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Post by Nizama on Jan 24, 2007 13:04:16 GMT -5
King Bojang seems to be more of a ceremonial figure than an actual ruler...Yeon Gasomun seems to be the de facto ruler of the country, and his subordinates even give him the title "Excellency". Is this accurate, and if so, was it typical of the kings of this time period?
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Post by Knov1 on Jan 24, 2007 18:37:39 GMT -5
Yes, it's accurate but it's not typical of kings during that period in time. There's more to the story of Yeon Gaesomun, the current king and Tang that's not shown in Dae Joyoung. I'll try to give you the short version.
The previous king and the court wanted to establish friendly ties with Tang. Yeon Gaesomun was adamantly against it. The king plotted to kill Yeon Gaesomun but he found out about it. He then killed the king, all officials that were against him, put King Bojang on the throne and made himself prime minister or supreme commander (as he's referred to in the drama). This is why he's so feared by officials and the king does as Yeon Gaesomun "recommends" (it's more like demands but you get the idea).
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Post by Alexa on Jan 26, 2007 19:18:01 GMT -5
this makes alot more sense. I always wondered why the King alway does what Yeon Gaesomun says and seems to fear him. The King doesn't seem to have any kind of power, so what was the point of him being King? Through all the k-dramas that I've watched, none of the Kings really seem to have alot of power, they were always moved by the ministers and in this case Yeon Gaesomun.
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Post by kinoeugene on Jan 29, 2007 0:33:56 GMT -5
Through all the k-dramas that I've watched, none of the Kings really seem to have alot of power, they were always moved by the ministers and in this case Yeon Gaesomun. Right..Alexa..I agree with you. Actually, the three kindoms were made by unions of the tribes. In early Silla, the king was elected by each leader of tribes. In Goguryeo and Baekje, it was not much different. I think that's why it seemed the king was not so powerful. In the case of Goryeo, the period of the AOW, Wang-Gun established the dynasty with the enormous help from some powerful clans. In the case of Joseon, according to the principle of Sung Confucianism, the retainers tried to keep the king not to be so powerful. So, the king of Joseon could not make a decision by himself and had to discuss with retainers and got an agreement and then finally could make a decision. I think this is a kind of peculiar thing compared to chinese emperor and japanese shogun. |
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Post by JP Paulus on Jan 30, 2007 17:32:44 GMT -5
It seems like the most powerful kings are the ones who start the dynasties...but over time, as power is handed over, and a bureaucracy & political structures (official & especially unofficial) it would make it hard for a king to assert power. Unless they has the character of their ancestor, it might be hard for people to inwardly follow you.
One continuing theme in several dramas is "the will of the people" or "popular sentiment"....has that truly been a part of Korean thinking in ancient times, or is that something projected from the modern era of Democracy.
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Post by zorro on Apr 11, 2007 15:38:31 GMT -5
How did King Bojang escape into hiding? Or is he in exhile somewhere? I thought he was captured when he stayed behind. Did he escape off Li Wen's ship with all the other people of Goguryeo?
I was glad to see him in good health, which I can't say for Princess Sukyoung. She looks sickly the last few episodes, which is a lot more believable to me after the ordeals she's endured. I'm hoping they can reunite at some point now that he's still part of the story.
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Post by Truth on Apr 11, 2007 17:14:56 GMT -5
How did King Bojang escape into hiding? Or is he in exhile somewhere? I thought he was captured when he stayed behind. Did he escape off Li Wen's ship with all the other people of Goguryeo? I was glad to see him in good health, which I can't say for Princess Sukyoung. She looks sickly the last few episodes, which is a lot more believable to me after the ordeals she's endured. I'm hoping they can reunite at some point now that he's still part of the story. Yes, King Bojang is in exile in this drama. In real history, he should have been in Xian, the capital city of Tang China. I'm not going to tell you when but they will reunite later on. |
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Post by BAE on Apr 12, 2007 10:01:09 GMT -5
Thanks for that information, Truth, but I second zorro's question posed earlier. How did he get into exile by the way? He was there one moment and then not there the other, kind of got confusing. The king seems to value Sukyeong's opinions and treats her like his own daughter. It's terrible that they should be apart like this. And her pining away for Dae Jo Young when she knows his feelings for Chulin... Oh so sad.
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Post by ajk on Apr 12, 2007 15:57:28 GMT -5
After the episode in which Pyongyang finally fell, at the beginning of the next episode there was a brief scene (too brief, it seemed to me) in which a lot of captured Goguryeans were shown with their hands tied and walking onto Tang ships to be taken into exile. Bojang was shown and so was Yeon Namgeon. I seem to remember spotting a couple of other characters too, but I don't remember who they were. If you blinked you might have missed it, but that's how he ended up in exile. Like I said, it wasn't fleshed out well at all.
Yeah, Sukyoung isn’t herself lately. (Although for a prissy royal she’s been a real trouper, and gave great advice to DJS Monday (#43).) Too bad because Chulin was gonna teach her to sword-fight. Yowza!
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Post by BAE on Apr 12, 2007 16:40:20 GMT -5
Thanks ajk. I was wondering why I missed him being shipped off or anything of the kind. It was probably the length of time in which they showed that!
Lol. You're a Chulin fan, I see? I like her crime-fighting take on things-- she's definitely one tough chick. I kind of am rooting for Sukyeong right now, but who knows? Sukyeong is doing just fine as the "go to" girl.
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Post by ginnycat5 on Apr 12, 2007 17:02:24 GMT -5
After the episode in which Pyongyang finally fell, at the beginning of the next episode there was a brief scene (too brief, it seemed to me) in which a lot of captured Goguryeans were shown with their hands tied and walking onto Tang ships to be taken into exile. Bojang was shown and so was Yeon Namgeon. I seem to remember spotting a couple of other characters too, but I don't remember who they were. If you blinked you might have missed it, but that's how he ended up in exile. Like I said, it wasn't fleshed out well at all. Yeah, Sukyoung isn’t herself lately. (Although for a prissy royal she’s been a real trouper, and gave great advice to DJS Monday (#43).) Too bad because Chulin was gonna teach her to sword-fight. Yowza! Does that mean that the king's identity is known? I'd imagine that his people would not be able to treat him casually, so the Tang would know. Who is the Hyunsik (from Who's My Love?) character that he talked to on the gazebo? What's that about Sukyoung's advice? |
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Post by zorro on Apr 12, 2007 17:13:34 GMT -5
Yeah, Sukyoung isn’t herself lately. (Although for a prissy royal she’s been a real trouper, and gave great advice to DJS Monday (#43).) Too bad because Chulin was gonna teach her to sword-fight. Yowza! I wanted to see that too, but I don't think Sukyoung could even lift up the sword, so I figured it wasn't going to happen. And since you mentioned it, I do remember the King and NG being herded somewhere, I just thought it was with everyone else. |
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Post by BAE on Apr 13, 2007 0:09:02 GMT -5
Hyunsik was in the earlier episodes when DJY went to some port area I think it was and wanted some documents that he stole from Hyunsik's master.
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Post by ginnycat5 on Apr 13, 2007 17:53:59 GMT -5
Thanks, Bae, I vaguely recall that. Is Hyunsik a Goguryean? Guess I have to wait to find out if H knows who the king really is.
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Post by ajk on Apr 14, 2007 17:21:29 GMT -5
The Hyunsik character is an exile from the former Baekje. Some time earlier in the series (around episode 15-20), there was a point when DJS and DJY had to evacuate the Liaodong/Tang border frontier under siege. They slipped away by crossing the Great Wall into Tang territory and ended up in a Tang port, where they met Hyunsik and his father. They were Baekje exiles who were helping run operations at the port. There were a lot of other Baekje exiles there, including some of the soldiers. There were two episodes sandwiched around a cliffhanger about DJY trying to convince the father and son to give them a ship and help them escape back to Goguryeo. The document that DJY wanted in that episode was a map showing the locations of secret Tang military supply depots in Goguryeo territory.
Hyunsik ended up coming through for them in the end, giving them a ship, soldiers to sail it, and a copy of the map. And as DJY left there were some words about We'll meet again someday. So it's no surprise to see him, although this is sooner than I expected. The whole thing about him and the king just appearing again together in some lakeside retreat was just weird. But there they are.
So as best as I can recall, that's who he is. He did not know who Bojang was (and would have no reason to know, being from Baekje). Bojang told him in that scene that he was a tax bureaucrat or some such thing.
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