The Return of Iljimae

2009

Iljimae (Jung Il-woo) was born out of wedlock and his father was a high-ranking noble official while his mother was a lowly servant. To protect the honor of his father's family, he was abandoned as a baby and tucked underneath an apricot tree. Thus he was given the name Iljimae ("branch of plum tree"). Iljimae was adopted by a family who lived in the Qing Kingdom. After tracing his roots back to Korea, his father rejects him once more. With a heavy heart, he returns to his native land and unleashes his anger upon the ruling class to fight injustice and tyranny for the sake of the commoners. Wherever he appears to uphold justice, he leaves behind a single branch of a plum tree. Living an isolated existence and hiding his face behind a mask to be a hero to the people, in Iljimae's life there is one woman who reconnects him to the world: Wol-hee.

Genres:

Also Known As:

Moon River

Directors:

Hwang In-roi, Kim Soo-young

Writers:

Kim Kwang-sik, Do Young-myung

Episodes:

Running Time:

60 minutes

Network:

MBC TV

Country of Origin:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Find Out More

Source: Wikipedia

Casts

Cha Jun-hwan
Young-yi, Iljimae's son
Lee Hyun-woo (actor, born 1993)
Cha-dol
Kang Shin-il
Kang Se-wook
Jung Joon
Kim Joon-seo, Iljimae's stepbrother

Jung Il-woo

Iljimae, a hero who appears when the world needs justice.Although he is a handsome man with delicate features, he also has a strong sense of justice and chivalry. His first love dies tragically and after living an aimless life due to his broken heart, he meets Wol-hee, who is very similar to his first love. He becomes a legendary hero in the kingdom but his destiny is one of loneliness and heartbreak, making him a lonely and melancholy hero. Cha Jun-hwan - young Iljimae

Kim Min-jong

Koo Ja-myung, underneath his charismatic demeanor he has a sad past.A sharp thinker, he rises through the ranks in the government as he distinguishes himself as a capable investigator. He falls in love with Baek-mae, Iljimae's mother, at first sight and continues to love her for his entire life. Guilt-ridden for compromising his principles by helping Iljimae escape from prison, he committed suicide.

Jung Hye-young

Baek-mae, Iljimae's motherShe was defiled by her master, a noble, and after giving birth, her baby was taken away from her. Then she was banished from the nobleman's household and for most of her life, she yearns to be reunited with her son Iljimae. She throws away the jewelry that her master gave her to buy her silence and becomes a gisaeng. Though she is from the servant class, she learns how to read and write by watching the privileged children learn the alphabet. She writes poetry. She has inner beauty as well as beautiful looks. Though she sets strict limits on what she will tolerate in a relationship or friendship, she has a warm heart but keeps that side of her under wraps most of the time. She comminted suicide upon hearing that her son had been sentenced to death. Unbeknownst to her, Iljimae has escaped with the help of Ja-myung, but he arrived too late to stop her.