Yi San Korean Historical Drama Review (MBC 2007)

So I’ve just finished watching the marathon of 77 episodes of the drama Yi San (MBC 2007). In this post I’ll include a history overview, my thoughts on the drama, and my 3 favourite scenes.

The drama is based on the late Joseon king, Jeongjo (r.1776-1800) who along with his grandfather King Yeongjo (r.1724-1776) is one of the most successful kings of the Joseon period.

In a nutshell the drama is about the struggles of the king throughout his reign. Whilst he tries to modernise and reform his government and country, he has to deal with constant threats of assassination!

ROMANCE

So this drama gets quite political. But what is a Korean drama without a love triangle? And we have one here with Yi San and his childhood friends Song Yeon and Dae Su. Both men are in love with Song Yeon.

Of course poor old Dae Su (played by Lee Jong Soo, above right) doesn’t stand a chance against the king and can only watch as love blossoms between Yi San and Song Yeon. He reminds me of the military guard Cha Chun Su in Dong Yi.

She eventually becomes the king’s concubine Ui Bin.

related posts on dramas set in the late-Joseon period

Horse Doctor (MBC 2012), Dong Yi (MBC 2010), Jang Ok Jung Living by Love, (SBS 2013)  Painter of the Wind (SBS 2008) Chuno (KBS2 2010)

DOHWASEO ART DEPARTMENT

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One attractive point of the drama is that Song Yeon works in the Dohwaseo Painting Department. And I found this sub-theme of painting quite refreshing.

The painters had to document all events of note in the palace from marriages to executions and torture. And they remind us that there was no photography or photocopiers at the time so had to paint everything by hand.

Consequently, in a cute scene we find the Royal painters getting annoyed when they have to paint lots and lots of deer heads for target practice because is Yi San pushing his military to train harder!

On another occasion they have to get up in the middle of the night to paint maps for the soldiers going into the mountains.

In his book Make a Kingdom of Dreams, Director Lee Byong Hoon says that he chose to put Song Yeon in the Dohwaso art department as a damo, assistant painter, because he wanted to see how the viewers would respond to painting as a theme in a drama. He was planning to make a drama about the famous Joseon painters Kim Hong Do and Shin Yun Bok.

(But SBS made a drama on this topic soon after Yi San – Painter in the Wind). I guess directors always have to be thinking ahead!

YI SAN CHILDHOOD

At the beginning of the drama we meet the future king as a lonely boy with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

He’s had a tough time. He’s watched his father Crown Prince Sado die after being sealed in a rice chest on the orders of his grandfather King Yeongjo. His position as Crown Prince is fragile. And he spends his life trying to clear his father’s name.

Related articles:

Movie Review: The Throne about Crown Prince Sado’s death in the rice chest

Book Review: The Memories of Lady Hyegyong  an account of events by the wife of Crown Prince Sado

Book Review: The Confucian Kingship of Korea  The reign of Kiong Yeongjo

Most of the plot is based around a series of assassination attempts and instances by the Noron officials to sabotage Yi San’s work and ruin his reputation.

The Noron party officials have become too powerful and with it greedy and corrupt. Yi San has progressive views and wants to rid the government of corruption which means shaking up the balance of power.

Over the course of his reign we see Yi San battle with his government over trading laws, slavery, and the general structure of government – he even moves the capital to nearby Suwon to try to weaken the hold the Noron officials have.

A HUMOROUS SIDE OF YI SAN

So with his life in danger most of the time, and with few people he can trust, there is little for Yi San to smile about.

But Lee Seo Jin who plays King Jeongjo (Yi San) sometimes brings a playful side to the character.

For example, he WINKS at Dae Su (not scripted) when he gives him his certificate for passing the military exam and he WINKS at Song Yeon (again, not scripted) during the ceremony where she becomes a concubine.

Director Lee Byung Hoon talks about working with the actors on the drama in his book. He got annoyed with the actor for ‘ruining’ the scenes with his winking, forcing the director to do retakes. But then during editing, the takes with the winks were chosen as they worked really well!

Related Posts:

Korean Book Review: 꿈의 왕국을 세워라 Build a Kingdom of Dreams by Director Lee Byung Hoon

Director Lee Byung Hoon on filming Jewel in the Palace (MBC 2004)

Fusion Sageuk – How Lee Byung Hoon changed historical drama with Heojun

Notes from the book by Jewel in the Palace Director Lee Byung Hoon

YI SAN BEST SCENE 1

THE BADDIE QUEEN

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My first favourite scene of the drama appears in Episode 19.

King Yeongjo becomes ill and orders a decree for his grandson Yi San to rule in his place. This terrifies the Noron officials who DO NOT WANT YI SAN TO RULE.

So the baddie Queen (played by Kim Yeo Jin) hides the decree. But then the king recovers and sends for the Queen demanding to know why his orders haven’t been carried out….

The Queen, who always pretends to support Yi San, arrives and gives an Oscar winning performance about why she hid the decree: she was only trying to ‘HELP’ Yi San.

Neither King Yeongjo nor Yi San want to believe that she would sabotage Yi San. (She IS family after all!) So they accept her explanation.

It’s the intensity of the dialogue and the brazen in-your-face lying of the Queen that makes this a great scene. It’s an invigorating shout-at-the-TV opportunity for us, the audience, who KNOW that she is GUILTY!

And whilst other baddies get caught, exiled, or executed along the way, the Queen manages to keep her double life secret and be the puppet master behind many of the plots against Yi San.

YI SAN BEST SCENE 2 Ep 50 POLITICS

Between the assassination attempts, the Noron officials have to debate with the king. And as their battle of words intensify, the Noron bring in their secret weapon – a stoic hardliner ex official, Jang Tae Woo.

They hope HE can CONTROL the king and stop him doing crazy stuff like bringing in opposition party Namin officials back to the palace and hiring illegitimate noblemen to work at the palace – shock horror!

When negotiations break down, the Noron cause chaos at the palace by resigning in protest at the King’s decisions. They also sabotage the civil servants exams so that no more officials can be hired.

The king responds by accepting the resignations announcing that there are too many scholars in government anyway… It’s a great, intense scene as the officials think their resignations have forced the king to retreat. Their faces fall at the king’s chilly response!

BEST SCENE 3 Ep 66 OFFICIAL HONG IS ARRESTED FOR TREASON

His ambition gets the better of him and in the most moving episode so far, Official Hong (played by Han Sang Jin) is found guilty of treason.

The worst of it is that Yi San didn’t see this one coming at all. And he had planned to do so much work with Hong. But now he feels lost and alone again…

YI SAN FINAL THOUGHTS

There’s more death and sadness to come. But in general the drama celebrates the reign of King Jeongjo despite all the obstacles he had to overcome.

From a historical point of view the drama is interesting – King Jeongjo made lots of reform. I also enjoyed getting an insight into what went on in the Royal Art Department.

But with 77 episodes this was a long drama and I think it would have fit nicely into a more manageable 50 episodes. (The ratings must have been high to have it extended.)

The constant assassination attempts get a bit repetitive and with all the political intrigue going on Song Yeon is often missing for periods of time. Perhaps this is why I wasn’t 100% sold on their relationship or any ‘romance’.

The breakdown of trust between Yi San and his loyal official was the most moving point of the drama for me.