I love these period pieces...always a visual buffet!

Look at those hanboks!! Especially the last still of Park Ye-Jin looking pretty in pink!

I have to agree with Tippy. The hanboks are love, especially Park Ye Jin's.

OMG!! Uhm Tae-woong! I love his superb acting! Hopefully, the drama will be good and intense like his acting.

those hanbok' remind me of Chinese traditional period costumes - which i suppose makes sense since the Chinese were heavy cultural influences to Korea. just thought this was interesting (to me) since i grew up on mainly Chinese drama and just recently discovered Korean dramas. before k-dramas, my knowledge of all things kKorea could be summed up in one word: Kimchi?

ooohh this is gonna be one badass show!! Uhm Tae-woong, are you serious???! I've been really wanting to watch Resurrection, b/c I've only seen him in Delightful girl choon-hyang, he caught my eyes because he's so darn good of an actor!! Totally convincing as the control-freak gotta-have-that-girl-or-else XD Woohoo!!!

Uhm Tae-woong! All the way man!

ooo..this is the guy from delightful girl? one of my first kdramas..... yes, i wonder who their family is going to watch if its the same timeslot? lol..maybe they'll flip back and forth

Still waiting for the day when Eom Tae Woong and Eom Jung Hwa get cast in a remake of Autumn Tale. Then, everyone who watches the first episode will be sent to jail.

Uhm Tae-woongssi, yeah!!!!!!!!! He's love!

"who is a fabulous and intense actor"
Can't disagree with you!

Uhm Tae-woong ajussi is effin hot!! (That's what my friends and I call him, or 嚴大叔 in Chinese XD) Wow, his first sageuk... have to check this one out!

Sibling rivalry lol ! nicee

I will definately give this drama a go, It will hopefully not end up like Ja Myung Go . MBC better be ready for serious criticism regarding the pace of sageuks >.<
This drama IS getting subbed? am I right ?

I'm watching "The Devil" right now (yes! I know I'm several years behind everyone else) and totally loving UTW........ I loved his sister in "Get Karl, Oh Soo Jung" too :)

Good luck to both of them!^^
---------------------------------------------------
@missmartypants: what are you doing here?!!! you should be busy earning money for that tuition you were moaning about!!!! :)

am I gonna see jinkzz and the rest of the gang later, too? ^__^

Uhm Tae woong, saw him in the Devil... where JJH starred too.. *sniff, lips trembling..a tear rolling down..* In the making of Devil, these two guys were really caring, kinda sweet, to each other (not in a bro-mantic way! more like older-younger brothers)....

Omg. *drools*

I fall more in love with Uhm Tae Woong with each drama I see him in. And to think I hated him when I saw him first in Delightful Girl Choon Hyang. I think if I ever went back to rewatch that, I would feel very conflicted. Would I choose adorable but immature Mong Ryong or the creepy yet sizzling-hot Ahjussi?

LOL belleza. Where do you get all these ideas from??

@8 Belleza

Thanks for making me laugh for a minute there! What a creative mind you have!
Yey! everybody, to jail we go! Then Uhm Tae Woong can have his fan meeting there!

Wait, let me make a detour to JJH's cell and deliver his food stuff first....

yowzer. these costumes are top-quality (yes park ye-jin looks a wisp of angel gracing our world.) for some reason UTW's "knows how to wait" sounds incredibly sexy :D
hopefully the "sageuk talk" wasn't a big problem for any first-timers.

but MEIKO*** ^-^.....if you drop by JJH's cell first, you wouldn't want to leave, dear ......rofl

For some reason i don't see the main male lead not so attractive in his outfit.. maybe the hair thing doesn't match him...

Uhm Tae-woong!!!
wow!! I can't until I see him in a period drama!!
Looks so exciting!

I wonder who will come out on top... Uhm Tae-woong or Uhm Jung-hwa!!!

I hope both will have high ratings~!

thanks for the article Javabeans... agree with tippy...the hanboks are great and of course UTW looks good , too... i almost didn't recognize him when i first saw his picture... been looking forward to this drama but now I am torn as to which drama to tune in for the livestream when they air... I love GHJ ( hoping for an HIT 2 ) as well as JJH ( who stars in the man who can't get married).
___________________________________________

hi lidge, missmartypants...hehehe

Love Uhm a lot. His acting in The Devil was really good. I really felt for him. The hanboks are gorgeous....Can't wait for this to come out.

Oh I see. Now I HAVE to watch it.

I have not been able to really get back on the saddle of kdrama since Capital Scandal ended. Watching this here and there. Didn't care for BOF hype either....BUT now here I go waiting for this drama to air so I can lock myself in my room fat and happy feasting on kdrama like I used (good times)!!! UTW is one of the most brilliant actors! I absolutely was captivated and now in a sageuk (He'd have a chance to really steal my heart from Kang Ji Hwan, I don't know what it is but historical dramas are soooo good, the way love is conveyed in historical dramas really shows "true love"). I love sageuks!!! why can't his leading lady be Han Ji Min?!?!?!? She's good in sageuk.

hehehe...didn't realize I left more than a comment:)

"For some reason i don’t see the main male lead not so attractive in his outfit.. maybe the hair thing doesn’t match him…"

There's also footage of Eom Tae Woong donning the beard, and it becomes him. And I mean, he's a dreamy sageuk oppa. These pictures just don't him justice. :)

Dang!!!!! Go Hyun Jung, Park Ye Jin, and Uhm Tae Woong. Agggghhh, this drama becomes harder and harder to resist. How many episodes are there again? Aigoo, I hope the episodes are at least manageable T___T, I've been trying to finish Jang Geum for a few months now.

must. keep. expectations. down.

OMG kids. this is the most highly anticipated drama for me, post BBF. HOLY CRAP. Uhm Tae Woong!!! and then, jo min ki, etc etc.

And UTW's role as Kim Yoo Shin, who is one of the most BADASS persons to ever have walked the Korean Peninsula?

This is going to be EPIC if only for UTW's acting... and HOTNESS.

"This is going to be EPIC if only for UTW’s acting… and HOTNESS."

We'll see. This is his first (and Go Hyun Jung's) sageuk. But if you've seen the trailer, he looks absolutely matinee idol in this role.

All these actors are my favourite! Hope it will be a nice one! Fighting!

@belleza, "There’s also footage of Eom Tae Woong donning the beard, and it becomes him." You don't have to convince me~~ just tell where to find it!! ::swooning in anticipation::

Gah. Costumes. Preeeetty.

@paula,

Here's the trailer. Go to about 5:15 for sageuk oppa with his beard! :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLjXb7o0B_M

I'm not kidding when I say I've absolutely never seen him sexier than in this clip. With the beard, he just makes me think of Errol Flynn. Rogueish, dreamy, etc.

Ahhh. OMG. No way!!! I think everyone on the blog knows how much I love UTW. Not only do I think he is a brilliant actor and is in my hot category but two of his dramas Resurrection and Devil are on my top 5 list. I'm definitely going to watch this since I've been waiting forever for his next drama. I think he looks really great.

"I would feel very conflicted. Would I choose adorable but immature Mong Ryong or the creepy yet sizzling-hot Ahjussi?"

Creepy sexy ahjussi all the way. Immature boys don't have much of an impact on me.

Hu-WoW!!! thats Cool!
ohhh just wishing i could wear those kind of clothes.... and i dont have idea how many layers of clothes they use.... and also the armor are they heavy from head to toe.... just wondering....

any idea?

I've never seen those kinds of han-bok's before... except in Chinese historical pieces... quick internet research (thank you chinaculture.org) indicates strong Tang Dynastic influence.... an element of the long evolution of the traditional Korean han-bok?

Part of the reason that K-culture is so fascinating to me is the breadth and depth of it, along with side-by-side growth comparisons with China and Japan. We have, during the Chinese Tang Dynasty, the probable birth of the traditional Korean han-bok during the Three Kingdom / Shilla Period, with its eventual separation from Chinese-style dress, even color palette differences representing huge differences in philosophy and thinking.

Every time I think about it, I come back to American history and I think about how incredibly young the USA is. When we were in Rome, and we walked through the catacombs, the arenas, etc., you could just sense history. You could feel it and know that these things (like the way you cook, the way you stay together as a family, the way you dress, the way you think, the way you are taught, the way you create community, your language, your wars and military struggles) were done in the same way for over a hundred generations. Where we stayed, at a Boscolo hotel in Piazza della Repubblica, there was this almost abandoned church (you could just walk in and out, nobody was there, it didn't seem to be occupied or anything) whose insides were so magnificent and grand, it was so awe-inspiring, I couldn't believe it.

The same thing goes for Korea. Those han-boks seen in the pictures above likely take signficant and liberal influence from the Tang Dynasty, but it would be something to see if towards the end of the drama, whether we will see elements of the traditional Korean han-bok inching its way into the picture.

Either way, just beautiful.

wow I can't count the day to aired..... I loved the historical story from other country that may get more interesting seems other country doesn't knows especial about their traditional custome how they treated the people around them.... :_0 :-)

I beg surprised that Ms. go hyung jung will play the brilliant woman..... seems that I want for her to be the main lead in that drama.. Kinda !!!.. but for sure ms. go got the heavy character and she is fantastic, cutie smile and very professionalism to her work.

she didn't even have full of make up that what I observed....

Uhm Tae-wooooooooonnnnngggggggggggg~ *squeals*

I love this man, for realz. He's so wonderfully intense, I always want to see more of him.

Also, HANBOKS. <3333333333333333333

I might have to give this drama a shot now. I've never really attempted to watch any sageuks before, though (Hyang Dan Jeon doesn't count XD), so we'll have to see..

*squeals some more for good measure*

@Samsooki,

"We have, during the Chinese Tang Dynasty, the probable birth of the traditional Korean han-bok during the Three Kingdom / Shilla Period, with its eventual separation from Chinese-style dress, even color palette differences representing huge differences in philosophy and thinking."

Yup. Shilla was the kingdom closest to the Han and Tang Dynasties. I'm used to seeing Shilla being depicted as the "Evil Kingdom." For example, in 1000 Years of Love, you get to hear Paeckhe princess Sung Yu Ri talk about "those Shilla pigs" and "boil all their livers in a boiling vat of water." Kind of a shame though. If Queen Seon Deok covered just 20-25 more years from her actual reign, we'd get to see Shilla finally conquer Paekche and Sung Yu Ri jump over a magical cliff to go 1000 years into the future to meet her general So Ji Sup. Yup, everything I learned about Korean history, I learned from Sung Yu Ri and 1000 Years of Love. :D O_o

@catsy,

"I beg surprised that Ms. go hyung jung will play the brilliant woman….. seems that I want for her to be the main lead in that drama.."

She was offered the lead role, but she opted to play the villain character since it was the juicier, showier one. To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if this show ends up becoming "Queen Sujini."

@belleza - i owe you BIG TIME. thank for that, uh, moment ^^ in the middle of the work day. oh yeah, he looks amazing.

Reminds me of 최철호 Choi Chul Ho who never looked as swoon-worthy as he did in Dae Jo Yeong (as the bearded 걸사비우 Gulsubuwu) or in 천추태후 Empress Chun Chu as Gyeong Jong / Wang Yu -- why oh why did he have to die??? T_T

As someone used to watching Chinese historical dramas ALL THE TIME [that genre like pretty much monopolizes all of my Chinese-drama watching], the outfits/costumes are very much heavily Chinese Tang-dynasty influenced. It's interesting, because there you can see the Chinese influence in Korean culture, which is very present.

There's a lot of that going on in Ja Myung Go, too. I noticed, interestingly, that a lot of Chinese viewers [who comment on the videos] commented on how a lot of the historical Korean dramas lately seem to have outfits that are more Tang-dynasty/Chinese influenced. It's true - I definitely have noticed that. Is it because the focus on these historical Korean dramas have shifted focus to a point in time that's further back in Korean history when Korea was more Chinese influenced?

On the other hand, I'm looking forward to Park Yejin. She looks so pretty. Plus, I'm really missing her after Hateful But Once Again. Her chemistry with the guy was so very good. It made me cry so many tears [LOL], and I definitely felt for them despite the fact that the most they ever did was hug - THERE WAS NOT EVEN A SINGLE REAL KISS. It made me so angry.

"It’s interesting, because there you can see the Chinese influence in Korean culture, which is very present."

I think that goes without saying though. Chinese (esp. Mainland) people like Korean historical dramas, because it feels very familiar (like I always say, Jang Geum is the "perfect Chinese daughter.") They just don't agree with their point of view. ;) Once it's been dubbed, you may not realize it's Korean if you're not paying attention. Queen Seon Duk's prospects as a Hallyu export are really good.

"There’s a lot of that going on in Ja Myung Go, too. I noticed, interestingly, that a lot of Chinese viewers [who comment on the videos] commented on how a lot of the historical Korean dramas lately seem to have outfits that are more Tang-dynasty/Chinese influenced."

My mom mentioned that especially with the Iron Empress. She really, really likes the Iron Empress. ;)

While I personally am not a fan of GHJ, what an stellar cast! I may just have to try this.

@ belleza

The thing is, though, I find that when I'm watching some of the Chinese subbed episodes of Korean historical dramas, there is sometime criticism about the historical inaccuracy. I myself am sort of a history nerd and I like to notice a lot of the historical inaccuracies. My dad, especially, points out these historical discrepancies. Sometimes, it's bad enough for the Chinese subbers to refuse to sub the videos because they claim the writers are twisting history. I agree that there are parts where there's sometimes moments where they portray the Chinese in inaccurate ways. [There were complaints of this going on with Cain & Abel, where subbers simply refused to sub the project because it was portraying the Chinese in an unfavorable way.]

I don't exactly take it to heart, but I figure that I'm not watching whatever it is for historical accuracy. I mean, it's not like a History channel documentary, so I'm not going to criticize it for it. It's just a detail. And if the portrayal bothers me so much, I just won't watch it. For me, it seems like there's a factor of Chinese nationalism coming in with this overreaction - I can understand it, but I can't say I wholly support it all.

There are times, though, when it just steps the boundaries and I can understand the objections.

But that is very interesting that a lot of the stuff seems to connect more easily to other cultures, like the Chinese. Is it because they're paying more attention to the market and are purposefully targeting this market?

And more on the outfits. I swear, I remember when I was young [and was like brainwashed by a ton of Chinese historical dramas], I used to want to live in that time period just so I could wear the pretty clothing. LOL.

"Reminds me of 최철호 Choi Chul Ho who never looked as swoon-worthy as he did in Dae Jo Yeong (as the bearded 걸사비우 Gulsubuwu) or in 천추태후 Empress Chun Chu as Gyeong Jong / Wang Yu — why oh why did he have to die??? T_T"

Yeah in both series. Who can forget Gulsubuwu . He totally made Dae Jo Yeong for me. What a major hottie.

Park Yejin on the other hand I couldn't stand in DJY. I think she is such a bad actress. She would do this eye thing whenever she is suppose to be scared which is about 10 times per episode. It goes down ok the first few times but considering DJY is a plus 100 episode series you can do the math of why this gets annoying pretty fast.

I didn't know Uhm Tae-woong was going to be in this! He is one of my favorite actors! And I have been wondering when was he going to do another drama, so I am definitely going to check this out once it airs.

@43, A

Historical dramas aren't necessarily bound to exacting accuracy, even if that were possible. History is written by the victors, as is oft quoted, and while that may be true in many cases, what is probably more like is that history is written by everybody with a pen. :) Despite my tinge of cynicism, it is important to note that it is the combination of fact and opinion that create "true" history, and since, then, opinion can be as important as fact, all points of view, even diametrically opposed views, are needed to create a complete picture.

But even as that may be true, it is also true that errors are quite possible. Oversights, inadvertent errors, laziness or just plain ignorance can also lead to errors. But insomuchas errors should be corrected, errors themselves have value and shouldn't be eliminated without consideration.

I wrote about this briefly a while back, but I think the Chinese emphasis on hé (harmony) can be so overwhelming that can be impossible to determine what is and isn't historical accuracy anyway. Harmony subsumes everything and it means that it doesn't matter whether a divergence from canon is to make a point, or whether such dalliance is inadvertent, or whimsical, or practical. Harmony also means that truth is secondary, whatever truth means and to whomever truth gives meaning. Harmony is everything, and so it would be shocking to say the least if subbers actually translated things that they felt didn't match up with the canon.

Every historical drama contains factual errors, even ones well researched and debated. But to self-censure out of nationalistic pride is part of the reason why it is so important to gain more perspectives, even ones that might be entirely inaccurate at face value. Ironic.

@A,

"Sometimes, it’s bad enough for the Chinese subbers to refuse to sub the videos because they claim the writers are twisting history."

It's only fair. My mom complains all the time about how Chinese people are portrayed in Korean dramas. But, then again, she watches anyway. :)

":There were complaints of this going on with Cain & Abel, where subbers simply refused to sub the project because it was portraying the Chinese in an unfavorable way"

Some of the jumps in geography would be baffling to a Mainlander. Basically, So Ji Sup is kidnapped in "New York City", and then he's left in a desert in "New Mexico." That type of implausibility. It's just like, in Hana Yori Dango Season 2, some of the bits in New York City come across as racist to us. (Which uhhh one get used to when watching Japanese TV :( ) Naturally, it's also different between Mainland and Taiwanese audiences.

"For me, it seems like there’s a factor of Chinese nationalism coming in with this overreaction - I can understand it, but I can’t say I wholly support it all."

Mmm, not irrationally so. For example, Japan's take on WW2 is going to be very different than how the Americans saw it. I remember when watching "Gods and Generals", I was offended by its Southern apologia. But then I realized, well, that is after all a perspective held by many in the South during that time.

Also, whenever you watch a Choi Wan Kyu sageuk, you just gotta leave the "historical accountant" behind and indulge your inner Chuck Norris. If Jumong takes out 50 guys while maintaining a well-groomed beard . . . well hey it's ALL good. ;)

"But that is very interesting that a lot of the stuff seems to connect more easily to other cultures, like the Chinese. Is it because they’re paying more attention to the market and are purposefully targeting this market?"

I think it goes without saying that the Mainland and the Peninsula have had a long, up-and-down relationship with each other. But they've been trading partners pretty much thousands of years, and China is the biggest K-pop market in the world. But anytime you see sageuks covering the Kingdom of Goryeo, especially yapping about Gojoseon, well uhh let's just say my mom (and the majority of the Mainland) has a different perspective on what "Gojoseon" is. ;) Then again, she still watched Jumong religiously for a year.

My mom was extremely interested in Iljimae, because the "Iljimae" comic was originally based on a similar "Iljimae" ("Yi Zhi Me"?) character in an ancient Chinese novel. (And in fact, there is an old HK drama based on the original Iljimae.) So, she already knew Iljimae was a Robin Hood-style character and all that good stuff. Lee Jung Ki's "Iljimae" was really popular in China, partially to that familiarity. Hallyu popularity in China also works in quirky ways. For example, daily dramas and variety do well in China, especially among the teens. For example, Yoon Eun Hye was already popular among Chinese teens before Goong. Not because of Baby Vox, but because of X-man. Han Hye Jin and Kang Ji Hwan both became popular in China due to "Aja! Geum Soon"

@paula is OTF & nycgrl
No one can forget Gulsabiwu. :P If you like Choi Chul Ho, then check him out in Queen of Housewives. No beard or beaded long hair, unfortunately, but he does make multiple trips to the jjimjilbang. Hot damn. ;)

Is he in that??!! I had no interest in Queen of the Housewives but if biwu is in it. I have to see it. He does look super hot (better than without) in beard and the braided hair. Kind of like a mod cat stevens.

@hjkomo, gomawayo! i'm on it. Multiple.trips.to...jjimjilbang? :running to check out Queen of Housewives:: ^^

@nycgirl, keke, we have the same idea. Maybe we can just FF through the non-CCH scenes in Queen of Housewives. ;) a "mod cat stevens"? that is brilliant!! (danger of 70s flashback)

i agree -- almost everyone in DaeJoYoung became pretty boring -- the problem with a 100-ep series. I thought Park Yejin started out as an interesting character (the female kickass warrior) but...zzzz. Good thing we had ONE actor to keep watching. ^^ They're re-showing Immortal Yi Soon Shin on my 24/7 korean cable channel and it reminds me that YSS is so much better than DJY.