Iljimae
Encyclopedia
Iljimae is a Korea
n drama broadcast from May to July 2008 on SBS. It is loosely based on a comic by Ko Woo Yung that was based on a Chinese folktale from the Ming dynasty
. It was produced by Lee Yong Suk. The plot is different from the original comic because the production company could not get the rights to the story. The rights went to MBC
who broadcasted its version of Iljimae 2009, called The Return of Iljimae
.
There have been several versions of this story, which first appeared in two Ming dynasty
novels, including a 2011 Chinese television series, called The Vigilantes In Masks
, 1994 Hong Kong film, and 2005 TVB series.
Jang Dong Gun played Iljimae in TV series on MBC
in 1993, and Choi Su Jong played him in a modernized version in 1990.
, he leaves a small painting of a branch of red plum
blossoms called a "mae hwa". (His name reflects this act: il means "one", ji means "meaning" and mae means "plum tree".) The citizens support Iljimae while the king and the nobility try to catch him and find his identity.
Gyeom (겸) is the son of a virtuous nobleman Lee Won Ho (이원호), a trustworthy supporter and brother to the king and a central member of the secret organization Cheonwoohoe, composed of important nobles and with the king as their leader. He lives peacefully in a house with many plum trees with his wife, daughter, and son. However, the king has a conversation with a blind man, who tells fortunes. Looking out at Lee Won Ho's home, the blind man states that he sees a person who is as bright as the sun, and will be adored by the people. The king kills Lee Won Ho as he believes that 'two suns cannot exist on the same sky'. Gyeom witnesses the incident from the inside of a safe where his father hid him. Later, he is saved and adopted by a retired thief, Soe Dol (쇠돌), after he becomes stricken with amnesia due to the shock of losing his father and being forced to throw a rock at his mother's head to prove that he was not the son. 13 years later, Gyeom, now called Yong (용), starts to regain his memories and begins to search for his older sister, Yeon (연), only to see her being sentenced and hanged.
The murder of his older sister leaves Gyeom seeking revenge. With the emblem on the killer's sword he remembers from 13 years ago his only clue, he swears that he will find the one who killed his father and murdered his older sister. To find the sword and its owner, he disguises himself as Iljimae and breaks into the nobles' estates. During the course of his actions, he winds up fighting not only for himself, but also for the people; and so he becomes a fighter for the common people, jumping into action whenever the people are oppressed and wrongly exploited for the sake of the nobles, thus becoming adored by the people and one villager goes far enough to state "He is our sun!". At the core of his motives though, he still desires to find the person who destroyed his family, and bring justice to them.
Source: TNMS Media Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n drama broadcast from May to July 2008 on SBS. It is loosely based on a comic by Ko Woo Yung that was based on a Chinese folktale from the Ming dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
. It was produced by Lee Yong Suk. The plot is different from the original comic because the production company could not get the rights to the story. The rights went to MBC
Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation
Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC (Hangul : 문화방송주식회사, Munhwa Bangsong Jushikoesa) is one of four major national South Korean television and radio networks. Munhwa is the Korean word for "culture". Its flagship terrestrial television...
who broadcasted its version of Iljimae 2009, called The Return of Iljimae
The Return of Iljimae
The Return of Iljimae is a Korean television drama series broadcast on MBC in 2009.-Synopsis:The story is about a man fighting against the selfish and corrupt government to save the ordinary peasants. Iljimae was abandoned by his birth father and adopted by a Chinese couple. He returns to Korea to...
.
There have been several versions of this story, which first appeared in two Ming dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
novels, including a 2011 Chinese television series, called The Vigilantes In Masks
The Vigilantes In Masks
The Vigilantes In Masks is a Chinese television series produced by Chinese Entertainment Shanghai. Previous adaptations include a 1960 Hong Kong television series, a 1994 film, a 2005 TVB production, and a 2008 SBC Korean television drama...
, 1994 Hong Kong film, and 2005 TVB series.
Jang Dong Gun played Iljimae in TV series on MBC
Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation
Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC (Hangul : 문화방송주식회사, Munhwa Bangsong Jushikoesa) is one of four major national South Korean television and radio networks. Munhwa is the Korean word for "culture". Its flagship terrestrial television...
in 1993, and Choi Su Jong played him in a modernized version in 1990.
Synopsis
Iljimae is a mysterious, black-swathed thief who robs from corrupt government officials and gives to the poor. He steals not only material treasures but also people, be they wrongfully held prisoners or criminals hiding from judgment. At the scene of each robberyRobbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
, he leaves a small painting of a branch of red plum
Plum
A plum or gage is a stone fruit tree in the genus Prunus, subgenus Prunus. The subgenus is distinguished from other subgenera in the shoots having a terminal bud and solitary side buds , the flowers in groups of one to five together on short stems, and the fruit having a groove running down one...
blossoms called a "mae hwa". (His name reflects this act: il means "one", ji means "meaning" and mae means "plum tree".) The citizens support Iljimae while the king and the nobility try to catch him and find his identity.
Gyeom (겸) is the son of a virtuous nobleman Lee Won Ho (이원호), a trustworthy supporter and brother to the king and a central member of the secret organization Cheonwoohoe, composed of important nobles and with the king as their leader. He lives peacefully in a house with many plum trees with his wife, daughter, and son. However, the king has a conversation with a blind man, who tells fortunes. Looking out at Lee Won Ho's home, the blind man states that he sees a person who is as bright as the sun, and will be adored by the people. The king kills Lee Won Ho as he believes that 'two suns cannot exist on the same sky'. Gyeom witnesses the incident from the inside of a safe where his father hid him. Later, he is saved and adopted by a retired thief, Soe Dol (쇠돌), after he becomes stricken with amnesia due to the shock of losing his father and being forced to throw a rock at his mother's head to prove that he was not the son. 13 years later, Gyeom, now called Yong (용), starts to regain his memories and begins to search for his older sister, Yeon (연), only to see her being sentenced and hanged.
The murder of his older sister leaves Gyeom seeking revenge. With the emblem on the killer's sword he remembers from 13 years ago his only clue, he swears that he will find the one who killed his father and murdered his older sister. To find the sword and its owner, he disguises himself as Iljimae and breaks into the nobles' estates. During the course of his actions, he winds up fighting not only for himself, but also for the people; and so he becomes a fighter for the common people, jumping into action whenever the people are oppressed and wrongly exploited for the sake of the nobles, thus becoming adored by the people and one villager goes far enough to state "He is our sun!". At the core of his motives though, he still desires to find the person who destroyed his family, and bring justice to them.
Main cast
- Lee Jun KiLee Jun KiLee Jun Ki is a South Korean actor, model and singer, who Koreans regard as a quintessential kkonminam idol. He rose to fame as Gong-gil in The King and the Clown...
- Gyeom/Yong/Iljimae - A no-good, lazy gangster by day but a mysterious thief who protects the citizens when the night comes. - Han Hyo Joo - Eun Chae - A lovely and kind girl of noble birth who seems to be fated both for and against Gyeom.
- Lee Young AhLee Young AhLee Young Ah is a South Korean actress and model. She is best known for playing the role of Nguyen Jin Joo from Golden Bride, a 2008 drama that extended 14 episodes due to its popularity and is in Top 5 of Korean Dramas of the Year 2008 in Nielson Ratings and Top 7 in TNS, and on the popular...
- Bong Soon - A funny, silly swindler who was orphaned as a girl and also is connected to Gyeom's past. - Park Si-HooPark Si-HooPark Si Hoo is a South Korean actor best known for his role as Seo In Woo in Prosecutor Princess and his role as Kim Seung Yu in The Princess' Man...
- Cha Dol/Shi Hoo - Once a poor boy, he was told at the age of nine that his father was actually his adopted father. He is sent to his "real father", Magistrate Byun Shik, and becomes Eun Chae's half-brother and an Imperial Guard. However, Magistrate Byun Shik is not his real father. He and Iljimae have the same real birth father, Lee Won Ho. His dream is to catch Iljimae so that he can finally become a nobleman.
Extended Cast
- Lee Moon SikLee Moon Sik- Biography :Lee Mooon-Sik graduated from Hanyang University and is currently living with his wife and two sons. Moon-Sik has starred in many notable television series such as Damo, The 101st Proposal, the popular 2008 drama Iljimae and made a break through shooting Break Out, A Bloody Aria and...
- Soe Dol - Kim Sung Ryung - Dani
- Lee Il Hwa - Mrs. Han Bu In
- Jo Min Gi - Lee Won Ho
- Ahn Kang Kil - Kongkal A Je
- Mun Ji Yun - Dae Sik
- Kim Hyun Sung - Hong Kyeonsik
- Jeong Jae Eun - Sim Deok
- Seo Dong Won - Eun Bok
- Do Ki Seok - Hee Bong
- Kim Kwan Sik - Keok Du
- Lee Won Jong - Byeon Sik
- Kim Mu Keol - Si Wan
- Kim Chang Wan - The King InjoInjo of JoseonInjo of Joseon was the sixteenth king of the Korean Joseon Dynasty. He was the grandson of Seonjo, son of Grandprince Jeongwon...
/White-robed man - Kim Roe Ha - Sa Cheon
- Jo Sang Ki - Mu Lee
- Yang Jae Sung - Shim Ki Won
- Lee Won Jae - Jang Po Kyo
- Son Tae Yung - Lee Yeon
- Yeo Jin Ku - Lee Gyeom (young)
- Lee Da Wit - Cha Dol (young)
- Kim Yu Jeong - Eun Chae (young)
- Jeong Da-bin - Bong Soon (young)
Episode Ratings
| Date | Episode | Nationwide | Seoul |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-05-21 | 1 | 14.8 (4th) | 15.4 (2nd) |
| 2008-05-22 | 2 | 17.6 (2nd) | 17.8 (2nd) |
| 2008-05-28 | 3 | 19.0 (2nd) | 19.1 (2nd) |
| 2008-05-29 | 4 | 18.9 (2nd) | 18.9 (2nd) |
| 2008-06-04 | 5 | 19.3 (2nd) | 20.5 (2nd) |
| 2008-06-05 | 6 | 18.6 (2nd) | 18.4 (2nd) |
| 2008-06-11 | 7 | 20.5 (2nd) | 20.7 (2nd) |
| 2008-06-12 | 8 | 23.0 (1st) | 23.3 (1st) |
| 2008-06-18 | 9 | 24.6 (2nd) | 25.0 (1st) |
| 2008-06-19 | 10 | 23.1 (1st) | 22.4 (1st) |
| 2008-06-25 | 11 | 22.6 (2nd) | 22.6 (1st) |
| 2008-06-26 | 12 | 24.6 (1st) | 24.0 (1st) |
| 2008-07-02 | 13 | 25.3 (2nd) | 25.0 (1st) |
| 2008-07-03 | 14 | 25.4 (1st) | 24.6 (1st) |
| 2008-07-09 | 15 | 26.0 (1st) | 26.1 (1st) |
| 2008-07-10 | 16 | 27.6 (1st) | 28.2 (1st) |
| 2008-07-16 | 17 | 28.0 (1st) | 29.3 (1st) |
| 2008-07-17 | 18 | 27.8 (1st) | 28.1 (1st) |
| 2008-07-23 | 19 | 27.1 (1st) | 26.8 (1st) |
| 2008-07-24 | 20 | 31.0 (1st) | 31.4 (1st) |
| Average | 23.2% | 23.4% | |
Source: TNMS Media Korea
Awards
- 2008 SBS Drama Awards: Male Top Excellence Award (Lee Joon Ki)
- 2008 SBS Drama Awards: Netizen Highest Popularity Award (Lee Joon Ki)
- 2008 SBS Drama Awards: Male Supporting Award - Special Drama (Lee Moon Shik)
- 2008 SBS Drama Awards: Male Young Star Award (Yeo Jin Goo)
- 2008 SBS Drama Awards: Female Young Star Award (Kim Yoo Jung)