[Drama 2011] Gwanggaeto, The Great Conqueror 광개토태왕

[Guest honzbear]

Episode 61. Baekje is getting ready to attack Koguryeo. Asin has recovered quickly from his defeats and has made an alliance with Houyan (who have an alliance with the Khitans). Damdeok discusses these developments with his court. Yeoseokgae thinks Baekje will attack Koguryeo but Damdeok thinks Gwanmiseong is their next target. Ha Muji says Gwanmiseong must be defended at all costs. It is too important strategically, and besides  Sagal Hyeon gave up his life to take the fortress. Ha Muji advises Damdeok that to defend Gwanmiseong, he must take control of the narrow straits that lie near Gwanmiseong and to do that he must secure Haeumsanseong and Kyodongdo.

After the meeting, Damdeok decides to see Seoldoan himself instead of sending envoys. Seoldoan has been waiting for a reply to his offer of an alliance with the Malgal. They agree to make an alliance though Damdeok wants assurance that there will be no betrayal by the Malgal. Seoldoan gives his word that they will stick to the alliance and he says Damdeok can take all of the Malgal's land if they break the alliance. Damdeok offers him his hand and although Seoldoan looks like it would kill him to take it, takes it.

Asin has decided to launch an attack on Gwanmiseong. After he retakes Gwanmiseong, his plan is to attack  Pyeongyangseong and then Yodongseong (both in Koguryeo).  Mo Duru who is the general left in charge of Gwanmiseong's defense learns that Kyodongdo is going to be attacked by Baekje. He takes his army to Kyodongdo to defend it. His initial plan to shoot fire arrows at the Baekje ships and prevent them from landing fails when it starts to rain. The ships land on the shore and later it looks like the stronghold is being pounded by Baekje, with the Koguryeoans' position appearing increasingly precarious.

Houyan envoys meet with Baekje to finalize the details of their alliance. As Mzeiya noted, Asin has misgivings because of what happened last time but Murong Xi says the emperor gives his personal vow that they will keep to the alliance.

In Houyan, Feng Ba reports to the emperor that the alliances with the Khitan and the Malgal are proceeding as expected. The emperor asks whether he's sure about the Malgal and Feng Ba says yes, the Malgal will ally with the Houyan, if they know what's good for them. They make plans to attack Yodongseong.

In Kyodongdo, Ha Muji sits at the head of the table with the generals discussing war plans.

Ha Muji will send Haemowol to Haeumsanseong Fortress and Yeon Salta to another area. Yeon Salta's job is to make the Baekje army think Samsando is being attacked to divert them away from Kyodongdo (I am not sure about this).

Ha Muji and Haemowol stand outside Haeumsanseong fortress and think of ways of taking the fortress. One of Haemowol's generals has captured some Baekje messengers from Wiryeseong. Ha Muji comes up with a plan where some soldiers will disguise themselves as Baekje messengers and enter the fortress showing their pass.

Haemowol doesn't want to go ahead with this plan as it is too dangerous for the soldiers but the general who caught the messengers wants to go ahead. Ha Muji says they don't have much time. Haemowol at last agrees although reluctantly.

The general and his soldiers, wearing Baekje uniforms, tell the guards that they are messengers from Wiryeseong and they hold up the pass. They are let in. Once inside, they get off their horses and rush to the gate to keep it open. Severely outnumbered, the general and his men are badly wounded but they manage to hold the gate open long enough for Haemowol and his army to enter.

In the meantime, Yeon Salta enters the Samsando area by ship. He and his men are disguised as Baekje soldiers. They shoot fire arrows at a small fort setting it on fire. Jinmu, who has arrived in Kyodongdo, sees fires in the distance and thinks Samsando is being attacked and he takes his army there. But he finds no battles going on there, only a small fort on fire; the main fortress  is fine.  

At Haeumsanseong, Haemowol finally takes the fortress but the group of men who entered the fortress first are badly wounded or are dead. Haemowol is upset at Ha Muji but Ha Muji reminds him that he has been put in charge by Damdeok himself and that this is what Damdeok ordered him to do (or something like that).

In Wiryeseong, Asin learns how his men have been tricked and that they have lost Haeumsanseong to the Koguryeoans.

A messenger arrives urgently at Guknaeseong to report that Yodongseong is under threat. Smaller forts nearby have been taken and it seems Yodongseong will be one of the next targets. Go Mu goes down on his knees and asks to be sent to Yodongseong. He doesn't want Damdeok to divert a large force to defend Yodongseong and the northern area so Go Mu and a small group of generals including his son, Go Chang, and Mo Duyeong will go there and defend it. Damdeok says that he will send the Malgal to help them. Go Chang is alarmed and says that they can't trust the Malgal. Damdeok says that he was given personal assurance by Seoldoan that they will stick to the alliance and if they don't, Damdeok will make sure he loses his life (or something along those lines).

They say their farewells. Damdeok apologizes that he can't send more men to Yodongseong. Go Mu says that even if it kills him he will defend Yodongseong. Damdeok looks disturbed at this statement. Perhaps he has a premonition that Go Mu will die in this battle.

Yakyeon runs up to Damdeok and asks where her father has gone. She tells Damdeok that her father is suffering a serious illness and isn't in a fit condition to fight a war.

Yeoseokgae says why don't they go and stop Go Mu then. Hwang Hoe says that Go Mu won't be deterred by the illness and that it's best to just let him go to Yodongseong. Damdeok tells Yakyeon not to worry, that he will try and quickly finish up business in Baekje and after that he will personally go to Yodongseong to help Go Mu.

At Yodongseong, Houyan confronts Go Mu and his men. This time Houyan have the Khitans and Go Un with them. Go Mu knows Yodongseong well but so does Go Un. Go Chang anxiously reports to Go Mu that the Malgal haven't shown up yet.

The Houyan emperor rides up to the fortress to greet Go Mu and says, "Long time no see" and that he is there to take Yodongseong. Go Mu replies that he will do no such thing and the only thing that will happen is that the emperor will lose his life. Go Mu personally guarantees it. These words wipe the smile from the emperor's face.

In the preview, there is a battle raging on at Yodongseong. Houyan and Khitan soldiers have entered the fortress and there is hand-to-hand combat. I wonder if Seoldoan and his tribe mates will show up. It looks like Go Mu is losing the fight. There are too few of them. I wonder if Damdeok will show up at the last minute and save Yodongseong.

[Guest whodat]

From the preview of EP61, the Khitans and Houyan finally launch an attack on Yodongseong. From the looks of it, Yodongseong is either taken or Goguryeo defend it but suffer great loses. Asin learns that Damdeok has left the capital to go defend Yodongseong and he decides to go and retake Gwamiseong.

I am not sure how long this conflict with Baekje will last but this might be the battle Damdeok finally makes Baekje submit. Since Asin learns that Damdeok is moving north, he takes his main army out of Wiryeseong to Gwamiseong. Instead of going to Yodongseong, Damdeok advances to Wiryeseong (since he said he'll only send reinforcements to Yodongseong once the conflict with Baekje is resolved). When Asin learns about this, he'll have to submit to Damdeok in order to save his kingdom. The Malgal might also come to the rescue in EP61 same way they did last time when Cheogun were in the Khitan camp (last minute). That's me speculating.

[Guest honzbear]

As a result of Damdeok's and Ha Muji's maneuvers, Koguryeo has secured Haeumsanseong Fortress. Also, they now have a better chance of securing Kyodongdo since Jinmu's army has been lured away to Samsando. The fortress is still taking a pounding but Damdeok might send reinforcements there in the next episode and stop the Baekjans from taking it. If both these fortresses are controlled by Koguryeo, it will be extremely hard for Asin to retake Gwanmiseong because these fortresses guard the narrow strait that leads to Gwanmiseong. I think Damdeok will send an army to Yodongseong only after he has made sure Gwanmiseong is safe. I wonder why the Malgal haven't arrived in Yodongseong yet. It's not in their interests to not show up. They made a deal with Damdeok because they needed Koguryeo's help so why would they pull out now? Unless it's part of an elaborate plot by Seoldoan and someone in Houyan to trick Damdeok into thinking he has more support than he actually has. I doubt this. I think Go Mu dies in the next episode but Yodongseong is saved.

It's getting exciting again. I like to see the clever ploys Koguryeo uses to gain an advantage over its enemies. We saw the Trojan Horse trick in the last episode–Koguryeo soldiers disguising themselves as Baekje messengers to gain entry to the fort.  The thing about this tactic though was that it was highly risky to the people involved in carrying it out. It was like a suicide mission, similar to the one Sagal Hyeon did.

Then there was the diversionary tactic of starting fires in a compound near the main fort to make it look like the main fort was being attacked. The good thing about this trick is that it doesn't take many people. But it only buys time. Jinmu's men will go back to Kyodongdo now that they realize they were fooled, and they will attack it again. Damdeok has to send a force to Kyodongdo to help Mo Duru.

Once Kyodongdo is safe, Damdeok will go with an army to Yodongseong. Go Mu will be losing the battle by the time he gets there. Damdeok turns things around and chases Houyan and the Khitans away. I don't know when the Malgal come if they ever do. They will need a pretty good excuse for their absence if they do a no-show. I think they will come though.

[Guest flydolesqueue]

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[Guest honzbear]

From the looks of it, Yodongseong is either taken or Goguryeo defend it  but suffer great loses. Asin learns that Damdeok has left the capital to  go defend Yodongseong and he decides to go and retake Gwamiseong.

I am not sure how long this conflict with Baekje will last but this  might be the battle Damdeok finally makes Baekje submit. Since Asin  learns that Damdeok is moving north, he takes his main army out of  Wiryeseong to Gwamiseong. Instead of going to Yodongseong, Damdeok  advances to Wiryeseong (since he said he'll only send reinforcements to  Yodongseong once the conflict with Baekje is resolved). When Asin learns  about this, he'll have to submit to Damdeok in order to save his  kingdom. The Malgal might also come to the rescue in EP61 same way they  did last time when Cheogun were in the Khitan camp (last minute). That's  me speculating.                                                 

Mzeiya, you were right about Damdeok going to Baekje instead of Yodongseong and Asin thinking he is going north.

The Malgal do show up and they attack Houyan from the rear. The Houyan are badly trounced. Go Chang does mop up duty outside catching bands of Houyan soldiers. Go Un suggests a plan to the emperor that they try and catch Go Chang and ransom him. The emperor says that didn't work last time but Go Un says Go Mu has already lost one son, he won't want to lose the remaining one. Also, the Houyan chief mentions something about going to Guknaeseong.

Damdeok has sent Yeoseokgae to spread rumors that Damdeok is going to Yodongseong. He really isn't, he's going to Gwanmiseong where he will catch Asin off-guard because he won't be expecting Damdeok to be there. Even after this, Yeoseokgae doesn't even realize it was a false rumor and thinks the ship he's on is headed to the north, until Hwanghoe tells him otherwise.

Asin hears the rumor and believes it and falls into Damdeok's trap. He takes an army of 20,000 to Gwanmiseong and attacks it. Ha Muji is expecting Damdeok to arrive and he tells Haemowol not to go down until it's time even though the Baekje soldiers have broken down the front gate and have entered. Then after a while he tells him to take the fight outside the castle's walls.

As Haemowol takes the fight outside, one of Asin's men turns around and sees an army approaching them. It is Damdeok's army.

In the preview, Go Un mentions something about the Taeja Mama (the crown prince) to the emperor. Perhaps Murong Bao has been caught (again).

Also in the preview, Seoldoan is talking to the Khitan chief about something. Perhaps he's persuading them to switch sides.

Houyan could be successful in catching Go Chang.

Damdeok is on a ship heading back to Koguryeo.

I must say the fight scenes are really top-notch. The director has done a good job of making the action look believable. When someone spears someone, it really seems the spear goes through him. Also, in the ship scene in episode 55, when Baekje soldiers fire flaming arrows at the soldiers on the Koguryeo ships, the arrows look like they go from the bows that they are shot from into the soldiers in one unbroken arc because the director makes it look like one camera shot. How does the director have soldiers shoot flaming arrows without setting people on the receiving end on fire? It's very impressive work. The director has paid a lot of attention to the details in the action scenes. I wish I knew how these things are done.

[Guest whodat]

EP62 was awesome, lots of action. Loved the way Asin got played, I don't see him fighting Damdeok because of the way he was caught by surprise. He'll just count his losses and head back to Wiryeseong. I am not sure if Ha Muji was able to secure Kyondongdo but if he hasn't, Damdeok will first secure before heading to deal with Houyan because as Honzbear said:

Damdeok must take control of the narrow straits that lie near Gwanmiseong and to do that he must secure Haeumsanseong and Kyodongdo.

Once Kyodongdo is safe, Damdeok will go with an army to Yodongseong. Go Mu will be losing the battle by the time he gets there. Damdeok turns things around and chases Houyan and the Khitans away.

The presence of more parties in the Houyan/Goguryeo conflict is sure to make it more interesting than the first war. It looks like Seol Doan will try and convince Batar that Goguryeo are better allies than Houyan. Seol Doan will probably fill Batar in on the what happened during the conflict with Goguryeo, when Houyan abandoned the Khitan. Seol Doan will also mention the numerous occasions that Houyan did not hold up their end of the deal and that Goguryeo would never do that if the Khitan kept their promises. I am curious to how Ko Un who convinced the Khitans to join Houyan will handle this since he saw Seol Doan leaving Batar's tent.

From the preview, a scout reports to Murong Chui that Damdeok has defeated Asin forcing him to withdraw to Wiryeseong (not sure). This will probably put pressure on Houyan because they will conclude that Damdeok will head for Yodongseong.

In the preview, Go Un mentions something about the Taeja Mama (the crown prince) to the emperor. Perhaps Murong Bao has been caught (again). 

I think Ko Un plans to set a trap for Ko Chang and he suggests that Murong Bao be used as bait. Since Ko Chang is responsible for ambushing the Houyan parties, he would not pass up the chance to capture Murong Bao. I think that it would be more interesting if Houyan managed to take Yodongseong forcing Damdeok to retake it since we've already seen him defending it. Do the Houyan plan to advance after Yodongseong?

[Guest honzbear]

I heard Murong Chui mention Guknaeseong. I wonder if he's still interested in attacking it after he finds out that Damdeok has been successful in Baekje and is coming back to Koguryeo? If he can't take Yodongseong, how is he going to take the capital, Guknaeseong? He might decide to stay in Yodongseong in the end. Go Un has some plots up his sleeve to help the Houyan side.

I thought of that scenario too, Mzeiya, where Murong Bao is used as bait to capture Go Chang. I think that's how it will go down. That's going to be tough for Go Mu who's already lost one son if his son is caught. He will, of course, decide to sacrifice Go Chang if it came down to it, but I think Go Chang gets saved.

I think Wiryeseong is safe for the time being. Asin goes there after surviving the battle at Gwanmiseong to lick his wounds. Asin acted rashly in this episode. Shouldn't he have waited for scout reports that Damdeok was in Yodongseong or had been sighted making his way to Yodongseong before heading out to attack Gwanmiseong? He shouldn't have launched the attack when he did based on just a flimsy rumor some spies heard in a marketplace. He should know by now that Damdeok is good at giving out misinformation about his army's movements and spreading rumors.

I am not sure that Damdeok needs to go to Yodongseong right away. Go Mu's soldiers and the Malgal seem to have the upper hand in that conflict now (though of course that might not last). If Go Mu's small force and the Malgals were able to defend Yodongseong,  Damdeok going there now with the central army seems overkill. But he did make a promise to Yakyeon that he would help Go Mu so I think he will eventually go there. If Go Chang is captured, that would mean the conflict is not over by any means and Damdeok will probably get involved at this point (but I still think it's overkill if he's going there just to rescue Go Chang).  I think Go Mu dies but not before he sees his son saved, probably by Damdeok (Damdeok is the hero of this drama so it's probably him who does the saving. Or else the Khitan free him as a show of good faith when they join the Koguryeo alliance but I think this is less likely.) I think the writers keep Damdeok in Baekje a bit longer, chasing Asin.

Go Un is certainly making a difference to the Houyans being on their side. He has lots of clever strategy and inside knowledge that he can use against Koguryeo. In the preview, he sees Seoldoan talk with the Khitans and probably guesses what they are up to.

The Houyan are portrayed as inept bumbling fools in this drama. Of course, it's probably not true to real life. The Mongols/Xianbei tribes were to be respected; later they conquered China and made Korea a tributary nation.  They are just getting a raw deal in this drama.

Still it's true that many times Koguryeo had to fight an opponent that was much bigger in number than they were. If the Koguryeoans had not used tricks, ruses and plays as a way of overcoming their numerical disadvantage they would have disappeared as a nation long before they actually did.

I don't understand why Jin Mu gave up and went to Wiryeseong after he had been tricked by Ha Muji into taking the army from Kyodongdo to Samsando. It's not like he suffered major losses or anything. Kyodongdo was almost conquered by the time he arrived. Couldn't he have trekked back to Kyodongdo after realizing it was a false alarm and attacked that fortress? From what I understand Baekje forces came on ships and attacked Kyodongdo. Jin Mu arrived separately with his army to assist them but made a detour to Samsando because he thought that fortress was being attacked. (He could have sent scouts out first to investigate what was going on instead of taking his army there from the get-go.) Why did he go and see Asin when he did? They had lost Haeumsanseong but not Kyodongdo. Maybe I am missing something.

So at the moment, Damdeok has his forces spread rather thinly. He has an army stationed in Baekje (in Gwanmiseong, Kyodongdo and Haeumsanseong). Haemowol, Mo Duru and Yeon Salta are the commanders in charge there. Go Mu and a small force are in Yodongseong. And there must be an army left in Guknaeseong to protect the capital. Damdeok and a separate army are moving around as they are required.

This is a good time to strike for Asin. But he can't because his army is in tatters after being routed at Gwanmiseong. So after Asin retreats all the way to Wiryeseong,  Damdeok can concentrate on the Houyan. Thankfully the Malgal came through. If they hadn't, Yodongseong would have been lost to the Houyan. But it won't be long before the Houyan recover and they start attacking back. There are 200,000 of them too. That might be why Seoldoan is working hard at trying to persuade the Khitans to come over and join their alliance. If the Khitans leave the Houyan alliance, there is less of a discrepancy in size between the two sides. Murong Chui might use the fact that Guknaeseong is less protected than it usually is to strike at it.

I think the Khitan tell Seoldoan that they will join the alliance. After Seoldoan leaves, Go Un goes to them and offers them a better deal. After Batar accepts, Go Un suggests that the Khitan pretend to go along with the Koguryeo-Malgal alliance and then betray it at the last moment.

I hope the ratings pick up. For the current episodes it's nationally in fifth place (15.4%). If the ratings go up, it will encourage KBS to make more dramas like this. I think the drama will make money when it's sold to other countries and the producers will be heartened by this as this makes up for the less than stellar ratings in Korea. Though I think the price tag for the series ($3 million) when it was sold to Japan is an error in reporting. It can't have been sold for that price. Three million dollars barely covers the salary of the main actors in the drama. Maybe $3 million per episode but not $3 million for the whole series (100 episodes in all).

I think that it would be more interesting if Houyan managed to take  Yodongseong forcing Damdeok to retake it since we've already seen him  defending it. Do the Houyan plan to advance after Yodongseong?

                                                

I agree with this. This time Damdeok will be defending it as a king and not as a prince. The last time he was there he was subordinate to Go Mu and even to Go Chang. Now it's the other way around. I think Yodongseong is special to Damdeok because it was the site of one of the earliest major battles he fought.

[daunte29]

I hope the ratings pick up. For the current episodes it's nationally in fifth place (15.4%). If the ratings go up, it will encourage KBS to make more dramas like this. I think the drama will make money when it's sold to other countries and the producers will be heartened by this as this makes up for the less than stellar ratings in Korea. Though I think the price tag for the series ($3 million) when it was sold to Japan is an error in reporting. It can't have been sold for that price. Three million dollars barely covers the salary of the main actors in the drama. Maybe $3 million per episode but not $3 million for the whole series (100 episodes in all).

It's interesting to think that tax dollars (including mine) are paying for Lee Tae Gon's salary. KBS doesn't have advertising on its channel.

Hi honzbear......the $3M (in US$) sold as distribution rights to a Japanese TV network sounds about right for the whole series. Being someone in that same business, I can attest to that.

Just for comparison, and I'm sure your research will also reveal that IRIS (another KBS production) was sold to TBS for a whopping US$4.3M (then a record) and the lead actor Lee Byung Hun's salary was the third highest in the history of Korean television dramas, amounting to 100 million won ($90,000 USD) per episode and was six times greater than that of the Korean industry guideline. His salary was inclusive of an overhead deal of 1.5 billion won ($1.35 million USD) in guarantees due to his namesake drawing potential investors, particularly in Japan, and opportunities in other overseas markets.

As for advertisers on KBS dramas, actually there are because a whole list of sponsors are listed at the end of the drama, even in Gwanggaeto, when the end credits roll - although I think on KBS World, it's edited out.

Although KBS (including its terrestrial TV, cable & satellite TV networks, and 7 radio stations) receives government funding, as its own corporate entity, KBS receives 39% of its revenue from TV Licence fees and nearly 48-49% from commercial advertisement sales.

Of course KBS doesn't mention what they get from their sales of drama distribution rights to the scores of overseas broadcast stations ever-hungry for korean wave dramas which by the way is far more lucrative than what domestic advertisers can match. In short, the revenue from overseas sales of TV broadcasting rights are what is propelling the drama industry in all the main Korean broadcast networks, not just KBS.

So you and I and my wife (who's Korean) do not have to worry about our precious citizen tax dollars being used to fund the salaries of overpaid Korean male actors, although privately I think Lee Tae Gon still has some ways to go yet in terms of appearance fees (the official term used in Korean).

I have watched nearly all the KBS historical dramas since 2003 and though some were duds (very expensive failures too), some have stood out as groundbreaking. This latest project Gwanggaeto has benefited from all of KBS hits and misses - especially in terms of the action stunts (horse riders being violently thrown off, swordplay with high leaps, flaming arrows landing on stuntmen's chests, etc) but I'm still amused as to why in every scene involving the king and his generals and advisers, everyone sits shoulder-shoulder around a long rectangular table, and another line of officers standing behind those seated.

It doesn't matter which camp because all the factions always meet in the same pattern around a rectangular table - and korean scholars would tell you that no military commander alive in those times would even dare sit at the same small table with their king to discuss 'strategy' - perhaps unless the commander is hard of hearing. The king would be sitting for sure but all his advisers, military & non-military, would be standing around him at least two sword-lengths away.

But since this is a drama, the directors for the sake of efficiency (a few quick changes in tablecloth and backdrops would change Gwanggaeto's meeting table to his rival faction) and camera placement, makes everyone sit around a rectangular table - smaller space and easier for the cameras to focus on whoever's yapping.

But what makes me crack up is whenever during such meetings, when messengers come running in to deliver groundbreaking news obtained from their overhead satellite imagery, or from CNN - the usually 'shocking' news always-always generate the same stock reaction from the senior generals at the table.

Upon hearing unexpected news, the facial expressions and head movements are just like a startled dog's - the head would jerk slightly instantly followed by widening eyeballs and mouth open agape, and then the head would then again jerk slightly to look at Damdeok, For effect, the camera would in turn zoom in the 'Oh-my-gawd-surprised' faces from the most senior general (General Hwang) to the junior ranked one.(Yeon Salta).

Then Dandeok would slam the table with one hand and say, "WHAT DID U JUST SAY?" and then the camera also zooms in to show us Damdeok's snarling and grimacing and menacing expression, all 3-in-1. But all I can see is how white and polished his teeth are - dang! the Goguryeons must be making some high-tech toothpaste unknown even to Colgate Palmolive.

Speaking of the 3-in-1 snarling-grimacing-menacing look that this drama shows week after week, the hands-down winner is Asin - I really applaud this handsome actor for making this his very own artform, being able to contort his face everytime he hears the name 'Damdeok' - before he goes ballistic and shouts in anger, his chest starts heaving up, his cheeks puffs out and in, and his eyes will widen then widen some more and then narrow, his nostrils flares up, his mouth will curl up around the corners, and when he yells at Damdeok, even spittle flies out!! And if the camera stays on him long enough, even his eyes are reddening.

His acting professor must have made him watch endless footage of male tigers snarling at each in slow-mo. Lately our Damdeok has also been ordered by the PD to do the same set of facial reaction whenever he hears the name "Asin" - but everytime Lee Tae Gon does it, I cannot help but be fixated by his pearly whites.

[Guest honzbear]

Hi honzbear......the $3M (in US$) sold as distribution rights to a Japanese TV network sounds about right for the whole series. Being someone in that same business, I can attest to that.

Just for comparison, and I'm sure your research will also reveal that IRIS (another KBS production) was sold to TBS for a whopping US$4.3M (then a record) and the lead actor Lee Byung Hun's salary was the third highest in the history of Korean television dramas, amounting to 100 million won ($90,000 USD) per episode and was six times greater than that of the Korean industry guideline. His salary was inclusive of an overhead deal of 1.5 billion won ($1.35 million USD) in guarantees due to his namesake drawing potential investors, particularly in Japan, and opportunities in other overseas markets.

As for advertisers on KBS dramas, actually there are because a whole list of sponsors are listed at the end of the drama, even in Gwanggaeto, when the end credits roll - although I think on KBS World, it's edited out.

Although KBS (including its terrestrial TV, cable & satellite TV networks, and 7 radio stations) receives government funding, as its own corporate entity, KBS receives 39% of its revenue from TV Licence fees and nearly 48-49% from commercial advertisement sales.

Thanks for enlightening me about the sales to overseas TV networks. I still can't believe that they sell dramas like these for such paltry amounts. TV stations can charge upwards of a million dollars for advertising spots during a popular prime time TV show in a country as wealthy and as populous as Japan. I think these Korean TV corporations are being ripped off.

It doesn't matter which camp because all the factions always meet in the same pattern around a rectangular table - and korean scholars would tell you that no military commander alive in those times would even dare sit at the same small table with their king to discuss 'strategy' - perhaps unless the commander is hard of hearing. The king would be sitting for sure but all his advisers, military & non-military, would be standing around him at least two sword-lengths away.

But since this is a drama, the directors for the sake of efficiency (a few quick changes in tablecloth and backdrops would change Gwanggaeto's meeting table to his rival faction) and camera placement, makes everyone sit around a rectangular table - smaller space and easier for the cameras to focus on whoever's yapping.

The thing that surprises me about these meetings is how well-coordinated the people sitting around the table are when they respond to the king.  They all know when to say the same thing at the same time as if they are reading from a cue. For example, when Damdeok's father wanted to resign, they all spontaneously chanted at the same time, "Please don't."

But what makes me crack up is whenever during such meetings, when messengers come running in to deliver groundbreaking news obtained from their overhead satellite imagery, or from CNN - the usually 'shocking' news always-always generate the same stock reaction from the senior generals at the table.

Upon hearing unexpected news, the facial expressions and head movements are just like a startled dog's - the head would jerk slightly instantly followed by widening eyeballs and mouth open agape, and then the head would then again jerk slightly to look at Damdeok,  For effect, the camera would in turn zoom in the 'Oh-my-gawd-surprised' faces from the most senior general (General Hwang) to the junior ranked one.(Yeon Salta).

Then Dandeok would slam the table with one hand and say, "WHAT DID U JUST SAY?"

I noticed this too. I've come to expect him to say "Mwora?!" and bang the table when hearing startling news. He hasn't done that a lot recently so I think the director noticed he was doing this too much and stopped it.

Speaking of the 3-in-1 snarling-grimacing-menacing look that this drama shows week after week, the hands-down winner is Asin - I really applaud this handsome actor for making this his very own artform, being able to contort his face everytime he hears the name 'Damdeok' - before he goes ballistic and shouts in anger, his chest starts heaving up, his cheeks puffs out and in, and his eyes will widen then widen some more and then narrow, his nostrils flares up, his mouth will curl up around the corners, and when he yells at Damdeok, even spittle flies out!!  And if the camera stays on him long enough, even his eyes are reddening.

Asin overplays this but I think he wants to appear as a nasty villain who hates Damdeok's guts so that's why he behaves in this way. And some say Lee Tae Gon overacts ... compared to the guy who plays Asin, he underacts.

but everytime Lee Tae Gon does it, I cannot help but be fixated by his  pearly whites.

He has very nice white teeth, but I think being the main actor and appearing in close-ups in front of the camera a lot, he's made an effort to make his teeth look as white as they can be - getting cleaning done frequently and so forth. I don't really worry about that kind of thing at all, but some viewers do and they will comment on actors if their teeth look a little yellow although to me their teeth would look fine. (And maybe the director told him to get his teeth cleaned and brightened.) So as an actor you really can't win. People are going to comment on your teeth one way or another. The fact that his teeth have a nice shape and attractive configuration and seem to be in overall good healthy condition (no fillings, decayed areas and so on) makes his teeth noticeable too.

[Moosegender]

The Houyan are portrayed as inept bumbling fools in this drama

Par for the course. In DJY Tang Taizong was made to look like a bumbling fool.

[iledrama]

Thanks to all the posters keeping us updated on this thread.

By watching so many sageuks, I have become much more interested in history.

I prefer traditional sageuks like this to the more recent fusion sageuks that are populating kdramas now.

Gorguryeo's mistake was always forgiving Baekje and Silla, treating them as naughty siblings rather than enemies. A mistake that will later bite them in the richard simmons.

It's funny, one tends to side with the country or group that is the focus of the drama. If you watch Queen Seon Duk, then you will be cheering for Silla to beat Gorguryeo, lol.

[Guest honzbear]

It's funny, one tends to side with the country or group that is the focus of the drama. If you watch Queen Seon Duk, then you will be cheering for Silla to beat Gorguryeo, lol.

It's quite schizophrenic of them to do this kind of thing.They had Geunchogo and King Gwanggaeto the Great back-to-back on KBS. Koguryeo's king was the villain and Baekje's king was the hero in Geunchogo. In KGTG it's the other way around. In Geunchogo, I was still rooting for Koguryeo because I couldn't stand most of the characters on the Baekje side, especially Geunchogo (Kam Woo Sung) and his queen. I don't mind the Baekje characters so much in KGTG.  Houyan aren't that bad either. I like Murong Chui and Feng Ba. Actually, I quite like all the characters on the Houyan side. Even though they are supposed to be the villains, they've been featured in the drama long enough for them to have grown on me. I've seen their human side. I definitely do not like Silla though. I would support Baekje against Silla in any drama. But Koguryeo will always be my favorite.

I prefer traditional sageuks like this to the more recent fusion sageuks  that are populating kdramas now.

I don't like them either and I avoid watching them. The first one of that type I saw was Chuno. I started to watch it because someone raved on about it, but I could only make it to the halfway point until I gave up even though I was curious about whether the main character meets with the slave girl. After that, I studiously make a point of not watching fusion sageuks like A Tree With Deep Roots and similar ones. Any sageuk with a modern feel to it I have no interest in, like A Princess Man or Sunkyungkung Scandal.

Give me the old-fashioned sageuks any day of the week. I hope they keep making them. Geunchogo though was a waste of time and money. It was a joke right from the beginning. I had to laugh when I saw Geunchogo's soldiers hang gliding. And the sandstorm saving the day – lol.

The director of DJY in my view has improved a lot. KGTG is much more polished than DJY. For me, KGTG is a much better drama. It's better-written. You don't see Damdeok being caught by the enemy and escaping from them countless times. The plot is more plausible. And CSJ's kings aren't as exciting as LTG's Damdeok. Love him or hate him, at least LTG generates interest as Damdeok. CSJ is blah.

[iledrama]

^ I enjoy reading your posts and over view of this drama.

I watched Geunchogo, and I actually liked it, but I strongly disliked the first queen, the one that was supposed to be his soul mate. She irritated me to no end. The character was badly written and the actress was no better.

[Guest katherinekang]

Watching all those sagueks, I literally love King Gwanggaeto the Great esp Lee Tae Gon as Damdeok. He commands authority, be it when he was young or as a king. I know quite a number of people don't like LTG (god know why) but I don't.

I love all Gorgoyeo kings, namely Jumong and Damduk. Geunchogo is quite boring; Seondok is so-so except for Bidam.

Anyway, all that table banging and snarling of teeth is quite okay with me cos I am used to them already. In fact, the drama will be quite boring without them. I always thought that because it was a long time ago, when people were not so civilized, this perhaps were the norm. Anyway, did anyone see Brain, the actors snarl and shout alot (in the operating theatre, along the common hallway, in ICU and practically everywhere). It makes me wonder if Koreans snarl and growl all the time.

In fact, Damduk has grown up in the drama, so less anger. He has mellowed alot, looking at how sometimes people provoke him.

Love him or hate him, we must allow ourselves in his shoes, this 100 episodes drama is definitely not easy. Give LTG a break and love him.

[Moosegender]

So did they ever explain why the son of Gye has the sir name of Ko? Was he adapted? The historical Ko Un (Gao Yun) was a scion of the royal house. If they didn't even bother to explain it then it's an insult to the audiences intelligence.

[Guest honzbear]

Gorguryeo's mistake was always forgiving Baekje and Silla, treating them  as naughty siblings rather than enemies. A mistake that will later bite  them in the richard simmons.

Just like creating wealth is easier than keeping it, it could be that making an empire is easier than maintaining it. Only two hundred years after the end of Gwanggaeto's reign, the nation of Koguryeo crumbled and faded into history (though some say Balhae was a revival of that kingdom).

It seems like it was a lot of effort (all the conquering he did) for nothing. In those days, they used to kill a few generations of the families of "treasonous" individuals (people who rebelled against the king). If they had enough foresight to guard against the possibility of rebels' family members seeking revenge against the king one day, how come they didn't have the same foresight about the possibility of former royals of the kingdoms they had conquered rising in power and becoming a threat in the future?

Even though Gwanggaeto was skilled in waging warfare, I am not sure he was equally good at understanding political philosophy. If he had, he might have made sure to completely wipe out the royal families of the kingdoms he had conquered, removing several generations of the families from existence, as well as eliminating all the courtiers, ministers and other people associated with the royal families. He might have then put his own family members in power in those kingdoms and encouraged Koguryeoan citizens to migrate to these places.

Perhaps he was too exhausted from leading all the battles he waged to spend a lot of time thinking about how he was going to protect his gains. He did die at 39 - maybe of fatigue from all the conquering he did? Perhaps he needed the former royals as allies to help him fight other nations he was warring with. I am sure he had his reasons but in retrospect it was a mistake to allow the former royals to stay on the throne. Knowing what we do now, it would have been better for Koguryeo if he had killed the former kings of Silla and Baekje and their family members, completely destroying any rival power base.

Genghis Khan was another conqueror who did not devote equal efforts toward consolidating his gains and taking care that his empire was preserved well into the future. He made spectacular conquests but his empire did not last that long - well, not as long as some other empires did. But his main problem was infighting among his descendants, I suppose, and not that he didn't kill his opponents.

[Guest honzbear]

So did they ever explain why the son of Gye has the sir name of Ko? Was he adapted? The historical Ko Un (Gao Yun) was a scion of the royal house. If they didn't even bother to explain it then it's  an insult to the audiences intelligence.

It's not an insult to mine. I think most people watching the drama have no idea who Go Un was in history.

Anyway we know the story of Go Un is mostly fictional. In true life, he was not the son of the Prime Minister (or at least I doubt he was because there would have been mention of this in the records if he had been) and he did not go to Houyan because his father rebelled against the king as in the drama. He ended up in Houyan because they took him prisoner when the Houyan successfully took his hometown.

Gye and Ko sound sort of close.

And of course Damjoo the sister of Damdeok did not marry Murong Bao.

Some people refuse to watch sageuks because viewing them spoils their vision of history and gives them a distorted picture of it. I can sympathize with this viewpoint. After watching KGTG for so long now, the difference between what's real and what's made up starts to get blurred. And the portrayals of certain historical figures, unfair and inaccurate though they may be, get entrenched in one's head. You really start to think someone was this way or that way when there is no historical evidence for it. In this way, the sageuk writers and the TV networks are very powerful. They can not but help influence viewers' thoughts about history. For example, Damdeok's father was shown in the drama to be an idiot who overly trusted his prime minister. There is no proof that he was like this in real life. But now many people, including me,  have it stuck in their heads that he was an inept and weak king.

For that reason, I prefer watching documentaries about Korean history. However, I can't understand Korean so don't watch them.

KGTG is mostly just light entertainment for me. It's like RPG. Though I don't play them in real life, it's fun to get stuck into the characters in the drama and anticipate what they will do next.

And these dramas are a good starting point for getting interested in and learning about Korean history.

[Guest honzbear]

Watching all those sagueks, I literally love King Gwanggaeto the Great esp Lee Tae Gon as Damdeok. He commands authority, be it when he was young or as a king. I know quite a number of people don't like LTG (god know why) but I don't.

I love all Gorgoyeo kings, namely Jumong and Damduk. Geunchogo is quite boring; Seondok is so-so except for Bidam.

Anyway, all that table banging and snarling of teeth is quite okay with me cos I am used to them already. In fact, the drama will be quite boring without them. I always thought that because it was a long time ago, when people were not so civilized, this perhaps were the norm. Anyway, did anyone see Brain, the actors snarl and shout alot (in the operating theatre, along the common hallway, in ICU and practically everywhere). It makes me wonder if Koreans snarl and growl all the time.

In fact, Damduk has grown up in the drama, so less anger. He has mellowed alot, looking at how sometimes people provoke him.

Love him or hate him, we must allow ourselves in his shoes, this 100 episodes drama is definitely not easy. Give LTG a break and love him.

I agree, Katherine. The snarling and growling and carrying on make the drama enjoyable. The drama wouldn't be the same without them.

[Guest whodat]

Just like creating wealth is easier than keeping it, it could be that making an empire is easier than maintaining it. Only two hundred years after the end of Gwanggaeto's reign, the nation of Koguryeo crumbled and faded into history (though some say Balhae was a revival of that kingdom).

It seems like it was a lot of effort (all the conquering he did) for nothing. In those days, they used to kill a few generations of the families of "treasonous" individuals (people who rebelled against the king). If they had enough foresight to guard against the possibility of rebels' family members seeking revenge against the king one day, how come they didn't have the same foresight about the possibility of former royals of the kingdoms they had conquered rising in power and becoming a threat in the future?

Even though Gwanggaeto was skilled in waging warfare, I am not sure he was equally good at understanding political philosophy. If he had, he might have made sure to completely wipe out the royal families of the kingdoms he had conquered, removing several generations of the families from existence, as well as eliminating all the courtiers, ministers and other people associated with the royal families. He might have then put his own family members in power in those kingdoms and encouraged Koguryeoan citizens to migrate to these places.

Gwanggaeto's philosophy, i think, was to make everyone he conquered part of Goguryeo. When he defeated and captured Seol Doan and the Malgal, he let them go saying he wanted to win their hearts and one day make them Goguryeans. Damdeok also promised Tadar that the loser's people would be included in the winner's world. Damdeok kept his promise by giving back the Khitan base which he had already taken. In both cases Damdeok had the opportunity to deal a huge blow to both nations but he chose otherwise. Damdeok's decision concerning the Malgal resulted in the death of Dammang but since the Malgal eventually helped Goguryeo, maybe it was worth it. The khitans submitted to Goguryeo which made life easier for Goguryeans but they also rebeled at the first opportunity they had which also resulted in hardships for Goguryeo because of the salt and the death of many Cheongun who went to fight them. Whether Damdeok's decision will eventually win them over is yet to be seen. 

I think all the conquering Damdeok did was to display Goguryeo's might so as to prevent other nations from attacking them. The first time Damdeok met Haemol, they talked about King Chiu of Baedal who made his kingdom so powerful that no one dared invade it. Damdeok goes on to say that this is also his goal.

The problem of conquering other people is that the conquered people will not forget their glory days and would rise up one day attempting to reclaim their past glory. Unlike most conquerors, Gwanggaeto 's conquests were need driven, the reason he target Gwanmiseong was because he needed land to take care of the returned prisoners and the captured Khitan prisoners. However, the results are similar, all the land Goguryeo conquered made them a target to the conquered nations which often formed alliances and attacked. I think the only solution would have been total annihilation of the defeated people which does not seem to fit with Gwanggaeto's (fictional) personality. 

[daunte29]

For me, the snarling, growling in deep throaty voices and table banging are fun and funny to watch, and that's one reason why this weekend drama makes me laugh every time. So keep in mind my contextual basis when you read my comments below.

Yes...the bumbling fools syndrome is by no means monopolized by the Houyans...even our Damdeok and Mr Ha Muji had their fair share of bungled military tactics in ep 56 on KBSW.

Which commander is his right mind would send out a fleet of ships (but Damdeok did just that) to sail under a brilliant moonlit night just to intercept Asin's Baekje ships sailing with bright lights, as if to say, Please Come Attack Us...See We Even Light The Way For U To Find Us.

Now we are told several episodes back that Asin and his naval forces know the waters around Gwanmiseong like the backs of their hands and feet, so to all intents and purposes, they could navigate their way blindfolded, without radar or GPS.

The same couldn't be said of DD's forces now, can we? So did his hatred of Asin cloud the military mind of His Greatness?

OK.....now how dumb were DD's forces in chasing after brightly lit enemy boats? Here's what the on-scene Goguryeon general said:

THERE ARE ONLY 20 BOATS. IT MEANS THEY HAVE A PLAN. WE SHOULD STOP THEM. AFTER THEM!

Yup, Asin and his water buddies did have a plan but this Goguryeon general threw caution, along with his brains, overboard and went ahead to attack Asin's fleet of 20 boats WITHOUT ANY PLAN. Duh!

No wonder these dim-witted generals are always caught sitting with their king Damdeok or DD around the long table whenever reports flood into the room of an invasion from (take your pick) Baekje, Silla, Houyan and other rastafarian tribes (korean men in dreadlocks but with beautiful fairer complexion) of that 3 Kingdoms era - maybe these battle-hardened generals's brains have had their heads banged hard once too often - now incapable of even making simple decisions and leaving both big and small decisions to DD.

Aren't generals supposed to be on frontline duties defending walled cities and fortresses and leading their garrison troops instead of sipping latte or green tea or whatever they drank those ancient days and having group debates at the long table with DD on who's and where's the next attack?

If Goguryeo's generals and their best soldiers are all holed up together with DD every time in conference, then one should start wondering who are the unlucky blokes commanding and defending Goguryeo's fortresses that sits on their borders?

Do they (and the drama's writers) want viewers to think that when the time comes for a counter-strike, our DD's generals can just jump on their turbo-charged horses, gallop full speed to the battlesite and reach there within minutes translated into days?

For sure, what Blackhawk troop transport helicopters can do nowadays in swift response deployment cannot even beat our k dramas version of rapid response....our good guys cavalry and infantry can somehow arrive at the kill zone faster than fast food delivery and still have enough human energy to slaughter...err chop down...their enemies.

Those of you with basic military knowledge will know that even to march a small ancient army of say 1000 infantry, from the capital to the destination fort or city under siege, you need to be accompanied by a supply/logistics line of korean-style carts and wagons pulled by animals and forced day & night marches (another k historical drama favorite) are out of the question because if you do that, then by the time your troops arrive at the killing zone, they'd be too exhausted to even stand and fight - korean dramas NEVER show these aspects of military reality due to airtime - so a few days march is compressed into mere minutes on TV.

Also the supply cart/wagon train is vital when the cavalry and their infantry do arrive at the beleagured city or fort which have been under siege for days or weeks, assuming of course they succeed in beating back or chasing away their invaders.

And don't forget, KBS do not have enough horses or stuntriders to show a full-sized cavalry of say 500 or more, so instead we always see only the generals, commanders and lovely female heroines (like Seol Ji) on horseback while the poor foot soldiers have to jog behind them holding their long spears or swords.......now you try jogging in ancient battlegear from Seoul to Incheon - not along the current highway mind you - but travelling on foot across undulating terrain, and steep hills and crossing some rivers and you know what I mean when in almost every historical drama, the cavalry almost always seems to arrive in record time to save their endangered comrades from being minced and skewered. Ouch!

So much for historical and military tactics accuracy but hell oh yeah....it's still fun to watch our heroes jump onto their horses, then with a rebel yell, gallop out of their home base to meet their enemies out in the frontier, followed by yelling foot soldiers carrying spears and colorful advertising banners, jogging behind the horses, and sometimes if you look closely, you can even see the foot soldiers' helmets bouncing up and down ridiculously.

In a real situation in ancient times, the enemy spies would ALSO see this grand spectacle and they'd note down the size of the forces right down to who's the lead commander and then relay the info either by carrier pigeons or more often than not, by lone rider on turbo-charged prancing horse. The rider would switch to a fresh steed at certain intervals along the route, usually at inns or farmhouses whose occupants are paid handsomely for their ...er....services, and that's how enemy commanders can track their rival's troop movements to a certain extent in ancient warfare.

Back to the end scene of Ep 56 - you'd recall that Damdeok and his posse were able to watch his naval forces being bombarded with flaming arrows launched by Asin's forces (John Woo's Red Cliff?) - trouble was if you realize the distance and topography of where DD and his generals were actually located, even under a beautiful moonlit night, you'd require superhuman eyesight (or night vision binoculars with powerzoom capabilitiy) just to see who's shooting at who - but suffice to say from the wild facial reaction of DD that he pretty much knew his naval forces were being richard simmons whupped, and running aground in unfamiliar waters as the tides receded.

Certainly you could say this one of a few tactical mistakes by DD makes him 'more humanly fallible' and history confirms Asin will end up the bigger loser. Nonetheless as I said at the beginning, these implausible scenes make for good entertainment fun.

Anyway the 'blame' if any, lies squarely with the two main scriptwriters Jang Gi-Chang (장기창) (Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-shin 2004) & Jo Myeong-Joo (female) (조명주) (3 Dads, 1 Mom 2008; The Man of The Vineyard 2006; Over The Rainbow 2002; Goodbye My Love 1999: Love Wind, Love Song 1998; The Contact 1997).

In spite of that, I think for a historical drama, KGTG is much more entertaining than some others current or recent. Just wait for the next time when a messenger again delivers 'shocking' news to the war council around the long table, and you'll see the generals (again) one by one activate their individual looks of shock & awe, followed by brief expressions of worry and then DD (or the other king), after banging the table, would get the debate started by asking 'deep' questions which usually none of the commanders or their attack dogs can answer, except for those red-robed ministers with small eyes and wearing black hats.

And whenever Ha Mu Ji delivers his short but brilliant lecture on counter tactics and strategy, the commanders all give him looks of contempt and envy: why? Becos everything Mu Ji says to do (DD certainly will agree) is to be done by the commanders who must put theirs and their men's lives on the line while Mu Ji & DD sit and patiently wait at the long table for the next messenger to (again) deliver breaking news.