Well here we are. It’s the final episode. But just because Kwanghyun has become the royal physician doesn’t mean he’s going to stop being controversial! He causes a stir when he shakes up the royal pharmacy and upsets the herb merchants. But on a happier note, there IS a wedding to prepare for … Continue reading “Horse Doctor Episode 50 Final” »
So we come to the final test before we can wrap things up in Horse Doctor! The king is going to die if someone doesn’t think of something quick. It’s not hard to guess that Kwanghyun will have to perform another difficult operation. But it will probably be the last bloody operation we get to see in this drama, so let’s enjoy it! Continue reading “Horse Doctor Episode 49” »
After the dramatic death of Myunghwan in the last episode, all that’s left to do now is fix Jinyung’s status so that she can marry Kwanghyun and then live happily ever after. 
OR is it? Because now that Kwanghyun’s yangban identity has been revealed, the government officials want him to join them and marry a yangban – and even though he wants to stay a humble doctor, this might not be so easy … Continue reading “Horse Doctor Episode 48” »
It finally looks like Myunghwan is finished – or is he? Even with the death penalty he seems to lack any regret and manages to escape one last time. But the big problem now is what to do with Jinyung. the miserable officials at court want to see her return to being a slave – that’s the law of the land after all. Very harsh though. The princess is still her ally but the king must decide what to do. But poor old Jinyung accepts the situation with a stiff upper lip. 
Continue reading “Horse Doctor Episode 47” »
News of Kwanghyun’s yangban status spreads around court. And so does the news that Myunghwan treated the queen mother with opium! Kwanghyun takes over the treatment for the queen mother and carries out a dangerous operation. Meanwhile, Myunghwan goes on the run. But with Jinyung’s help it looks as though he may escape. But guards are everywhere and not even Guard Kang can fight them all … Continue reading “Horse Doctor Episode 46” »
While I was watching the historical drama Horse Doctor (MBC 2013) and trying to write recaps for each episode, one of the problems I had was trying to work out what the characters actual names were! And that’s because they are rarely called by their names! They are addressed by their title or relationship to the speaker. (This is still true for Korean society today)
Uh? What’s your name again? 
And it can get very confusing with all the different titles people use to address each other. In the work place people are called by their surname plus job title and at home everyone has their own title which can change depending on who they are talking to. Relationship to the speaker, rank, age, or gender can all play a part. Though only some of these terms are used in contemporary society I think it’s interesting to be able to recognize them when watching Horse Doctor since the terms will crop up again and again in other historical dramas. So here I’ve tried to give a breakdown of the characters and how they are addressed by others.
The King
The king’s subjects call him Your Majesty = jon-ha (전하 殿下)
Everyone is lower than the king except the queen mother, so she uses a different title when she addresses him. She calls him chu-sang (주상 主上)
Continue reading “Titles and ways to address others in Joseon society: Horse Doctor” »
Now that the truth is revealed to Jinyung about her real identity, Kwanghun must try to convince her that they should keep this a secret. But she can’t live a lie and hates to see Kwanghyun suffering so when the queen mother refuses to be operated on by the low class horse doctor, Jinyung can’t stand by and do nothing .. Continue reading “Horse Doctor Episode 45” »