Queen Seondeok (TV series)

For other uses, see Seondeok of Silla.
Queen Seondeok

Promotional poster for Queen Seondeok
Also known as The Great Queen Seondeok
Genre
Written by
  • Kim Young-hyun
  • Park Sang-yeon
Directed by
  • Kim Geun-hong
  • Park Hong-gyun
Starring
Country of origin South Korea
Original language(s) Korean
No. of episodes 62
Production
Executive producer(s) Lee Chang-soo
Camera setup Multi-camera
Release
Original network Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation
Original release 25 May (2009-05-25) – 22 December 2009 (2009-12-22)
External links
Website
Korean name
Hangul 선덕여왕
Hanja 善德女王
Revised Romanization Seondeok Yeowang
McCune–Reischauer Sŏndŏk Yŏwang

Queen Seondeok (Hangul: 선덕여왕; RR: Seondeok Yeowang) is a 2009 South Korean historical drama as part of MBC television network 48th-founding anniversary special drama, starring Lee Yo-won, Go Hyun-jung, Uhm Tae-woong, Park Ye-jin, Kim Nam-gil and Yoo Seung-ho. It chronicles the life of Queen Seondeok of Silla.[1] It aired on MBC from 25 May to 22 December 2009 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 62 episodes.[2]

The viewership ratings for the show topped TV charts almost every week during its run, peaking at 44.7 percent.[3] It swept the 2009 MBC Drama Awards; actress Go Hyun-jung's performance and subsequent grand prize win received near-universal acclaim.[4]

Plot

Princess Deokman was born as Princess Cheonmyeong's twin and a member of the Silla royal family, but a prophecy leads to her abandonment as a baby. After an unconventional childhood in the Taklamakan Desert, Deokman eventually returns to Silla, and, disguised as a boy, trains as a Nangdo. There, she joins forces with her twin sister and the naive commander Kim Yushin to oppose the villainous Lady Mishil, a royal concubine and high-ranking official who will stop at nothing to rule Silla herself. Mishil eventually deduces her identity and devises sinister plans to have the two Silla princesses exiled from the kingdom, eventually accidentally assassinating Cheonmyeong. But Deokman and Yushin enlist the help of the dashing yet troubled rogue Bidam to restore her position and sway Kim Alcheon and the rest of the Hwarangs to her side. Eventually, Deokman's faction triumphs over Mishil after her second coup d'état, and Deokman becomes the first female ruler of Silla as Queen Seondeok. But the story is far from over as Bidam and Yushin face off to win the heart of a queen and the destiny of the Three Kingdoms.

Cast

Main characters

Supporting characters

Ratings

Episode Original Broadcast date TNMS ratings[17] AGB ratings[18]
Nationwide Seoul (Metropolitan area) Nationwide Seoul (Metropolitan area)
1 25 May 2009 16.0% 17.1% 15.3% 16.8%
2 26 May 2009 16.6% 17.8% 15.5% 17.2%
3 1 June 2009 21.3% 23.3% 18.2% 20.3%
4 2 June 2009 22.3% 23.8% 20.3% 21.7%
5 8 June 2009 21.6% 23.7% 20.6% 23.8%
6 9 June 2009 25.2% 27.1% 23.3% 25.2%
7 15 June 2009 27.9% 30.0% 25.8% 27.3%
8 16 June 2009 29.7% 32.0% 26.9% 29.1%
9 22 June 2009 28.1% 30.0% 25.8% 27.6%
10 23 June 2009 27.9% 29.4% 25.5% 26.8%
11 29 June 2009 29.4% 30.8% 27.8% 29.4%
12 30 June 2009 29.2% 30.5% 29.1% 30.7%
13 6 July 2009 29.9% 31.6% 29.0% 30.9%
14 7 July 2009 31.0% 31.9% 30.0% 31.8%
15 13 July 2009 31.6% 32.8% 30.9% 33.5%
16 14 July 2009 31.7% 33.5% 31.0% 34.0%
17 20 July 2009 30.7% 32.0% 30.4% 32.8%
18 21 July 2009 32.8% 34.4% 30.5% 32.6%
19 27 July 2009 32.7% 34.1% 32.0% 34.0%
20 28 July 2009 34.9% 36.0% 34.6% 36.3%
21 3 August 2009 31.9% 33.2% 29.7% 31.2%
22 4 August 2009 35.4% 36.4% 33.2% 35.5%
23 10 August 2009 37.5% 39.6% 35.6% 38.0%
24 11 August 2009 39.5% 41.7% 38.0% 40.5%
25 17 August 2009 39.0% 40.4% 37.6% 39.1%
26 18 August 2009 42.0% 44.3% 39.7% 41.7%
27 24 August 2009 40.3% 41.7% 38.4% 41.1%
28 25 August 2009 42.0% 43.6% 41.0% 43.1%
29 31 August 2009 42.2% 44.7% 40.0% 41.5%
30 1 September 2009 42.1% 44.4% 41.7% 44.0%
31 7 September 2009 43.5% 45.4% 39.7% 42.3%
32 8 September 2009 40.6% 42.9% 38.4% 39.8%
33 14 September 2009 40.6% 42.1% 39.9% 41.7%
34 15 September 2009 42.3% 43.9% 40.0% 43.2%
35 21 September 2009 41.6% 44.6% 40.8% 44.4%
36 22 September 2009 39.6% 41.1% 38.9% 42.3%
37 28 September 2009 39.1% 40.3% 36.9% 39.9%
38 29 September 2009 39.5% 40.4% 38.2% 40.6%
39 5 October 2009 39.3% 40.6% 39.2% 41.3%
40 6 October 2009 39.6% 40.6% 39.7% 43.4%
41 12 October 2009 38.1% 39.9% 38.1% 40.3%
42 13 October 2009 38.0% 38.8% 37.9% 40.2%
43 19 October 2009 38.3% 38.8% 37.2% 39.3%
44 20 October 2009 37.6% 38.7% 37.8% 40.4%
45 26 October 2009 39.3% 41.5% 38.3% 40.9%
46 27 October 2009 40.8% 43.0% 39.4% 42.3%
47 2 November 2009 41.7% 43.7% 39.6% 42.1%
48 3 November 2009 42.4% 44.1% 40.2% 42.6%
49 9 November 2009 44.9% 46.7% 43.6% 45.8%
50 10 November 2009 44.4% 46.1% 43.3% 45.7%
51 16 November 2009 42.3% 44.4% 39.0% 42.2%
52 17 November 2009 37.7% 39.1% 38.1% 41.1%
53 23 November 2009 35.0% 36.1% 34.8% 37.4%
54 24 November 2009 36.5% 38.3% 34.1% 36.8%
55 30 November 2009 35.3% 36.0% 35.3% 37.8%
56 1 December 2009 36.9% 38.0% 34.5% 37.4%
57 7 December 2009 38.0% 39.1% 34.0% 36.2%
58 8 December 2009 36.2% 37.9% 34.4% 35.7%
59 14 December 2009 35.8% 36.4% 32.3% 33.9%
60 15 December 2009 35.8% 37.4% 32.8% 34.5%
61 21 December 2009 35.1% 37.1% 32.3% 34.5%
62 22 December 2009 37.7% 39.7% 35.7% 38.5%
Special 28 December 2009 12.5% 12.3% 13.4% 14.7%
Average 35.1% 36.6% 33.6% 35.8%

Filming location

It was filmed on location at MBC Dramia in Cheoin-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. Other historical dramas such as Dong Yi, Moon Embracing the Sun and Jumong were also filmed there.[19]

Artistic license

The series adopted significant artistic license regarding the portrayal of historical events, so as to accommodate the dramatic storyline. Notably, the reign of King Jinpyeong was compressed by over two decades such that in the series, Queen Seondeok was born within a year of his coronation (her actual date of birth is unknown). Accordingly, the preceding King Jinheung's reign was extended by a similar period, with him being depicted as an elderly man at his death. This allowed for Mishil and other prominent figures during Jinheung's reign to be involved in events concerning the Queen during her time as Royal Princess, even though there is no evidence to suggest what sort of interaction the two had, if any.[20][21] The same conceit was used to imagine her as being of a similar age to Kim Yushin and Bidam, though again, it is not clear historically if this was the case. Another major change was in the date of her death: Bidam's execution and Kim Alcheon's appointment to his post were ordered by Jindeok of Silla, ten days after Queen Seondeok's death. Queen Jindeok is not mentioned in the series. More subtly, the real Seondeok likely never left Silla (stories concerning her childhood in the palace survive) and did not know Latin.

Plagiarism controversy

On 31 December 2009, Kim Ji-young, an obscure playwright and representative of Great Works Ltd., a culture content company, filed a plagiarism lawsuit against MBC and screenwriters Kim Young-hyun and Park Sang-yeon, saying they ripped off her script for Seondeok, Queen of Mugunghwa, an unperformed musical she said she wrote in 2005. Kim argued that the development of the story and conflict between characters were similar to her play, including discord between two major female characters, Seondeok and Mishil; a romance between Deokman and General Kim Yushin; and the story of the young Deokman wandering through a desert. The MBC drama contains all of these plot twists, which are not based on history but which Kim says she invented. Kim said she shared some of her scripts with the Korea Creative Content Agency to attract investment in the musical, and believed that's how the content was leaked.[22] Kim asked for ₩200 million in compensation and an injunction banning the broadcast of the soap opera. The injunction was turned down and Queen Seondeok ran from May to December 2009, but the copyright infringement case continued.

The MBC network and the series' writers maintained they did not know of the existence of Kim's play.[23] MBC had copyrighted its script in May 2008. After Kim requested for an assessment by experts, the Seoul Southern District Court asked Seoul National University's Center for Law & Technology to investigate. In a process called a "script autopsy," the center first identifies similar content in the two scripts. At that point, university historians confirm historical facts regarding the characters and plot, and differentiates them from literary creations. Afterward, the center makes an appraisal based on copyright laws, then the court makes the final adjudication.[24] In February 2011, the SNU Center for Law & Technology confirmed the plagiarism.[25]

In December 2012, the High Court ruled in favor of plaintiff Kim Ji-young that Queen Seondeok was a work of plagiarism, and fined MBC ₩200 million (US$186,000). In its ruling, the court stated that though the characters and the details were in fact different, "the overall plot was the same" and it is "most probable that the network relied on the script and plot of the musical to produce their drama."[26] Furthermore, any additional reruns on cable TV and internet, and the making of DVD and related books were banned.[27]

Awards

2009 MBC Drama Awards[4]
2010 Korea Producers & Directors' (PD) Awards
2010 46th Baeksang Arts Awards[28]
2010 37th Korea Broadcasting Awards
2010 5th Seoul International Drama Awards[29]

International broadcast

References

  1. ↑ Han, Sang-hee (9 May 2009). "New Epic Drama to Bring Rivalry, Love to TV". The Korea Times. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  2. ↑ Yoon, Ina (30 December 2009). "REVIEW: Queen Seon-deok - Final episode". 10Asia. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  3. ↑ Kim, Lynn (23 December 2009). "TV series Seon-deok makes proud exit". 10Asia. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  4. 1 2 Park, So-yeon (31 December 2009). "Ko Hyun-joung wins grand prize at MBC Acting Awards". 10Asia. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  5. ↑ Lee, Ga-on (8 June 2011). "INTERVIEW: Actress Lee Yo-won - Part 1". 10Asia. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  6. ↑ Lee, Ga-on (8 June 2011). "INTERVIEW: Actress Lee Yo-won - Part 2". 10Asia. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  7. ↑ Han, Sang-hee (3 August 2009). "Supporting Roles Stealing Spotlight". The Korea Times. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  8. ↑ "Ko Hyun-jung Talks About Changes On Screen and Off". The Chosun Ilbo. 6 June 2009. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  9. ↑ Choi, Ji-eun (4 November 2009). "Mi-shil does not raise her voice: A look into Ko Hyun-jung's character from TV series Queen Seon-deok". 10Asia. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  10. ↑ Choi, Ji-eun (4 November 2009). "Kim Yu-shin has zero versatility: A look into Uhm Tae-woong's character in TV series Queen Seon-deok". 10Asia. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  11. ↑ Choi, Ji-eun (11 January 2010). "INTERVIEW: Actor Uhm Tae-woong (Part 1)". 10Asia. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  12. ↑ Choi, Ji-eun (11 January 2010). "INTERVIEW: Actor Uhm Tae-woong (Part 2)". 10Asia. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  13. ↑ Choi Ji-eun, Wee Geun-woo (4 November 2009). "INTERVIEW: Kim Nam-gil from Seon-deok (Part 1)". 10Asia. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  14. ↑ Choi Ji-eun, Wee Geun-woo (4 November 2009). "INTERVIEW: Kim Nam-gil from Seon-deok (Part 2)". 10Asia. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  15. ↑ Choi Ji-eun, Wee Geun-woo (4 November 2009). "INTERVIEW: Kim Nam-gil from Seon-deok (Part 3)". 10Asia. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  16. ↑ Choi, Ji-eun (4 November 2009). "Mi-saeng loves his sister: A look into Jung Woong-in's character in TV series Queen Seon-deok". 10Asia. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  17. ↑ TNmS Multimedia Homepage(Korean)
  18. ↑ AGB Nilson Media Research Homepage(Korean)
  19. ↑ Lee, Cin Woo (16 March 2012). "Beyond Seoul: 19 reasons to explore Korea". CNN Go. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  20. ↑ Sohn, Byung-woo (June 2011). "The Historical Drama Queen Seondeok: Imaginary Memory of an Ancient Heroine". The Review of Korean Studies Volume 14 Number 2. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  21. ↑ Szczepanski, Kallie. "Queen Seondeok of Korea's Silla Kingdom". About.com - Asian History. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  22. ↑ Kim, Jeen-kyung (19 January 2010). "MBC refutes Seondeok plagiarism allegations". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  23. ↑ "Writer Kim Yeong-hyeon of Queen Seon-deok, "I am not a thief"". Hancinema. 26 December 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  24. ↑ Shim, Seo-hyun (8 November 2010). "Profs playing plagiarism detectives". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  25. ↑ "SNU confirms plagiarism for Queen Seondeok drama". Korea JoongAng Daily. 17 February 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  26. ↑ Sunwoo, Carla (27 December 2012). "2009 MBC drama work of plagiarism". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  27. ↑ "Drama Queen Seon Duk Is Found Guilty of Plagiarism Three Years After Its Broadcast". Soompi. 25 December 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  28. ↑ Kim, Lynn (29 March 2010). "Ko Hyun-jung, Haeundae win grand prize at PaekSang Arts Awards". 10Asia. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  29. ↑ "The Slave Hunters Wins Seoul International Drama Award". KBS Global. 24 August 2010. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  30. ↑ http://www.rupavahini.lk/dubbed-programmes/family-series.html
  31. ↑ "เรื่องย่อ ซอนต็อก มหาราชินีสามแผ่นดิน Queen Seon Deok". Kapook.com. 16 August 2015. Thai: ภาษาไทย
  32. ↑ "The Great Queen Seondeok ซอนต๊อก มหาราชินีสามแผ่นดิน". dara.truelife.com. 18 October 2015. Retrieved 25 December 2015. Thai: ภาษาไทย

External links

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