New drama alert! And this one is exciting on so many levels. PD Shin Kyung-soo, of Tree With Deep Roots and Six Flying Dragons fame, is helming a new sageuk for SBS. Joining him is another sageuk expert, writer Jung Hyun-min, who wrote the acclaimed Jung Do-jeon. Titled Ugeumchi, the sageuk takes place at the end of the 19th century and will focus on the Donghak Peasant Rebellion, which is credited (blamed?) for sparking the First Sino-Japanese War and strengthening Imperial Japan’s hold in Korea.
Ugeumchi will revolve around two half-brothers, and offers are currently out to Jo Jung-seok (Two Cops) and Yoon Shi-yoon (Your Honor) to headline as siblings on different sides of the conflict. If they accept, Jo Jung-seok will play what sounds like an antihero character, the illegitimate son of a notorious and wealthy government official in the town of Gobu. Born to a slave mother, Jo Jung-seok’s character is described as a poisonous snake, with sharp gazes and withering smiles. I’m so used to watching Jo Jung-seok playing likeable leads that I’d love to watch him play against type here.
The role offered to Yoon Shi-yoon, on the other hand, is predictably the opposite of Jo Jung-seok’s. If he accepts, he’ll play the legitimate, younger son of the Baek family, who studied abroad in Japan and is preparing for the national civil service exam. Described as noble and graceful in both his looks and the way he carries himself, his only perceived flaw is his family’s less-than-the-highest social status.
Given the PD and writer attached to this show, all we need are strong leads to carry the tragedy of siblings who find themselves on either side of a class conflict. Which is why I’m crossing my fingers that Jo Jung-seok and Yoon Shi-yoon accept, since they’d definitely be able to pull that off and then some.
SBS’s Ugeumchi, named after a decisive battle at the end of the Donghak Rebellion, is slated for next spring.