Aired on Saturday and Sunday nights, the KBS historical saga “Jeong Do-jeon” follows the life and achievements of late Goryeo era scholar Jeong Do-jeon, who established the founding framework for the new Joseon Dynasty. First aired in early January, the show won the loyalty of male viewers with its tight narrative and serious subject matter. Here’s culture critic Kim Heon-sik to tell us more.

Traditional historical dramas are very familiar to us and convincing because they deal with well-known historical facts. Men tend to take more interest in political and social issues through education or indirect experiences such as reading books or watching TV shows and movies. That’s why men love historical dramas.

Over the last few years fusion historical shows with make-believe figures and events flooded TV programming, pushing out grand, true-to-life historical productions. So it was quite unusual for a conventional historical show like “Jeong Do-jeon” to become so popular. Culture critic Kim Heon-sik says people’s interest in the man Jeong Do-jeon is driving the show’s popularity.

Jeong Do-jeon is being belatedly reevaluated. He was actually the brain behind the foundation of Joseon, but he hasn’t been dramatized often. People want to know more about the man, but not much was known about him. His life was turned into a drama just when people grew curious about his achievements and personal story.

In real history Jeong Do-jeon was overshadowed by General Yi Seong-gye, who later became the founding king of Joseon. But in the drama “Jeong Do-jeon,” he is the main character, who designs a perfect plan for Yi Seong-gye to establish a new dynasty. The show also tells how Jeong removed the corrupt ruling class at the end of Goryeo Dynasty and put in place a political system that worked for the common people.



Jeong Do-jeon was born to a poor country official and started his political career as a historical scribe in Chungju at age 22. He was later appointed to a teaching post in Sunggyungwan, but was exiled in Jeolla Province for refusing to welcome envoys from the Yuan Dynasty. During his ten-year exile he dreamed of setting up a political system for the good of commoners and sought out the popular General Yi Seong-gye to plot a revolution. He had an idea but needed General Yi’s military force to make it happen. The founding of Joseon was the historical outcome of the fateful meeting between Jeong’s political vision and Yi’s ambition for power. The show is made more dramatic by the cat-and-mouse game played by the noblemen trying to hold onto their power and the two revolutionaries dreaming of a better world. Jeong’s prime political nemesis was the treacherously cunning Lee In-im이인임 whose words and actions reflect today’s often filthy political landscape.

Lee In-im was the real power behind the puppet king in the waning years of Goryeo. He had the elegance of a nobleman, but also the nefarious wile of a scheming strategist. His only goal was to retain his privileged position. It was only natural that he thought of the radical Jeong Do-jeon as a thorn in his side. Jeong wanted to change the world by reforming land ownership dominated by the nobles. Even at the face of a formidable enemy in Lee In-im, Jeong, as a representative of the common people, never wavered in his political conviction. His single-mindedness is what makes the character so popular with the viewers.

Political ideologist Jeong Do-jeon was an idealist who put people ahead of everything else. The drama “Jeong Do-jeon” asks what politics should be and where Korea’s politics is headed by highlighting his tumultuous life. Here’s the show’s director Kang Byeong-taek강병택.

I wanted to portray a politician who worked to realize his ideals. I thought that’s what we needed to see in 2014.

There are only political feuds and accusations, instead of understanding and compromise in today’s Korean politics. The show’s popularity indicates how Koreans yearn for real politicians, those who don’t pay lip service but really look out for the wellbeing of everyday Koreans. Here’s writer Kim Yong-sang who authored the historical novel “Jeong Do-jeon.”

I think the show’s popularity reflects people’s fervent desire for reform. Of course there are bound to be those who oppose it, because people don’t desire new things all the time. But people do want to live in a society ruled by common people, not by political or economic powers. The key to Jeong Do-jeon’s ideology can be found in his definition of politics, which is doing right by the people. That means that those in leadership positions should love people and make their lives better and rule according to people’s wishes. This is why the drama is one of the hottest shows on TV.

The show is a favorite among middle-aged men. Viewers older than 40 accounts for 77% of the drama’s total viewership and 57% of them are men. Here’s culture critic Kim Heon-sik again.

Men have the inclinations and opportunities to get involved in politics, but not very many actually get engaged in political activities. So they have the psychological tendency to experience politics vicariously. Men project themselves into well-known historical figures and indirectly realize their unfulfilled dreams through those characters.

Viewers watch the drama and realize how closely modern Korean society resembles that of the late Goryeo era, prompting them to find out more about the turbulent time and the visionary who lived through it. Here’s book columnist Jang Dong-seok to tell us more.

The absence of leadership in the time of crisis – that describes the situation today. There is no leader who could propose new ideas to provide directions to society and the nation. At the end of the Goryeo Dynasty the ruling class monopolized everything. At the time the nobles measured their land holdings not in measuring units, but in geographical landmarks, like claiming ownership of everything lying between one mountain and another. Viewers see that and realize that what goes on today is no different from the situation in the late Goryeo era.

The Jeong Do-jeon fever is catching on in the publishing market as well. Here’s manager Yoo Jae-seong유재성 of Gangnam Kyobo Bookstore.

The drama’s popularity has spilled over to books about Jeong Do-jeon. There are three or four new publications in humanities and five new novels about him. Most of the customers are men in their 30s and 40s. Many of these new releases have made it to our bestseller list and are staying there.

People watch the drama and want to know more about the man and historical circumstances surrounding him. Here’s book columnist Jang Dong-seok again.

The drama had a lot to do with it. People are curious about Jeong Do-jeon, who opened a new era. They wonder what made him overturn Goryeo and establish a new nation. There are also many interesting figures besides Jeong Do-jeon, such as Joseon’s founding king Taejo Yi Seong-gye and his sons. These historical figures spin many dramatic stories. People’s interests in these figures and historical events spilled over to books. In fact, some books that were overlooked in the past went into reprint, thanks to the show’s popularity.

It’s evident that viewers and readers are fascinated by Jeong Do-jeon. No wonder the books about this revolutionary have taken the top spots of all the bestseller lists.

(Woman 1) I became interested in history again as I watched the drama “Jeong Do-jeon.” I’m here to buy a book about him. The show portrays in detail the transition from Goryeo to Joseon, which aroused people’s curiosity about how Joseon was really founded. I think the actors in the drama also sparked viewers’ interest.
(Woman 2) I was looking at the bestseller list and saw that a book about Jeong Do-jeon was at the top. I’m a fan of the show, but I think books tell more accurate stories about the man. I see in Jeong Do-jeon something I don’t see often in today’s people. These days, people only look after themselves, but Jeong tried to set things straight for ordinary people. I think the time calls for that kind of man, which is why I want to read more books about him.


About a dozen new books about Jeong Do-jeon have been published since the drama started. Humanities and fiction books about him are lining up in the most prominent places in bookstores. Book columnist Jang Dong-seok says that the latest publishing trend is to spotlight supporting figures of history, not kings or victorious generals.



In the past TV shows and books focused on kings and rulers. That’s why dramas and books about Joseon kings were so popular. But in recent years publishers began to see that history was not made by kings alone, but by supporting characters, such as noblemen and government officials, and even the poor, low-class people like butchers and painters. Books about Jeong Do-jeon stand apart from other historical books in that they are written from the viewpoint of the rising nobles. The show had some positive influence on the publishing industry for giving attention to lesser known figures and encouraging new interpretations of them.

Paying attention to minor characters means that people’s perspectives on history have become more diversified. Koreans have realized that history cannot be made by a single heroic leader. It is made together with loyal associates and seemingly insignificant figures.

“The king is a noble being, but nobler than the king are the people. A government that does not have people’s support is bound to fall.” These words represent the essence of Jeong Do-jeon’s political vision. His idea of a perfect government was one that looked after the common people. These days the entire nation has been gripped by sadness and shock in the wake of the ferry accident that took so many young, promising lives. What if Jeong Do-jeon was here today? What would he have done to put this nation on the right path? People’s desire to see a better time has fueled their interest in Jeong Do-jeon and the world he had envisioned.