadcasting System television dramas 2008 South Korean television series debuts 2008 South Korean television series endings Korean-language television shows Television series set in the Joseon dynasty South Korean action television series South Korean historical television series