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Sailing in search of justice in MBC’s Joseon Lawyer

MBC has been steadily dishing out promos for their upcoming sageuk Joseon Lawyer, and this week brought a moody first poster as well as more character stills.

Adding to the never-ending list of lawyers and revenge seekers in K-dramaland, this story’s protagonist is Kang Han-soo – played by Woo Do-hwan (The King: Eternal Monarch) – and he’s after the enemy who killed his parents. But Han-soo’s journey is about growth and finding justice for his family by using the law itself. When he starts to use his legal know-how to help others in need, he aspires to be a true hero for the people and the poster’s tagline reveals his new goal: “My revenge will become justice for the world.”

Also joining Han-soo’s cause is Princess Lee Yeon-joo, played by Bona (Twenty Five Twenty One). She who has a sincere heart for the welfare of Joseon’s people. Determined to personally get involved in helping the nation, she even dons a secret identity to travel outside of the palace walls.

In the new stills, we get our first look at Cha Hak-yeon (Tomorrow) taking on the role of Yoo Ji-sun, a high-ranking official who would be similar to a mayor in today’s world. Although it’s not yet clear where his personal views stand, we’re told that he comes from a prestigious family and somehow gets mixed up in Han-soo and Yeon-joo’s partnership.

Speaking of his family, the new stills also feature Ji-sun’s father, who is played by Chun Ho-jin (My Liberation Notes). Powerful and highly influential within the political circles and the royal palace of Joseon, Yoo Je-sae wields the title of Prime Minister. (Character stills for Kang Han-soo were previously released, as were stills for our princess.)

Written by Choi Jin-young (Seven Day Queen) with PD Kim Seung-ho (Twenty Five Twenty One) at the helm, MBC’s Joseon Lawyer will be launching next month on March 31, following Kokdu: Season of Deity in the weekend slot.

Via MBC (1), (2), (3)
 
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I have such a soft spot for Oo Dohwan with a Busan accent. Love it so much. Not likely here but I’m going to do mind tricks on myself imagining his character in beautiful silk hanboks speaking like the adorable Eunseob in TKIM.

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TKEM!

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Why a boat? What is the connection with the law and the justice? It would be fun if he has his office on a boat, but I don't think it's the case...

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Either a plot point or some wordplay we most likely won't be able to get.

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"His office on a boat"! I like that idea! Like the Matthew McConaughey movie Lincoln Lawyer, about the lawyer who offices out of his Lincoln Town Car. So, should the title instead be, "Joseon Sailor Lawyer"? We've had Doctor Lawyer, so it might work.

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Well, I for one am not gonna miss Kkokdu much (as long as KJH promises me to keep getting gigs), so fully ready for this one in all its questionable aspects (ML's old school revenge? princess in disguise? Joseon lawyering? possible love triangle?!) and Hakyeon in pretty hanboks. Mostly the latter ofc but a girl's gotta follow her fangirl heart ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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Excited!!

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The synopsis doesn't sound that interesting or exciting to me, but it's WDH combined with that creative team behind the camera so I'm sold.

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The premise sounds interesting, and I like the promo poster. I'm excited to see Bona again because I loved her in 25-21. Although I have to say, I'm curious why there are so many lawyer dramas. Maybe the lives of lawyers in South Korea are more exciting than those of us lawyers here in the States.

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Hope no refrains of Jeeeeooonhaa even though one of the characters is a princess.

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Awww, Unbreakable Sword is back; how can I skip this?
Do-hwan + Chun Ho-jin, I will float or sink with this ship.

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I'll check it out too. I still haven't quite recovered from the ending of MY COUNTRY so this might help. *cries*

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Yay!! I need someone to talk to. It makes watching sageuks fun.
Fingers and toes crossed for a happier sageuk.

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Woo Do-hwan in pretty hanboks? Say no more.

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🙌 yesss 🙌

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OK, but why do these Joseon ships have such small sails? Do they plan on travelling at a quarter of a knot? What happens when you have a strong current? This Old Sailor would really like answers to these questions- it bugs me every single time I see one of these these vessels in a Kdrama.

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You're a lawyer and a sailor? Maybe YOU should be starring in this drama. You could definitely teach the youngsters a thing or two.

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Sadly, I do not think that I would pass the camera test. Plus, I am only just starting to learn Korean.

But thank you for the thought.

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Good question. The most common types we see in dramas are fishing boats and merchant vessels. These are designed to travel along the coast and to the islands, not really for long distances at high sea. They needed to be stable and strong because currents could be treacherous near the coast.

You might enjoy the film ADMIRAL: ROARING CURRENTS. You will see there how Joseon warships were completely different to the galleons and frigates used by Europeans at the time, which were built for speed.

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Could it be a Gageodo? It has a dual purpose for fishing and transport. They still make it today with 2 sails.

I don't trust that painting to be accurate.

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I don't know enough to be able to say what ship it is, but you've sent me down that rabbit hole now. 😄

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I don't know enough, either. We might be more familiar with Joseon's well-documented battleships (thank you, Admiral Yi) than what the ordinary people were using.

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One of my birthday presents this year was a DVD copy of ADMIRAL: ROARING CURRENTS. It was hugely entertaining but not a historically accurate account of the Battle of the Miryeong Strait, although as far as the ships it was probably relatively accurate. The primary motive power of those ships was oars- sails were important but really secondary. In a sense the ships used by the Japanese and the Koreans were much more like the galleys of the Turks and the Christians which fought at Lepanto about thirty years before the Battle of the Miryeoung Strait (which remains the most incredible and remarkable naval victory of all time).

The Europeans at this time had a far superior sailing technology, the legacy of the Vikings to Europe. Rather than sails attached to spars which are then hoisted up from the deck to deploy the sails (as was shown in THE ADMIRAL) the Vikings set the spars up high and on pivots so that the spars could be swung back and forth. The sails were then unfurled from above by sailors who had to climb up the rigging and stand on ropes strung beneath the spars. Doing this daunting task required both a lot of skill and a lot of guts but had the effect of both doubling the amount of power from the sails and, even more importantly, the ability to swing the sails to catch the wind about 300 degrees- allowing the ship to sail in any direction, even sailing in the direction that the wind was coming from by tacking.

On the other hand, the cannon used by Admiral Yi were essentially identical to the British and European ones. It was in the use of those guns that Admiral Yi's genius really showed. The fight of the British against the Spanish Armada happened only 4 years before the Imjin War began. What a lot of people do not know is that the British and the Spanish fired a lot of metal at each other but to only limited effect. The only really effective tactic used by the British was sending fireships into the Spanish fleet when it anchored at Gravesend- something straight out of the Middle Ages. The reason: both sides stood off and fired from a distance- so that the kinetic energy of the cannon ball was largely spent by the time it hit the other ship, even assuming that you hit it.

It was Admiral Yi who taught the world how to use solid shot in naval warfare: Get close to the enemy, almost close enough to board. By firing up close the shot hits with all of the kinetic energy originally imparted by the gun. The effect is massively destructive. That was how naval fights happened for the next 230 years- all the way the Napoleonic Wars. If you have seen the movie MASTER AND COMMANDER, THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD the fight between the British and French Frigates is conducted in that very way.

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Thank you, I love reading about this topic. Now I want to go and rewatch MASTER AND COMMANDER and the whole HORNBLOWER series! Those frigates are a thing of beauty. I almost cried when I finally visited HMS Victory in Portsmouth several years ago.

I wish we had more kdramas that take to the sea. It's an important character in Korean history after all. I sat through the whole of HOSPITAL SHIP (2017) just because they toured the islands. Early in my kdrama watching career I was duped into watching EMPEROR OF THE SEA (2004) because I hoped it would have a lot of sailing. Alas, it floundered and sank in a sea of boredom. I enjoyed TAMRA, THE ISLAND (2009) - though super corny, it showed something of the life of abalone divers. Not much sailing though. Sigh.

And I don't have much hope this upcoming drama will show sailing. It's probably just for the poster LOL.

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It has been almost two decades since "IMMORTAL ADMIRAL YI SUN SHIN." It's a bit dated and has 104 episodes plus two BTS episodes, but it was one of my early favorites.
I'd never heard of Admiral Yi before that, but after a few episodes, I paused to read and asked for historical info from my Korean friends since Wikipedia didn't have much back then.
It was long but moving, and Kim Myung Min was fantastic.
The subs took forever, and I missed a few episodes. I am happy I found it again on Amazon Prime.

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If I ever visit England a visit to see the VICTORY is definitely on my list.

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@oldawyer you should visit Stockholm and their Vasa. It's really impressive to see it (her? I'm not sure about the pronoun for boats in English) in person, it's so big!

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