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From Wikipedia: “Kingdom” is a 2019 South Korean political period horror thriller web television series written by Kim Eun-hee and directed by Kim Seong-hun. It is Netflix’s first original Korean series, which premiered on January 25, 2019. The series is adapted from the webcomic series The Kingdom of the Gods, which was authored by Kim Eun-hee and drawn by Yang Kyung-il.
The first season received critical acclaim from critics and the audience. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 93% approval rating with an average rating of 8/10 based on 14 reviews. The website’s critical consensus reads, “An enthralling blend of blood, terror, and political intrigue, Kingdom is a refreshing addition to the zombie landscape.”
“Kingdom” won the best Drama Award in the 2020 Baeksang Arts Awards; it also won a Technical Award for visual effects.
How I wrote these episode summaries with no spoilers
1. I assumed that you will be reading these summaries and watching the videos chronologically.
2. I narrated some of the main actions in each episode without revealing the plot’s twists and turns.
3. At the beginning of each summary starting with Episode 2 (Seasons 1 and 2), I placed in a table a recap of the major twists and turns of the previous episode. But because you have already watched the video of the previous episode, they aren’t spoilers anymore.
Episode 1 (Season 1)
When rumors spread in Hanyang, the capital, that the King has died because of smallpox, Chief State Councilor Lord Cho Hak-ju orders the arrest and interrogation of the young Confucian scholars.
Lord Cho Hak-ju is the patriarch of the Haewon Cho clan. His daughter is Queen Consort Cho, and his son is the commander of the royal guards.
Crown Prince Lee Chang appeals to Queen Consort Cho to allow him to check on his father’s condition. When she refuses, he orders his trusted royal guard Mu-yeong to steal the King’s records from the Royal Infirmary. Later, he sneaks into the King’s palace but learns that the King is missing.
After reading the medical records, Crown Prince Lee Chang decides to secretly leave the palace and look for Physician Lee Seung-hui, a former member of the Royal Infirmary. But Lord Cho Hak-ju gets the evidence that implicates the young Confucian scholars and Crown Prince Lee Chang in treason.
Notes:
1. “Hanyang” is present-day Seoul, while “Dongnae” is in present-day Busan. Distance between the two places is about 323 kilometers. Later episodes are set in Sangju, a city in North Gyeongsang Province, central South Korea. It is about 160 kilometers from Busan. (Wikipedia)
2. Crown Prince Lee Chang is the son of a Royal Concubine; if Queen Consort Cho gives birth to a son, that son will be the rightful heir to the throne.
Episode 2 (Season 1)
| Ep. 1 recap: To save himself from Lord Cho Hak-ju’s power grab, Crown Prince Lee Chang plots with the young Confucian scholars to take the throne. Yeong-sin cuts up and cooks the body of Physician Lee Seung-hui’s assistant who was killed by the King. He tells the villagers in Jiyulheon that it’s the meat of a deer; later on, however, the villagers become zombies. |
Crown Prince Lee Chang and his royal guard Mu-yeong find the corpses in Jiyulheon village. After reporting it to the soldiers from the town of Dongnae, they continue searching for Physician Lee Seung-hui. When they learn about Seo-bi (Physician Lee Seung-hui’s nurse), they follow her to the Frozen Valley.
In Hanyang, the capital, Chief Scholar Kim Sun of Sungkyungkwan and his allies plan to strike back against Lord Cho Hak-ju to save the young scholars and Crown Prince Lee Chang.
Yeong-sin tries to warn Beom-pal, the magistrate of Dongnae, that the corpses of the villagers from Jiyulheon will turn into zombies at nighttime. But Beom-pal orders him arrested.
Mu-yeong and Seo-bi travel back to Dongnae to warn the officials and the people. Meanwhile, Crown Prince Lee Chang goes back to Jiyulheon village to retrieve Physician Lee Seung-hui’s journals. But the royal guards led by Lord Cho Hak-ju’s son finally catch up with him.
Notes: In the latter part of this episode, one of the town officials wanted to separate the corpses of the nobles from those of the commoners.
During the Joseon Dynasty, society was divided into four castes, with the “yangban” (nobles) as the highest caste. The middle class was the “chungin,” while the commoners were the “sangmin.” The lowest caste was “chonmin” that consisted of slaves, convicts, shamans, and entertainers (such as gisaengs and storytellers).
At the very bottom of the “chonmin” caste was the outcast group known as the “baekchong.” Consisting of butchers, gravediggers, and executioners (anyone associated with death), they lived in segregated communities and had no family names; other castes treated them like worthless dogs.
Episode 3 (Season 1)
| Ep. 2 recap: Based on what nurse Seo-bi said about the zombies and the resurrection plant, Crown Prince Lee Chang thinks that his father has also become a zombie. In Jiyulheon village, he’s cornered by the royal guards, but Lord Cho Hak-ju’s son is bitten by a zombie. He also learns that the zombies can be stopped by cutting off their heads. In Dongnae, the zombies awaken and wreak havoc on the entire town. |
Chased by the zombies, Crown Prince Lee Chang and Mu-yeong try to lead some of the townspeople into the safety of the barracks. But Beom-pal’s right-hand man orders the frightened soldiers inside to shoot their arrows at them.
In the morning, Beom-pal orders the arrest of Yeong-sin, but Seo-bi intervenes. When she says, however, that the corpses must be burned or their heads cut off, the townspeople are outraged.
Crown Prince Lee Chang organizes the quarantine of Dongnae and plans the evacuation of the surviving townspeople. He also orders the lighting of the signal fires to warn Hanyang, the capital.
Seo-bi warns Crown Prince Lee Chang that, according to Physician Lee Seung-hui, the disease that turns people into zombies has mutated.
Back in the capital, Chief Scholar Kim Sun wants to get Lord Ahn Hyeon (a former general and a war hero) over to his side, but his letter is intercepted by one of Lord Cho Hak-ju’s men.
Episode 4 (Season 1)
| Ep. 3 recap: Lord Cho Hak-ju and his daughter Queen Consort Cho watch as the King eats a sacrificed servant. Queen Consort Cho starts to bleed but keeps it a secret. Magistrate Beom-pal, the nobles, and officials take the only available ship and abandon Crown Prince Lee Chang and the townspeople. |
With nighttime only a few hours away, Crown Prince Lee Chang and Mu-yeong lead the weary and frightened townspeople into Jiyulheon village. In the morning, however, the village is attacked by the royal guards sent by Lord Cho Hak-ju. As Crown Prince Lee Chang and Mu-yeong escape, Yeong-sin and Seo-bi try to lead the townspeople to safety.
Lord Cho Hak-ju receives from the royal guards the head of his son; he vows revenge against Crown Prince Lee Chang.
The signal fires finally reach Hanyang, the capital, and causes panic among the officials and the people. Chief Scholar Kim Sun and the other ministers pressure Lord Cho Hak-ju to allow them to see the King, but Queen Consort Cho stops them.
Episode 5 (Season 1)
| Ep. 4 recap: A zombie attacks the ship carrying Beom-pal, nobles, and officials. Yeong-sin guides Crown Prince Lee Chang, Mu-yeong, and Seo-bi to Sangju (the 2nd biggest city in the kingdom) where Lord Ahn Hyeon lives. But, acting on a tip, the royal guards chase them. Lord Cho Hak-ju overrules Queen Consort Cho and allows Chief Scholar Kim Sun and the other ministers to see that the King has become a zombie. Later, he orders Chief Scholar Kim Sun arrested for treason. |
In the woods, Crown Prince Lee Chang and his group meet Beom-pal, who’s the only survivor in the doomed ship. With the ship floating down river, they rush to Sangju to warn Lord Ahn Hyeon and the people of the danger.
Crown Prince Lee Chang and his group find out that some people in a remote village in Sangju have looted the ship and buried the bodies in it. Fearing reprisal for what they did, the people plan to kill him and his group, but nighttime falls, and the zombies attack all of them.
In the capital, Mu-yeong’s wife and around a dozen other pregnant women are brought into a house where they are given food and shelter. Meanwhile, Lord Cho Hak-ju begins experimenting on how the disease can be spread quickly.
Fear strikes the magistrate of Sangju and the other officials when they find out that soldiers from the Five Armies are marching towards Sangju.
Note: The “Five Armies” is the standing army of the Joseon Dynasty.
Episode 6 (Season 1)
| Ep. 5 recap: To the surprise of Crown Prince Lee Chang, Lord Ahn Hyeon and his men know how to fight the zombies. After Seo-bi mentions it to him, Mu-yeong then warns Crown Prince Lee Chang that Lord Ahn Hyeon could be an ally of Lord Cho Hak-ju. Queen Consort Cho declares herself as the King’s regent. Instead of attacking Sangju, the Five Armies blockade all the gates and roads leading to the capital, including Mungyeong Saejae (an outermost stronghold of Sangju). The blockade leaves the provinces and cities outside of the capital to fend for themselves against the zombies. |
Dissension arises among the officials in Sangju, but Lord Ahn Hyeon refuses to give up Crown Prince Lee Chang to the royal guards.
Problems mount for Sangju when hundreds of people from other villages descend on it, asking for protection from the disease. But the magistrate of Sangju refuses to let them in.
One of the pregnant women in Queen Consort Cho’s private residence gives birth.
Seo-bi stumbles upon the Frozen Valley, and, in a cave, she finally finds some of the resurrection plants.
Lord Cho Hak-ju goes to Mungyeong Saejae, bringing with him a zombie locked up in a cage.
With barriers placed in two strategic places outside the citadel in Sangju and with weapons at the ready, Crown Prince Lee Chang, Lord Ahn Hyeon, and the soldiers prepare for the onslaught of the zombies. But nighttime passes with nothing happening. Just before daybreak, however, the zombies attack.
Episode 1 (Season 2)
| Season 1, Ep. 6 recap: Queen Consort Cho misled everyone, including her father Lord Cho Hak-ju, that she is pregnant. If any of the pregnant women gives birth to a boy, she will make it appear that the boy is her son. The zombies were afraid of the heat, not of the light. With the onset of the winter season, nothing can stop them now. |
Flashback .... Lord Cho Hak-ju finds out how to use the resurrection plant in the fight against the Japanese invaders.
Present time ...
When the zombies overwhelm the defenses, Crown Prince Lee Chang orders everyone to retreat to the citadel in Sangju. But the zombies chase them and besiege the citadel.
Crown Prince Lee Chang confronts his royal bodyguard Mu-yeong if he is the spy who’s giving information to Lord Cho Hak-ju.
Trapped between the zombies in the Frozen Village and those besieging the citadel, Seo-bi tells Beom-pal that they can go to Mungyeong Saejae (an outermost stronghold of Sangju). Beom-pal uses his Haewon Cho kinship to get them past the blockade, but when they are brought before Lord Cho Hak-ju, he reveals that Seo-bi was an assistant of Physician Lee Seung-hui.
Episode 2 (Season 2)
| Ep. 1 recap: Mu-yeong denies that he is the spy. In Mungyeong Saejae, Seo-bi studies the resurrection plant. But she’s caught by Lord Cho Hak-ju, who orders that she be brought to Hanyang, the capital. With the food supplies in the citadel all burned up, Crown Prince Lee Chang decides to conduct a surprise raid against the soldiers guarding the blockade in Mungyeong Saejae. Together with Lord Ahn Hyeon and his best men, they attack one of the lightly guarded gates. |
Crown Prince Lee Chang, Lord Ahn Hyeon, and their men infiltrate a base camp of the Five Armies, but they walk into a trap.
Despite being cautioned by a minister, the chief of the Royal Commandery decides to investigate the deaths in the palace by searching Naeseonjae, the private residence of Queen Consort Cho.
In the morning, Yeong-sin and the last members of Lord Ahn Hyeon’s men escape from their jail cell. They fight their way through the camp, Yeong-sin grabs a rifle and fires at Lord Cho Hak-ju.
As Yeong-sin is cornered, a zombie appears and charges towards the soldiers.
Episode 3 (Season 2)
| Ep. 2 recap: Lord Cho Hak-ju lures Crown Prince Lee Chang into a room where he’s forced to kill his father, the zombie King. Later on, Lord Cho Hak-ju tells the royal court that Crown Prince Lee Chang committed treason by assassinating the King. Queen Consort Cho pretends to be giving birth. Lord Ahn Hyeon is killed by Lord Cho Hak-ju and his men. But through Seo-bi, he becomes a zombie and bites off a piece of Lord Cho Hak-ju’s cheek. |
Present times ...
Crown Prince Lee Chang rallies the soldiers over to his side; later, he organizes a food caravan that will try to get into the citadel in Sangju.
Without Crown Prince Lee Chang’s knowledge, Beom-pal, Mu-yeong, and Seo-bi take Lord Cho Hak-ju to Hanyang. Meanwhile, in the palace, the chief of the Royal Commandery forces his way into the Office of Royal Delivery.
Along the way to Hanyang, Seo-bi finds out about the rare medicinal herbs that Beom-pal collected for Queen Consort Cho. She also finds out from Mu-yeong that several pregnant women, including his wife, are in the Queen’s private residence.
As Mu-yeong confronts the barely conscious Lord Cho Hak-ju about the fate of the pregnant women in the Queen’s private residence, soldiers arrive and engage him in a sword fight.
Episode 4 (Season 2)
| Ep. 3 recap: Lord Cho Hak-ju and Lord Ahn Hyeon turned the lepers in Sumang village into zombies and used them to annihilate the Japanese forces. Through Physician Lee Seung-hui’s medical journal and Seo-bi’s testimony of what she did to Lord Ahn Hyeon, Crown Prince Lee Chang convinces the officers and soldiers that Lord Cho Hak-ju turned the King into a zombie. Before dying, Mu-yeong tells Crown Prince Lee Chang about the pregnant women in the Queen’s private residence. Mu-yeong’s wife gives birth to a boy. |
The ministers, royal guards, and other palace staff rejoice at the news that Queen Consort Cho has given birth to a son. Later, Lord Cho Hak-ju orders reprisals against the officers and soldiers of the Royal Commandery and the Five Armies who sided with Crown Prince Lee Chang. Their families of the officers are arrested, and their execution is set.
Through Beom-pal’s intercession, Seo-bi is assigned by Lord Cho Hak-ju to become part of Queen Consort Cho’s medical staff; later, however, she’s thrown into the dungeons where two zombies are also locked up.
Episode 5 (Season 2)
| Ep. 4 recap: Seo-bi finds out that submerging the infected person into water releases the parasites that turn people into zombies. Crown Prince Lee Chang and his men rescue Mu-yeong’s wife, but her baby has now been claimed by Queen Consort Cho as her own. Queen Consort Cho poisons her father Lord Cho Hak-ju. Later, she promotes Beom-Pal as chief of the Royal Commandery. |
Crown Prince Lee Chang conducts a loyalty check among his men before they try to sneak into Hanyang. But the general of the Five Armies who sided with him in Mungyeong Saejae becomes concerned about his family who have been arrested and scheduled for execution. He surrenders and informs the ministers where Crown Prince Lee Chang and his men are hiding.
Despite the misgivings of the ministers, Queen Consort Cho orders that the executions must proceed at once. Later on, she takes the baby and sits upon the throne.
The two zombies escape from the dungeons and begin attacking everyone in the palace.
Episode 6 (Season 2)
| Ep. 5 recap: Beom-pal and the Royal Commandery switch their allegiance to Crown Prince Lee Chang. But at the palace, Queen Consort Cho defiantly sits on the King’s throne with her child; she also tells Crown Prince Lee Chang that it was her who set the zombies loose in the palace. Crown Prince Lee rallies the soldiers to fight against the zombies. But as the number of zombies keep growing bigger, he and soldiers are overwhelmed and trapped. |
Seo-bi uses fire to keep the zombies at bay; as the zombies attack Queen Consort Cho, she snatches Mu-yeong’s baby and runs away.
Crown Prince Lee and his men escape by using the roof of the palace. As the zombies follow them, they make their last stand on the frozen lake.
Seven years later ...
Mu-yeong’s son is now the King, with Chief Scholar Kim Sun as his mentor. The records about the late King, Queen Consort Cho, and Crown Prince Lee Chang are locked up. But somewhere in the kingdom, a mysterious woman grows the resurrection plants.
“Kingdom: Ashin of the North” synopsis by parts (no spoilers)
How I wrote this synopsis with no spoilers: This movie is about one hour and 33 minutes long. I divided it into six parts based on the major story arcs. The adult Ashin (played by Jun Ji-hyun) appears near the start of Part 5, and the zombies appear in Part 6 at around the 1:02:00 mark. Part 6 takes up the last 32 minutes of the movie. For each part, I narrated the main actions without revealing the plot’s twists and turns.
Part 1 (from start up to 02:40 mark)
The Japanese invasions left the southern lands of Joseon in ruins. And now, another storm was looming in the northern lands of Joseon.
The Jurchens across the Manchurian plain north of the Amnok River started gathering at the Pajeo River basin under the flag of the vicious and powerful Pajeowi. When 10,000 Jurchens gather, no army in the world can defeat them.
Feeling threatened by the Pajeowi’s suspicious move, Joseon warriors scouted another group of Jurchens in order to keep them in check. They were Jurchens living in Joseon called “Seongjeoyan” since they had lived in Joseon for a hundred years. They were neither considered Jurchens nor accepted by the people of Joseon as their own; they were shunned by all.
Part 2 (from 02:41 mark up to 17:20)
The young Ashin sneaks into the forbidden mountain and forest known as Pyesa-gun to search for wild ginseng; inside a cave, she finds some strange writings on the wall.
After more than a dozen dead bodies of Pajeowi Jurchens are found in the forest of Pyesa-gun, the Deputy Commander of Joseon military camp in Chupajin visits Ashin’s father in the boundary town where some “Seongjeoyan” Jurchens have settled. Later on, as he examines the dead bodies, he sees a tattoo on the hand of one of the corpses.
Part 3 (from 17:21 mark up to 27:43)
A band of Jurchen warriors led by Ai Da Fan (chief of the Pajeowi Jurchens) attack a village and massacre its inhabitants.
Worried that the deaths of the Pajeowi Jurchens in the forest could lead to all-out war, the Deputy Commander visits the scion of the Haewon Cho clan and warns him of the dire consequences of his actions.
Despite Ashin’s plea for them to join the Pajeowi Jurchens on the other side of the border, her father refuses to betray Joseon and leaves to fulfill the mission given to him by the Deputy Commander.
Part 4 (from 27:44 mark up to 41:53)
When her mother’s condition becomes worse, Ashin goes back to the forbidden forest of Pyesa-gun. Inside the cave, she compares the plant with blue flower she had found in the forest to the drawings on the wall; the writing on the wall says that the plant brings people back from the dead, but there’s a price to be paid.
The Deputy Commander organizes a tiger hunt to prevent the Pajeowi Jurchens across the border from using the deaths of the Pajeowi Jurchens in the Pyesa-gun forest as a justification for launching an all-out attack on Joseon. But the civilians in the tiger hunt have been infiltrated by some of Ai Da Gan’s Pajeowi Jurchen warriors.
Part 5 (41:54 mark up to 1:01:27)
After Ai Da Gan and his band of Pajeowi Jurchen warriors massacre everyone in her village, Ashin begins living in the Joseon camp at Chupajin through the mercy of the Deputy Commander. While doing odd jobs in the camp, she learns in secret how to use a bow and arrow.
Flash forward ... When the negotiations with the Japanese crumble, the Joseon king orders the mobilization of the kingdom’s soldiers. Before leaving for the staging ground, the Deputy Commander orders Ashin to monitor the movements in the main camp of the Pajeowi Jurchens.
Part 6 (from 1:01:28 mark up to the end)
As Ashin watches the Joseon soldiers leave the camp to join the mobilization, she notices that the arrows of one of the officers look similar to the arrow she saw in the forest years ago.
Later that night, after sneaking into the commander’s office, Ashin finds out what really led to her village’s massacre. As she staggers away from the commander’s office, she has flashes of memories of her father, the massacre, and the plant with blue flowers.
A zombie attacks the detachment of soldiers left to guard the camp.
Historical backgrounders and other information
Index: 1. The character “Crown Prince Lee Chang” is based on historical figure Gwanghae-gun, the 15th king of Joseon. 2. Basis of “Kingdom” was an entry in the “Annals of the Joseon Dynasty” about the mysterious deaths of thousands of people; 3. “Hopae” (identification tags for men during the Joseon Dynasty); 4. “Cuju” (Joseon football); 5. “Sujagi” (Joseon general’s flag); 6. “Chohon” (traditional Korean mourning ritual); 7. “Ojakin” (forensic examiners during the Joseon Dynasty); 8. Andong Kim clan — most powerful clan of the Joseon Dynasty from 1800 to 1863; 9. Hats, headdresses, and hair ornaments during the Joseon Dynasty; 10. “Danghye” (shoes for noblewomen during the Joseon Dynasty); 11. Traditional way of heating homes in Korea; 12. “Uinyeo” (lady physician’s during the Joseon Dynasty); 13. Social classes (caste system) during the Joseon Dynasty; 14. Chakhogun: tiger hunters of the Joseon Dynasty; 15. The topknot (“sangtu”)
1. The character “Crown Prince Lee Chang” is based on historical figure Gwanghae-gun, the 15th king of Joseon.
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| This article gives an overview of the Imjin War and how Japanese warlords kidnapped up to 200,000 Koreans (scholars, potters, farmers, etc.). The potters started what have famously become known as Arita ware, Satsuma ware, and Hagi ware. |
From Wikipedia: The Japanese invasions of Korea of 1592-1598 or Imjin War comprised two separate yet linked invasions: an initial invasion in 1592 (Imjin Disturbance), a brief truce in 1596, and a second invasion in 1597 (Chongyu War).
The conflict ended in 1598 with the withdrawal of the Japanese forces from the Korean Peninsula after a military stalemate in Korea's southern coastal provinces. It ultimately resulted in Joseon Korean and Ming Chinese victory and the expulsion of Japan from the peninsula.
During the Imjin War, the Joseon king was Seonjo (1552-1608); he was the 14th king of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea from 1567 to 1608. Known for encouraging Confucianism and renovating state affairs at the beginning of his reign, political chaos and his incompetent leadership during the Japanese invasions of Korea marred his later years.
The Crown Prince during the Imjin War was Gwanghae-gun or Prince Gwanghae (1575-1641). He reigned 1608–1623 as the fifteenth king of the Joseon dynasty but was deposed in a coup.As depicted in Ep. 1 of “Kingdom,” Crown Prince Lee Chang is the son of a Royal Concubine; should Queen Consort Cho give birth to a son, that son will be the rightful heir to the throne. In history, Gwanghaegun was the second son of King Seonjo, born to Lady Kim (Gongbin), a Royal Concubine. He had a younger but legitimate brother Grand Prince Yeong-chang.
Gwanghae-gun has been portrayed in numerous movies and dramas such as Masquerade (2012); Goddess of Fire (2013); The King's Face (2014); Splendid Politics (2015); Warriors of the Dawn (2017); and The Crowned Clown (2019).
2. Kim Eun-hee, writer of "Kingdom," said that she conceived of the story back in 2011 when she read an entry in the "Annals of the Joseon Dynasty" about the unexplained deaths of hundreds of thousands. She then conceived of zombies being responsible for those deaths.
In history, Joseon (Korea) was described by some people as “the dynasty of communicable infectious diseases” because many infectious diseases were rampant at that time. From “The history of vaccination and current vaccination policies in Korea”: In 1708, the death toll due to measles contagious diseases with fever reached tens of thousands in Seoul and throughout the country.
From “Smallpox Epidemics and Folk’s Responses in the late Chosun Period” (Korean Journal of Medical History): “Smallpox was one of the most dreadful epidemic diseases in Korea until the early twentieth century. In the Chosun period, smallpox came to prevail more frequently and vigorously, and many people died of the disease. To cope with smallpox, the society of Chosun had various modes of measures, though they were not always effective, which included the government’s rituals, medical men’s prescriptions, and folk’s recipes.”
3. “Hopae“ (identification tags for men during the Joseon Dynasty)
In numerous scenes of this drama (Season 1 and Season 2), you will see the “hopae” or identification tag. Some examples:
Season 1, Ep. 2: Mu-yeong shows his “hopae” as he stops a soldier from questioning Crown Prince Lee Chang.Season 1, Ep. 3: Crown Prince Lee asserts his authority by showing Magistrate Beom-pal his “hopae.”
Season 2, Ep. 1: Lord Ahn Hyeon's man gathers the “hopae” of the dead Joseon soldiers.
Season 2, Ep. 2: Seo-bi uses Beom-pal’s “hopae” to get past the guards and visit Crown Prince Lee Chang.
Season 2, Ep. 5: Crown Prince Lee shows his “hopae” to a guard in one of Hanyang’s gates.
From Wikipedia: During the Joseon Dynasty, all men above 16 were required, under penalty of law, to carry the “hopae” on which were inscribed the "bearer’s name, place of birth, status, and residence. The hopae system was initiated by King Taejong in 1413, apparently on the basis of a similar practice by the Yuan dynasty in China.
From “The Korean Mind: Understanding Contemporary Korean Culture” (2012): The “hopae” was made of different materials to indicate the social status of the bearer: noble class (“yangban”) - ivory; middle-ranked government officials - deer horn; lower ranking officials - yellow poplar wood; commoners - ordinary wood (small tags); outcasts, slaves, etc. - ordinary wood (large tags).
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| Hopae Sool is a Korean weapon system which uses the Hopae, or ‘Name Tag’, as a weapon. It was originally called Dantaebong or Bantaebong. |
The “hopae” served many purposes: (1) keeping track of farmers and slaves who were not allowed to change residences, (2) for the national, unpaid labor system, and (3) taxation and rounding up of men for military service.
4. “Cuju” (Joseon football)
In Ep. 4 (Season 1), Yeong-sin makes a ball out of rope, which the children use to play “cuju.”
From Wikipedia: Invented in the Han dynasty, “cuju” is recognized by FIFA as the earliest form of football for which there is evidence, being first mentioned as an exercise in a Chinese military work from the 3rd–2nd century BC. It was also played in Korea, Japan and Vietnam.
5. “Sujagi” (Joseon general’s flag)
Spoiler alert: In Ep. 2, Season 2, Lord Ahn Hyeon becomes a zombie and charges at the soldiers and Lord Cho Hak-ju. You can see that he has a pole with a flag attached to his back. That flag is a “Sujagi” with the Chinese characters for “commanding general.“
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The only existing “Sujagi” from Joseon times is the Joseon general’s flag during the Battle of Gangwha Island.
“After 136 years, the rank flag of General Eo Jae-yeon (1823-1871) was returned to the South Korean Cultural Heritage Administration. The flag is on loan from the U.S. Naval Academy Museum, which has had possession. The flag was captured as a war trophy in 1871, when the U.S. Expedition to Korea captured the flag in 1871 when American troops seized Ganghwa Island.
“General Eo was the commander of the Gwgangseong Garrison on Gangwa Island in 1871 and was killed in action along with 430 Korean soldiers.”
Read also “General’s Flag Returns Home From US” (The Korea Times, 2007).
6. “Chohon” (traditional Korean mourning ritual)
In Ep. 2, Season 2, the zombie King dies; a eunuch goes up to the roof of the palace, waves the King’s garment, and shouts “Return to us!”The eunuch is performing a ritual in traditional Korean funeral service known as “chohon” or “kobok.” Immediately after a person dies, the person closest to the deceased brings the outer garment of the deceased up to the roof. The garment is then waved towards the north, and the name of the deceased is called out three times so that the departing spirit may come back.
If the call does not bring the deceased back to life, only then is he or she officially declared dead. The garment is used to cover the deceased.
From the poem “Calling Back the Spirit” by Kim So-wol, one of Korea’s most-beloved national poets: “Oh, (the name) that has been scattered! Oh, (the name) that has vanished in air! Oh, (the name) that has not answered my call! Oh, (the name) that I will surely die while calling out!”
7. “Ojakin” (forensic examiners during the Joseon Dynasty)
In Ep. 2, Season 1, the corpses from Jiyulheon village were examined by a man who concluded that the bite marks were made not by animals but by humans. That man was an “ojakin” or forensic examiner during the Joseon Dynasty.“The Treatise on Forensic Medicine” (“Muwonrok”) is a book on forensic medicine that originated from the Yuan Dynasty.
For more information about forensic investigations during the Joseon Dynasty, please read:“Forensic investigation in the time of Joseon” (The Dong-a Ilbo)
“Modern Scientific Evidence Pertaining to Criminal Investigations in the Chosun Dynasty Era (1392-1897 A.C.E.) in Korea”
“An old reference book on criminal investigation was written in 1440 A.C.E. during the Chosun dynasty era (1392-1897 A.C.E.) in Korea; it outlines the fundamentals of inquiry and details each element of investigation, such as autopsy, interrogation of suspects and witnesses, arresting the accused, and collection of crime scene evidence. This guidebook is the first on forensic science in Korean history and was revised several times as more experience was accumulated on criminal investigation. The reference books on forensic science from the Chosun dynasty were used in criminal investigation until modern science was introduced at the beginning of the twentieth century.”
8. Andong Kim clan — most powerful clan of the Joseon Dynasty from 1800 to 1863
A. From Wikipedia: “At the beginning of the 19th century, the Andong Kim clan, who had provided the Joseon state with several queens, had seized power almost everywhere in Korea. The social stagnation that resulted was a breeding ground for unrest. Corruption and embezzlement from the treasury and its inevitable exploitation were taken to extreme levels, and reached staggering proportions. One rebellion after another was accompanied by natural disasters. Indeed, it was one of the most gloomy periods in the country’s history.
“The only aim of the Andong Kim clan was the preservation of their influence. Their fierce campaign to dominate the royal house had led to a situation in which almost all of the representatives of the royal family fled from Seoul. When the royal family produced intelligent and appropriate candidates for the accession, they were either accused of treason and executed or sent into exile, so when Heonjong died, leaving no son, no acceptable candidate could be found to succeed to the throne.”
From “Exactly how much power did the Andong Kim Clan have in the Joseon court? How did they attain such power?” (Quora):
“How did the Andong Kim clan attain power? By intermarrying with the royal family, enthroning young and easy to control men as king, purging political rivals, and, very likely, killing off any king when they begin to threaten their power.”
“After Queen Jeongsun stepped down [in 1805 as regent of King Sunjo], Queen Sunwon’s father, Kim Jo-soon, began to make his move. Kim Jo-soon, who at that time was already of high rank within the royal court, began to purge all his political rivals to help secure the position of his family and political faction. At the same time corruption in the civil service examination increased, likely in the form of bribes to the Kim clan.”
B. “Sedo politics” (royal in-law politics)
This term describes the period 1800 to 1863 when national politics in Joseon was exclusively led by a few powerful royal in-law families, most notably the Andong Kim and Pungyang Jo clans.
For more information about “sedo politics,” please read “Collusive Oligopolistic Politics: Sedo and the Political Structure of Early-Nineteenth-Century Choson Korea” by Tae Yeon Eom (2012 thesis, University of British Columbia).
C. This domination by the Andong Kim clan ended when King Cheoljong died in 1864 without an heir, and the right to designate the new king resided with Dowager Queen Sinjeong, as she was the oldest of the dowagers. With the help of her Pungyang Jo clan (political rival of the Andong Kim clan), Queen Sinjeong chose Yi Myeong-bok, later known as King Gojong.
Notes:
(a) Queen Sinjeong was portrayed by Chae Soo-bin in the 2016 hit “Moonlight Drawn By Clouds” aka “Love in The Moonlight." Queen Sinjeong’s husband Crown Prince Hyomyeong (King Munjo) was portrayed by Park Bo-gum in the same drama.
(b) In Ep. 4, Season 2 of “Kingdom,” Crown Prince Lee Chang visited in Ganghwa Island his distant relative Prince Noseong, an impoverished member of the royal family. The drama portrays Prince Noseong as a lowly fisherman but who’s a well-read man. This character was based on King Cheoljong (1831-1864), the last puppet king of the Andong Kim clan. Unlike the drama, however, in history, King Cheoljong was illiterate, which made it easy for him to be controlled by the Andong Kim clan.
9. Hats, headdresses, and hair ornaments during the Joseon Dynasty
From “Hats offer glimpse of Joseon culture” (Korea Times):
The late Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) was called the “Nation of Hats” by foreigners. American astronomer and author Percival Lowell (1855-1916), who visited the Joseon Kingdom, particularly noted that its hats were the most impressive among others for their diversity, originality and practicality in his book “Choson (Joseon), the Land of the Morning Calm” in 1885.
The hats served a variety of purposes ― protection from cold and heat, decoration and fashion and a means to represent social status and formality.
From “Breaking down the hats and hairstyles of ‘Kingdom’: The hit Netflix series has viewers curious about Joseon-era accessories” (Korea JoonGang Daily)
From commoners to noble scholars, nearly all men of the Joseon era wore hats. According to “Joseon Era Hat Dictionary” author Yang Jin-sook, a professor in the department of textile design at Hanyang University, these hats were not usually worn for practical reasons, such as protecting someone from the sun. Instead, they reflected Confucian values — formality, authority and dignity — which was the foundations of politics at the time.
“From a philosophical perspective, people at the time considered their hair to be equivalent to the mountains and the sky. Mountains were considered ‘high’ and ‘honorable’ so wearing a hat was like having this honor bestowed upon their heads. From a practical perspective, hats were meant to show one’s social class. Just by looking at the hats, people could distinguish whether a person was a girl or a boy, or a high-class scholar or a commoner who worked in the fields.”
The “gat” or “huekrip” is the hat made of horse hair and worn by Joseon men. The wider the hat, the higher the social status.
The head gear that the young King is wearing in Ep. 6, Season 2 (see the picture below) is called “myeonryugwan.” It was worn during special events; the more the number of strings, the higher the rank.
For more information, especially on the numerous head gears and hairstyles for women, surf to “A Guide to Joseon Hairstyles and Headgears” (The Talking Cupboard). For example, the Queen’s headress shown below is called “Daesu meori.”
The first picture below show the “bong jam” (phoenix hairpin) used by queens during the Joseon Dynasty. The second picture shows another hair pin that Joseon queens used, which is called “yong jam” (dragon hairpin).
10. “Danghye” (shoes for noblewomen during the Joseon Dynasty)
The picture at the right shows Queen Consort Cho’s shoes in Ep. 1 of Season 1. This type of shoes is called “danghye.”From “The Light Steps of Grace”:
“The type of Danghye worn by the noble women in the Joseon Dynasty was made of leather or silk, and covered with silk. The heels were low, and the tips were pointy and rolled up. The interior lining was smooth with cushion. The shoes were covered with a thick layer of finely bright silk to achieve graceful beauty.”
From “The Joseon Fashion Show – Footwear Special Part 2 – Shoes”:
“In the Joseon Dynasty, shoes were not only used as foot coverings and decorations, but also as indicators of social class and status. The materials and shapes of shoes differed depending on gender, class, job, social background, income and attire.”
Perhaps, the most well-known “danghye” in the history of K-dramas is the “danghye” that King Sukjong ordered made for Dong Yi in the 2010 blockbuster “Dong Yi” (see the picture below). Dong Yi wore the shoes in several episodes such as Ep. 31 when she entered the palace as a Special Lady.
11. Traditional way of heating homes in Korea
In Ep. 3 of Season 2, Queen Consort Cho soiled her dress and socks. The pictures below show her attendant bringing the soiled dress and socks to the basement below the Queen’s quarters and burning them.The furnace in the basement shows “ondol” or the traditional way of heating houses during the Joseon Dynasty; this system is still used in modern-day Korea. For more information about this heating system that’s uniquely Korean, surf to “Ondol (Korean Home Heating System) an ancient heating system lasting millennia.”
12. One of the female lead characters in this drama is a nurse or “uinyeo” named Seo-bi, played by Bae Doo-na (see the picture below).
From Wikipedia: Uinyeo (literally “medicine women”) were female physicians who specialized in the treatment of women during the Joseon dynasty (1392 – 1910) of Korea. The uinyeo were established as a solution to social taboos against women receiving treatment from male physicians. The uinyeo system first appeared in 1406 after King Taejong ordered its establishment in the Jesaengwon (health care centers for commoners).
Due to their lowborn origin, uinyeo did not gain the same social status as male doctors and barely retained their existence as a group of the lowest class of society.
The most well-known Korean drama about the “uinyeo” is the 2003 drama “A Jewel in the Palace” which started the “Hallyu” (Korean Wave). It has been broadcast in more than 95 countries.
13. Social classes (caste system) during the Joseon Dynasty
During the Joseon Dynasty, society was divided into four castes, with the “yangban” (nobles) as the highest caste. The middle class was the “chungin,” while the commoners were the “sangmin.” The lowest caste was “chonmin” that consisted of slaves, convicts, shamans, and entertainers (such as gisaengs and storytellers).
At the very bottom of the “chonmin” caste was the outcast group known as the “baekchong.” Consisting of butchers, gravediggers, and executioners (anyone associated with death), they lived in segregated communities and had no family names; other castes treated them like worthless dogs. The picture below from Ep. 5 of Season 2 show the baekcong preparing for their work as executioners.
(The best and perhaps the only K-drama that deals with the baekchong is the 2010 historical-medical drama “Jejoongwon,” a fictionalized account of the founding of Korea’s first hospital of Western medicine by American medical missionaries.)
14. “Chakho” or “Chakhogun”: an elite group of tiger hunters during the Joseon Dynasty
In history, the “Chakhogun” (“Tiger Hunting Force” or “Calling Army”) was part of the Joseon military.
“In the first year of the founding of the Joseon Dynasty, the damage caused by tigers was large enough to reach hundreds in Gyeongsang Province alone. Therefore, mobilizing the military to prepare for compatibility has been around for a long time. However, whenever there was compatibility, the formation of a landing force and catching a tiger did not work in many ways, so it was equipped with a separate permanent military organization.” (Note: This is Google Translate’s version of the Korean-language article.)
From “Korea; its history, its people, and its commerce” published in 1910 by Angus Hamilton, a British journalist:Until about the 16th Century, hunting remained the sport of kings, but under pressure of strict Confucian advice it was abandoned by both monarchs and gentry. It became the occupation of professionals, many of whom were ch'onmin. They hunted on foot. Those who hunted with matchlock rifles were known as p’osu ‘gun hands’, and they were the only hunters who tackled leopards and tigers.Angus Hamilton, who hunted with the tiger hunters in Hamgyong in 1901, describes their costume as “a blue canvas shirt with necklets and bandoliers of beads and seed-beans. A blue or green headcloth entwined with coloured beads was coiled into the hair so that a frayed end hung over the forehead.”
In Hamgyong and Kangwon-do they were sometimes called upon to resist bandits who crossed from Manchuria. They were called upon to help resist the foreign attacks on Kanghwa in 1866. During the American attack, 51 of them were killed, together with two regular officers who led them under a ‘Twin Tigers’ banner. Foreigners referred to them as ‘tiger-hunters’.
Articles about tiger hunters from The Korea Times by Robert Neff: “The tiger hunters” and “The greatest tiger hunter” Another source of information ‘Sancheok’, a hunter who defeated public enemies says that the tiger hunters fought against the Japanese in the Imjin War; in the Byeongja Horan (Qing invasion of 1636); and against the French and Americans at the end of the Joseon Dynasty.
Note: “The Tiger” aka “Daeho” or “The Tiger: An Old Hunter’s Tale” is an award-winning 2015 Korean historical movie. This movie won the 36th Korea Gold Awards Festival for “Grand Prize (Daesang)” and the Golden Cinematography Awards for “Best Film” and “Best Director.”
15. The topknot (“sangtu”)
Men who belonged to the “yangban” class (nobles) tied their hair into a topknot called “sangtu” and used a headband called “manggeon” to keep the hair in place. Commoners and slaves also had their own topknot called “minsangtu” but without the “manggeon.” You can see the “manggeon” in the pictures below of Crown Prince Lee Chang and Beom-pal.
In his article “The politics of hair” (The Korea Times), historian Robert Neff quotes Lilias Horton-Underwood, an early American medical missionary on the significance of the topknot:
“No matter how old one is, without a top-knot he is never considered a man, addressed with high endings, or treated with respect. After assuming the top-knot, no matter how young, he is invested with the dignities and duties of a man of the family, takes his share in making the offerings and prayers at the ancestral shrines, and is recognized by his ancestors’ spirits as one of the family who is to do them honor, and whom they are to protect and bless.”
Part of the Gabo Reforms that King Gojong implemented was ordering all Joseon men to cut off their topknot. On December 30, 1895, King Gojong, the Crown Prince, and Daewongun (King Gojong’s father) were the first in Joseon to have their topknots cut off. Neff describes this moment:
Martha Huntly described the audience as holding “all the horrors of a public castration” and Fred Harrington claimed that the shearing of the top-knot was a “national humiliation far more real that that brought on by the queen’s assassination.”
Citing Huntly, Neff describes the reaction of Joseon men whose topknots were forcibly cut off: “Some of those who had been forcibly shorn were seen walking about the streets, dazed and wailing, holding their cut hair in their arms as if it were a dead child.”
Frequently asked questions (answers with spoilers)
Index: 1. Is the “Haewon Cho” clan in this drama fictional or historical? 2. In Ep. 4 of Season 2 where she poisoned her father Lord Cho Hak-ju, why did Queen Consort Cho continue pouring tea into the cup until it was overflowing? 3. Why did Queen Consort Cho bleed in Ep. 3 of Season 1? 4. In Ep. 2 of Season 2, what did Crown Prince Lee Chang write using water for Seo-bi to read? 5. In Ep. 3 of Season 1, why did the townspeople of Dongnae refuse to have the corpses burned up or beheaded? 6. Why did Mu-yeung bring his pregnant wife to the Queen’s private residence? 7. Why did Yeong-sin want revenge against Lord Ahn Hyeon? 8. In Ep. 2 of Season 2, why did Lord Ahn Hyeon, as a zombie, have a pole with a flag stuck on his back? 9. In Ep. 4 of Season 2, who is the girl wearing a red dress in contrast to the other prisoners who were wearing white, mourning clothes? 10. Why didn’t Lord Cho Hak-ju immediately become a zombie after Lord Ahn Hyeon bit him in Ep. 2 of Season 2? 11. The people who died because they were eaten alive by the zombie King were buried, not on the ground, but in the lake (“Aryeonji Pond”). Why? 12. In Ep. 3 of Season 2, why did Lord Cho Hak-ju’s son grab Mu-yeong’s topknot (“sangtu”)? 13. In Ep. 5 of Season 1, Mu-yeung tells Crown Prince Lee Chang that Yeung-sin is probably a member of the “Chakho,” an elite group of tiger hunters. Is this elite group fictional or historical? 14. In Ep. 6 of Season 2, the young King wanted to read the records of what happened to his parents, but the minister told him that the records were sealed and that not even the King can read them. Why were the records sealed?
1. Is the “Haewon Cho” clan in this drama fictional or historical?
The “Haewon Cho” clan is fictional; it is based on the historical “Andong Kim” clan that dominated the Joseon monarchy and society from 1800 to 1863. The character “Lord Cho Hak-ju” is probably based on the historical Kim Jo-soon [1765–1832), patriarch of the Andong Kim clan.
You can read more about the Andong Kim clan in the “Historical backgrounders” section above.
2. In Ep. 4 of Season 2 where she poisoned her father Lord Cho Hak-ju, why did Queen Consort Cho continue pouring tea into the cup until it was overflowing?
After realizing that he was poisoned, Lord Cho Hak-ju began walking, in halting steps, towards Queen Consort Cho, who continued pouring the tea into the cup until it was overflowing. She did this:
(a) to show her father that it was her who poisoned him;
(b) to show her utter contempt for her father; she wanted her father’s last thoughts to be of having been betrayed by someone whom he held in low esteem simply because she wasn’t born as a man;
(c) to show her father that she is the one who actually has the power in Joseon, not him; remember that in Ep. 5 of Season 1, Lord Cho Hak-ju said that it was him who put her in power and that he can easily deprive her of that power.
Lord Cho Hak-ju lies dead at the feet of Queen Consort Cho.
3. Why did Queen Consort Cho bleed in Ep. 3 of Season 1? Miscarriage or monthly period?
It was her monthly period that soiled her dress and socks (“poson”). Ep. 6 of Season 2 shows that, despite her brother’s caution, she planned to deceive everyone, even her father Lord Cho Hak-ju, about becoming pregnant and giving birth to a boy.
(The sub-plot of Queen Consort Cho’s fake pregnancy and taking a baby boy from someone else isn’t new in K-dramas. This sub-plot was used with Empress Tanasiri in the 2013-2014 hit “Empress Ki” and with the Queen in the 2016 hit “Moonlight Drawn By Clouds” aka “Love in the Moonlight.”)
4. In Ep. 2 of Season 2, what did Crown Prince Lee Chang write using water for Seo-bi to read?
Part of what he wrote in Hanja (Chinese characters) was “Ahn Hyeon,” the name of the ex-general who had been helping him; the rest was not legible or visible to the viewers.
It’s surprising, however, that Seo-bi, who was a nurse (“uinyeo”), could read Hanja because the “uinyeo” were either slaves or commoners. In the last episode of Season 2, she did write her observations about the plague in Hanja, but I don’t remember any scene previous to Ep. 2 S2 that established that she could read and write Hanja. During the Joseon Dynasty, government officials and the nobles (“yangban”) used Hanja. On the other hand, the public used Hangul, the Korean alphabet. (The 2011 hit K-drama “A Tree With Deep Roots” gives a fictionalized account of how Hangul was created.)
5. In Ep. 3 of Season 1, why did the townspeople of Dongnae refuse to have the corpses burned up or beheaded, even after they experienced the havoc that the zombies created the night before?
The Joseon Dynasty was founded and governed on Neo-Confucian principles. From childhood, all Joseon men and women were brought up on the principle of honoring their parents and ancestors.
From Wikipedia: “The Classic of Filial Piety, also known by its Chinese name as the Xiaojing, is a Confucian classic treatise giving advice on filial piety: that is, how to behave towards a senior such as a father, an elder brother, or ruler.”
The Classic of Filial Piety states: “Our bodies ― to every hair and bit of skin ― are received by us from our parents, and we must not presume to injure or wound them. This is the beginning of filial piety.”
6. Why did Mu-yeung bring his pregnant wife to the Queen’s private residence?
Mu-yeung’s salary as a royal guard was not enough to support his wife through her pregnancy. (As you will remember from Ep. 2 of Season 2, he oftentimes stole Crown Prince Lee Chang’s snacks and food for his wife.)
Thus, Mu-yeong accepted the offer of Lord Cho Hak-ju’s son to secretly report to him all the movements of Crown Prince Lee Chang in exchange for his wife being fed properly and taken care of. (He didn’t know, however, of Queen Consort Cho’s insidious plan of taking any boy born from the pregnant women being kept in her residence.)
7. Why did Yeong-sin hold a grudge and want revenge against Lord Ahn Hyeon?
Yeong-sin’s younger brother lived in the leper colony of a village named Sumang.
Lord Ahn Hyeon only had 500 soldiers facing against the 30,000 Japanese soldiers. Under this dire circumstance and because of the pressure from Lord Cho Hak-ju, he agreed to turn the villagers of Sumang into zombies that will be set loose against the Japanese.Yeong-sin’s younger brother was among those who were turned into zombies.
(You will notice that Lord Ahn Hyeon’s men did not kill the leprous villagers by slashing or thrusting them with swords; they killed the villagers by strangling them. This is to make sure the villagers had their arms and legs intact in their fight as zombies against the Japanese.)
In an interview, the writer of “Kingdom,” Kim Eun-hee, said that for Season 2, she did not pursue the sub-plot of Yeong-sin’s revenge against Lord Ahn Hyeon. But from scenes in Season 1 and Season 2, it can be said that Yeong-sin already had a change of mind towards Lord Ahn Hyeon.
(a) In Ep. 5 of Season 1, he spat upon the stone marker that commemorated Lord Ahn Hyeon’s victory over the numerically superior Japanese force. But later, as he went to the burial mounds of the Sumang villagers, he was surprised that there was a memorial for the villagers.
(b) In Ep. 1 of Season 2, he mercifully killed Deok-sung, Lord Ahn Hyeon’s man, to prevent him from turning into a zombie. Before dying, Deok-sung (who took part in the killings of the Sumang villagers) asked for his forgiveness.
8. In Ep. 2 of Season 2, why did Lord Ahn Hyeon, as a zombie, have a pole with a flag stuck on his back? Who put that pole with a flag on his back?
It can’t be Seo-bi, who turned Lord Ahn Hyeon into a zombie; I doubt if she could have known of the significance of that flag, or if she had the opportunity or strength to place that pole on his back.
My guess is that the soldiers from the Five Armies who put that flag on Lord Ahn Hyeon’s body (before Seo-bi turned him into a zombie). Remember that the officer told one of his men to honor Lord Ahn Hyeon as a former military officer.
(That flag was a “Sujagi” or a general’s flag; read my discussion about this general’s flag in the “Historical backgrounders” section above.)
9. In Ep. 4 of Season 2, who is the girl wearing a red upper garment in contrast to the other prisoners who were wearing white, mourning clothes?
As the families of the officers and soldiers who switched their allegiance to Crown Prince Lee Chang are being led off to the execution grounds, a little girl wearing an upper garment (“jeogori”) in red suddenly appears, crying for her father. Later, she’s seen bound and cowering in fear as Beom-pal reads the royal order for execution.The scenes showing the young girl wearing a red upper garment is an homage by “Kingdom” to “the girl in a red coat” in Steven Spielberg’s Oscar Award winning movie “Schindler’s List” (1993).
“Schindler’s List” was shot in black and white, with one of the few exceptions being the girl in red coat. That scene showed the purge of the Jews in the Kraków ghetto in Poland. Spielberg said that “the scene was intended to symbolize how members of the highest levels of government in the United States knew the Holocaust was occurring, yet did nothing to stop it.”
Spielberg also said: “It was as obvious as a little girl wearing a red coat, walking down the street, and yet nothing was done to bomb the German rail lines. Nothing was being done to slow down ... the annihilation of European Jewry. So that was my message in letting that scene be in color.” (Wikipedia, citing Schickel, 2012)
Later on, the German businessman Oskar Schindler sees the girl in the red coat dead in a cart filled with other dead bodies. That became his turning point.
In “Kingdom,” Beom-pal saw the men, women, and children about to be executed by beheading; he also saw the girl in red dress, bound and crying. Unlike the American government which chose to ignore the plight of the Jews, Beom-pal refused to carry out the royal order for execution and later on switched the allegiance of the Royal Commandery to Crown Prince Lee Chang.
10. Why didn’t Lord Cho Hak-ju immediately become a zombie after Lord Ahn Hyeon bit him in Ep. 2 of Season 2?
| Please read my Reddit discussion “Alternative theory on why some people did not immediately turn into zombies after being bitten” (my username is plainenglish2). |
Through Seo-bi in Ep. 6 of Season 2, Kim Eun-hee (the writer of “Kingdom”) expounds on the disease that turned people into zombies, how it started, how it mutated, and what secrets there still are. Will this exposition satisfy the viewers who can’t believe that Lord Cho Hak-ju or Crown Prince Lee Chang did not immediately turn into zombies? I don’t know, but perhaps, future installments of “Kingdom” will tell us more about this disease. Posted below is Seo-bi’s exposition:
The plague began when a handful of dead were revived with the resurrection plant. The eggs of the worms on the plant seized control of the brain, thus raising the dead.
The resurrected lose all ability to reason, they feel no pain, and quickly develop an insatiable hunger for human flesh and blood. A bite from these monsters transfers the worms into the new host’s bloodstream, but it does not transform them. However, it will transform the body’s temperature until they eventually die.
The disease initially began to spread in Jiyulheon in Dongnae. The people there cooked and ate the flesh of someone who died after being bitten by a plague victim. Those who ate that person suffered convulsions before dying and became monsters themselves.
After this particular interaction, all those who are bitten immediately turned into mindless beasts.
Not everyone who is bitten turns into monsters. If a bite victim plunges their wound into water before death, it will remove the worms before they reach the brain, thus eliminating the disease.
In addition, newborns are immune to the disease even if they are bitten because their brains are not yet fully developed.
The worms thrive in colder temperatures, so they lie dormant in spring and winter. In autumn and winter, their active hours are limited to when the sun is up. Then from the winter solstice to the first day of spring, the monsters remain active throughout the day and night.
But in all my research, I still have not found the answer to one question.
It is a certainty to me that the worms favor colder temperatures, but for some reason, extreme heat causes them to thrive and spread even more viciously.
There must be a secret. Something still hidden behind the resurrection plant.
11. The people who died because they were eaten alive by the zombie King were buried, not on the ground, but in the lake (“Aryeonji Pond”) located at the back of the King’s palace. The corpses were weighted down by rocks. Why?
The lake (“Aryeonji Pond”) was an isolated spot in the palace grounds and was therefore a good hiding place for the corpses. At that point of the drama, Lord Cho Hak-ju didn’t know that submerging people into water cured the mutated zombies. Perhaps, the writer also intended it to be a foreshadowing of Seo-bi finding the cure for the disease.
Perhaps, also, the writer wanted to say that something so exquisitely beautiful (such as Aryeonji Pond or the resurrection plant, judged exclusively by its color and shape) can hold so much evil.
12. In Ep. 3 of Season 2, why did Lord Cho Hak-ju’s son grab Mu-yeong’s topknot (“sangtu”)?
Mu-yeong warns Lord Cho Hak-ju’s son that if anything happens to his wife while she’s at the Queen’s private residence, he will not keep silent and will retaliate. But Lord Cho Hak-ju’s son slaps Mu-yeong’s hat away, grabs his topknot (“sangtu”), and says that the Haewon Cho clan cannot be intimidated by a mere royal guard.The topknot (“sangtu”) is the mark of manhood during the Joseon Dynasty. By grabbing Mu-yeong’s topknot, Lord Cho Hak-ju’s son was mocking him and belittling his manhood.
Read more about the topknot (“sangtu”) in the “Historical backgrounders” section above.
13. In Ep. 5 of Season 1, Mu-yeung tells Crown Prince Lee Chang that Yeung-sin is probably a member of the “Chakho,” an elite group of tiger hunters. Is this elite group fictional or historical?The “Chakho” or “Chakhogun” is historical; it was part of the Joseon military. For more information about this group, read the “Historical backgrounders section” above.
14. In Ep. 6 of Season 2, the young King wanted to read the records of what happened to his parents (the former King and Queen Consort Cho) and his brother Crown Prince Lee Chang. But the minister told him that the records were sealed and that not even the King can read them. Why were the records sealed?
At the 29:02 to 29:110 marks (Ep. 6 of Season 2), you can hear the minister say the word “Sacho” twice. In English, “Sacho” is “Draft History.”
The “records” that were sealed refer to the “Sillok” or the “Annals of the Joseon Dynasty,” which were kept from 1413 to 1865. The annals comprise 1,893 volumes and have been listed in UNESCO’s “Memory of the World” registry. They are available online in Hangul and classical Chinese; in 2012, the English translations were begun, with completion expected in 2033. For more information about the “Annals of Joseon Dynasty” (“wang jo sillok”), surf to “Origins of and System for Sillok Compilation.”
The Annals are comprised of the Daily Records and the Draft History (“Sacho”). Government officials known as the “historiographers” recorded every single word and action of the king as they followed him around. The historiographers were given legal guarantees of independence.
After a king died, all the records relating to his reign were collected and edited. But no one, including the present king, was allowed to read the Draft History (“Sacho”) to prevent it from being corrupted. (The exception was the infamous Yeonsangun who looked into the “Sacho” because of the conflict between the officials tasked with the compilation; he then instituted the purge of officials known as the “First Literary Purge of 1498.”)
The Annals were begun by Jeong Do-jeon, the architect of the Joseon Dynasty, as a means of preventing the kings from becoming tyrants; he said that kings ultimately feared what history would say about them. Although various political factions tried to influence what were recorded in the Annals, the revisions were noted, and the original version of the records was preserved. (An excellent drama about Jeong Do-jeon and the founding of the Joseon Dynasty is the 2015 hit “Six Flying Dragons.”)
Lessons in cinematography and photography from “Kingdom”
Examples of tracking shots from famous movies |
The tracking shots used in “Kingdom” are not as complex as those cited in the Studio Binder article cited below, but they nevertheless show how well thought out this drama’s cinematography is.
From “What is a Tracking Shot? The 25 Best Tracking Shot Examples and Definition” (Studio Binder):
A tracking shot is any shot that physically moves the camera through the scene for an extended amount of time. Tracking shots often follow a traveling subject, though they can be used to simply show off the scene.
In the past, tracking was a term reserved specifically for lateral camera movement that almost exclusively took place on dolly tracks. A camera would “track-right” or “track-left”, while forward movement was referred to a ‘push-in’ or ‘dolly-in’ and backward as a ‘dolly-out’.
These terms are still used, but the vocabulary has changed along side technology. A dolly shot is now simply any shot that takes place on a dolly, which means a dolly shot can travel in any direction.
Furthermore, tracking shots can be captured using any means of camera movement including 3-axis gimbals, vest stabilizers, drones, handheld, or any other tool used to physically move the camera body.
What does a tracking shot do?
- Physically moves through the scene
- Often follows a subject or bounces around
- Plays in the edit for an extended amount of time
Posted below are some examples of tracking shots from “Kingdom”:
Seo-bi searches the secluded room (Ep 2, Season 2); besides tracking shot, this shows “chiaroscuro” or the interplay of light and shadow. If the GIF does not display properly, view it in another tab.
Seo-bi confronts Yeong-sin (Ep. 1, Season 1); if the GIF does not display properly, view it in another tab.
Little girl emerges from her hiding place and finds the town devastated by the zombies (Ep. 3, Season 1); if the GIF does not display properly, view it in another tab.
Crown Prince Lee Chang returns in anger to his quarters after the Queen refuses to allow him to visit the King (Ep. 1, Season 1); if the GIF does not display properly, view it in another tab.
Queen Consort Cho (Ep. 2, Season 2); if the GIF does not display properly, view it in another tab.
Lord Cho Hak-ju lies dead at the feet of Queen Consort Cho; if the GIF does not display properly, view it in another tab.
Complex tracking shot (action begins with Crown Prince Lee Chang and then shifts to the chief of the Royal Commandery)
Complex tracking shot (action begins with Yeung-sin, shifts to Crown Prince Lee Chang, and then ends with Beom-pal)
B. Reverse motion: In the opening scene of Ep. 4 of Season 2, the zombies attacked the Japanese forces. The director and cinematographer of “Kingdom” chose to use reverse motion to emphasize the utter confusion and chaos of the Japanese soldiers as they did’t know who or what they were fighting against. For more information about reverse motion, please read “Catch Audiences Off Guard With Reverse On-Screen Motion” (Premium Beat).
The battle scene in normal motion; if the GIF doesn’t display properly, view it in another tab.
Reverse motion (Part 1); if the GIF doesn’t display properly, view it in another tab.
Reverse motion (Part 2) with tracking shot; if the GIF doesn’t display properly, view it in another tab.
B. Lessons in cinematography from “Kingdom: Ashin of the North”
1. Creative camera movements and editing
(a) Similar to “Kingdom” Seasons 1 and 2, “Ashin of the North” uses a lot of tracking shots, oftentimes combined with arc shots.
An “arc shot” is when the camera moves around partially or fully around a character or an object in a scene. The article “What is a Tracking Shot? The 25 Best Tracking Shot Examples and Definition” (Studio Binder) states:
A tracking shot is any shot that physically moves the camera through the scene for an extended amount of time. Tracking shots often follow a traveling subject, though they can be used to simply show off the scene.
In the past, tracking was a term reserved specifically for lateral camera movement that almost exclusively took place on dolly tracks. A camera would “track-right” or “track-left”, while forward movement was referred to a ‘push-in’ or ‘dolly-in’ and backward as a ‘dolly-out’.
These terms are still used, but the vocabulary has changed along side technology. A dolly shot is now simply any shot that takes place on a dolly, which means a dolly shot can travel in any direction.
Furthermore, tracking shots can be captured using any means of camera movement including 3-axis gimbals, vest stabilizers, drones, handheld, or any other tool used to physically move the camera body.
What does a tracking shot do?
- Physically moves through the scene
- Often follows a subject or bounces around
- Plays in the edit for an extended amount of time
(b) Some excellent tracking shots, mostly with arc shots, from “Ashin of the North”:
1. Ashin walks away from the Paweoji Jurchen camp after she killed her father. We first see her walking at or towards the extreme left side of the frame. The camera pans left and then stops. The camera then pans to the right to show behind her some burning structures in the camp. The shot ends with her now walking towards and exiting through the extreme right side of the frame.
2. Ashin finally finds that her village was betrayed and sacrificed in order to keep the peace between Joseon and the Pajeowi Jurchens. As she walks back towards her hut, she remembers her father and the massacre of her fellow villagers.
This is a chilling scene — she stares blankly, walks forward with a menacing, swaying movement, and at first is shrouded in darkness. The shot is divided by flashbacks of her memories of her father and the massacre. At first, I thought that the cinematographer used what is called “dolly zoom” aka "vertigo effect," that is, the camera moves in one direction while it zooms in the opposite direction. The result is that the subject remains the same size. But in the first part of the shot, Ashin seems to grow bigger in size; in the second part, she does seem to remain the same size. By whatever way the cinematographer shot this scene, he/she succeeds in creating palpable tension as Ashin decides to unleash the terror of the zombies among the Joseon soldiers in the camp.
This YouTube video shows an example of what a “dolly zoom” is with footage from “Jaws.”
3. Some of the last scenes show Ashin going back to her village. These scenes contain four superb tracking shots; two of the tracking shots, however, seem to have been stitched together. The GIF program I use has a 30-second limit for GIFs, and so I will divide some tracking shots into parts.
The camera pushes in towards Ashin, who’s dragging a heavy sack. The camera then arcs around her, creating a lens flare as it shoots towards the sunlight. Ashin then continues walking forward as she sees some people off frame.
A woman with two kids beckons to Ashin (off frame) to follow them into a small hut. The camera arcs clockwise, creating lens flares as it shoots against the light, and pushes into the hut where several men, women and children are lined in rows to welcome Ashin. The camera tilts down to show the carcass of probably a goat or small cow; the camera then arcs around the goat (or cow) and tilts upward to show Ashin, who’s now in a different place. The camera then pulls out to show Ashin with a cart; as the camera stops pulling out, the foreground shows the villagers who are now zombies.
This shot inside the hut may look like one long tracking shot, but it’s most probably two tracking shots that were stitched together at the point when the camera arcs around the goat (or cow).
4. Ashin pushes the cart on which the Joseon soldier is tied down towards the hungry zombies. The camera tracks the soldier and the cart from a high angle point of view; as the cart is pushed further towards the zombies, the shot becomes upside down. I think this is because the camera (probably on a jib) swivels to create this upside down shot. By whatever way the shot was created, it effectively shows the utter horror of the soldier as he’s about to be devoured by the zombies.
5. After Ashin feeds the Joseon soldier to the zombies, the camera first shows her in a medium shot. The camera then pulls out to show her from head to foot; as the camera continues to pull out, the foreground shows the empty cart and the zombies feasting on the Joseon soldier, with Ashin walking out of the hut.
6. As the zombies attack the soldiers, Ashin is on the roof, targeting the soldiers below with her arrows. The tracking shot first shows her feet as she walks to a new vantage point and then cranes or jibs up (?) to show her from the legs up (aka “cowboy shot”). The camera then arcs counterclockwise to show her walking to the edge of the roof, where we can now see her fully from head to foot.
7. The cinematographer uses a long tracking shot — about 70 seconds — to show the Pajeowi Jurchens attacking Ashin’s village.
From the woods, the Pajeowi Jurchens charge towards the village. Ai Da Gan pummels a villager with his battle ax and then walks forward. As he takes off his head gear, the camera arcs clockwise to show him from the front. The camera continues to arc clockwise while Ai Da Gan turns around counterclockwise to survey what’s happening in the attack. As he completes his turn (where he’s now facing the camera), he dodges an arrow.
He sees the vilager who shot the arrow at him, and the camera pulls out to show him charging towards that person; the camera arcs counterclockwise and then whip pans to show him throwing his battle ax and hitting the villager right on the forehead.
The camera pushes in towards the villager who has slumped to the ground with the ax stuck to his forehead. As the camera arcs clockwise, Ai Da Gan comes into the frame to retrieve his battle ax. After seeing someone to his left, he strikes the villager again with his battle ax. The camera continues to track him as he now walks towards Ashin’s brother; the shot ends with Ai Da Gan’s battle ax in the foreground and Ashin’s petrified brother in the background.
This looks like one long tracking shot that starts with the Pajeowi Jurchens charging through the woods and ending with Ai Da Gan standing before Ashin’s brother. But I think that there are two tracking shots that were stitched together. The first tracking shot starts with the Pajeowi Jurchens charging through the woods and ends when Ai Da Gan throws his battle ax; the second tracking shot begins with the camera pushing in towards the villager who shot the arrow and ends with Ai Da Gan about to kill Ashin’s brother.
8. Ai Da Gan and a band of Pajeowi Jurchens attack a village. He stands over a man and then swings his sword down to behead the man. The camera tracks him as he follows through with swinging his sword to show the other Pajeowi Jurchens also beheading other people in the village.
B. Some subtle, meaningful, and memorable shots or scenes in “Ashin of the North”
1. Majority of the shots of the Deputy Commander shows him either frame center, looking straight ahead, or either frame left or frame right, looking at the person he’s talking to or at the object he’s looking at. When he’s frame center, he exudes such an authoritative aura. At the gisaeng house, he didn’t even flinch when the scion of the Haewon Cho clan swung a sword against him. As viewers, we see him as an upright man who’s willing to butt heads with the powerful Haewon Cho clan.
Notice, however, that in the scene where the young Ashin begs him to avenge the deaths of her father and fellow villagers, there are two shots where, instead of being on the center of the frame, he’s frame right.
As Ashin pleads with him, he turns his head to his right, shifts his eyes, stares ahead, and then looks down. He turns to look at Ashin again as she says that she’s willing to wait for 10 to 20 years and do anything, even become a spy against the Pajeowi Jurchens.
At this point, we thought that the Deputy Commander was moved by Ashin’s plight and her pitiful plea for vengeance. Near the end of the drama, we finally found out that he manipulated the Pajeowi Jurchens into thinking that it was Ashin’s village that murdered the Jurchen ginseng hunters and thus set the villagers up for a massacre. On hindsight, we come to realize that he averted his eyes because of guilt.
2. Ashin kneels before the Deputy Commander and pleads with him to avenge the deaths of her father and of the villagers. Kim Shi-a, the child actress who plays the young Ashin, gives a stellar performance in this scene. What reinforces her performance is that she’s shot with a Dutch angle, and the camera pushes in on her almost unnoticeably while she’s delivering her lines.
3. Catchlights or eye lights on Ashin’s eyes
In the article “Catchlight Photography: How to Capture Eye Light with Purpose,” Studio Binder gives this definition:
A catchlight is the light reflected in a subject’s eye, the glimmer that comes from an external light source. Also known as an “eye light,” it’s the highlight reflected off the surface of the eye.
Catchlights can be any size, or shape, and the way they come out depends greatly on how the photographer captures the light.
Studio Binder adds that:
Whether you’re a filmmaker or photographer, capturing near perfect eye light can really help tell your story. The eyes are the most telling feature of a person and reveal so much to the audience..
A catchlight can add dimension not only to the eye, but to the entire story (or portrait). They can add depth to the subject in unexpected ways
Lest you think that catchlights or eye lights are easy to create or just occur naturally, the following YouTube videos will show you how good photographers or cinematographers meticulously set up their lighting equipment to create the catchlights they want:
“Mastering eyelight”
“The Light in Your Eye”
“The key to powerful portraits: the eyes”
Note: Not all characters in a drama or movie should have catchlights or eye lights. For example, in the first “Godfather” movie, Don Vito Corleone (played by Marlon Brando) was shot with a light source high above him, creating darkened eyes that gave him an air of mystery and menace.
(a) Ashin slips under the wooden bed to shield herself from the biting cold. As she lays on the ground, she looks up and, through the slats, sees moonlight reflected on what looks like the awning of the window. The next shot is a medium closeup of Ashin with a big catchlight on her left eye; the shot lingers on her for about two seconds.
In another scene, she silently eats a ball of rice in the darkness, with a catchlight prominent on her left eye.
In both scenes, I think that the catchlights represent (1) her dismal conditions and (2) her determination to endure any hardship just to be able to someday get the vengeance she wants.
(b) Ashin returns to the cave and studies the writings and drawings on the wall, with a torch on her right hand. Notice that her right eye is in focus at first, while her left eye is out of focus. As the camera trucks (moves parallel) to her right, her right eye becomes out of focus while her left eye becomes in focus.
Notice also how the catchlights, created by the torch, flicker on her eyes, creating such a beautiful shot. Unless this shot was edited during post-production, the flickering catchlights tell me that the cinematographer didn’t use any artificial light source to light the scene; the torch that Ashin holds is the only light source, which accounts for the scene’s very warm color.
(Note: “Color temperature is a description of the warmth or coolness of a light source.” It is measured in terms of Kelvins, with candle light producing about 2,000 Kelvins.)
(c) Compare the shots of catchlights above to the catchlights in Ashin’s eyes in what is perhaps the most heartbreaking scene of this drama. Ashin holds her father closely as she fulfills his wish to die by stabbing him. Notice the way Ashin tilts her head with her eyes, with small pointy catchlights, staring blankly ahead. The camera then pulls out to show her bowing her head against her father’s body.
When you rewatch “Ashin of the North” or watch any drama for that matter, I suggest that you pay attention to the catchlights in the characters’ eyes.
4. The deer eats the resurrection plant in the Pyesa-gun forest and then moves away. In the next shot, we see leaves and branches of trees that seem to converge towards the center of the frame; at that point, we think that the camera is pointing up towards the trees. But then, we suddenly see the deer writhing and splashing about in a shallow pool of water as it dies. We then realize that the shot of the trees is actually a reflection of the trees on the shallow pool of water. The camera then pulls out to show from a high angle the deer in the pool of water.
That shot of the trees looks so peaceful, but that sense of peace is shattered when the deer splashes into the shallow pool of water. That’s a beautiful shot which combines beauty and horror as it jolts us and creates confusion in our minds because we didn’t realize that the image of the trees was actually a reflection.
D. Using parallel images to connect one scene to another
As I will explain below, “Ashin of the North” doesn’t use dissolves (aka “cross fades”) as a transition device; instead, it uses “cuts” to move from one scene to another. But in about four scenes, “Ashin” uses parallel images to end one scene and to begin another scene.
1. The Deputy Commander and his men find in the forest more than a dozen naked Pajeowi Jurchens who have been slaughtered by the scion of the Haewon Cho clan and his elite bodyguards. As he and his men turn and leave, the scene ends with a shot of the slaughtered Pajeowi Jurchens. In the next scene, the first image we see is the pig that’s being butchered by Ashin’s father.
2. After the deer dies from eating the resurrection plant, we see the shot of the trees in the forest and, then from a high angle point of view, the branches and leaves being blown by the wind. In the next shot, we can see a closeup of the deer’s head as the deer becomes “zombified.” The color and the texture of the tree branches and leaves are similar to the deer’s skin.
3. Ashin’s father paddles away in his boat as he crosses the river, with the moonlight reflected on the water. In the next shot, we see Ashin and her brother scooping water from a well, with the sunlight reflected on the water.
4. The young Ashin is shown with the butchered parts of a pig on a table around her as two Joseon soldiers watch her. We can’t see her hands, but from her motions, she seems to be sharpening something, perhaps the knife she used for butchering the pig. In the next scene, we see her sharpening an arrow head.
E. Things that distinguish the cinematography of “Kingdom: Ashin of the North” from the majority of K-dramas: (1) “Ashin of the North” doesn’t use dissolves aka cross fades; and (2) “Ashin of the North” sparingly and almost unnoticeably uses short siding (only about four times) and Dutch angle (only about seven times).
1. A “dissolve” aka “cross fade” is a transition device where one scene fades into the next, and the two images briefly overlap. Unless my eyesight has become fuzzy, “Ashin of the North” doesn’t use dissolves, for whatever reason the director and editor might have. Besides a few instances where “fade to black” transitions are used, “Ashin of the North” uses “cuts” to move from one scene to another.
2. Explanation of the terms “Dutch angle” and “short siding”:
(a) The term “Dutch angle” or “Dutch tilt” means that in shooting a subject, the cinematographer tilts or cants the camera on its x-axis; the lines of a subject (photography) or of a scene (cinematography) thus are not parallel to the vertical edges of the frame.
This YouTube video shows Dutch angle shots at various degrees from the vertical axis.
(b) “Short siding”: If a character is looking to the left, he/she must be placed on the right side of the frame. Or vice-versa. The open space in front of the character is called lead room, nose room, or looking space.
“Short siding” means that the subject is facing the edge of the frame he/she is nearest to. When the subject is separated from the end of the frame he/she is facing with a lot of space, we say that there’s “lead room” or “looking space.”
Inspired by the US drama series “Mr. Robot” and the movie “The King’s Speech,” short siding is supposed to show or increase the tension in a scene. But I doubt that short siding creates in the viewer’s mind the tension in the scene; I’m not aware of any academic study that proves this is true.
In my discussion of the cinematography of “Kingdom S2” on Reddit, I said: “Zombies don’t really scare me; what scares me the most is the way recent Korean dramas have seemingly gone berserk with their use of Dutch angles and short siding.” Thus, in my other analyses (Hotel Del Luna, True Beauty, The Tale of Nokdu, Flower of Evil, SKY Castle, etc), I posted numerous examples of Dutch angle shots and short sided shots from these dramas. “Hotel Del Luna,” for example, uses a Dutch angle shot roughly every 6.7 minutes.
I hate short siding; I think that the short-sided shots in “SKY Castle” are some of the ugliest shots I’ve ever seen in K-dramas.
Well, surprise, surprise! Unless I’ve become cross-eyed analyzing the cinematography of K-dramas, “Kingdom: Ashin of the North” uses short siding only about four times (three shots involving the Deputy Commander and one shot involving Ashin). It uses almost unnoticeably Dutch angle shots only around seven times, some of which I will examine below.
(a) The young Ashin kneels before the Deputy Commander as she pleads with him to avenge his father and fellow villagers. The lines of the walls around her indicate that she was shot with a Dutch angle.
(b) The most obvious of the seven Dutch angle shots in this drama is at the end after Ashin tells the Royal Physician about the resurrection plant. The wide shot of Ashin kneeling before the Royal Physician establishes that the cinematographer used a barely noticeable Dutch angle. The cinematographer then uses an arc shot that begins and ends in a Dutch angle.
F. Famous transition scene from young Ashin to adult Ashin that didn’t really happen the way we thought it happened
One highlight scene in “Ashin of the North” that everyone probably remembers is the transition from the young Ashin to the adult Ashin. As the wild boar chases the young Ashin, she runs for her life. She runs up a fallen tree trunk that rests against another tree. As she reaches the top, she stops her ascent by pushing her left leg against the tree. When she turns, the young Ashin now becomes the adult Ashin.
But did it really happen? Or did it happen in the way we thought we saw it happen?
Note that I’m not dissing “Ashin of the North” with regards this transition scene. What I want to say is that there’s no VFX used in this transition scene; the young Ashin did not magically turn into the adult Ashin as she turned around at the top of that tree trunk. The director, the cinematographer, and the editor simply used good planning and cutting to create this excellent transition scene. Let me explain:
(a) The shot shows the young Ashin running away.
(b) The shot shows the path the young Ashin is running on.
(c) The shot shows young Ashin from the side.
(d) The shot shows the wild boar chasing young Asin.
(e) The shot, at a low angle, shows the feet of young Ashin as she runs.
(f) The shot shows Ashin from the chest up running for her life.
(g) The shot shows the wild boar closing in on young Ashin.
(h) The camera pans left from the wild boar to show young Ashin looking back as she continues to run; the fallen tree trunk resting against a tree is now visible.
(i) The tracking shot begins by showing Ashin’s feet; at this point, I believe that it’s already the adult Ashin that we’re about to see.
As the camera pans left and up, we can now fully see Ashin from behind. She extends her left leg against the tree, turns, and then we see that it’s the adult Ashin. As I said earlier, there was no VFX done in that part of the scene It was the adult Ashin who rushed up the tree trunk, extended her left leg against the tree, and turned around to shoot the wild boar.
Like probably everyone else, I also thought that it was the young Ashin who rushed up that the tree trunk, and the transition from young Ashin to adult Ashin took place as she turned around. But after having watched that scene several times in slow motion, I’ve come to believe otherwise.
But like I said, I’m not dissing this part of the drama; on the contrary, I’m very impressed by the way this transition scene was conceptualized by the director, shot by the cinematographer, and cut by the editor.
C. Lessons in photography
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| Cross dissolve or cross fade (cinematography) |
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| Aerial perspective, warm colors |
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| Low angle shot, shooting against the light |
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| Using quadrants to compose a shot |
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| Establishing shpt |
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| Foreground blur, low angle shot |
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| Aerial perspective, partial frame |
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| Establishing shot |
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| Natural frame |
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| Shape, natural frame, line of direction |
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| Conveying depth through out of focus (foreground) partial frame |
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| Silhouette |
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| Lead room, nose room. looking space |
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| Low angle shot |
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| Shooting against the light, lens flare |
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| Linear perspective, silhouette |
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| High angle shot |
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| Linear perspective, line of direction |
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| Dutch angle or Dutch tilt |
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| Low angle shot |
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| Selective or differential focusing |
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| Conveying depth through background blur |
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| Triangular composition, shallow depth of field |
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| Natural frame |
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| Conveying depth through background blur |
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| Rule of Odds, natural frame |
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| Foreground blur |
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| Foreground blur, natural frame |
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| Quality and direction of light |
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| Natural frames, silhouette, Rule of Odds |
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| Keystoning |
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| Natural frames |
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| Rack focus |
Thank you for sharing all this! Just finished a couple of weeks ago and was hoping you had historical and cinematographic notes, as usual!
ReplyDeletere....3. Why did Queen Consort Cho bleed in Ep. 3 of Season 1? Miscarriage or monthly period?
It was her monthly period that soiled her dress and socks (“poson”). Ep. 6 of Season 2 shows that, despite her brother’s caution, she planned to deceive everyone, even her father Lord Cho Hak-ju, about becoming pregnant and giving birth to a boy.
I thought so as well during episode 3, but later, when Seo Bi recognizes the bark-herb that the Queen takes, it is for women after giving birth or after a miscarriage. I think she had really been pregnant, but miscarried (before the drama begins), and was now having trouble with bleeding from time to time. Thus needing the bark.