''The Great King, Sejong'' () is a 2008 South Korean

historical History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

depicting the life of the fourth monarch of

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 ...

Sejong the Great Sejong (; 15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), commonly known as Sejong the Great (), was the fourth monarch of the Joseon, Joseon dynasty of Korea. He is regarded as the greatest ruler in Korean history, and is remembered as the inventor of Hangu ...

(played by Kim Sang-kyung). Considered one of the greatest kings in Korean history, Sejong created

Hangul The Korean alphabet is the modern writing system for the Korean language. In North Korea, the alphabet is known as (), and in South Korea, it is known as (). The letters for the five basic consonants reflect the shape of the speech organs ...

, the Korean alphabet. The series aired on KBS from January 5 to December 7, 2008, on Saturdays and Sundays at 21:30 for 86 episodes. Episodes 1 to 26 aired on

KBS1 KBS 1TV is a South Korean free-to-air television channel that launched on 31 December 1961 and is owned by Korean Broadcasting System. The channel offers more serious programming than its sister channel KBS2, and airs with no commercials. Hi ...

, and episodes 27 to 86 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 ...

Plot

Born as the third son, Chungnyeong was far from ascending the throne. His early years were turbulent as Joseon faced political tensions from both within and abroad. Eventually, the young prince finds himself living in a private residence outside of the palace and experiences the everyday life of commoners until he is a young man. After his ascension to the throne, Chungyeong (now called

King Sejong Sejong (; 15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), commonly known as Sejong the Great (), was the fourth monarch of the Joseon, Joseon dynasty of Korea. He is regarded as the greatest ruler in Korean history, and is remembered as the inventor of Hangu ...

) stabilizes the newly born country and gives rise to a blooming culture. In the process he invents

, the Korean writing system.

Cast

Main

* Kim Sang-kyung as Grand Prince Chungnyeong /

King Sejong the Great Sejong (; 15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), commonly known as Sejong the Great (), was the fourth monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He is regarded as the greatest ruler in Korean history, and is remembered as the inventor of Hangul, the n ...

**Kim Do-hyun as child Grand Prince Chungnyeong ** Lee Hyun-woo as young Grand Prince Chungnyeong * Kim Young-chul as King Taejong; Sejong's father *

Choi Myung-gil Choi Myung-gil (; born November 11, 1962) is a South Korean actress. Choi received several Best Actress awards for her portrayal of a proprietress who rents out her comic book shop as an overnight shelter in the 1994 film ''Rosy Life'' (also ...

Queen Wongyeong Queen Wongyeong (; 6 August 1365 – 27 August 1420) of the Yeoheung Min clan, was the primary wife of King Taejong of Joseon, and the mother of Sejong the Great. She was queen consort of Joseon from 1400, and was honored as Consort Jeong () un ...

of the Yeoheung Min clan; Sejong's mother * Park Sang-min as

Grand Prince Yangnyeong Grand Prince Yangnyeong (; 1394 – 8 October 1462) was the former Crown Prince of the Korean Joseon Dynasty. He was the first son of King Taejong and his wife, Queen Wongyeong. Yangnyeong was the elder brother of Sejong the Great, and an ance ...

; Sejong's first brother ** Jung Chan-woo as child Grand Prince Yangnyeong ** Lee In as teenage Grand Prince Yangnyeong *

Lee Jung-hyun Lee Jung-hyun (; born February 7, 1980), also known by her occasional stage name Ava, is a South Korean singer and actress. She was first recognized for her acting abilities with award-winning role in her first film and has been solidified as on ...

as Royal Noble Consort Shin of the Cheongju Kim clan; Sejong's concubine * Lee Yoon-ji as

Queen Soheon Queen Soheon (; 20 October 1395 – 28 April 1446), of the Cheongsong Sim clan, was a posthumous name bestowed to the wife and queen consort of Sejong the Great, Yi Do (King Sejong) and the mother of Munjong of Joseon, Yi Hyang (King Munjong) and ...

of the Cheongsong Shim clan; Sejong's wife **

Nam Ji-hyun Nam Ji-hyun (; born September 17, 1995) is a South Korean actress. Nam began her career in 2004 as a Child actor, child actress in the television series ' (2004). She is best known for her roles in ''Queen Seondeok (TV series), Queen Seondeok' ...

as young Lady Shim

Supporting

People in
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 ...

=Royal household

= * Lee Sang-yeob as Crown Prince Yi Hyang; Sejong's first son **Oh Eun-chan as child Crown Prince Yi Hyang **Kang Bit as young Crown Prince Yi Hyang *Seo Joon-young as Grand Prince Suyang; Sejong's second son **Choi Min-ho as young Grand Prince Suyang *Yoo Seo-jin as Lady Kim, Grand Princess Consort Suseong of the Gwangsan Kim clan; Yangnyeong's wife **Yeo Yoon-jung as young Lady Kim *Ahn Shin-woo as Grand Prince Hyoryeong; Sejong's second brother **Seo Hyun-bin as child Grand Prince Hyoryeong **Yoo Tae-woong as young Grand Prince Hyoryeong *Kwon Sung-hyun as Lady Jeong, Grand Princess Consort Yeseong of the Haeju Jeong clan; Hyoryeong's wife *Yoon Young-joon as Prince Gyeongnyeong; Sejong's fourth brother **Noh Young-hak as young Prince Gyeongnyeong *Baek Seung-do as Grand Prince Seongnyeong; Sejong's sixth brother **Joo Young-min as child Grand Prince Seongnyeong *Joo Da-young as Princess Jeongso; Sejong's first daughter **Kim Ji-won as child Princess Jeongso *Lee Joo-hyun as Princess Jeongui; Sejong's second daughter *Yeo Min-joo as Crown Princess Sun of the Haeum Bong clan; Yi Hyang's second wife *Han Shi-hoon as Grand Prince Anpyeong; Sejong's third son **Kang Han-byul as child Grand Prince Anpyeong * Yoon Se-ah as Royal Noble Consort Hyo of the Cheongpung Kim clan; Taejong's concubine *

Kang Kyung-hun Kang Kyung-hun is a South Korean actress. She is known for her roles in dramas such as '' Vagabond'', '' Doctor Lawyer'', ''Alchemy of Souls'', and ''Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert envir ...

as Cho Gung-jang; Jeongjong's concubine *Jo Sun-ok as Royal Noble Consort Ui of the Andong Kwon clan; Taejong's concubine *Noh Young-guk as King Jeongjong; Sejong's second uncle *Jung Doo-hong as King Taejo; Sejong's grandfather

=New supporters

= *

Kim Kap-soo Kim Kap-soo (; born April 7, 1957) is a South Korean actor. Since his acting debut in 1977, Kim has had a long career on the stage, in television dramas and film. In addition to acting full-time, he also has his own master class acting studio. ...

as Chief State Councillor Hwang Hui *Ahn Dae-yong as Maeng Sa-sung *

Lee Won-jong Lee Won-jong (; born January 1, 1966) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Film Television series Variety shows Theater *''Blind'' (2010) *''The Masked Hut Murder Case'' (2022) - Nobuhiko Awards *2002 SBS Drama Awards: Best Supporting ...

as Yun Hoe *

Jo Sung-ha Jo Sung-ha (; born August 8, 1966) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his supporting roles in '' The Yellow Sea'' (2010), '' Helpless'' (2012), and ''Korean Peninsula'' (2012) and ''The K2 ''The K2'' () is a 2016 Korean drama, Sou ...

as Yi Su *Sun Dong-hyuk as Choe Yun-deok *Lee Jin-woo as

Jeong In-ji Jeong (the Revised Romanization spelling of ) may refer to: * Jeong (surname) * Jeong (given name) * Qing (concept), concept from Neo-Confucian philosophy {{Disambiguation ...

*Lee Sung-min as Choe Man-ri *Kim Young-ki as Byeon Gye-ryang *Lee Byung-wook as Kim Jong-seo *Lee Dal-hyung as Shin Jang * Kwon Yul as Shin Suk-ju *Oh Yong as Jung Chang-son *Yoon Ki-won as Uhm Ja-chi

=Old supporters

= *Kim Ki-hyun as Yu Jung-hyun *Jung Dong-hwan as Jo Mal-saeng *Kim Ha-kyun as Heo Jo *Kim Jung-hak as Kim Mun

=Others

= *

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 South Kore ...

as Jang Yeong-sil *Jun Hyun as Yi Cheon *Lee Dae-yeon as Choe Hae-san * Choi Jong-won as Ha Ryun *Park Young-ji as Park Eun *Choi Sang-hoon as

Shim On Sim On (; 1375 – 18 January 1419) was a Korean politician. He was the Chief State Councillor of the Korean Joseon from September 1418 to December 1418 and the father of Queen Soheon and father-in-law to King Sejong. His treason charges eventu ...

; Sejong's father-in-law *Jung Heung-chae as Kang Sang-in *Choi Joo-bong as Kim Han-ro *Kim Eung-soo as Min Mu-gu, Sejong's first maternal uncle *Lee Kyung-young as Min Mu-jil, Sejong's second maternal uncle *Kim Hyung-il as Min Mu-hyul, Sejong's third maternal uncle *Lee Woo-suk as Min Mu-hoe, Sejong's fourth maternal uncle *Kim Joo-young as Yi Suk-beon *Park Sang-jo as Yi Jong-mu *Jang Ki-yong as Yi Soon-mong *Lee Won-bal as Park Sil *Hwang Bum-shik as Noh Hee-bong

People in Ming

*Oh Seung-yoon as the Emperor Jeongtong **Kim Jin-sung as child Jeongtong *Go In-bum as Eunuch Hwang Eom *Lee Dae-ro as Eunuch Wang Jin *Kim Hak-chul as Huang Chan * Jeong Yu-mi as Da-yeon *Ha Yong-jin as Hae Su, Huang Chen's commander *Shim Woo-chang as Yeo-jin

People in
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 ...

*Kim Yong-soo as Wang Ahn *Kim Myung-kon as Ok Hwan *Kim Seung-wook as Jeon Haeng-su *Jung Ui-gap as Mu-bi *Moon Chun-shik as Jeon Il-ji *Choi Sang-kil as Jang Chil-sang *Park Yong-soo as Han Young-ro

People in
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 ...

*Bae Sung-woo as Pyung Do-jun *Jang Se-jin as Jong Jung-sung *Seo Jin-won as Jong Jun *Park Jung-woo as Jung Wu *Lee Jong-goo as General Gu Ju

People in Jurchen

*Shin Dong-hoon as Yi Man-ju *Bang Hyung-joo as Dong Maeng-ga *Ham Suk-hoon as Ah-woo, Dong Maeng-ga's older brother

*Lee Il-jae as Kim Do-ryun *Lee Jung-hyun as Yi Seon * Cha Min-ji as Dam-yi *Kim Bo-mi as Court Lady Han *Jo Byung-ki as Sa-ddo *Jo Min-joon as Park Kyum *Kang Ji-hu as Pung-gae *Won Jong-rye as Kisaeng Nyu; Jang Young-shil's mother *Ahn Hae-sook as Lady Ahn of the Sunheung Ahn clan; Sejong's mother-in-law *Kwon Sung-hyun as Yi Kyung-sook *Sun-Hak as Oh Mak-ji *Jung Jong-hyun as the head of Ikisima *Kim Sun-eun as Tong-sa *Kim Seung-hoon as Yamata *Jo Jae-wan as Jang Won * Oh Yeon-seo as Eori *Kim Hong-pyo as Yi Soon-ji *Seol Ji-yoon as Toegi-chunwol *Lee Han-gal as Kang-hwi * Kim Ji-young as the old woman

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Great King Sejong, The Korean Broadcasting System television dramas 2008 South Korean television series debuts 2008 South Korean television series endings Cultural depictions of Sejong the Great Korean-language television shows Television series set in Joseon South Korean historical television series Television shows written by Kim Tae-hee