Won Kyun

[letterman]

I am watching in NJ out of Phila and I am onlly on episode 13..........It was interesting to read that Won Kyun and YSS were not really childhood friends......I guess we must allow the writers some historical liscense to make things more interesting......However I was disappointed to know they weren't friends....I really don't know why so I'll leave it at that.

I was also suprised to read that he went on to become an Admiral himself....I didn't know he was going to have a military career as well.......

Is it true that the two men remained bitter competitors their entire careers.......and how did Admiral Kyun die.

As I think about this perhaps I'm a bit disappointed that I will really have no way of knowing what in the show is actually real and what is just thrown in.......As I'm sure many of you, if not all of you, enjoy accurate history above the drama and spectacle of it...........so do I.

Is it reasonable to assume that much of the history of YSS's time has been lost............And also is it right to assume that much of the history of that period remains it is interpreted differently by Korean historians...I realize Japanese historians have their own take on this period and understanably so.

I welcome your comments on this subject....I am amazed at times the knowledge many of you have in areas of war, weaponry, ships and people as well

thanx John

[JPh]

Won Kyun and Yi were not lifetime rivals, as portrayed in the show.

Won Kyun died while fleeing on foot, after he abandoned his ships. Unlike in the show, he was a coward. He was beheaded by the Japanese after being captured. The show has been heavily criticized in Korea for distorting Won Kyun's biography.

[letterman]

why would they change an obvious fact around like that...wouldn't it serve everyone better by sticking to the truth..they must know accuracy is important to us out here watching

[skinz]

letterman said:

why would they change an obvious fact around like that...wouldn't it serve everyone better by sticking to the truth..they must know accuracy is important to us out here watching

The reason they changed Won Kyun character from his real life counterpart was because they wanted to show another side of him rather than the usual drunk coward that most koreans think of him. Also, you have to remember that most of the earlier episodes like from 5-mid 20s in the drama series are fictional. There are not a lot of details on Yi Soon Shin childhood except the general knowledge that he moved when he was little and learned martial arts and etc.

Also, most of the events are also fictionous. There are people that shouldn't be at a particular event in history but are seen in hte drama.

Florel created a thread about History Vs Fiction here:

History Vs Fiction

and I created some Bio for the japanese characters that were shown here:

Japanese characters

there are some people that you will not see yet so there are some spoilers.

[Trespasser]

Is it true that the two men remained bitter competitors their entire careers

Well, the competition does not begin just one year prior to the war.

and how did Admiral Kyun die.

He was too fat to run from Japanese after his defeat and was hacked to death.(That's not how he died in the show)

As I think about this perhaps I'm a bit disappointed that I will really have no way of knowing what in the show is actually real and what is just thrown in.......

What is real :
- YSS's battle record.
- Lousy King(He really was an asshole)

What is not real :
- Practically everything else you see. YSS is the most distorted historical show in recent years.

Is it reasonable to assume that much of the history of YSS's time has been lost....

Not lost, but ignored.

[pakyownage4eva]

They changed Won Gyun quite a bit so the drama would be more interesting--it adds more conflict and tension. What fun would a wussy Won Gyun be? I know it's a major distortion of him, but as long as people know his true character, I don't think it was too bad an idea.

[Choko]

What is true in the earlier episodes of this drama?

- According to a journal written by Heo Kyun (a famous novelist and bureaucrat of that time), Yi Sun-shin, Yu Sung-ryong and Won Kyun lived in the same village in Seoul when they were a little kid. The village, Geonchen-dong, was a fashionable neighborhood at that time. However, it is not sure whether YSS and Won Kyun were childhood friends or not while it is certain that YSS and Yu Sung-ryong were friends.

- YSS's grandfather was executed due to the false accusation of high treason. It was concerned with the death of Jo Gwang-jo, a famous social reformist of that period. The Great Jang-geum fans may remember Jo Gwang-jo because Lady Han and Jang-geum were also involved in his execution and sent to Jeju island. (Do you remember the sulfur duck case? In the drama, it was intended to falsely accuse Jo Gwang-jo.)

- YSS's archery master Bang Jin was a real crack shot according to historical documents. The burglar case depicted in the drama is based on a true story of Bang Jin and his daughter, although it is not sure whether YSS was there together or not. Historically, YSS seemed to learn archery from Bang Jin after he married Bang Jin's daughter

- Actually, there are no sufficient records to show what young YSS had done. That's why the drama created his adventures in 16th century Chosun kingdom. The earlier episodes provide you with a chance to understand the social, political, economical, ideological situation of Chosun kingdom through young YSS's perspective. (Remember, he was not only a member of aristocrats but also an outsider)

- Especially, pay attention to the poor Chosunese(Korean) potters. The 7-year war between Korea and Japan is also called "Porcelain war" by historians. The reason will be described later in the series.

- What trespasser said about Won Kyun's death is described in Minister Yu Sung-ryong's book The Book of Corrections, but Yu also wrote in the same book that nobody saw Won Kyun's death. ;D You also need to remember that Won Kyun was a relative of Minister Yun Du-su who was Yu Sung-ryong's political rival.

- I think Won Kyun is a symbol of negative aspects of human beings in the drama: rashness, arrogance, self-righteousness etc. (Sometimes I think Korean ultranationalists who hate Won Kun so much look like Won Kyun of the drama. LOL)

- Heroic blood ran in little Won Kyun's veins but his arrogance and selfishness gradually detroyed himself. (Won Kyun in this drama reminds me of Macbeth or Oedipus) On the contrary, the shy little YSS has gradually become a national hero through the process of trial and error. "One is not born a hero, one becomes one." ;D That's what this drama wants to tell us.

[florel]

More exactly, Yu Sung-Ryong (1542-1607) was a friend of Yi Yo-Shin (1542-1580), not a friend of Yi Soon-Shin (1545-1598).

Yi Yo-Shin is an elder brother of YSS. He died at the age of 38, so YSS fostered his children. You saw him in the drama in YSS's youth episodes.

Won Kyun was born in 1540. So he was even older than Yu Sung-Ryong.



About YSS and Won Kyun relation in real history, it seems that YSS didn't hate Commander Won from the debut. Their relation was aggravated during the war. We can glimpse YSS's sentiments toward Won Kyun if we pay attention to the Admiral's references to him in his Diary. We can find the fact that he became less and less respectful to Admiral Won.

YSS often called him without title when he felt bad about Admiral Won. In Chosun period, even in modern Korea among aged men, to call someone's name without title is considered as an impolite act.


This list was made from the Korean translation of the Admiral's diary. Daemado courteously added English translation on it between parenthesis. (Thanks to Daemado !) We share this with you. ;D




* How did YSS call Won Kyun in his Diary ?


1592

15 April : Right Commander of Youngnam ("Kyongsang Right Naval Commander")

(* As you know, Youngnam is a synonym of Kyungsang province. Not our dear Lt. Yi Young-Nam, of course. )


27 August : Navy Commander of Youngnam ("Admiral Won Kyun")



1593

7 February : Won Kyun, Right Commander of Kyungsang ("Admiral Won Kyun")

15 February : Won Kyun ("Won P'Yong-jung")

(cf. "P'yong-jung" is Won Kyun's secondary name - ja. Oh, did YSS call him with this friendly name? I never see it in my Korean translation version. I cannot make access to the original version written with hanja, so I cannot verify which one is exact.)


17 February : Right Commander of Youngnam ("Admiral Won Kyun")

22 February : Right Commander of Kyungsang ("Admiral Won Kyun")

23 February : Won Kyun ("Admiral Won Kyun")

28 February : Won Kyun, Commander of Kyungsang ("Kyongsang Commander Admiral Won Kyun")

8 May : Commander ("Navy Commander")

9 May : Commander Won Kyun ("Admiral Won Kyun")

16 June: Right Commander of Kyungsang Navy ("Kyongsang Right Navy Commander Admiral Won Kyun")

6 September : Won Kyun ("Won Kyun ... jabbered all the time with pointless words")



1594

19 January : Won Kyun, Right Commander of Youngnam ("Admiral Won Kyun")

21 February : Won Kyun ("Admiral Won Kyun")

4 March : Won Kyun, Right Commander of Kyungsang ("Admiral Won Kyun")

13 March : Commander Won Kyun ("Admiral Won Kyun")

12 April : Won Kyun, Commander of Kyungsang ("the Kyongsang Commander Won Kyun")

4 June : Won Kyun ("Admiral Won Kyun")

16 July : Won Kyun, Commander of Kyungsang ("the Kyongsang Navy Commander, Won")



1595

10 January : Won Kyun, Commander of Kyungsang ("the Kyongsang Navy Commander")

20 February : Won Kyun ("Admiral Won Kyun")

27 February : Won Kyun ("Won Kyun")



1596

12 March : ¿øÈä Won Hyung ("the mastermind")

22 August (Leap month) : Won Kyun ("Won Kyun, the Army Commander")



1597

27 April : Won Kyun ("Won")

2 May: Won Kyun ("Won")

5 May: Won Kyun ("Admiral Won")

6 May : Èä¹°, Hyung Mul ("the rascal")

7 May : À½ÈäÇÑ ÀÚ, Eum hyung han ja ("the wicked man")

8 May : Won Kyun ("Won, the wicked fellow" and "the wicked Won")

12 May: ¿ø¿µ°¨ Won Young-gam - signifying Lord Won* ("Admiral Won")

(* I guess YSS used this honorific appellation with pejorative connotation.)


20 May: Èä¹°, Hyung Mul ("the wicked man")

28 May : Won ("Won")

17 June : Won Kyun ("Won Kyun")

22 July : Won Kyun ("Won Kyun") - last mention

[TheBo]

"Won"? Oh, my. That was bad feeling, indeed.

Bo

[IAPD3000]

Question:

In what date in 1597 that Won Kyun die? Plus in what episode they gonna show his death?

[donilpark]

Èä¹° and À½ÈäÇÑ ÀÚ?
That's pretty bad.

[skinz]

iapd3000 said:

Question:

In what date in 1597 that Won Kyun die? Plus in what episode they gonna show his death?

His death is coming pretty soon so keep watching. Pretty tragic IMO.