The Return of Iljimae

Yoon Jin Suh Kisses Jung Il Woo in Cave



MBC’s “The Return of Iljimae” has successfully filmed a heart-pounding first kiss scene featuring the male and female lead, Jung Il Woo and Yoon Jin Suh recently.

This kiss scene happens when Iljimae (Jung Il Woo) returns to Chosun from the Qing Dynasty but receives an inconsolable pain from his biological father. Iljimae is also labeled as a spy sent by the Qing Government and hence is under constant pursuit by the Chosun Government. While escaping, he later meets his first love Dal Yi (Yoon Jin Suh) in his cave hideout and also have a kiss scene with her.

As the plot requires Dal Yi to take the initiative to kiss Iljimae, Yoon Jin Suh being a little shy on directing the kiss scene, not only caused numerous NGs but also made the crews burst into laughter while filming.

Jung Il Woo said: “Jin Suh (sister) seems overly shy about the kiss scene. My head was knocked onto the ground several times when she was trying to push me down. Jin Suh (sister) who was trying to direct the scene is definitely more stressful. For me, apart from trying to bear the pain, I can’t really remember anything else.”

“The Return of Iljimae”, a story about the Chosun hero Iljimae, is the post-drama of “General Hospital 2” and will begin airing from the 21st of January.

credit: hanfever


E un altro paio di immagini interessanti



Che sia la volta buona che Iljimae arrivi al dunque?

scene di sesso

c'è la scena del bacio e una scena sospetta

ma la scena finale che significa? Mi deco preparare i fazzoletti?

January 7, 2009

One hero, two dramas: winner remains to be seen

By Shin Hae-in

SEOUL, Jan. 7 (Yonhap) -- "Iljimae Returns," an upcoming prime time TV drama to be aired by Korea's major broadcaster MBC, tells a lot just by its name.

Even before Part One of the series has hit the TV screens, skeptics are making bets; The ancient Korean hero Iljimae will return to television, but will he be as good as the one featured by competitor SBS last year?

South Korean dramas -- especially historical dramas -- have been enjoying high popularity throughout Asia, raking in large profits. Recently hit by a sweeping economic downturn and a lack of material alluring enough for sophisticated viewers in and out of the country, Korean producers have been turning to popular comics. Several comic book adaptations that aired last year, including "Sikgaek" and "Tazza," have been sold in Japan and China, proving strong story lines still sell.

Sensing potential Asia-wide appeal for the story of Iljimae, a widely known Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) thief, producers competed hard to get the rights to the original comic written and illustrated by the late Ko Woo-young.

While MBC succeeded in getting the rights, it failed to make the drama quickly enough. Its rival SBS aired its own version of the heroic thief's story last year. Barely six months have passed since. "I cannot say I am not burdened," Hwang In-roi, director of the new series, said at a production conference Wednesday. "But I should actually be grateful to the SBS drama for bringing out the stubbornness in me. I clung to this piece with a persistence I never knew I even had."

Iljimae is often called Korea's Robin Hood. The heroic thief, who stole goods from corrupt officials and gave to the needy, is a controversial figure who some claim is fictional, but others insist was a real person.
The only proof that Iljimae existed in real life is a short description in Joseon scholar Cho Su-nam's book, in which he was called "a swift, righteous thief who was born in the wrong era." The character became widely known to the public here after cartoonist Ko released his comics in 1975.

While director Lee Yong-suk, who produced the SBS TV drama "Iljimae" last year, thinks the hero is a fictional character, director Hwang believes he was real. "Iljimae is a complex character that every director would want to talk about," Hwang told reporters. "The complexity made me believe he was real." While the SBS drama portrayed the black-swathed thief to be a fun-loving and mischievous character, Iljimae appears much more solemn and unsure of himself in the upcoming series.

Abandoned by both his mother and father, a high-class intellectual, Iljimae becomes an overseas orphan. Spending his youth in China and Japan, he returns to his homeland vowing revenge on the hypocritical upper class. His life is motivated primarily by vengeance after seeing his first love executed and being betrayed by those he trusted as family members and companions.

The 24-part drama will air every Wednesday and Thursday from Jan. 21.

Credits: [email protected]

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/culturespo...008700315F.HTML

credits: as marked

January 13, 2009

Young Star Jung il-woo Returns With 'Iljimae'

By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter


Jung Il-woo stars as Iljimae in the new drama
"Iljimae Returns." It will start airing at 9:55 p.m.
on MBC Jan. 21 / Courtesy of MBC

Young star Jung Il-woo is back as the stylish and righteous warrior Iljimae, the Joseon Kingdom's Robin Hood. Originally a comic strip, it has been made into dramas most recently last year. But MBC is aiming to bring the popular storyline to the next level with "Iljimae Returns" (working title).

"It's an old story, but the plots and characters are very modern. I just thought Iljimae was charming and cool, but as I started to get to know him better, I realized that he was actually a very sad person. I still need to analyze him," Jung said at the press conference for the drama last week. "Iljimae" was a comic serial strip series in the Daily Sports, a daily newspaper focused on sports and entertainment, from 1975 to 1977. The work of famed cartoonist Ko Woo-young, its catchy plot and interesting characters helped it become a hit and it's only just reached its peak in popularity.

Jung will be the third actor to portray Iljimae after fellow actors Jang Dong-kun and Lee Jun-ki. Jang appeared in a 1993 drama and Lee in the SBS drama. The two Iljimaes ― Jung and Lee ― are drastically different in terms of their clothes, personalities and objectives, but comparisons are inevitable.

While the previous Iljimae was focused on the fight between conservatives and progressives and other social matters, the new Iljimae will look more into his personal life, including the love story between him and the heroine, Weol-hee, played by Yun Jin-seo, while still offering his journey to justice and peace, just like the original comic.

When asked about the pressure he might have experienced by playing a character who was already popularly portrayed by someone else, Jung was up and ready to receive the criticism. "I am fully prepared to receive viewers' and fellow actors' criticism" he said.

Born in China, Iljimae was sent to Japan, where he spent his early years before heading to Korea for his acts of heroism, still trying to find himself and the love of his life. Due to having lived in three different places, the drama took Jung to Taiwan and Japan for more realistic settings.

Jung had a particularly difficult time getting used to his character, as it was his first portrayal of an athletic warrior and the main character of a historical drama."I was overly exhausted after working non-stop for more than five months. I had to pay a few visits to the emergency room and sometimes the medicine was so strong I didn't feel like myself. But now, I'm trying to keep myself fit in order to continue filming," said Jung.

Being such a versatile character, Iljimae could be interpreted in many ways, but for producer Hwang In-roi, the original was the way to go. "The cartoon is more than 30 years old but the characters has more than just literal value. The power of the original work is so strong that many may start reading it again. We have strived to make our Iljimae totally similar to the original character and I hope viewers enjoy our efforts," Hwang said.

Amid high anticipation and the fun of comparing Iljimae's different incarnations, "Iljimae Returns" will start airing at 9:55 p.m. Jan. 21 on MBC.

Credits: [email protected]

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2.../201_37754.html