Teaser and posters for medical sageuk Heo Jun
by girlfriday
Here’s a look at Kim Joo-hyuk and Park Jin-hee in character for what will be the next six months of their lives, starring in the 120-episode sageuk epic Gu-am Heo Jun, set to premiere in just under two weeks. Kim Joo-hyuk headlines as the famous Joseon royal physician in the late 16th century, a beloved historical figure and one of the most dramatized, for a non-king, non-warrior sort of hero.
The biopic will follow Heo Jun’s life from commoner to court physician, as he heals countless people and more importantly, writes a medical text in Hangul to make medicine accessible to all classes. (Gu-am is Heo Jun’s pen name, which is where the title comes from.) Baek Yoon-shik plays Yoo Ui-tae, Heo Jun’s mentor and the single greatest influence in his life (which is why he’s the one featured in all the posters with Kim Joo-hyuk).
Park Jin-hee plays Lady Ye-jin, who lost her parents at a young age but was raised by Yoo Ui-tae, and grows up learning medicine from him as well. She eventually becomes a royal nurse and works alongside Heo Jun and falls in love with him. It’s a classic Love That Cannot Be — he’s married and she just loves him from afar. It works because it’s the 16th century and based on real people, so there’s a romantic element in the dramatization of a sad unrequited love that might otherwise be frustrating.
It looks like a heartwarming, picturesque classic drama, and one that clearly MBC is pouring a lot of money into. The daily sageuk will take over the prime 9pm slot Monday through Friday, and the network is reportedly reshuffling all its programming and moving variety shows to morning slots to give Heo Jun its moment in the sun. I don’t think it’ll be recreating its 1999 numbers (peaking at 65%) but I expect it’ll perform solidly.
Gu-am Heo Jun premieres March 18 on MBC.
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1 Leona
March 5, 2013 at 5:12 AM
For me it doesn't look that ....attractive
The original as on national TV last year.... I can't watch it without comparing the two of them.
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2 nokcha
March 5, 2013 at 5:19 AM
She looks so dang cute in her hanbok!!!! I don't usually like medicals or saeguk, but I'll have to watch this.
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3 blokkoms
March 5, 2013 at 5:21 AM
Doggonit - if they can manage to play around with history enough to make Yoo Ui-tae a mentor figure instead of being Heo Jun's junior by a century, they can sure as heck give us a happy OTP. Ah well, don't think I have the patience for this regardless: when 20 episodes is taxing for me, 120 is probably insurmountable...
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4 CaroleMcDonnell
March 5, 2013 at 5:27 AM
Oh my gosh! I just got goose pimples looking at all those photos. And the fifth one -- with the dark background, and our hero with the walking stick and the container-- wow! I was arrested just looking at it. It has so much gravitas. Maybe it's the actors or the photographer..but wow!!!!! Can't stop looking at them. And the photo of the older looking gentleman. Again..wow!!! Makes me want to watch it ...but 120 episodes?????? I dunno... I dunnooo. Can I commit?
Thanks for the post.
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jomo143
March 6, 2013 at 1:19 PM
I find it so interesting that people are looking at the same photos, see the same things, but have different reactions.
Yes, it is a great cast, gorgeous costumes and cute kids, even, but I feel weight instead of gravitas.
I feel like I would be in over my head with the seriousness of it.
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5 snow_white
March 5, 2013 at 5:28 AM
65% !!!! Wow.....
Looks like a classic drama, but 120-episode drama is way too long for me..
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6 Shiku
March 5, 2013 at 6:26 AM
I want to watch it but u don't know if it will get subbed. Hopefully it will! I watched the original a few years ago and I liked it but the lead actor Jeon Gwang Ryul(sp?) bug-eyed expressions annoyed me as he used to do it a number of times on the show.
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7 Lynnnnn
March 5, 2013 at 6:50 AM
Seems interesting but I don't think I'll be jumping on the bandwagon as yet cause, y'know, 120 episodes..? "Ain't nobody got time for that" lol.
Also in slightly unrelated news, I just read on Allkpop that Yoo Seung Ho has already enlisted today.
NOOOOOOOO *cries*
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8 eunchans
March 5, 2013 at 6:56 AM
I like Park Jin Hee alot, but jeez that is alot of episodes. I think I'll wait for the 3 or so upcoming sageuks (Gu Family Book, Jang Ok Jung, Heaven's Order) to get my sageuk fix.
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9 Hj
March 5, 2013 at 7:10 AM
Will be def watching.. Some of u need to stick with your idols
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topper
March 5, 2013 at 7:30 AM
Way to be condescending.
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jomo143
March 6, 2013 at 1:33 PM
Yes, I love my idols.
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10 Kiara
March 5, 2013 at 8:46 AM
I will probably watch some for Park Jin-hee cause I lub her. The original was only 64 eps Mon/Tues. Making this a daily sageuk is a good idea, with that many eps it'll go by quickly but I feel bad for the actors etc. Its hard enough to get 2 eps out but 5 per week?. Goodluck to the casts.
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11 Trina
March 5, 2013 at 9:04 AM
This seem right up in my alley as I love saejuks. However, 120 episodes is way too long for me. I might take a chance to watch it later on. But, not right now.
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12 Julia
March 5, 2013 at 10:08 AM
OK, there has been enough historical medical dramas for me to wonder about the real history. Can anyone direct me to somewhere to read about the "real" development of medicine in Korea?
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JO
March 5, 2013 at 11:43 AM
Huh Joon is a real figure in history.
But if you want real references, unfortunately Korean history books are not translated well in English nor is there reliable internet resources for history. It kinda sucks :(
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13 JO
March 5, 2013 at 11:42 AM
For Koreans it would be a leisurely aesthetically pretty show to watch right after dinner. For us, it would be sort of taxing I suppose, to watch on the internet. Sigh, the drama watching experience is so different.
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14 Hj
March 5, 2013 at 12:28 PM
What do you mean JO?? I think the subs are spot on
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15 fun-lugha
March 5, 2013 at 2:20 PM
Dude am already trying to get through 'Lights and Shadows' which is beginning to form the all too familiar pattern of 'hero starts getting successful-almost reaches the top-then poof! some villain knocks him all the way down-and back up he starts climbing again!', a la Horse Doctor. Good thing it's AJW, he just makes you want to keep watching regardless! And now what, 120 eps? No thank you imnida!
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16 Jyyjc
March 5, 2013 at 2:40 PM
I'm always intrigued by actors' decisions to star in these super long sageuks. It would suck if it doesn't turn out to be a hit, granted the number of episodes will be cut down if ratings aren't good but still, this one project takes up so much of their time.
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17 magnus
March 5, 2013 at 5:12 PM
This shows the divide in viewership of dramas the most in my opinion. In Korea i'd imagine this is a nice leisure, after dinner dramas they could watch that would keep them invested for a long period of time.For me I know none of the history, I'd have to constantly seek out new episodes of the drama and wait for subs for 120 episodes. This most likely excites many a Korean but I want to steer clear because it seems taxing.
-sigh- I'll try watching it but if it's frustrating then I'll have to drop. It looks like it'll be good though.
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18 aX04
March 5, 2013 at 6:45 PM
As much as I love the actress, I wil NOT be watching this! =X
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19 mary
March 5, 2013 at 7:56 PM
DAT MONK. Haha
Isn't he, like, in every sageuk ever as Palace Official With Nefarious Schemes?
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20 Jini Neutron
March 6, 2013 at 3:30 AM
Ohhhhh.... Gawwwwwddd.....
You know how much I LOVE LOVE you PJH!
D@mn but this is so long, I really don't know if my hard drive can take up that so much space plus the fact that my connection will cooperate.
Hoping to keep up with this one. *crossing fingers*
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21 wag-a-muffin
March 6, 2013 at 1:10 PM
I have been lurking (reading, reading, and reading recaps) for too long. I need to tell you, girlfriday, and Javabeans, how much I love this blog.
My mother got pneumonia and we brought her to our house to recuperate. I was (at the time) finishing Gourmet. She watched it and thought it was okay. Then we started "Best Love." When it was time for her to go home she didn't want to miss the ending. I subscribe to two cable stations that show kdramas, but she has no ability to watch them. THANK YOU for your recaps! I was able to email her links so that she could see what happened. Ding Dong.
On topic, I will give this saguek a chance.
I LOVE this site.
Wag-a-Muffin
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22 Rovi
March 6, 2013 at 9:52 PM
Dunno tho if this will be as successful as PD Lee Byeong-heon's "Heo Jun" of 1999 (preceding "Dae Jang-geum" by 4 years, yet storyline is about more or less 50 years after Jang-geum's time); starring Jeon Gwang-ryeol, Lee Sun-jae, Hwang Su-jeong, Hong Chung-min, & Kim Byeong-se.
It even has some familiar faces such as Im Hyeon-shik, Park Jeong-su, Jo Gyeong-hwan, & if I'm not mistaken Yang Mi-gyeong to name a few.
If anyone's interested in watching the 1999 "Heo Jun", YouTube user MBCClassic has uploaded all(?) episodes (split in parts of course).
Oh, and here's the original opening. And you can see that it's PD LBH's drama of course, I can sense it through his opening sequences.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6q9wyaWhlIo
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