More promo for the upcoming sageuk My Country has been released, prominently featuring Jang Hyuk (Greasy Melo). The drama is set in a time of political upheaval, as Goryeo falls and Joseon rises from its ashes. Three courageous individuals with different, but equally strong beliefs begin to shape this new world with their respective visions.
To give a bit of historical context, General Yi Seong-gye becomes the first king of Joseon when he takes power by staging a coup against the last of the Goryeo kings. He is styled as King Taejo, founder of the Joseon dynasty. Yi Bang-won, who will be played by Jang Hyuk, is the most ambitious of Yi Seong-gye’s sons who helps his father cement his rule of Joseon.
The new poster featuring the main trio says: “During Joseon’s fetal stages, they were there.” Yang Se-jong (Temperature of Love) plays the son of one of General Yi Seong-gye’s top commanders. Woo Do-hwan (The Great Seducer) plays Yang Se-jong’s friend who is unable to become a military official because of his commonborn background. Finally, Seolhyun (Orange Marmalade) completes the trio, as the young woman who has a strong sense of justice.
But let’s focus on Jang Hyuk for a moment—his hair is giving me chills, bringing me back to his Chuno days, and I’m so stoked. It looks like the drama is going to take a whole new perspective on Yi Bang-won, one of the most fascinating characters in Korean history for his bloody massacre of his siblings during his rise to power.
Yi Bang-won has already been portrayed by many films and dramas, with Yoo Ah-in’s Six Flying Dragons being a particularly memorable portrayal. In fact, Jang Hyuk has played the character before too in his movie Empire of Lust, so it’ll be interesting how his acting will differ in My Country.
According to Jang Hyuk, My Country’s Yi Bang-won is a character who hides his vulnerable, pitiful self behind a sword. Although it looks like plain ambition from the outside, Jang Hyuk wanted to portray his inner humanistic sides too. By exploring and interpreting the relationships Yi Bang-won has with others, Jang Hyuk wanted to show Yi Bang-won’s human emotions. Especially, he tried to show the perspective of a son’s relationship with his father, and the circumstances that surrounded his actions.
JTBC Friday-Saturday drama My Country begins airing on October 4.
