Yang Se-jong, Woo Do-hwan, Seolhyun prepare for a new world in character stills for JTBC sageuk My Country

47 September 23, 2019

Yang Se-jong, Woo Do-hwan, Seolhyun prepare for a new world in character stills for JTBC sageuk My Country

by tccolb

New character stills have been released for JTBC action sageuk My Country featuring lead actors Yang Se-jong (Thirty But Seventeen), Woo Do-hwan (The Great Seducer), and Seolhyun (Orange Marmalade).

The drama is set against the backdrop of a crumbling Goryeo and the beginnings of a new kingdom of Joseon where the three leads find themselves torn between clashing factions, each fighting for their version of what the country should be.

In this upheaval, Yang Se-jong plays warrior Seo Hwi. The son of General Seo Geom, his father was once a commander under Yi Seong-gye (the first king of Joseon, played by Kim Young-chul). But in one fateful moment, Yang’s life is turned upside down and he goes from having everything to nothing. Surviving, though, becomes even more crucial in order to protect his younger sister and he stakes his life on an all-or-nothing gamble in order to change the country and restore his family.

Woo Do-hwan takes on the role of Nam Sun-ho. Although the second son of government official Nam Jeon (played by Ahn Nae-sang, Designated Survivor: 60 Days ), he is not registered under the family genealogy records due to his mother being from the servant caste. Having struggled with social prejudices all his life, he becomes fueled by the desire to rise above his station and create a new nation where he can be a powerful figure in his own right. But the journey down this path has consequences, and he becomes estranged from both Seolhyun and Yang Se-jong, his best friend since childhood.

Seolhyun plays the character of strong-willed and opinionated Han Hee-jae. As the daughter of a gisaeng, she was raised at a gibang (a gisaeng house) where she learned the trade of using information to wield power. Rather than becoming a gisaeng herself, though, she uses her skills in observation and deduction to become a female general of sorts in the business of gathering, spreading, and using information. Having witnessed the tragic murder of her mother at a young age, and almost dying herself, she is disillusioned by life in Goryeo and works towards making a better world.

Directing for My Country is being helmed by PD Kim Jin-won (Just Between Lovers) and penning the scripts is writer Chae Seung-dae.

JTBC’s upcoming Friday-Saturday drama My Country is currently set to premiere next week on October 4.

Via Newsen, Osen, Sports Donga

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1 kiara

September 23, 2019 at 10:31 AM

The series will be available exclusively on Netflix outside Korea with two episodes launching weekly from October 4 for most APAC and English-speaking countries, while the rest of the world will see the weekly launch from October 14.

https://media.netflix.com/en/press-releases/netflix-to-introduce-action-packed-historical-k-drama-my-country-the-new-age

Like I'm going to wait till the 14th to watch it :p.

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ohhaeyoung

September 23, 2019 at 12:29 PM

yay thanks for the info! i love both of these male leads :D

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mugyuljoie is preciousss

September 23, 2019 at 2:16 PM

After being burned by Arthdal, is this another multi season multi year deal? Or will there actually be an end?

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kiara

September 23, 2019 at 3:15 PM

I don't think so. It will end Nov 23rd with a total of 16 episodes.

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WishfulToki

September 23, 2019 at 9:06 PM

@ndlessjoie A most valid question. You can bet I just scrambled over to check if VAGABOND is scheduled to have 16 episodes too.

*sigh* It is ironically apt to say that a drama that revelled in cruelty, killing and torching, also burned its viewers. But enough if that. Here’s to MY COUNTRY and better things!

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2 Pensola

September 23, 2019 at 10:57 AM

It is interesting that the female lead is working for a new and better world, since from my understanding, women's conditions worsened in Joseon, until they were called theives (due to dowries) and were practically nameless. This might be wrong, but I do get sometimes the feeling, whenever I get some reading on Joseon compared to Goryeo, that the way women were systematically trampled down is chilling.

I mean, I have no thoughts on which government was better in general, but just looking at the opportunities for women and such gives me an interesting impression.

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kiara

September 23, 2019 at 11:58 AM

Comment was deleted

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kiara

September 23, 2019 at 12:11 PM

Goryeo embraced Buddhism as their state religion and the women were treated more favourably compared to Joseon under Confucian ideals.

Going with the description of Seolhyun's character, women were "more" independent during the Goryeo era. Some were working outside of their home running their own business (skill trades) like needlework, medicine etc.
Sounds like Seolhyun's character would be running an underground intelligent agency of some sort which means she is going to be politically and business savvy in order to survive.

Seolhyun was trained to fight in THE GREAT BATTLE so I hope her character in this drama will have some kind of martial art skills too.

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hyunxingxd

September 23, 2019 at 2:11 PM

i remember when the great battle was released there were few knetz who mocked the fact that they had a troop of women fighting , like they thought it was an exaggeration and women of that era did not battle. i wonder if they were confusing goryeo era with joseon

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kiara

September 23, 2019 at 4:26 PM

THE GREAT BATTLE was set during the 3 kingdom era (Goguryeo 37 BCE-668 CE, Baekje 18 BCE–660 CE and Silla 57 BCE–935 CE).
The battle was between Goguryeo and Tang (China) around 645 AD.

There is no primary sources when it comes to early Korean history so most of what was compiled later were probably exaggerated especially towards Silla.
Kim Busik who was in charged of Samguk Sagi (history of the 3 kingdoms) lived during the Goryeo era so he wasn't present when these historical events happened.

Seolhyun's character in THE GREAT BATTLE came from a military family. The commander of
Ansi city/fortress was her brother.
I thought it made sense that she knew how to fight since she was raised at the war zone of Goguryeo.

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hyunxingxd

September 23, 2019 at 5:15 PM

agree. your reply was informative.i guess some knetz just love to critique. i watched the movie in cinema and everything was epic. the only awkward thing was the chinese pronunciation.

kiara

September 23, 2019 at 9:43 PM

It must be hard to find Chinese actors to play the emperor etc.
This battle wasn't in their favor and I don't think anyone wants to be seen as a traitor in their home land for supporting such a film lol.

sooyi

September 24, 2019 at 5:01 AM

People weren't really aghast at the fact that Seolhyun's character being a female warrior. They were more the fact she didn't embody the authority and power of her character who leads her own squad of female soldiers, and they criticized the stunt wherein she attacked the Tang Emperor. They said it was too unrealistic.

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sooyi

September 24, 2019 at 5:01 AM

*more aghast

kiara

September 24, 2019 at 6:31 AM

I do agree with the criticism though. It was unrealistic that she fought alone and all the way to the Tang emperor who had millions of soldiers surrounding him.

sooyi

September 24, 2019 at 4:57 AM

I read that women did have some of sort liberties in early Joseon Era, like inheriting and probably owning property However, their rights were considerably reduced after several wars and invasions so noble families who have become impoverished could not pass down the family heirlooms to all the children, so sons were prioritized.

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kiara

September 24, 2019 at 6:46 AM

Yea, that carried over from Goryeo where women were land owners.
The inheritance from the father was shared between the male and female children equally.

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3 WishfulToki

September 23, 2019 at 11:02 AM

Her character sounds like a mix of Boon-yi and Yeon-hee from SIX FLYING DRAGONS. It's good that she's not just there as the romantic interest. Hopefully her intelligence-gathering is central to the story.

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kiara

September 23, 2019 at 12:05 PM

This reminds me of some other Goryeo sageuks.
I could see some political manipulation from her part and I'm all for it.

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PakalanaPikake

September 23, 2019 at 5:58 PM

@wishfultoki,
Seolhyun's character sounds like the Goryeo female equivalent of Dal-moon the Joseon confidential information broker (Park Hoon) in HAECHI.

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bong-soo

September 23, 2019 at 6:29 PM

@pakalanapikake,
I was thinking the same thing.

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4 Cocoa, The Fake Poet of February

September 23, 2019 at 12:56 PM

Sigh. Am I the only one who finds the wigs... disappointing?

Sorry, I’ve been looking forward to Yang Se Jong’s Mane of Glory

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loveblossom🌸

September 23, 2019 at 7:16 PM

Yeah, gotta admit his mane is not great. Woo Do Hwan looks good with his long locks though. Still excited to see both of them in action. =D

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Cocoa, The Fake Poet of February

September 24, 2019 at 2:32 AM

Hehe, yes! I’m still planning on watching of course! (Or at least trying out the first episodes 😉)

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sooyi

September 24, 2019 at 5:09 AM

Eh I thought that Yang Sejong's hair will be bound up in a bun (too Joseon, but he looks dashing when he's a gent). But I guess he has to be roughened up for his role as a warrior stationed in the borders. Oh well ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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5 Grapes

September 23, 2019 at 1:17 PM

it’s a shame that Jang Hyuk is not one of the leads, i almost forgot he’s there. I hope he didn’t lose his leading status yet.

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kiara

September 23, 2019 at 4:36 PM

@grapes, I think it's awesome that he is playing the iron fist Yi Bang-won. He's the one who will be calling the shot in the drama.
I think this is not a case of who is leads and stuff. It's a about the characters.

Remember Go Hyun-jun in QSD? She was courted to play Queen Seon-deok, the main lead but she turned it down to play the controversial Mishil instead. She ended up stealing the show and the ratings.

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bong-soo

September 23, 2019 at 6:47 PM

If I may run this out a bit @grapes,
from MC’s AsianWiki page I noticed that Ahn Nae-sang will be playing WDH’s father and also appearing is Jang Young-nam who recently gave a fine performance in THE CROWNED CLOWN.

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kiara

September 23, 2019 at 9:06 PM

I'm excited for the veterans too. Ahn Nae-sang and Kim Young-chul are my all time faves. Kim's sageuk glory days started in the 80s and still thriving.

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6 hyunxingxd

September 23, 2019 at 2:08 PM

is it me or there isn't much of a love story/romance shown in the teasers?

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Trinity 🍆

September 23, 2019 at 9:00 PM

I personally would prefer there be no romance. I think this could be an amazing drama driven by these 2 friends who end up fighting on opposite sides of each other. But it's a kdrama so I'm pretty sure there will be romance (prove me wrong drama!)

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7 rubytuesday

September 23, 2019 at 4:11 PM

I really love the sound of Seolhyun's character, so I hope her acting holds up and they don't reduce her to a love interest by the drama's end.

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8 PakalanaPikake

September 23, 2019 at 6:01 PM

Thanks for the update on MY COUNTRY, @tccolb! ;-)

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9 Trinity 🍆

September 23, 2019 at 8:57 PM

I am really looking forward to this. I just know my heart is going to break when these two best friends find themselves fighting on opposite sides. And with 2 great actors to deliver that heartache.

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10 Kurama

September 23, 2019 at 9:22 PM

I was surprised by the number of episodes when we know they started to film in March. I thought there will be more episodes.

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mmmm

September 23, 2019 at 9:38 PM

They're still filming too.It was originally planned to be 20 eps long but maybe JTBC decided to scrap some of the episodes due to the delay of their previous drama causing MC to reshoot some of the scenes.

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11 purplefall

September 23, 2019 at 11:21 PM

I'm not sure what to expect but the historical setting is very intriguing and I was a huge fan of SFD so I'll definitely check out the first 2 episodes.

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12 mysterious

September 24, 2019 at 5:11 AM

My word, Woo Do-hwan looks HOT! I love his sleek mane-of-glory. Especially the third pic. I am so ready for this show to start.

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13 Ally

September 24, 2019 at 7:30 AM

It’s almost here! *wipes tears from face* I tho k I’ll be doing a lot of this during this one! October 4th can’t come soon enough. You know, fall is my favorite season.

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14 Hyunxingxd

September 25, 2019 at 5:18 AM

They released a new teaser

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15 Kurama

September 25, 2019 at 5:52 AM

The new teaser looks good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exEcVLvqwiQ

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hyunxingxd

September 25, 2019 at 7:42 AM

I am so excited!!! this looks epic. the story and dialogues look solid

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Kurama

September 25, 2019 at 7:48 AM

Me too :D

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16 Nam Joo-hyuk is Tall

September 25, 2019 at 9:20 AM

Nothing gets me like a broken bromance and if we have a three way troubled friendship with no romance between them I will fall down on my knees and praise the drama gods.

With this director and set of actors the writer would really have to screw it up for this to not be good. Hold hands with me in a prayer circle.

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kiara

September 25, 2019 at 9:23 AM

The writer is the only one I'm worried about.

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hyunxingxd

September 25, 2019 at 11:43 AM

have you seen his previous works? i am curious how he is

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kiara

September 26, 2019 at 12:28 AM

Two - Inspiring Generation and The Master of Revenge. I didn't finish either one.

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My Country: The New Age