The life story of a wise king who reigns for its people, the reenactment of the Joseon era and a true love between two people; this is what “Yi San” is about. It has been two weeks since the final episode of “Yi San” was aired in Korea but somehow vivid images from the drama still linger in my mind. There isn’t a day where I won’t think of a scene from the drama. Hence, I have decided to write a short post on it.

Story

The drama is about the life of King Jeong Jo, the 22nd ruler of the Joseon Dynasty. King Jeong Jo is remembered as one of the few kings in the history of Korea who ruled and sympathized with his people.

The drama begins with young Jeong Jo (Yi San) trying to save his father (Crown Prince Sado) with the help of his friends Song Yeon and Dae Su. They fail however and Crown Prince Sado ultimately dies. Jeong Jo soon grows up to become the crown prince but his life is always in constant danger due to his enemies trying all ways to remove him. With the help of his friends like Song Yeon, Dae Su, Hong Guk-Yeong and others, he eventually rises to power and becomes the king. During the process, Jeong Jo and Song Yeon fall in love with each other but they cannot be together due to their social class difference and objection from the king’s mother, Lady Hye Gyeong. Their love proves to be strong and Song Yeon eventually enters the palace and becomes Lady Seong.

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Good things usually don’t last long, Song Yeon dies shortly after her son had gone to other world, leaving Jeong Jo alone behind. All this while, King Jeong Jo has been trying to improve the lives of his people to stem out the opposition powers within the court. He succeeds in the end but this also means his time is soon to be up and he passes his throne to the young Sunjo. This ends the life story of a great king.

About the drama

Initially planned to be a 50-episode drama, the number of episodes was extended and eventually settles at 77 episodes. Probably what touched many viewers is the love between Jeong Jo and Song Yeon. The social class difference is upheld very strongly in the olden days and it takes a tremendous effort to break this barrier.

There are two scenes in the drama that really touches me. The first will be the scene where Song Yeon cries while painting a portrait of the king at the Artist Bureau and the second will be where Song Yeon dies in the arm of Jeong Jo. The plot is intensive and well executed throughout the series except probably from episode 50+ to 60+ which shows how Hong Guk-Yeong slips to the dark side and follows the footsteps of others. I personally do not like this part as it stretches over too many episodes which I think is unnecessary.

The cast performance is great, especially Lee Seo Jin and Han Ji Min. Lee Seo Jin successfully portrays the life of a king; his every expression truly resembles a ruler of a country. The same goes for Han Ji Min, it seems that she has an unlimited amount of tears.

How it fared

“Yi San” is very well received in Korea, constantly getting 2nd or 3rd in its ratings and 1st after episode 65. It is also very popular on the internet with many forum discussions going on.

For those who like Korean historical drama and have not watch this, I will recommend to watch this series despite it being a hefty 77 episodes. For those who have completed the series, what are your thoughts about this drama?