''Tamra, the Island'' () is a 2009

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

n television series starring Seo Woo, Im Joo-hwan and Pierre Deporte. It aired on MBC from August 8 to September 27, 2009 on Saturdays and Sundays at 19:55 for 20 episodes. It is a historical drama set in the 17th century during the European colonial expansion into the Far East. Themes of

racial tension An ethnic conflict is a conflict between two or more ethnic groups. While the source of the conflict may be political, social, economic or religious, the individuals in conflict must expressly fight for their ethnic group's position within so ...

and

xenophobia Xenophobia (from (), 'strange, foreign, or alien', and (), 'fear') is the fear or dislike of anything that is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression that is based on the perception that a conflict exists between an in-gr ...

social inequality Social inequality occurs when resources within a society are distributed unevenly, often as a result of inequitable allocation practices that create distinct unequal patterns based on socially defined categories of people. Differences in acce ...

, and rumination on the effect of

foreign policy Foreign policy, also known as external policy, is the set of strategies and actions a State (polity), state employs in its interactions with other states, unions, and international entities. It encompasses a wide range of objectives, includ ...

and

international trade International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories because there is a need or want of goods or services. (See: World economy.) In most countries, such trade represents a significan ...

on the quotidien are prevalent throughout the series; however, the

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...

aspect remains at the forefront for the majority of the narrative.

Synopsis

William J. Spencer (Pierre Deporte) is a young

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

aristocrat The aristocracy (''from Greek'' ''ἀριστοκρατία'' ''aristokratía'', "rule of the best"; ''Latin: aristocratia'') is historically associated with a "hereditary" or a "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the ...

in the year 1640 with a fascination for

East Asian East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...

art, languages, and culture. He counts as his closest friend the young somewhat mercenary

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese merchantman Yan. William is swindled by a shady merchant into believing that a plain porcelain

chamber pot A chamber pot is a portable toilet, meant for nocturnal use in the bedroom. It was common in many cultures before the advent of indoor plumbing and flushing toilets. Names and etymology "Chamber" is an older term for bedroom. The chamber pot ...

is a mystical artifact; he then sails off to

Nagasaki , officially , is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Founded by the Portuguese, the port of Portuguese_Nagasaki, Nagasaki became the sole Nanban trade, port used for tr ...

in order to open the "aquatic silk road" between Japan and England, but mostly to escape his creepy and overbearing mother and an arranged marriage. Yan is promised a handsome reward if he can drag her son back in time for the wedding and hightails it after his "friend." Meanwhile, the

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

Kingdom is operating under a foreign policy that strictly prohibits trade with Westerners, garnering the nickname "the hermit kingdom." Just south of the Korean mainland lies the island of Jeju, which at this point in history is known as

Tamra Tamra (, or ) is an Arab city in the North District of Israel located in the Lower Galilee north of the city of Shefa-Amr and approximately east of Acre. In it had a population of . History Tamra is an ancient village on a hill. Old square ...

. The people who live on the island derive their livelihoods by diving for

abalone Abalone ( or ; via Spanish , from Rumsen language, Rumsen ''aulón'') is a common name for any small to very large marine life, marine gastropod mollusc in the family (biology), family Haliotidae, which once contained six genera but now cont ...

, cultivating a large area of

persimmon The persimmon () is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus '' Diospyros''. The most widely cultivated of these is the Chinese and Japanese kaki persimmon, ''Diospyros kaki''. In 2022, China produced 77% of the world's p ...

orchards, and basic

subsistence farming Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow crops on smallholdings to meet the needs of themselves and their families. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements. Planting decisions occ ...

; much of what they produce is tithed to the King through a corrupt local government. Park Gyu ( Im Joo-hwan) arrives from Hanyang (the historical name for

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

) on a secret mission from the King to uncover corruption, embezzlement, and whatever else he may find on Tamra. However, his cover story leads to a tangle of complications for him: used to being doted on as an aristocratic scholar and high government official, he is sent to Tamra on the pretense of having been at the center of a sexual harassment scandal for which he has been permanently banished to the island, where he will have to work for a local family despite not being used to manual labor. Tamna native Jang Beo-jin ( Seo Woo) is an abalone diver whose mother is the leader of all the village divers ('' haenyo'' lit. "sea women"). Unfortunately for Beo-jin, she didn't inherit her mother's gifts or prowess for diving. She is the lowest of the apprentice divers after eight years and she is constantly being berated by her mother and all the other divers; she manages to mess up every chance she is given. Her first meeting with Park Gyu comes when she is sent to deliver some abalone to the village elders for a religious ceremony but ends up knocking down the altar and Park Gyu, and losing the medallion that entitles her family to a lower tithe to the King. Believing it to be in Park Gyu's possession, she tries to get it back from the upright and uptight noble, who is later sent to live with Beo-jin's family on the same day that William is shipwrecked off the coast; Beo-jin hides him, and later Yan as well, in a cave outside the village.

Cast

Main cast

* Seo Woo as Jang Beo-jin * Im Joo-hwan as Park Gyu *Pierre Deporte as William Spencer *Lee Seung-min as Seo-rin *

Lee Seon-ho 'Lee Sun Ho is a South Korean actor. Many found him hot when he acted in the Korean Drama DOCTORS. Filmography Television series Film References External links Lee Seon-hoat Huayi Brothers (South Korean company), Huayi Brothe ...

as Yan Kawamura

Supporting cast

Kim Mi-kyung Kim Mi-kyung (; born October 14, 1963) is a South Korean actress. She is most active as a supporting actress in television dramas. Kim has been a member of the Yeonwoo Mudae theater company since 1985. Personal life On December 8, 2023, it ...

as Choi Jang-nyeo, Beo-jin's mother *Byun Woo-min as Jang Won-bin, Beo-jin's father *

Kim Yoo-jung Kim Yoo-jung (; born September 22, 1999) is a South Korean actress known for her leading roles in the historical romance drama ''Love in the Moonlight'' (2016), historical fantasy ''Lovers of the Red Sky'' (2021), teen romance film ''20th Cen ...

as Jang Beo-seol, Beo-jin's younger sister * Yang Hee-kyung as Mr. Eom's wife, Park Gyu's birth mother *Lee Ho-jae as Park Chul, Park Gyu's birth father *Seo Beom-shik as Jeon Chi-yong *Park Joon as nobleman Song *Park Woong as ancestral rites priest *Lee Ho-seong as exiled King Gwanghaegun. *Jo Seung-yeon as assistant governor Kim Yi-bang *

Bang Eun-hee Bang Eun-hee (; born Bang Min-seo on May 7, 1967) is a South Korean actress. Bang made her acting debut in 1988, and rose to fame after being cast as the lead actress in Im Kwon-taek's ''General's Son'' (1990). She has starred in films and telev ...

as Go Ba-soon *Jung Joo-ri as Han Kkeut-boon *Kim Ho-won as Hyang Dol-yi *Yoo Tae-woong as Han Philip *Jang Kyung-ah as Hong Shi-yeon *Kim Byeong-chun as public official Ahn *Song Gwi-hyun as Hong Goo-rak * Robert Holley as Jan Jansz Weltevree (Park Yeon) *

Lee Byung-joon Lee Byung-joon (; born January 27, 1964) is a South Korean actor. Active in film, television and theater since 1985, Lee is best known for his supporting roles in '' A Bloody Aria'' (2006), '' Highway Star'' (2007), and ''Eye for an Eye'' (2008) ...

as King Injo *So Young-don as

Crown Prince Sohyeon Crown Prince Sohyeon (, 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 in 1636. He moved to Be ...

*Goo Bon-im as Jong-dal's mother *Jo Moon-ui as Jong-dal's father * Park Hee-jin as Jong-dal *Kim Hyun-ah as woman from Kang-jin * Lee Han-wi as Lee Sa-pyeong, potter *Lee Jung-sub as Kim Hoon-jang *Lee Hae-woo as Hyang Dul-yi

Production

The drama had been planned for 20 episodes (and filmed months in advance) but in its original run, MBC cut it down to 16 episodes due to low ratings despite fan fervor and general praise. As a result, beginning with episode 11, the production had to quickly edit down the remaining ten episodes into six, leaving a lot of material on the cutting room floor. The overseas broadcasts aired all 20 episodes, while the Director's Cut DVD release features 21 episodes.

Awards

2009 17th Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards *Best New Actor: Im Joo-hwan

2009 MBC Drama Awards The 2009 MBC Drama Awards () is a ceremony honoring the outstanding achievement in television on the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) network for the year of 2009. It was held on December 30, 2009 and hosted by actor Lee Hwi-jae and actres ...

*Best New Actor: Im Joo-hwan *Best New Actress: Seo Woo *Popularity Award, Actress: Seo Woo

International broadcast

It aired in Japan on cable channel Mnet beginning October 26, 2009. It aired in Thailand on Channel 7 every Thursday to Friday at 8.30 a.m. starting from October 11, 2012.

References

External links

''Tamra, the Island'' official MBC website

''Tamra, the Island''
at CineMart * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tamra, the Island 2009 South Korean television series debuts 2009 South Korean television series endings MBC TV television dramas Television series set in Joseon Television shows set in Jeju Province Television shows based on manhwa South Korean romantic comedy television series South Korean historical television series