Jung Il-Woo considers post-army comeback in fusion sageuk
by stroopwafel
Boy, does time fly! Jung Il-woo (Cinderella and the Four Knights, Records of a Night Watchman) will be discharged from the army this year and the actor is said to be considering an offer for a fusion sageuk drama titled Haechi. His agency has confirmed that the offer is being considered, but stressed that nothing has been finalized as Jung Il-woo is still completing his term in public service.
Haechi is set to premiere in the spring of 2019 on SBS and Jung Il-woo is considering the role of Prince Yeoning, the son of a commoner and the king. Prince Yeoning teams up with a band of misfits as he jockeys for power as an illegitimate son of the crown. The drama will focus on themes of justice and good versus evil while borrowing from Korean mythology.
The title of the drama is a nod to a mythical creature from Korean legend. The haechi, which appear in a combined form of a lion, sheep, and unicorn, were fierce guardians that were said to ward off fire and natural disaster. Stone haechi figures were often placed in palaces to protect against these elements. If you visit Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, you can still see some haechi figures at the palace entrance.
Writer Kim Yi-young is something of a sageuk heavy hitter; her previous works include the classic sageuk dramas Dong Yi and Yi San. Haechi is her first project since 2015’s Hwajung, so anticipation is bound to be strong for the drama.
Jung Il-woo will be discharged in early December, and regardless of which drama he chooses to make his comeback project, we can look forward to seeing him back on the small screen in the near future.
Via Seoul Kyungje, SBS
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Tags: Jung Il-woo
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1 Adal
October 10, 2018 at 1:38 PM
Smart dude. He served without incident, not delaying his Military Service. Now he can do whatever he wants when he finishes his public service in December. Wishing him the best and hope he stays healthy.
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2 Safeenah
October 10, 2018 at 1:42 PM
Didn't realise I missed him on my screen till I saw his pic.....wish him the best and can't wait for his next drama...
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3 zzthorn
October 10, 2018 at 1:44 PM
I'm looking forward to seeing that oh so charismatic smile again. Hoping he stayed healthy during his service.
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4 aegiomma
October 10, 2018 at 2:28 PM
So excited to see him back soon, that means lots of other favorites who joined at the same time will be on their way back too! (He's my favoritest favorite though ;) )
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zzthorn
October 11, 2018 at 1:07 PM
One that joined up about the same time I've been really worried about as there has been no word since he (Park Min Woo) was in a very bad motorcycle accident in March with brain surgery in April. I wonder if he is okay or if he is facing years of rehabilitation. He was to get out of the service sometime around September I think. If anyone has an update, I sure would like to know.
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5 kiara
October 10, 2018 at 2:39 PM
I'm sad that the trend now is fusion fantasy. Poor wittle me 😭. Can't they make a stuffy sageuk once in a while?
Oh well, it's not like we didn't see it coming from years ago.
I like this writer's work in Yi-san the most. Dong Yi was the typical Cinderella fairytale sageuk and Hwajung was a hot political mess. Cha Seung-won was the best thing in it.
I'm having a hard time imagining anyone else as Prince Yeoning after Yeo Jin-gu's performance in the other love and hate sageuk called Jackpot.
It seems like the writer is picking up where she left off with Dong Yi and focusing on Geum.
I hope this will be better than Jung II-woo's last couple of sageuks. I stopped caring after Night Watchman.
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Ally
October 10, 2018 at 8:51 PM
Yep, Jin-goo will forever be Prince Yeo-bin for me. It was the first role I ever saw him in and I thought he was at least 10 years older than his 18 years, and quickly had to realign myself. Phew, boy.
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Ally
October 10, 2018 at 8:52 PM
*Yeoning (stupid autocorrect)
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⭐ Sera The Ms Temper ⭐
October 10, 2018 at 11:08 PM
Hope this new drama will be more like Yi San and not Dong Yi and Hwajung. Go Ara has been offered as the female lead much earlier, both her and Jung Il Woo can be decent, good or mediocre depend on the roles they play so if they accept this, hopefully it will be better than their last sageuks (Night Watchman and Hwarang) - role and storyline.
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kiara
October 11, 2018 at 6:57 AM
I love Go Ara to pieces in Reply but in sageuks I do not. I don't know about this Sera.
She was in a fantasy sageuk film before, The Magician with Yoo Seung-ho and there was zero chemistry between them. She is drop dead gorgeous in a hanbok but not graceful in carrying herself in that era.
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⭐ Sera The Ms Temper ⭐
October 11, 2018 at 8:23 AM
She seems to have good eyes for her projects lately - turned down Are You Human Too for Black which in my opinion turned out great for her, so hopefully she will consider carefully about this offer. I agree that she suits with modern drama more, everyone can look gorgeous in hanbok but not all are graceful enough to carry themselves in that era.
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PakalanaPikake
October 11, 2018 at 12:11 AM
@kiara,
LOL at your entreaty for stuffy sageuks. Wasn't HWAJUNG stuffy enough, or did it have too many thrilling explosions? ;-)
I really enjoyed HWAJUNG / SPLENDID POLITICS. Maybe it was because the first half of it had Gwanghaegun running the show and conducting Korean firearms and gunpowder R&D, which I found fascinating. Cha Seung-won was great in the role, and I loved his strategizing with overly-loyal Court Lady Kim Gae-shi. Kim Yeo-jin was terrific in that part, which put her on my radar. I also enjoyed Kim Jae-won as King Injo, whom I initially despised, but came to empathize with. Our favorite evil Minister of the Left in 100 DAYS MY PRINCE, Cho Seong-ha, played the villainous father of Han Joo-wan, who was a scene stealer. Seo Kang-joon played the latter's friend before the inevitable estrangement took its toll. He has stepped up his game in a big way since then. Or perhaps sageuk wasn't his strong suit.
As you noted, the politics lost me at times. Plus there was a veritable cast of thousands of old geezers whom I had a hard time differentiating, even with my trusty AsianWiki mug shots. I plowed through all 50 episodes anyway.
I haven't seen any of the other dramas you mentioned.
Fingers and toes crossed for Jung Il-woo's comeback drama. Hwaiting!
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sooyi
October 11, 2018 at 2:43 AM
Vain comment but I lost it at "veritable cast of thousands of old geezers whom I had a hard time differentiating" because though they are good actors, it's true that there are just so many veteran actors in a sageuk 🤣
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PakalanaPikake
October 11, 2018 at 3:22 AM
LOL @sooyi.
It's all the identical beards and gats that give me a hard time. (This is why I appreciate shows set in the Three Kingdoms era! No lie! Manes of glory or bust!) I make a note of characters' titles on my cheat sheet when I read them in the dialogue, but it doesn't help when there are herds of ministers inside the palace and seonbi outside the palace all bellowing "Jeona!" in protest. In HWAJUNG, a number of influential people were sometimes called by their pen names, too. It was hard to juggle all the data. I ended up giving myself permission to let the political details slide. Otherwise I would have permanently overflowed my buffer. ;-)
I enjoy spotting my fave veteran actors in the cast. A couple of them I can recognize by voice alone. ;-)
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kiara
October 11, 2018 at 7:06 AM
My problem with having that many veterans with that kind of writing is just that, it turns into an uninspiring hot mess. Most of them just sleep walk through it so I bailed.
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sooyi
October 12, 2018 at 4:00 AM
Sleepwalking with the occasional "Jeonha! You cannot do this!" LMAO
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PakalanaPikake
October 12, 2018 at 4:25 AM
Or mind-boggled viewers hollering "Jeonha! Your grace is immeasurable!" in their sleep. Guaranteed to scare the horses. ;-)
bbstl 🧹
October 12, 2018 at 8:48 AM
"We deserve to die!"
I try to tell them apart by the motifs embroidered on their otherwise-identical robes but even that is often challenging 😴
kiara
October 12, 2018 at 8:54 AM
Thanks for the laugh ladies. Totally envisioning everything and it’s so dang hilarious.
The horses ..... Kill me now lol.
6 TAS-Mania
October 10, 2018 at 2:48 PM
Unfortunately, I don't think Jung Il Woo has had a decent drama since Flower Boy Ramen Shop.
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하데스
October 10, 2018 at 4:06 PM
Did you see or not like Moon Embracing the Sun? High End Crush could have been worse. Cinderella and the Four Knights...was...such a let down.
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sooyi
October 11, 2018 at 2:51 AM
I think he's better off playing more interesting characters, like the Scheduler in "49 Days" and Iljimae.
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TAS-Mania
October 11, 2018 at 5:26 AM
I did like The Return of Iljimae. Probably his best role.
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owl 🦉 🫰
October 12, 2018 at 7:06 PM
Oh, Scheduler, I’d forgotten💕
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7 LookieLooWho
October 10, 2018 at 3:04 PM
I'm all for his comeback but no action dramas unless his health issues have been resolved.
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하데스
October 10, 2018 at 4:07 PM
I remembered something about the health issues he had. I too hope that he's better.
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8 WishfulToki
October 10, 2018 at 3:07 PM
OPPA!!!!! I recall that he had some serious health issues going into mandatory service. I hope he's all better now!
I'd watch him in anything, but I have a weakness for history and mythology when done right. Fingers crossed.
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greenfields
October 10, 2018 at 6:20 PM
You said everything I wanted to say, including OPPA!! One of the very few actors I think of as an opportunity - he's so charismatic ! :) Yay! Glad to have him back soon.
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greenfields
October 10, 2018 at 6:21 PM
An oppa, not opportunity. Guess my keyboard still hasn't learnt that word.
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egads aka Dame Maggie
October 10, 2018 at 6:30 PM
I mean opportunity kind of works if you want it to.
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greenfields
October 10, 2018 at 6:43 PM
😂😂😂 good point. Maybe my keyboard knew what it was doing.
bbstl 🧹
October 11, 2018 at 7:31 AM
I for one thought you go, G!
PakalanaPikake
October 10, 2018 at 11:14 PM
Time to call in the exorcist SWAT team from GUEST for your keyboard? ;-)
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9 PakalanaPikake
October 10, 2018 at 3:55 PM
Thank you for your wonderful news, @stroopwafel! By any chance are you a minion from the Netherlands? This is my first time seeing your byline. Welcome aboard! ;-)
This is wonderful news indeed. I've missed Jung Il-woo like crazy, and am glad he'll be back in Kdramaland soon. I loved him as Scheduler in 49 DAYS, and in MOON RIVER / RETURN OF ILJIMAE. I'm thrilled that he'll be starring in a sageuk.
I like the use of the mythical protective beast. THE KING'S DAUGHTER, SU BAEK HYANG referenced the tapir, a fierce beastie that was reputed to devour nightmares. It was used as the symbol of the king's secret service, and there were stone carvings around the palace, but there was no CGI of it.
Haechi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiezhi
Here's hoping the "lion unicorn" remains in the non-CGI realm. From its description, it reminds me a horned ungulate that was discovered in Vietnam about twenty ago.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-wildlife-mystery-in-vietnam-620149/
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bbstl 🧹
October 11, 2018 at 7:44 AM
So interesting and depressing, especially in light of the UN report on climate change from this week 😢
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PakalanaPikake
October 11, 2018 at 1:55 PM
@bbstl,
I was frankly amazed that an entirely new species was discovered after so much Agent Orange had been dumped all over the jungles of Indochina. It's also fascinating that the saola is so (apparently) tame when it first encounters humans, only to quickly succumb. I'm wondering if its adrenals give out from stress that it does not visibly signal.
In other fascinating environmental news:
https://www.wired.com/story/a-mushroom-extract-might-save-bees-from-a-killer-virus/
Nowhere in the article does it address the myriad agricultural chemicals applied directly to the soil, including fumigants and antifungals (heavily sprayed on melons and soft fruit such as berries, for example) which kill off the native fungi (and molds?) in the soil biome. Bees gather aromatic resins from trees and plants to produce propolis, with which they stuff up the nooks and crannies inside the hive. Maybe propolis also contains compounds from mushrooms as well. Anyway, this report is an exciting bit of good news for a change. ;-)
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bbstl 🧹
October 12, 2018 at 8:45 AM
Thanks for that good news. As a bb, I'm very fond of 🐝.
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stroopwafel
October 11, 2018 at 12:26 PM
Thank you for taking the time to read it @PakalanaPikake! I'm new to the Dramabeans team so this post was my first one. I'm not from the Netherlands, I'm actually American, I just I LOVE stroopwafels. 😋
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PakalanaPikake
October 11, 2018 at 1:34 PM
You're most welcome, @stroopwafel.
Oh-ho! Your namesake is a bit too sweet for me. ;-) I live in New Jersey, part of the former colony of New Netherland, so Dutch words grab my attention. ;-)
Congratulations on your first DramaBeans post. May you write many more. And thanks again for making my (and many another Beanie's) day with your report on Jung Il-woo's return. Hwaiting to you both!! ;-)
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10 하데스
October 10, 2018 at 4:01 PM
I like him. I would watch something he's in.
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11 Diana Hansen
October 10, 2018 at 4:52 PM
So happy to see him back! one of my fave actors!!!
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12 sparks121
October 10, 2018 at 8:18 PM
Love jung il woo, i have conflicting feelings about the writer- I have issues with her writing in general, but i loved yi san(her best work by a mile), dong yi wasn't as great but still an addictive watch, and the rest were mediocre to messy. Hoping this turns out to be more like her earlier fare.
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13 songsong
October 10, 2018 at 8:44 PM
He reminds me of Yoon Shi Yoon.
They are both good actors and nice guys.
Return safely after military service and we will see you in the small screen soon.
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14 korfan
October 10, 2018 at 11:12 PM
It's nice to know he'll be back soon.
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15 sooyi
October 11, 2018 at 2:47 AM
I have bad feelings about this because it gives me flashbacks of "The Records of the Night Watchmen". But then, it would help heaps if Prince Yeoning's character was really fleshed out because he's a complex historical figure.
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16 tesshan
October 11, 2018 at 6:25 AM
wow...time fles indeed. Did he not enlist shortly before/after Lee Min Ho?
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17 Flightey Gazelles
October 11, 2018 at 7:11 AM
We have a new writer? Welcome aboard, Stroopwafel! Love your writing( so far lol).
Erm..that's all I came to say
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18 owl 🦉 🫰
October 12, 2018 at 7:04 PM
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop! 💕
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