Jumong Korean Telenovela

Jumong is a historical drama on South Korea’s MBC television network as a 45th Anniversary Special Drama. Originally set to be 60, MBC has decided to extend it to 80 episodes due to its popularity. It portrays the life of Jumong Taewang, founder of the kingdom of Goguryeo). Because few details are found in the historical records on Jumong, much artistic license is taken.

Summary

Gojoseon has fallen to the Han Empire of China. All that is left are separate city-states that have no choice but to appease the Han Empire. The Han are cruel, taking refugees prisoner and demonstrating their new iron weapons on them.

Hae Mo-su a legendary soldier joins hands with Geumwa, the crown prince of Buyeo, in order to counter Han savagery, creating the Da-Mul Gun, a band of soldiers who defended Gojoseon refugees. Hae Mo-su gets injured after a skirmish against Han soldiers, and floats down a river, half alive. The princess of the Haebaek tribe finds him and nurses him back to health. The two start a relationship. However, the Han are looking for Hae Mo-su, and discovering that the man the princess was sheltering looked like (and was) Hae Mo-su, and they raze the tribe to the ground. Hae Mo-su escapes just in time and travels until he meets a caravan from the tribe of Gyeh-Ru. The head merchant, who is also the ruler of the Gyeh-Ru tribe, offers Hae Mo-su a job within the caravan, not knowing who the man is. The ruler, Yeon Ta-Bal, tells Hae Mo-su to join him in his tent, and they introduce each other and share a conversation. News of the Habaek tribe pops up in the middle of the conversation, and seeing the shocked look on his guest’s face, Yeon Ta-Bal begins to suspect the guest of being Haemosu himself. The next day, the caravan travels but stops when they hear that Yeon’s wife has gone into labor. They set up camp and So Seo-No is born and protected, as Hae Mosu defends the trade caravan against a band of thieves, reinforcing Yeon’s assumption. Yeon’s caravan has trading rights with the Han Dynasty itself. Yeon knows of Hae Mosu’s escape, and a great reward for his capture. At this point, he is fully convinced that his guest is Hae Mosu. Yeon decides not to turn Hae Mosu in, because of his deed of defending his caravan and his daughter from harm.

Hae Mo-su returns to Geumwa, and they resume the skirmishes. However, as the Damulgun progress in their obejective to free all refugees, the Han disguise Han soldiers as fake refugees, whom the Damulgun attempt to rescue. Ambushed by the fake refugees and “ironclad cavalry,” the Damulgun with him are killed, and he is captured. Hae Mosu is subsequently tortured and blinded by the Han.

Geum-wa, attempts and succeeds in freeing Hae Mo-su, who, though blind, is able to ride a horse. Geum-wa ultimately fails in his task to save Hae Mo-su, who Geumwa sees, trapped upon a chateau, shot with arrows and presumably dead in the river.

Haebaek princess has Hae Mosu’s child. She goes to the Crown Prince of Buyeo. After bearing her son, Jumong, he becomes a prince of Buyeo (after the enthronement of the Crown Prince) and she a Royal Concubine upon the new Emperor’s insistence. After all, Hae Mosu was not dead, and Jumong got to meet his Hae Mosu, not knowing that Hae Mosu was his father. Even without the knowledge that his Hae Mosu is his father, Jumong loves him, and a strong bond grows between them. Hae Mosu teaches Jumong how to arch more skillfully Jumong will learn of his father, though only finds out this information after the death of Hae Mosu. his violent rivalry among him and his half-brothers, his love for Soseuno, and finally, a revival of the Da-mul Gun and the founding of Goguryeo.