General Yang Gyu holds his breath as he draws his bow. His thumb and forefinger are heavily calloused from days of fighting. When he finally shoots the arrow, the rough bowstring bounces off his finger nock, staining the bowstring red with his blood.
The battle has been going on for seven days. The walls of Fort Heunghwajin (now Uiju County, North Pyongan Province of North Korea) are pierced with arrows shot by the Khitan troops. Armed with 400,000 men, the Khitan advance towards the fort using captured Goryeo (now Korea) civilians as human shields.
Yang Gyu, the Goryeo general leading the battle, stands alert and stiff - his grim expression and blistered lips are only a small indicator of the bloodshed unfolding on the battlefield.
Episode 6 of KBS 2TV historical drama “Korea–Khitan War”, also streaming on Netflix, has captivated audiences with its riveting depiction of the 1010 Heunghwajin Battle when Goryeo soldiers fought against the invasion of the Khitan.
The episode garnered positive reviews across online communities after it aired on Nov. 26, with viewers praising the authenticity and intensity of the long battle scenes. Actor Ji Seung-hyun’s portrayal of Yang Gyu has been lauded as “first-class acting”.
“Korea–Khitan War” is one of the few classical historical Korean dramas amid a flood of historical K-dramas that fall into the fantasy/fusion category. Period pieces that focus on accurately depicting historical events, thus referred to as “classical”, have been a rare breed in the K-drama world in the past few years.
The series opens with the Battle of Kwiju, the major battle during the Third Goryeo–Khitan War that took place in 1019, then jumps back 10 years to when the second war between the Khitan-led Liao dynasty of China and the Goryeo dynasty of Korea first began.
“Korea–Khitan War” sheds light on lesser-known battles and figures of Korean history, including Yang Gyu’s epic victory in the Heunghwajin Battle. In episodes 5 and 6, Yang Gyu counters the Khitan army’s siege by destroying the enemy’s catapults with burning oil and setting up various traps.
The historical drama’s appeal lies in the many ways it depicts the power of humanity during war. As Kang Gam-chan (Choi Soo-jong), the commander-in-chief of the Goryeo army, mentions that “the purpose of the Khitan’s practices of tachogok (looting) is people,” the narrative of putting people first runs throughout the show. The growth of young King Hyeonjong of Goryeo (Kim Dong-joon), who successfully won two wars against the Khitan with Kang Gam-chan as his political mentor, is also worth watching.
Yang Gyu, the humane general who sheds tears as he is forced to give up Goryeo prisoners to kill Khitan soldiers, is the star of the show. Kim Han-sol, who directed the battle scenes, said “I cried four times watching Yang Gyu.”