''Korea–Khitan War'' () is a 2023–2024 South Korean television series based on the 2018 South Korean novel ''Goryeo–Khitan War: Sweet Rain in the Winter'' by Gil Seung-soo. Produced to commemorate the 50th anniversary of KBS, the series stars

Kim Dong-jun Kim Dong-jun (born February 11, 1992), also known as just Dongjun, is a South Korean singer and actor. He debuted as member of boy group ZE:A (and later its subgroup ZE:A Five and ZE:A J). Apart from his group's activities, he has established ...

, Choi Soo-jong, and Ji Seung-hyun. It aired on

KBS2 KBS 2TV is a South Korean free-to-air Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen ...

from November 11, 2023 to March 10, 2024, every Saturday and Sunday at 21:25 ( KST). It is also available for

streaming Streaming media refers to multimedia delivered through a network for playback using a media player. Media is transferred in a ''stream'' of packets from a server to a client and is rendered in real-time; this contrasts with file downl ...

on Wavve in South Korea, on Kocowa in the Americas, and on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

in selected regions in Asia.

Synopsis

The series tells the story of King Hyeonjong of Goryeo (

) uniting

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...

under his tolerant leadership by leading the war against the Khitans to victory, together with Gang Gam-chan ( Choi Soo-jong), the King's political mentor and the commander-in-chief of the Goryeo army.

Cast

Main

as King Hyeonjong of Goryeo * Choi Soo-jong as Gang Gam-chan * Ji Seung-hyun as Yang Gyu

Supporting

People from Goryeo

* Lee Won-jong as Kang Cho * Kim Jae-min as Lee Hyun-woon * Han Jae-young as Ji Chae-mun * Lee Ji-hoon as Jang Yeon-woo *

Jang In-sub Jang In-sub (born 24 February 1987) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in ''Special Affairs Team TEN, Special Affairs Team TEN Season 2'', ''Secret Door (TV series), Secret Door'' and ''Mrs. Cop''. Lee also appeared in the f ...

as Hwangbo Yu-ui * Ju Seok-tae as Choe Jil * Ryu Seung-hyun as Kim Hoon * Lee Cheol-min as Gang Min-cheom * Kim San-ho as Jeong Seong * Joo Yeon-woo as Kim Sook-heung * Bang Jae-ho as Kim Jong-hyeon * Jung Ho-bin as Yoo Bang * Lee Jae-gu as Dae Do-su * Kwak Min-seok as Won Jong-seok * Lee Do-guk as Ha Gong-jin * Jo Sang-gi as Tak Sa-jeong * Kim Joong-don as Jo Won * Kim Sun-bin as

Choe Chung Ch'oe Ch'ung (; 984 – October 13, 1068) was a Korean Confucian scholar and poet of the Haeju Ch'oe clan during the Goryeo period. He has been called the grandfather of the Korean educational system. Biography Ch'oe Ch'ung was born in 984, to ...

People from Khitan Empire

* Kim Hyuk as Emperor Shengzong of Liao * Kim Jun-bae as So Bae-ap (Xiao Paiya) * Lee Sang-hong as Yayul Bun-no (Yelü Pennu) * Park Jung-hwan as Yayul Jeok-ro (Yelü Dilu) * Kim Gu-taek as Han-gi

Goryeo royal family and subjects

* Jo Hee-bong as Yoo Jin * Kim Jeong-hak as Choe Hang * Han Seung-hyun as Chae Chung-soon * Park Yoo-seung as Choe Sa-wi * Lee Si-a as Queen Wonjeong * Ha Seung-ri as Queen Won-seong * Yoon Chae-kyung as Queen Wonhwa * Jo Seung-yeon as Kim Eun-bu * Kim Oh-bok as Yang Hyeop *

Baek Sung-hyun Baek Sung-hyun (; born January 30, 1989) is a South Korean actor. Career Baek Sung-hyun made his acting debut in the 1994 film ''I Wish for What Is Forbidden to Me'' when he was five years old. The child actor practically grew up onscreen, pl ...

as King Mokjong of Goryeo * Lee Min-young as Empress Cheonchu * Gong Jung-hwan as Kim Chi-yang * Lee Poong-un as Yoo Haeng-gan * Oh Jae-young as Yoo Chung-jeong

Others

* Shim So-young as Court Lady Choi * Yoon Bok-in as Gang Gam-chan's wife *

Lee Jae-yong Lee Jae-yong (; born June 23, 1968) is a South Korean business executive who has served as the executive chairman of Samsung Electronics since October 2022. He is the only son of Lee Kun-hee and Hong Ra-hee. As of December 2024, Lee has an e ...

as Park Jin * Kang Shin-il as Monk Jin-gwan

Extended

* Lee Chang-jik as Lee Joo-jeong

Original soundtrack

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4 Album OST

Reception

Critical response

Puah Ziwei of ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' rated the series 5 out of 5 stars, claiming that "this well-written Korean historical series will keep you hooked its bloody tale of war and survival." He praised the conflict between Kang Cho and Gang Gam-chan, respectively played by Lee Won-jong and Choi Soo-jong, and the "delightfully malleable" performance of Baek Sung-hyun who played Mokjong, "an openly gay king" without any heirs. He also applauded the fact that the show depicted the times of Goryeo–Khitan War through an "old-school sageuk charm and style", and stated that "much like the anxious times it is inspired by, ''Korea-Khitan War'' is driven by purpose and complex interpersonal dynamics that leave little time for theatrics". Choi Bo-yun noted that there is a narrative of putting people first in the midst of war throughout the series, shedding light on less well-known battles and figures of Korean history such as Yang Gyu, and that the growth of King Hyeonjong who won the two wars against the Khitans with the help of Gang Gam-chan is worth watching. Historical novel author Gil Seung-soo, who wrote the original novel which the series is based on, expressed his disappointment about the progression of the show after episode 16, since he was dissatisfied by the fact that it not only deviated from his novel, but also from actual Goryeo history. He criticized the attitude of the scriptwriter and the way he anachronistically portrayed the local gentries of early 11th century Goryeo, claiming that the series' depiction is just as absurd as "

BTS BTS (), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010. The band consists of Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook, who co-write or co-produce much of their material. Originally a hip hop group, they ...

suddenly appearing right after the Korean war" and that the production team should have had responsibility when they're representing history through media. The article noted that many viewers also complained about the storyline after episode 16, even visiting author Gil's personal blog to leave a comment about their concerns for the series.

Viewership

Accolades

Notes

References

External links

* * * * * {{Monster Union Goryeo–Khitan War Korean Broadcasting System television dramas Korean-language television shows Television series by Monster Union South Korean historical television series South Korean action television series 2023 South Korean television series debuts 2024 South Korean television series endings