Korean Drama TV Series: The King Loves (2017)

This Viki Original series is binge-worthy: “The King Loves” (or “The King in Love”) (2017). This series is based on the novel of the same name and is set during the Goryeo Dynasty historical period.

• What's the major theme of this series? Simply put, IF you have to choose between power, friendship and love, which would you choose?

There are very intricate relationships that were developed in this series: between parents and their child, between BFFs (best friends forever), and between people who fall in love. You know what? It doesn't matter if you're a seriously wicked and evil scheming conniving person, or a ruthless murderous assassin, you still have a heart and there can still be room for somebody in your life that you truly love who can reach your “tender spot”.

The 3 main characters are:

~ Wang Won (played by Im Siwan), the Crown Prince, heir to thr throne and future king;

~ Wang Rin (played by Hong Jong Hyun), his BFF since childhood, who is also of royal blood which means he could be chosen as king, instead of the Crown Prince, if the conniving power-monering people who plot and scheme behind the scenes have it their way; and

~ So Ha also known as Lady San (played by Yoona), the woman who completes the love triangle.

Of course, Wang Won and Wang Rin are both fall in love with her.

Image credit: Soompi

Crown Prince Wang Won's parents are King Chungnyeol, 25th king of Goryeo (played by Jung Bo-Suk) and Princess/Queen Wonsung (played by Jang Young-Nam). The mother is Chinese and she is the daughter of the Chinese emperor, Kublai Khan. The royal marriage was clearly arranged to form a strong political alliance between the kingdoms of Goryeo and Yuan.

• (REAL HISTORY NOTE: I had to do research to understand the significance of the royal marriage. Kublai Khan (Born  1215 – Died 1294), was also known by his temple name as Emperor Shizu of Yuan. He was the fifth khagan-emperor of the Mongol Empire, reigning from 1260 to 1294. He founded the Yuan dynasty of China in 1271, and ruled as the first Yuan emperor until his death in 1294. From 1231 - 1273, Goryeo (Koryo) was invaded six times by the Mongols. Goryeo became a tributary of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty ( 元朝) in China. Goryeo was under Mongol Rule but this ended in the 1350s when the Yuan Dynasty itself began to disintegrate and King Gongmin of Goryeo seized the opportunity to begin to reform the Goryeo government by removing pro-Mongol aristocrats and military officers.)

The Crown Prince's parents make the mistake that most royal parents make. Instead of loving and nurturing their son like any parent should, they use their child as a pawn in a power play. It does not make for a loving parent-child relationship and the very objective they want to accomplish, i.e. raise their child to one day become a great ruler who cares for and protects the people, gets lost in all the vicious palace intrigue and infighting. Interactions between either parent and the child were always INTENSE!!

So! Here's the PLOT. The Crown Prince is a HALF-BREED!! A child born from the union of a Goryeo king and a Chinese queen. Some of the folks in Goryeo don't like that! There is a clear divide. Those who will be loyal to the monarchy no matter who reigns as long as it's a good person who cares for and protects the people AND those who want a “pure-blood” Goryeo person to be the leader of the nation, as if only a person born without mixed heritage would possibly be the best person to rule the kingdom. Their excuse is that they fear the land of Goryeo will be taken over by a strong foreign power, Yuan, and they will cease to exist as “the true people of Goryeo”. That means they need to get rid of Wang Won, the half-breed. But how do they do that? Can it be done using:

~ Plan A: Place a pure-blood king on the throne without incurring the wrath of the Chinese Emperor and causing a bloodbath ... OR ...

~ Plan B: If they do make the Emperor angry, can they stand against him with their own military might? There will still be blood … but it will be worth it in The End because it will result in a Goryeo nation free from Chinese domination.

The series is 20 episodes. Definitely binge-worthy. I agree with the rating of 8.8 out of 10 stars reported by Viki.com viewers. To be honest, even though the king is the main person, if it were not for the character, Wang Rin, the king's BFF (best friend forever), I would not have been interested. From the moment of being introduced to this character, I wanted him to be my best friend forever! I liked him that much! So I had to follow this series through to The End because I needed to know what was going to become of him. Was he going to be killed OR would he survive the power struggle?

OFFICIAL TRAILER

What others have to say about “The King Loves”.

((WARNING! Some of these content links contain “spoilers”.)

• The King Loves (Series) - TV Tropes

• The King Loves Review: When Loyalty to Friends and Family is Put to the Test - The Silver Petticoat Review

• The King Loves Korean Drama Review | Kdrama Kisses

• Final Review: What “The King Loves” Did Right And Where It Missed The Mark | Soompi

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Korean Drama TV Series: Queen Insoo (or Insu — The Queen Mother) (2011)

“Queen Insoo” is a Joseon Dynasty historical period drama. During the various episodes, the narrator explains who the people are and where they fit on the historical timeline. This series has major character development. It starts when the main characters are young and then takes you through their life at various stages.

You know how when you’re watching a TV series and there is a really bad character and they are so wicked that you watch each minute of each episode HOPING that they finally get what’s coming to them?

Well this series has more than one bad character and with each episode these characters get worse and worse. The only reason you keep watching is because you keep thinking: ‘OK! This is the episode where they are going to get PAYBACK!’

Of course, the episode finishes and that evil person is still going strong!

So! You watch the next episode thinking: ‘OK! This time for sure, they’re gonna get it!”

All I can think is that if this was an accurate historical depiction of these real people, then the only person I felt truly sorry for was Prince Dowon (played by Baek Sung-Hyun), who was the young husband of the woman who would become Queen Insoo. That poor guy was a meek, humble, warm and kind-hearted person. But he was stuck between:

• his ambitious father ~ Prince Sooyang (played by Kim Young-Ho) who eventually becomes king AFTER he shed a lot of blood to get to the throne;
• his mother, who becomes Queen Junghee (played by Kim Mi-Sook) once her husband is crowned king, and she fully supported and justified everything her husband did; and
• his wife, Han Jung (played by Ham Eun-Jung), who — even though she loved him — she was hellbent on becoming a queen! So she financially supported her father-in-law’s murderous efforts and she also gave him advice on how he could achieve his goals, when he couldn’t think of what to do! If he had to do something questionable or absolutely wicked, she would help him out. She eventually became Queen Insoo (the part of the older queen was played by Chae Shi-Ra).

Being stuck between these 3 people who were determined to gain power at any cost, with personalities that are so contrary to his; trying to be a dutiful obedient son and a loving devoted husband and father … it’s no wonder he was ill and would have blackouts. It was too much for his heart to take.

I didn’t really feel sorry for the father, the mother, or the wife. But there was also another character who was just horrible! She was Song-Yi / Queen Yoon (played by Jeon Hye-Bin). She married one of the sons of Queen Soo; and although she became queen, she was deposed. If that was a true depiction of the real life character, sorry to say but they should have gotten rid of her and her son! But who could have predicted the son would be even worse than his mother. They had to get rid of the mother but they tried to save the child. After all, he was a legitimate prince and he was a young child when his mother was deposed. Oh if only … if only they could have predicted the child was going to turn out worse than his mother!

“Queen Insoo has 60 episodes and honestly? By the time I finished this series, I felt like going to a psychiatrist and laying down on the couch.

 Original Source

Korean Drama TV Series: Cruel Palace — War of Flowers (2013)

I wanted to watch this historical period drama series because it starred Kim Hyun Joo. The first time I saw this actress was in “Boys Over Flowers” (2009) . She was a supporting actress and she played the part of the big sister of one of the boys who were known as the “F4”. Her character was so sweet and generous. By contrast, in “Cruel Palace — War of Flowers”, she is the main character who plays royal concubine Soyong Jo / Yam Jun, and she is anything but sweet and generous. Although, her character started out as a nice girl; once she is adopted as a nobleman’s daughter, she changes completely.

Kim Ja-Jeom (played by Jung Sung-Mo) is the nobleman who adopts her. He has his own political/revenge agenda. The king had exiled him and when he came back, he was out for blood! The king’s blood! He planned to use his adopted daughter to take control of the throne and when she has a son for the king, that son will be his grandson, and he will hold the power. However, his adopted daughter, Soyong Jo, has her own plans to achieve her dreams of power. She wants to be queen AND make her son king!

Even though the rule is NOT to be envious and jealous, life for the women in the palace ~ mainly the queen and the concubines who constantly compete to receive the favor of the king ~ is motivated by envy and jealousy. This series is set during the Joseon dynasty after the Manchu invasion. The Qing are fighting against the Ming and Joseon is stuck in the middle. As if it’s not bad enough that the entire country is stuck in the middle of a power struggle between two Chinese warring groups, the “flowers”, i.e. the women in the palace are engaged in their own ruthless power struggle.

What will these women do to gain the king’s favor which gives them certain “power”?

To say that these ladies, were sleazy, caddy, and cruel would be paying them a compliment! It’s a good thing the queen and crown princess are sensible and seem to know how to navigate through the dark palace intrigue. Even so, the royal concubine Jo So Yong is willing DO ANYTHING to maintain her dominant position and control over the king. She even gets King Injo addicted to opium in order to be able to manipulate and control him better. The ruthlessness, the viciousness, the cruelty … the acts she committed just to keep her power and hold over the king … were SAVAGE!

Thank goodness for the loyal eunuch who was always by the king’s side.

Eunuch Kim In (played by Woo Hyeon) was physically short in stature but he was not a person you wanted to mess with. Out of all of the people in the palace, he was the only one who put that cruel concubine in her place. In one of the episodes he told her plainly “You know you’re not all that much.” In other words, you think you’re all that and you think you can become queen, but it wouldn’t be that hard to get rid of you.

The series is 50 episodes and honestly? I had to take breaks and rest. But I finished the series because I just had to know what was going to happen to royal concubine Jo So Yong in The End.

 Original Source

Streaming Services for Korean Dramas: Netflix versus Viki

In the USA, the most popular streaming sites for Korean dramas are Netflix and Viki. Maybe I shouldd say, the most popular streaming sites that I know of.  I have been a long-time Netflix subscriber and even though I give Netflix credit for introducing me to the wonderful world of Korean drama, I am a loyal Viki viewer. I became a loyal Viki viewer because Netflix didn't have enough TV series and movies to satisfy my appetite.  Especially not enough sageuk or historical period K-dramas.

These days, Netflix has added lots more K-dramas to their database; and their Netflix Original Series are very entertaining.  The Viki Original Series are equally entertaining.

• If you want to watch a Netflix Original Series, I highly recommend: Mr. Sunshine (2018); My Country: The New Age (2019); and The King's Affection (2021).  

• If you want to watch a Viki Original Series, I highly recommend:  Lovers of the Red Sky (2021); and The King Loves (2017).  Viki has lots more original series that I could suggest but I prefer to finish them and write reviews first, before telling others to dd to their watch list.

Rakuten Viki ~ The Heart of Asian Entertainment

𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐊𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐬?

Who knows what else I might find if I check different streaming sites. Thanks!!

My Sageuk Addiction – Medium

Korean Drama TV Series: Designated Survivor: 60 Days (2019)

Designated Survivor: 60 Days (2019) is streaming on Netflix.

I watched the American version of this TV series, Designated Survivor (2016–2019); also on Netflix. So I was curious to watch the Korean version. Another reason for this series being added to my watch list is that the main character, Park Mu-jin, the South Korean Minister of Environment, is played by Ji Jin-hee. The first time I saw this actor, he was the king in the series “Dong Yi”. I have been a loyal fan ever since. I knew he would not disappoint. 

We know that in a monarchy there's a line of succession for who will become the next king or queen when the current monarch is no longer with us. In a democracy, there is also a line of succession for who will step into the shoes of the president should the nation's leader become unable to fulfill his or her duties. In episode 1 of this political thriller, the president and ALL of the people in the line of succession, are killed in a massive explosion. Park Mu-jin (Ji Jin-hee) had done something earlier during the day which resulted in him being terminated. Because he had lost his job, he was not at work when the explosion occurred. Also, even though the president had fired him, the “official walking papers” had not been processed by the personnel office. That means that … “technically” … he was still employed. That also meant that … “technically” … he was the “designated survivor”, i.e. the person who had to step into the shoes of the president and take charge.

He is officially sworn in as Acting President for 60 days, and … after excusing himself from the meeting to go throw up in the bathroom … he returns and starts performing his official duties, which includes finding out who was responsible for the bombing.

16 episodes.
Most viewers gave this series a rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars. I agree.

DESIGNATED SURVIVOR: 60 DAYS (2019) - TRAILER

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Korean Drama TV Series: The King: Eternal Monarch (2020)

The King: Eternal Monarch (2020) is streaming on Netflix.

This series is a romantic-fantasy with an interesting twist. The fictional place is the Kingdom of Corea. Parallel worlds exist and the king from one world ~ his world (let's call the Kingdom of Corea, World #1) ~ finds the portal that takes him to the other world, the Republic of Korea (let's call it World #2) where he finds the same people that exists in his world (World #1), only their lives are completely different in the other world (World #2). Why did he need to go into the parallel world? Because he has a rotten uncle who is a ruthless murderer. In World #1, that uncle killed his own brother, who was the king's father, because he wanted to be The King! The uncle went over to the “other world” (World #2) for the purpose of finding “the twin” of the people who are having a hard knock life. He shows them how the person who looks exactly like them is living a wonderful life. He tells them: “You can have their life. Just go kill them and take their place.” You can't have two of the same people living in the same world. One of them has to be eliminated. Otherwise, the balance of both worlds will be thrown into chaos. Basically, what the uncle is doing is recruiting loyal subjects who will serve him in his eternal kingdom, once he gains power.

Lee Gon, The King, the Eternal Monarch (played by Lee Mon-Oh) needs to hunt down his uncle and stop him! In the process, of course, he falls in love with Jeong Tae-Eul (played by Kim Go-eun). She's a lieutenant in the police force. Somehow the two worlds got criss-crossed. She ended up in World #1 where she saved the life of Lee Gon, when he was a young prince (who became king after his father's murder). During the scuffle of fighting with the bad guys and saving his life, the young prince grabbed her police identification badge and kept it. When he grew up, he began searching for the woman who had saved his life. He found her in World #2. The murder of the king and the attempted murder of the prince occurred in 1994; however, the police badge which the lieutenant wore was issued in 2019. When they meet, they are both about the same age. Yes. She should have been a much older woman but she wasn't. Hey! It's a romantic-fanasy and age differences can easily be eliminated. In addition to searching for and finding the female lieutenant, he is also chasing after “a rabbit with a clock”. It's complicated.

16 episodes 
Most viewers gave this series a rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars. I agree.

• 'The King: Eternal Monarch' to 'Start-Up': List of K-dramas popular on Netflix in 2020 | Web Series
• Review: "The King: Eternal Monarch" Stars Lee Min-ho In A Ritzy Cross-Universe Fantasy | Cinema Escapist
• 10 TV Shows Like ‘The King: Eternal Monarch’ | TheReviewGeek Recommends

The King : Eternal Monarch Season 1 | Official Trailer | Netflix

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Korean Drama TV Series: My Country: The New Age (2019)

My Country: The New Age (2019) is streaming on Netflix. 

This Korean drama is set in the time during the transitional period between the end of the Goryeo dynasty and the beginning of the Joseon era, which is why it is called “The New Age”. A king, the king's wife, princes (sons of the king), and military leaders, are all engaged in a power struggle to build a new country.

Seo Hwi (played by Yang Se-Jong) and Nam Seon-ho (played by Woo Do-hwan) are two childhood friends who have the power of their friendship “tested”. Various events occur in their lives which result in them getting separated, and they become enemies due to a misunderstanding about "my country." One of them decides his country is “the country of the abandoned”. There is no reason for him to loyal to Goryeo, the old country, or Joseon, the new country. What did the country's leaders ever do for him, his sister or his father? He especially, owes them no loyalty for what they did to his father. He father was falsely accused of treason and unjustly received the death penalty, leaving him and his sister to struggle in the cruel world all by themselves. The wrongful execution of his father was just the beginning of the unfair unjust treatment that he received.

NOTE: I don't want to spoil it for those who have not watched it; but this series made me so sad and not just at The End. There were lots of sad serious solemn moments. Nevertheless, I persevered and watched it all the way through.

16 episodes.
Most viewers gave this series a rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars. I agree.

• 'My Country: The New Age' Netflix Review: Stream It Or Skip It?
• My Country: The New Age - streaming online | JustWatch
• My Country: The New Age | Netflix Wiki | Fandom

My Country: The New Age - Season 1 (2019) HD Trailer

Original source

Korean Drama TV Series: Live Up to Your Name (2017)

Hello to all my K-Drama fans out there!

I watched “Live Up to Your Name”, a series is on Netflix, but it is NOT a Netflix Original. So you might be able to find it at other streaming sites. 

Medical dramas seems to be gaining popularity. Time-travel dramas have already become popular. Romantic comedy has always been popular. This TV series is a romantic comedy time-travel medical drama. It's clear that the purpose is to show both Eastern and Western medical practices are good, but combining techniques used in Eastern and Western medicine could be even better. Well! That's my takeaway. Although … I'm still scared of needles. So if someone were to perform acupuncture on me, I would have to be totally passed out or in such a state where my body was paralyzed and I couldn't move. There's no way I would see a needle coming towards me and stay still. To this day, when I have to get shots, I always close my eyes.

OK. Back to the show! The two main characters are Heo Im (played by Kim Nam-Gil) and Choi Yeon-Kyung (played by Kim A-Joong). Even though this series is historical fiction, Heo Im is a real life historical figure. Heo Im is an acupuncturist from Joseon who fell off of a bridge into the water, and when he comes up from the water to breathe, he finds himself in modern day Seoul, South Korea. The first person he crosses paths with is a female doctor who is a skilled surgeon and her speciality is heart surgery. Both medical practictioners are “the best” in their fields. Although when they first meet, Choi Yeon-Kyung thinks Heo Im is a crazy quack pretending to be a doctor of oriental medicine, and Heo Im is shocked to learn that females can actually become doctors.

What makes this series different from other shows that I have watched is that they cross the time barriers several times. First, Heo Im comes to the modern-day Republic of Korea. Then Heo Im and Choi Yeon-Kyung pass through the time portal and they both end up in Joseon. Then they pass through again and end back up in Seoul. This happens a number of times.

During the course of their time-travel adventures together, they fall in love. However, because they are from different time periods, the questions that must be answered are:

~ Are these lovers destined to be together OR must they choose to live separate lives because they are from different time periods?

~ If they choose to be together, will they live in Joseon, 400 years in the past OR in modern-day Seoul South Korea?

The main characters and the supporting cast worked well together and created a very believable unbelievable story.

Additionally, I learned an interesting tidbit about the history of Korea. Usually when I watch historical period dramas, I latch on to an interesting person or place and do a little research to find out more. “More” meaning “did this person really exist” or “is this place for real”? In a few of the episodes, a character was introduced name Sayaka.

For contrast: nobody disputed that Heo Im is a real historical figure. However, regard the man named Sayaka, some say that there is no historical proof that such a man ever existed. There is a story or maybe you would call it a “legend” or “tradition” or “myth” that during the Japanese invasions of Joseon that occurred from 1592 to 1598, there was a Japanese general named Sayaka who defected and served in the Joseon army. It is said that he helped defeat the Japanese forces and was given the name Kim Chung-seon. He continued his miltary service and even fought against the Qing troops during the Manchu invasion of Korea.

One of the reasons given as to why there is a dispute over the existence of this general because they claim there is no name for such a commander in the Japanese historical materials.

To me, there is an easy explanation for that. The Japanese got pissed, considered him a traitor, and erased him from their records. Please! Erasing records happens a lot in various countries. There is no record in Egyptian history that a Jewish man named Joseph served as second in command to Pharoah either! Just sayin'.

As far as Korean historical records, if I were a Korean historian, and I was going to create a hero of the people who fought against foreign invaders, why would I make up a story about the country's military victories and give the credit to one of the foreigners who betrayed his own countrymen and helped us defeat the enemy invaders? If I were going to create mythical hero, I wouldn't write the “history” that way. I'm just thinking, this dude must be real! Why make that story up? That's all I'm sayin'.

Anyway! I give Live Up to Your Name (2017), 5 out of 5 stars.

Star 1: All the characters played their parts well.

Star 2: Heo Im (played by Kim Nam-Gil) and Choi Yeon-Kyung (played by Kim A-Joong) made a perfect couple.

Star 3: The scenery in both Joseon and Seoul was beautiful.

Star 4: Watching acupuncture being performed was very educational.

Star 5: If that guy named Sayaka was not real, you sure wanted him to be! 

Here are a couple of related links to reviews by others of this TV series:

** K-Drama Review: 'Live Up to Your Name' A Medical Melodrama Combine with Romantic Presence by Kim Nam-gil | Channel-K

** K-Drama Review: Live Up To Your Name, Dr. Heo (2017) by Kim Eun-hee

Original Source: Medium.com

Korean Drama TV Series: Lovers of the Red Sky (2021)

“Lovers of the Red Sky” (2021) is a Viki Original TV series which  stars Kim Joo Jung as Hong Cheong-Gi. Her leading man is played by Ahn Hyo Seop as Ha Ram. This young man is a singer and an actor who was born in Canada. The two of them made a lovely loving couple.

This series is based on the novel of the same name. It is a Viki Original Series, 17 episodes, and to be perfectly honest, it was sort of lacking. But since I like Kim Joo Jung so much, I was willing to overlook the script’s flaws and shortcomings. Also, Ahn Hyo Seop, who played her love interest, is strikingly handsome; even with red eyes.

It’s a a historical fantasy romance drama. There is a wicked demon, good spirits who fight against it, shamans who advise the crown princes, and a goblin who happens to have excellent taste in art. He doesn’t kill people. He just steals paintings.

Hong Cheong-Gi (Kim Joo Jung) and Ha Ram (Ahn Hyo Seop) are caught up in two vicious webs: the human politics and power games AND the eternal power struggle of good versus evil within the supernatural spirit world.

What will be the fate of these two lovers?

Two words for this series?  Delightfully entertaining! 

Originally published at read.cash.

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Ten (10) Korean Drama TV Series That are Binge-Worthy

Watching Korean dramas is my guilty pleasure. I especially like the historical period dramas, during the Joseon period. I have published a few detailed reviews of K-dramas here on Read.Cash. But I also shared some quickie reviews on its partner site, Noise.Cash, which I am recapping below. 

• If you have not watched these you should add them to your watch list.

• If you have watched them, let me know if enjoyed them too!

(1) Tamra the Island (2009)

The main character is a feisty little innocent girl who is fiercely loyal to her family and friends, but has the courage, inner strength and determination to break with tradition, and find her own way in a cruel world that is not a very nice place for a low-born; especially not a low-born young girl.

(2) Dong Yi (2010)

This series is 60 episodes, with an extraordinary cast, and based on a true story. It is a real life love story between a king and a woman he took to be his concubine: Dong Yi (played by Han Hyo-joo) and King Sukjong (played by Ji Jin-hee).

(3) Chuno (Slave Hunter; 2010)

Plot Summary: Two men really love a woman and there's a cute royal baby that gets thrown in the mix.

There is a lot of stuff going on.

- The typical love triangle story and more love stories.

- Freedom fighters: Slaves who dare to fight to be free.

- Super seriously evil wicked government officials.

- The Chinese were the good guys. (Huh? That's a switch.)

- Ordinary people just trying to live ordinary lives.

- Intense fighting scenes. Loved the action!

- Awesome soundtrack!

(4) Gunman in Joseon (2014)

It's a love story with a bold and daring hero who is not only an expert swordsman, but knows how to handle a pistol and a rifle. His love interest is an intelligent woman whose father is a scholar and allowed her to learn (although she had to dress up like a man to attend school). They both dream of their country, Joseon, as a land that will one day be populated with free people. His enemies thought they had killed him, but he was saved and taken to another country. He returned to Joseon with a new identity, and determined to settle old scores. The first time his beloved sees him again, she faints. He may be wearing different clothes and using a different name, but he still looked to her like the man she loved. She thought she had seen a ghost.

(5) The Flower in Prison (2016)

A baby who was born in a prison turns out to be a princess. But before she learned her true identity she was taught by a martial arts master and first learned how to kick butt!! It's a handy skill to have if you're going after the bad guys who caused your mother's death. The main character is Ok Nyeo played by Jin Se Yeon who is on my list for favorite Korean actresses.

(6) 100 Days My Prince (2018)

A young prince witnesses horrific bloodshed and commands that it be stopped. Since he is a small child, his command is disregarded and he is returned to his father; only to learn that it was his father who ordered the bloodshed. To add insult to injury, his mother is “accidentally” killed (really she was murdered). From that day forward, he not only hates his father, HE HATES EVERYBODY! Everybody except his close friend. He was forced into a marriage of convenience. His wife, the princess, becomes pregnant by another man. In an effort to cover this up, the father-in-law (the father of the princess) attempts to kill the prince. The attempt fails. Trying to escape his assassins, the prince falls down a slope and hits his head. A poor man finds him, takes care of him as best he can while he is unconscious. When he regains his consciousness, he does not remember who he is. The poor man tells him that he is his daughter's husband-to-be and that they must marry immediately or his daughter will be flogged.

For 100 days, he lives the simple life of a commoner and falls in love. He is found by his father-in-law and brought back to the palace. His memory has not returned. But slowly bits and pieces of incidents from his past, like puzzle pieces, begin to come together. His story begins … AGAIN! He realizes who he is and what he needs to do. He also knows what he wants to do. He wants to marry the woman he fell in love with as a commoner, who is also the little girl he met when he was a child and had promised he would marry some day.

(7)♦ Queen: Love and War (2019)

A young prince meets and makes friends with a nobleman's daughter, when they were children. An accident happens on a boat and the girl he met is tossed overboard. Her father believes that she drowned. Her sister grows up and the prince, now king chooses her to be his bride; not realizing that she is the twin sister and NOT the girl he met when he was younger. Corrupt officials arrange to have both King Lee Kyung and his queen, Kang Eun Bo, assassinated on their wedding day. They succeed in killing the sister but the king miraculously comes back to life. The people are terrified of him. How can he possibly come back from the dead? The twin sister realizes that her sister has been murdered. She takes her sister's body and secretly buries it. Then she returns to the palace AS IF she has also risen from the dead, just like the king. The king not knowing that she is the young girl he had met as a child, also believes his wife has come back to life. However, the twin sister's main purpose for returning to the palace is to discover who murdered her sister. For all she knew, even the king may have been involved. But she eventually realizes his innocence and falls in love with him. The problem is that she has already deceived him into believing that she is the one who died. This makes their personal relationship very complicated. As if life in the palace wasn't already complicated with all of the scheming, conniving, ruthless, greedy politicking that was going on. Oh! Did I mention the prophecy?

►(8) Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung (2019)

Goo Hae-ryung is a female historian. Prince Dowon (or Yi Rim) is a young prince who has been sheltered from the outside world. These two main characters are adorably cute! But they have had some tragedy in their young lives. They both lost their fathers through violence. Of course, the adults around them try to hide the truth. But the two of them trying to uncover the truth makes for a good plot.

►(9) My Country: The New Age (2019)

The time is during the transitional period between the end of the Goryeo dynasty and the beginning of the Joseon dynasty, which is why it is “The New Age”. A king, princes, military leaders, all engaged in a power struggle to build a new country. Seo Hwi and Nam Seon-ho are two childhood friends have the power of their friendship “tested”. Things happen to them, they get separated, and become enemies due to a misunderstanding about "my country." One of them decides his country is “the country of the abandoned”.

(10)♦ Bossam ~ Steal the Fate (2021)

I learned a new word and a new custom.

“'Bossam' in the Korean title refers to a customary remarriage procedure that took place during the Joseon period. At that time, a widow could not remarry. A single man or widower would kidnap the widow and marry her. Some of the kidnappings were agreed upon in advance and others were by force.” (Quote Source: https://asianwiki.com/Bossam:_Steal_the_Fate)

Here's the story. Two friends earn their living by kidnapping widows. It's a steady paying job because … evidently, a lot of widows want to be kidnapped and remarried. However, there is one widow who does not have this on her mind. She just happened to be sitting outside and the kidnapper happened to go to the wrong house and … uh oh! … she is accidentally kidnapped. You think this problem is easy to solve. The guy made a mistake, so all he needs to do is take her back home. Right? WRONG! The lady who was kidnapped turns put to be a princess. Her father, the king, wants to see her. Since her father-in-law did not know how or why she disappeared or where she was, HE LIED! He told the king his daughter committed suicide, having died from the grief of being a widow. The king finds out that his daughter is alive and wants to use this fact to trap the father-in-law and get rid of him for treason. The father-in-law also finds out she is alive and the entire series is him trying to have her killed so that he doesn't get caught in his LIE!

► = Netflix Original Series.

♦ = Search for more Viki TV Original Series.

So that's my 10 K-dramas that are binge-worthy. 

INTERESTING FACTS:

Chosŏn means “The Land of the Morning Calm.”

Interested in knowing something about the real history, as opposed to historical fiction? Learn more: "The Role of the Joseon Dynasty in Korean History | ThoughtCo'".

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— My Shopping Channel (@goshoppingbees) December 24, 2021

Watch and Learn: Learn a Foreign Language While Watching a Foreign Drama

I love foreign films and television shows, as long as they have English subtitles.  But what if?  What if there was a tool to combine my education with my entertainment?

I got hooked on Korean dramas several years back. I especially liked the historical dramas during the Joseon or Chosun time period.

Because Netflix did not have enough K-dramas to satisfy me, Viki became my GO-TO site for Asian TV. One thing that used to frustrate me though was having to wait for a series to be translated with English subtitles. My first K-drama television series was “Tamra the Island”. The young British noble William seemed to have a gift for learning languages. But the one thing I noticed when I started watching K-dramas was that the language was not that difficult to learn. I am not gifted like William however I found it easy to pick out conversational phrases like “Have you eaten?” However, the idea of adding a feature to the video that helps you learn the language? That's absolutely fabulous! Way to go Viki! And the tool will teach Chinese also?? SCORE!

• Learn more about how to Learn languages while watching dramas! ~ Viki Blog

Watch Tamra the Island on Viki 



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Netflix Original: Korean Drama TV Series: Mr. Sunshine (2018)

You would probably not think that a series with a title like “Mr. Sunshine” would be a Korean drama, would you? But it is! It is a Netflix Original and it is intense!

The lead actor is Lee Byung-hun and he is the reason this series caught my eye. He's Korean but the first time I saw him was in one of the Terminator movies. He was one of the terminators: T-1000 in “Terminator Genisys” (2015). He was awesome! So when I saw he was the main character in “Mr.Sunshine”, I had to watch! I was not disappointed.

It is an historical period war drama which depicts conflicts involving the Americans, the Japanese, and the Koreans. His character starts off as a young child who was a slave but he escaped to America. The name given to him by the kind-hearted and generous American who saved his life was Eugene Choi. His Korean name was Choi Yoo-jin. He grew up and became a high-ranking officer in the American military and they sent him back to Korea on a special assignment. He was not exactly thrilled about being sent back home to a country where he was never treated like it was his home. Nevertheless, when you're a soldier you obey orders.

Not only was this series entertaining, but it was also very educational and emotional. I got caught up in the lives of each of the main characters listed below.

~ Lee Byung-hun as Eugene Choi / Choi Yoo-jin who became a Captain in the United States Marine Corps.

~ Kim Tae-ri as Go Ae-shin, a Joseon noblewoman, a skilled sniper and loyal member the Righteous Army.

~ Yoo Yeon-seok as Goo Dong-mae (his Korean name) / Ishida Sho (his Japanese name), whose father was killed fighting in the war and he fled to Japan. He joined a Japanese criminal organization and when he returned to Korea, he wanted revenge!

~ Kim Min-jung as Lee Yang-hwa (her Korean name) / Kudo Hina (her name when her father forced her to marry a rich Japanese man so he could get at his money). She became a widow and returned to Korea to run the "Glory Hotel", a property she inherited after her husband's death.

~ Byun Yo-han as Kim Hee-sung, an extremely wealthy Joseon nobleman who was supposed to marry Go Ae-shin, only she fell in love with Eugene Choi. But that didn't stop him from loving her anyway.

Korean dramas always have to have a love triangle.

I fell in love with each one of these characters. They were so real to me.

I will have to do follow-up research to find out if there was a group called the Righteous Army.

A one-word description for this Netflix Original Series? Outstanding!

Korean Drama TV Series: Sungkyunkwan Scandal (2010)

Sungkyunkwan Scandal (2010) is a Korean drama television series which has 20 episodes. I watched and enjoyed every episode but I still can't pronounce the name. ☺  Korean is not my native language.

I really enjoyed the main characters. Four young adults in a type of college are studying to become professionals who will work for the government. These young scholars were being educated in the teachings of Confucius and their goal was to become dedicated and just public servants who stood up for what was right. Just like most young people in every generation, they were bursting with ideas and ideals. They were so adorable.

There was just one problem. One of the aspiring scholars was a girl! NOT ALLOWED!

Sungkyunkwan Scandal is a historical period drama based on Jung Eun-gwol's bestselling 2007 novel “The Lives of Sungkyunkwan Confucian Scholars”. It stars Park Min-young, Park Yoo-chun, Yoo Ah-in and Song Joong-ki.

A one-word description for this TV series? Delightful!

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