'Six Flying Dragons" begins on October 5 with a special 70-minute episode. The special program will explore the historical background of the real-life characters and offer viewers a look at how the drama was made. That's unusual. Usually programs on the making of a drama air after the drama ends and it has earned successful ratings.
In the special program, popular history lecturer Seol Min Suk will offer some insight into the story behind the 50-episode SBS drama.
The drama stars Chun Ho Jin, Jeong Do Jeon, Kim Myung Min, Yoo Ah In, Byun Yo Han, Sin Se Kyung and Yoon Gyun Sang.
Chun Ho Jin plays King Taejo. The king's father was a minor Mongol official but his ethnicity was Korean. Taejo was an ambitious man. He joined the Goreyo army and became ever more powerful, finally seizing the throne in 1392.
Yoo Ah In plays Prince Lee Bang Won. He was the fifth son of King Taejo and served as an official of the Goryeo Dynasty in 1382. In 1392 he helped his father establish a new dynasty by assassinating powerful officials who were loyal to the Goryeo Dynasty.
For his efforts the prince expected that his father would designate him the next king. He was wrong. Instead, his father and Prime Minister Jeong Do Jeon wanted Taejo's eighth son, Lee Bang Won's half brother Lee Bang Suk, to be crown prince.
Kim Myung Min plays Jeong Do Jeon in this drama. The prime minister did not favor the prince because the prince wanted absolute power for the throne. Jeong Do Jeon thought it would be best if the ministers had more say in the government.
The prince retaliated by killing Jeong Do Jeon and his half brother, the crown prince. Horrified by the violence this caused, King Taejo abdicated, naming yet another of Lee Bang Won's brother as king. But Taejong refused to surrender the royal seal.
And that's just the beginning of the story. King Taejong continued to crush opposition throughout his reign and ruled behind the scenes even after he abdicated.
Shin Se Kyung will play Boon Yi, the woman that Prince Lee Bang Won loves. It will be a reunion for Shin and Yoo as they previously worked togethjer in the 2012 drama "Fashion King."
"Six Flying Dragons" is a prequel to the drama "Tree With Deep Roots," which tells the story of Taejong's son King Sejong.
Shin Se Kyung also appeared in "Tree With Deep Roots."
