Drama revisits ancient Korea-Japan war

Kim Sang-joong, left, will portray Joseon Kingdom’s (1392-1910) Yu Seung-ryong, who served as prime minister when the kingdom was fighting a war against Japan (1592-1598), and actor Kim Tae-woo will play King Seonjo in new KBS period drama “Jingbirok.” / Courtesy of KBS

Veteran actor Im Dong-jin makes comeback after 10-year break from television

By Baek Byung-yeul

Following the huge success of last year’s massive hit film “Roaring Currents,” which broke the country’s box office record, KBS will launch a period drama dealing with 16th century’s Korea-Japan war Feb. 14.

Entitled “Jingbirok (book of correction),” the period drama revolves around Yu Seong-ryong (1542-1607), who served as prime minister of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) during the seven-year war, dubbed as Imjin War (1592-1598). During the war, the kingdom was invaded by Japan under the leadership of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

The title of the drama is named after Yu’s war memoir of the same title. The original manuscript of the book is National Treasure No. 132.

While “Roaring Currents” centers around the battle of Myeongryang in 1597 in which admiral Yi Sun-sin (1594-1598) defeated more than 330 Japanese fleets with only his 12 warships, “Jingbirok” covers the entire kingdom during the war, with Yu as the central figure. Veteran actor Kim Sang-joong will feature as Yu.

Veteran actor Im Dong-jin appears in the 1998 KBS drama “The King and Queen.” Im will take on the role of Yoon Doo-soo. / Korea Times file

“Everyone recalls the admiral Yi when talking about Imjin War, but they should know there was also Yu who endeavored to manage the kingdom as prime minister at the same time,” Kim said during a recent press conference introducing the drama.

“Though Yu is a landmark figure in our history, everyone remembers him as a figure who only introduced the admiral to the king. The drama will show Yu’s importance in those times,” the 49-year-old actor added.

Yu was a high-profiled scholar and politician of the kingdom. Before the Imjin War, Yu recommended the admiral Yi to King Seonjo, the-then king of the kingdom, to guard southwest coast of the Korean Peninsula.

The drama’s producer Kim Sang-hui said he decided to direct the period piece to let the audience know how the country overcame the invasion.

“This year marks 70th anniversary of Korea’s independence from Japan. The drama focuses on how our ancestors overcame the Imjin War, which is remembered as one of the biggest national crisis in our history,” Kim said.

KBS didn’t disclose who is playing the role of admiral Yi. In “Roaring Currents,” actor Choi Min-sik, better known for his leading role in thriller flick “Old Boy” (2003), portrayed the admiral.

The drama boasts a star-studded cast with A-list stars.

Actor Kim Tae-woo will feature as King Seonjo while veteran actor Im Dong-jin, 70, will make a highly-anticipated comeback after a decade-hiatus to take the role of Yu’s political rival Yoon Doo-soo who later became prime minister of the kingdom. Im is one of the most respected period actors. He starred in hit period dramas such as the 1998 “King and Queen” on KBS and the 2003 “King’s Woman” on SBS.

Im discontinued his career after appearing in KBS TV’s period piece “Daejoyoung” in 2006 as he had been a pastor for the last decade.

For Japanese side, actor Lee Kwang-ki will feature as Japan’s general Konishi Yukinaga, who led the initial forces under Toyotomi Hideyoshi to invade the Korean Peninsula.

The Saturday-Sunday night time drama will begin airing from Feb. 14.