KBS's 35th epic drama "Munmu" delivers a profound message to contemporary society.
On the 18th, at The Saint in Sindorim-dong, Guro District, Seoul, a production briefing was held for the new KBS2 epic drama "Munmu (文武)" (written by Kim Ri-heon and Hong Jin-yi, directed by Kim Young-jo and Gu Seong-jun, produced by KeyEast Monster Union). Present at the event were director Kim Young-jo and actors Lee Hyun-wook, Jang Hyuk, Kim Kang-woo, Jung Woong-in, and Jo Sung-ha.
"Munmu" depicts the great narrative of unification in which the small state Silla ultimately unified the three kingdoms after surpassing the powerful states Goguryeo and Baekje and even the Tang Dynasty. Following "Taejong Lee Bang-won" and "The Goryeo–Khitan War," it meets viewers as an epic drama, and director Kim Young-jo, who directed "99 Billion Woman" as well as "Hwarang," "Jang Young-sil," and "The Jingbirok," teams up with writer Kim Ri-heon, winner of the 2021 KBS script contest in the mini-series sector, to present a drama that is expected to portray an epic, desperate and lonely saga of leaders who risked everything for the sole victory in the Three Kingdoms period.
"Munmu" becomes KBS's 35th grand historical drama, following "Daemyeong," which aired in 1981, and titles such as "Pungun," "Gaeguk," "Doknipmun," "Saebyeok," "Nodaji," "Ewha," "land," "History flows," "The day of the dawn," "Wangdo," "The wind flower does not wither," "Samgukgi," "Meondong," "Kim Gu," "Brilliant dawn," "Dragon's tears," "The king and the consort," "Taejo Wang Geon," "The empire's morning," "The age of warriors," "The immortal Yi Sun-shin," "Dae Joyeong," "King Sejong the Great," "Queen Cheonchu," "King Geunchogo," "King Gwanggaeto the Great," "The king's dream," "Jeong Do-jeon," "The Jingbirok," "Jang Young-sil," and "The Goryeo–Khitan War." In particular, "Munmu" is anticipated as the first grand historical drama to be presented after the re-integrated collection of license fees.
KBS president Park Jang-beom said the re-integrated collection of license fees has financial benefits. He said they considered what services to provide to viewers and that from KBS's perspective, a grand historical drama is not merely a program but a public duty. In a time of many social conflicts such as regional, political, gender and wealth divides, he said public broadcasting should deliver a message of unity. He added that just as strong leadership laid the foundation for prosperity, they want to share the importance of unity with viewers through a grand historical drama.
Director Kim Young-jo explained the planning intent: "Munmu features four countries, and when I was in high school a teacher told me that Silla, having unified, did not fully take Goguryeo's territory and so Silla seemed like the villain. As a CP I opposed this work. But there was momentum to do it, and writer Kim Ri-heon said, 'Silla's unification was a coincidental event, and Yeon Gaesomun's fired firework caused a chain reaction leading to unforeseen events.' If you include Japan, five countries fought to survive, and I felt the importance of leaders. I thought it was a work that raises the question of what kind of leader is needed to survive and connects with reality. Many heroes appear and I thought we could vividly convey how they thought in that era.' He added, "Characters represented by Kim Chun-chu, Kim Yu-shin and Kim Beop-min display tremendous leadership, and I was moved by Munmu King Kim Beop-min's strategy. I was captivated by Kim Beop-min's charm and felt it was our duty to show that Korea also had an outstanding king who achieved great accomplishments, which led me to choose 'Munmu.'"
There are multiple interpretations regarding the period of the three kingdoms' unification, and there is concern it could lead to historical distortion. Director Kim Young-jo said, "I keep going to the National Assembly Library and studying by reading books. The director knows everything and I'm working hard so that I won't convey distorted information out of ignorance. Not only the writer but also an advisory panel of professors has been established, so I believe there will be no historical distortion. We do not intend to portray China negatively to convey the joy of victory. We will try to present it as objectively as possible."
"Munmu" is planning location shoots in Mongolia. However, production cost issues surfaced as KBS's recent works have struggled at the box office. Director Kim Young-jo said, "We can do things in Mongolia that we cannot do here, so we can show more impressive scenes. During scouting the Mongolian minister of culture promised support. Filming in Mongolia also had advantageous aspects. Regarding production costs, the budget increased after the license fees were collected in an integrated manner. Per-episode production costs rose, and I feel a duty to return that to the public. It's not lavish, but we will do our best to produce it."
Director Kim Young-jo added, "There are several major battles in 'Munmu,' such as the battles of Maesoseong and Gibeolpo. We plan to concentrate all our efforts, and AI is doing its best. We must keep up with technological development and there are production cost issues. But because our internal staff's standards are high, we will use rigorous verification and real-shot–based AI to deliver more realistic battle scenes."
Notable actors including Lee Hyun-wook, Jang Hyuk, Kim Kang-woo, Park Sung-woong, Jung Woong-in and Jo Sung-ha are set to appear in large numbers, generating strong anticipation among prospective viewers.
Lee Hyun-wook plays Kim Beop-min, the eldest son of Kim Chun-chu and the nephew of Kim Yu-shin. Kim Beop-min has fiery pride and indomitable courage, but he is a cold-blooded competitor who will willingly swallow humiliation for the people and the country. On battlefields mixed with blood, tears and desperate despair, he is reborn as a ruler who ultimately achieves unification.
Lee Hyun-wook, taking his first lead role in a grand historical drama, said, "I'm studying history with the director and seniors, and I think the study will continue until we finish filming. For my first epic drama, what comes to mind is 'on-go-ji-shin' (learning from the past to develop new things). While doing a KBS epic drama, we want to show both strengths and new elements." He added, "I found Kim Beop-min's cold and realistic aspects attractive," and said, "The reason I took on a historical drama again is that I fell for some historical charm while doing them, and I learned a lot portraying real historical figures. Having felt much while working on The Queen Who Crowns, I chose 'Munmu.'"
Jang Hyuk, returning to KBS historical dramas four years after "Bloody Heart," plays Yeon Gaesomun, the war god born of Goguryeo and a ruthless dictator. Yeon Gaesomun led Goguryeo to victory with powerful leadership and genius strategy, but by walking the path of a dictator he cast a shadow over Goguryeo's future. Jang Hyuk said, "Yeon Gaesomun's character has many interpretations even in history, so I wanted to show a different side from what people already know. I once did a hand-heart pose as Yeon Gaesomun, and while he might be a strong, ambitious and goal-oriented figure, I interpreted other aspects of his interior."
Kim Kang-woo plays Kim Chun-chu, the first king of Silla from the true bone class and Kim Beop-min's father. Behind his eloquent speech and charming smile, Kim Chun-chu hides deep ambition and intense anguish; he is a master of pragmatic diplomacy and strategy who, even while walking a perilous tightrope between survival and legitimacy, always secures what he wants. Kim Kang-woo said, "There are many criteria for choosing a work, but the script must be fun. Even if it's about a real historical figure, there's no reason to do it if the script isn't good. When I read the script, even though filming hadn't started, it felt like reading a martial arts novel. The epic dramas we knew before had strong, heavy themes, but this one was fun because the characters lived vividly," explaining his reasons for choosing the role.
Jung Woong-in plays Kim Jin-ju, a hidden power in the Silla court and a cold-blooded realist to the bone. Skilled in survival tactics, he becomes the greatest rival of Kim Chun-chu and Kim Beop-min after Bidam's failed coup and death. Kim Jin-ju's way of surviving appears ruthless and cowardly and seems distant from patriotism or justice, but that makes him more realistic and relatable than anyone. Jung Woong-in said, "Having worked with the director for nearly 20 years, he knows me well and said it must be done. It's an unfamiliar character, a realist who believes strongly in the shamaness's prophecy, and he torments Munmu until he dies, so he is a person who lived his life in that era. I expect he will be expressed as a realistic and three-dimensional character."
Jo Sung-ha plays Go Geon-mu, a war hero who distinguished himself in many of Goguryeo's battles. After ascending the throne, Go Geon-mu pursued peace and avoided war to ease the people's suffering; before Yeon Gaesomun's assassination, he becomes a victim of a military coup. Jo Sung-ha said, "I'm grateful to be called for the role of Go Geon-mu, and looking into the role, that period was a time when above was the Tang Dynasty and below were Silla and Baekje, a precarious period, and the position of king must have been difficult. I thought Go Geon-mu must have agonized and fought to survive more fiercely than any other king. Internally there was also the great enemy Yeon Gaesomun, so I tried to express those aspects well."
Meanwhile, the KBS2 new epic drama "Munmu (文武)" is scheduled to air in 2026.
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