Korea–Khitan War

Korea–Khitan War
Promotional poster
Hangul	고려 거란 전쟁
Hanja	高麗 契丹 戰爭
Literal meaning	Goryeo–Khitan War
Revised Romanization	Goryeo georan jeonjaeng
McCune–Reischauer	Koryŏ kŏran chŏnjaeng
Genre	Sageuk War drama Action
Based on	Goryeo–Khitan War: Sweet Rain in the Winter by Gil Seung-soo
Written by	Gil Seung-soo Lee Jung-woo
Directed by	Jeon Woo-sung Kim Han-sol
Starring	Kim Dong-jun Choi Soo-jong Ji Seung-hyun
Music by	Park Seung-jin
Country of origin	South Korea
Original language	Korean
No. of episodes	24 (as of February 4, 2024)
Production
Executive producer	Kim Sang-hui
Producers	Kim Hyeong-jun Lee Eun-jin Park Chun-ho Park Je-hoon Kim Chang-min
Running time	75 minutes
Production companies	Monster Union Vive Studios
Budget	₩27 billion
Original release
Network	KBS2
Release	November 11, 2023 – present

Korea–Khitan War (Korean: 고려 거란 전쟁) is an ongoing South Korean television series based on the 2018 South Korean novel Goryeo–Khitan War: Sweet Rain in the Winter by Gil Seung-soo. Produced to commemorate the 50th anniversary of KBS, the series stars Kim Dong-jun, Choi Soo-jong, and Ji Seung-hyun. It premiered on KBS2 on November 11, 2023, and airs every Saturday and Sunday at 21:25 (KST). It is also available for streaming on Wavve in South Korea, on Kocowa in the Americas, and on Netflix in selected regions in Asia.

Synopsis

The series tells the story of King Hyeonjong of Goryeo (Kim Dong-jun) uniting Goryeo under his tolerant leadership by leading the war against the Khitans to victory, together with Gang Gam-chan (Choi Soo-jong), the King's political mentor and the commander-in-chief of the Goryeo army.

Cast

Main

• Kim Dong-jun as King Hyeonjong of Goryeo
• Choi Soo-jong as Gang Gam-chan
• Ji Seung-hyun as Yang Gyu

Supporting

People from Goryeo

• Lee Won-jong as Kang Cho
• Kim Jae-min as Lee Hyun-woon
• Han Jae-young as Ji Chae-mun
• Lee Ji-hoon as Jang Yeon-woo
• Jang In-seop as Hwangbo Yu-ui
• Ju Seok-tae as Choe Jil
• Ryu Seung-hyun as Kim Hoon
• Lee Cheol-min as Gang Min-cheom
• Kim San-ho as Jeong Seong
• Joo Yeon-woo as Kim Sook-heung
• Seo Jae-woo as Kim Jong-hyeon
• Jung Ho-bin as Yoo Bang
• Lee Jae-gu as Dae Do-su
• Kwak Min-seok as Won Jong-seok
• Lee Do-guk as Ha Gong-jin
• Jo Sang-gi as Tak Sa-jeong
• Kim Joong-don as Jo Won
• Kim Sun-bin as Choe Chung

People from Khitan Empire

• Kim Hyuk as Emperor Shengzong of Liao
• Kim Jun-bae as So Bae-ap (Xiao Paiya)
• Lee Sang-hong as Yayul Bun-no (Yelü Pennu)
• Park Jung-hwan as Yayul Jeok-ro (Yelü Dilu)
• Kim Gu-taek as Han-gi

Goryeo royal family and subjects

• Jo Hee-bong as Yoo Jin
• Kim Jeong-hak as Choe Hang
• Han Seung-hyun as Chae Chung-soon
• Park Yoo-seung as Choe Sa-wi
• Lee Si-a as Queen Wonjeong
• Ha Seung-ri as Queen Won-seong
• Yoon Chae-kyung as Queen Wonhwa
• Jo Seung-yeon as Kim Eun-bu
• Kim Oh-bok as Yang Hyeop
• Baek Sung-hyun as King Mokjong of Goryeo
• Lee Min-young as Empress Cheonchu
• Gong Jung-hwan as Kim Chi-yang
• Lee Poong-un as Yoo Haeng-gan
• Oh Jae-young as Yoo Chung-jeong

Others

• Shim So-young as Court Lady Choi
• Yoon Bok-in as Gang Gam-chan's wife
• Lee Jae-yong as Park Jin
• Kang Shin-il as Monk Jin-gwan

Extended

• Lee Chang-jik as Lee Joo-jeong

Original soundtrack

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Reception

Critical reception

Puah Ziwei of NME rated the series 5 out of 5 stars, claiming that "this well-written Korean historical series will keep you hooked its bloody tale of war and survival." He praised the conflict between Kang Cho and Gang Gam-chan, respectively played by Lee Won-jong and Choi Soo-jong, and the "delightfully malleable" performance of Baek Sung-hyun who played Mokjong, "an openly gay king" without any heirs. He also applauded the fact that the show depicted the times of Goryeo–Khitan War through an "old-school sageuk charm and style", and stated that "much like the anxious times it is inspired by, Korea-Khitan War is driven by purpose and complex interpersonal dynamics that leave little time for theatrics". Choi Bo-yun noted that there is a narrative of putting people first in the midst of war throughout the series, shedding light on less well-known battles and figures of Korean history such as Yang Gyu, and that the growth of King Hyeonjong who won the two wars against the Khitans with the help of Gang Gam-chan is worth watching.

Historical novel author Gil Seung-soo, who wrote the original novel which the series is based on, expressed his disappointment about the progression of the show after episode 16, since he was dissatisfied by the fact that it not only deviated from his novel, but also from actual Goryeo history. He criticized the attitude of the scriptwriter and the way he anachronistically portrayed the local gentries of early 11th century Goryeo, claiming that the series' depiction is just as absurd as "BTS suddenly appearing right after the Korean war" and that the production team should have had responsibility when they're representing history through media. The article noted that many viewers also complained about the storyline after episode 16, even visiting author Gil's personal blog to leave a comment about their concerns for the series.

Viewership

Awards and nominations