Legend of the Patriots (Korean Drama Series)

I was channel surfing last week when I came across a war drama. Yeah I though! War! Action, killing, explosions, etc. etc. Well I was correct…partially correct that is. This was a Korean war drama series and no Korean series is complete without…emo crying! So I was compelled to watch (and read the subtitles as I don’t understand Korean) to see what would happen next. What I saw was actually pretty good and had me hooked on it. Oh yeah there’s this hot Korean actress but we’ll get to that later.

First, the plot…

The Korean War (1950-53) has unfortunately been dubbed “The Forgotten War” overseas, but for Koreans the deep scar it left behind is still sorely felt. Actually today the two countries (north and south) are technically still at war as the war ‘ended’ with an armistice which is merely a cessation of hostilities and not an actual peace treaty.

‘Legend of the Patriots’ (also known as ‘Comrades’) is a special drama from KBS to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Korean War. It is a modern-day remake of a drama of the same name that was released in 1975 for the 25th anniversary. The original version of the drama was a big hit in the 1970s, with another version of the series aired in 1983.

The 20-episode series (1 hour per episode) stars veteran actor Choi Soo-jong, who will play a South Korean commander who finds out that his girlfriend (Lee Tae Ran) has defected to North Korea and became a commissioned officer in its army. This story revolves around nine male soldiers and two female soldiers and is played by the cast which also includes Lee Deok-hwa, Kim Roi-ha, Hong Kyeong-in, and Lee Hoon.

“We are hoping to bring the message of anti-war and peace through the sacrifice made by so many soldiers”, producer Kim Hyeong-il said. “Instead of focusing on the ideologies of South and North Korea, the drama will be about ordinary people who had to go through the war, similar to the U.S. series `Band of the Brothers’ or the film `Saving Private Ryan”‘, Kim added.

Now to why I am following this series (apart from the action and violence)…

Lee Tae Ran, born on 25 March 1975 in Korea, is 170cm tall and has acted in many Korean dramas and a couple of movies since 1998. This tall lass plays the ROK (South Korea) commander’s girlfriend which for some strange reason defects to the north and becomes an officer in the army. A hot officer whose uniform rarely gets dirty that is. Ahhh women in uniform…

With a budget of 8 billion won (which is roughly RM300 million), ‘Legend of the Patriots’ or ‘Comrades’ airs on Astro Channel 303 – KBS World. Check www.astro.com.my for screening times.

Check out the trailer below.