More promos have come thundering in for KBS’s grand sageuk The Goryeo-Khitan War, showcasing our soon-to-be king Kim Dong-joon (More Than Friends) as well as the influential general Choi Su-jong (My Only One) in a new group poster and video teaser.
Based on a trilogy novel series by Gil Seung-soo, the historical takes us to the war front of Goryeo during the Khitan invasions. In the teaser we open with the menacing threat of the Khitan (Liao Dynasty) Emperor Shenzong (Yayul Yoong-seo in Sino-Korean) – played by Kim Hyuk (Cruel Palace – War of the Flowers) – as our young Buddhist monk Wang Soon (Kim Dong-joon) pleads for mercy.
But the experience awakens the sleeping dragon within our hero’s heart and the sequence takes us through his transformation as he establishes his reign as Goryeo’s King Hyeonjong. Fun side fact: Hyeonjong descended from both Goryeo and Silla royalty, but he was an illegitimate child, born from a scandalous affair between a queen dowager and her uncle (who was a prince himself as the son of Goryeo’s first king).
Despite Hyeonjong’s brave resolve, the teaser also shows us the weight of his struggles and General Gang Gam-chan (Choi Su-jong) appears by his side to support him, encouraging Hyeonjong to stay strong. In the final sequence, we cut to Hyeonjong’s coronation and as he looks out at the crowds, the teaser closes on the voiceover toasting to his future: “All the people of Goryeo are now Your Majesty’s subjects, Your Majesty’s soldiers. You will become a true king.”
With production co-directed by PD Jeon Woo-sung (Strongest Deliveryman) and PD Kim Han-sol (Imjin War 1592), and scripts penned by Lee Jung-woo (The King of Tears, Lee Bang-won), KBS’s 50th anniversary special The Goryeo-Khitan War will be airing on weekends starting November 11.
