Actor Kim Dong-jun, who overcame adversity and stood tall as ‘Emperor of the Empire’

Reporter Lee Deok-haeng of Aizize

One of the achievements of KBS 2TV’s ‘Goryeo Khitan War’ was that it provided an opportunity for talented actors to be in the spotlight. Kim Dong-jun (playing Hyeonjong), Ji Seung-hyeon (Yang-gyu), Kim Jae-min (Lee Hyun-woon), Lee Ji-hoon (Jang Yeon-woo), Joo Joon-woo (Kim Sook-heung), Kim Hyuk (Ya Yul Yong-seo), etc. The word ‘discovery’ is a perfect fit. The play was enriched with talented actors with unfamiliar faces.

Among many actors, the one who stands out the most in terms of ‘growth’ is Kim Dong-jun, who plays Hyeonjong. According to city law, “hyeon (顯)” means ‘achievements are widely known both inside and outside the country. This epithet was given to him because internally he established the county-county system by reorganizing the administrative network and externally he achieved the result of reorganizing the international order in Northeast Asia by preventing the second and third invasions of the Khitan.

However, King Hyeonjong did not walk on a solid path from the beginning. King Hyeonjong, who was born as the illegitimate son of King Anjong and Queen Heonjeong, had his life threatened since childhood. In all of the Korean dynasties, Hyeonjong is the only monarch who was born as an illegitimate son and became king instead of being born as an illegitimate son. He ascended to the throne through a coup d’état in Gang Jo, but there was a subsequent invasion by the Khitans, and during the second evacuation, he was ignored and threatened by the nobles. King Hyeonjong’s life is more highly regarded because he overcame these hardships and opened an era of peace and prosperity in East Asia. Even in the drama, Hyeonjong’s appearance in these difficulties is clearly depicted.

This aspect overlaps with Kim Dong-jun, who plays Hyeonjong. This is because Kim Dong-jun is also experiencing various hardships through the ‘Goryeo Khitan War’ It all started with ‘acting ability controversy’. Ever since it was announced that Kim Dong-jun, who is better known as a member of the idol group Empire’s Children than as an actor, had been cast for the ‘Goryeo Khitan War,’ there was a negative reaction saying, ‘the casting does not suit him.’. These comments continued until the beginning of the broadcast. In particular, it was even more painful because the actors who matched his acting skills were actors with extensive experience in historical dramas, such as Choi Soo-jong and Lee Won-jong.

Kim Dong-jun, who chose ‘The Goryeo Khitan War’ as his first work after being discharged from the military, may have lost motivation, but he did not get discouraged. Just as Hyeonjong, who ascended to the throne without knowing anything, gradually developed into a monarch, Kim Dong-jun also showed steady progress. He showed a variety of acting by going back and forth between various emotions, such as the frustration and futility he felt in the process of his quest, his faith in Kang Gam-chan, who became his supporter, and the confrontation with his subjects who did not follow him.

In the end, the voices of criticism toward Kim Dong-jun gradually disappeared. Instead, voices of complaint erupted from elsewhere. It is ‘character breakdown’. Last week’s broadcast of ‘Goryeo Khitan War’ Episodes 17 and 18 included the story of King Hyeonjong, who prevented the Khitan invasion, reorganizing the local system. King Hyeonjong, who sought to eradicate noble power and centralize power, experienced strong conflict with his subjects. In particular, when even Gang Gam-chan, whom he trusted, showed opposition, King Hyeonjong dismissed Gang Gam-chan from his position and even strangled him for not following his orders. At the end of episode 18, there was a scene where King Hyeonjong, who was riding a horse in a rage, fell from his horse and lost consciousness.

Many viewers responded that the imaginative adaptation was too excessive. ‘Goryeo Khitan War’ Writer Gil Seung-soo, who wrote the original novel, also said, “It seems like the script writer is deliberately trying to avoid the original work and write his own work. He strongly criticized Hyeonjong’s character, saying, “I explained Hyunjong’s character well to the production team, but the script writer used it the way he wanted, and this led to trouble.”Some viewers expressed concern that the show, which aired in 2022, would become a curse, mentioning “The youngest son of a chaebol family.” The viewership ratings also seemed to break through the 10% barrier, but they failed to gain any further momentum and remained at a standstill.

There is no fault with Kim Dong-jun in this process. Kim Dong-jun simply played the character faithfully as written in the script. The same is true when looking at Kim Dong-jun’s career so far. Kim Dong-jun, who debuted as an idol of the group Empire in 2010, entered acting starting with KBS’s ‘Crossing Yeongdo Bridge’ in 2011. From idol activities represented by ‘Aftereffects’ to ‘Neighborhood Lawyer Jo Deul-ho’, ‘Shine Eun-su’, ‘About Time’, ‘Aide’ Until his acting career leading up to, Kim Dong-jun quietly did his job in his position. Even in the early days of his debut, he did his best in entertainment. ‘Goryeo Khitan War’ You can also see him always doing his best in the making video.

This is why I believe that Kim Dong-jun will overcome the current crisis and grow like King Hyeonjong, who overcame adversity and grew into a great general. Seeing how Kim Dong-jun, who went from being a child of the empire to becoming the emperor of the empire, is able to break through the current frustrating trend is expected to be another viewing point in appreciating the remaining ‘Goryeo Khitan War’