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Jumong (Korean: 주몽, Hanja: 朱蒙) is a historical drama which aired on South Korea's MBC television network as a 45th Anniversary Special Drama. Originally set to be 60, MBC decided to extend it to 81 episodes due to its popularity. It portrays the life of Jumong Taewang, (founder of the kingdom of Goguryeo). Because few details are found in the historical records on Jumong, much artistic license is taken. Much of the original myths surrounding Jumong have been replaced with more down-to-earth storylines, such as that concerning his birth. It is also considered a major part of the "Korean wave." (Hallyu)

Contents 1 Summary 2 Episodes 3 Cast 4 Reception 4.1 Korea 4.2 Other countries 4.2.1 Controversy Surrounding Hong Kong's Broadcast 5 Notes 6 References 7 External links

Gojoseon has fallen to the Han Empire of China. All that is left are separate city-states that have no choice but to appease the Han Empire. In the series, the Han are portrayed as cruel, taking refugees prisoner and demonstrating their new iron weapons on them.

Hae Mosu, a legendary soldier, joins forces with Geumwa, the crown prince of Buyeo, in order to counter Han savagery, creating the Damulgun , a band of soldiers who defend Gojoseon refugees. Hae Mosu is injured after a skirmish against Han soldiers, and floats down a river, half alive. The princess of the Haebaek tribe finds him and nurses him back to health. The two start a relationship. However, the Han are looking for Hae Mosu, and discovering that the man the princess was sheltering looked like (and was) Hae Mosu, they raze the tribe to the ground. Hae Mosu escapes just in time and travels until he meets a caravan from the tribe of Gyeh-Ru. The head merchant, who is also the ruler of the Gyeh-Ru tribe, offers Hae Mosu a job within the caravan, not knowing who the man is. The ruler, Yeon Ta-Bal, tells Hae Mosu to join him in his tent, and they introduce each other and share a conversation. News of the Haebaek tribe pops up in the middle of the conversation, and seeing the shocked look on his guest's face, Yeon Ta-Bal begins to suspect that his guest is Hae Mo-su himself. The next day, the caravan travels but stops when they hear that Yeon's wife has gone into labor. They set up camp and So Seo-No is born and protected, as Hae Mosu defends the trade caravan against a band of thieves, reinforcing Yeon's assumption. Yeon's caravan has trading rights with the Han Dynasty itself, so Yeon knows of Hae Mosu's escape, and of the great reward for his capture. At this point, he is fully convinced that his guest is Hae Mosu. Yeon decides not to turn Hae Mo-su in, because he had protected his caravan and his daughter from harm.

Hae Mosu returns to Geumwa, and they resume the skirmishes. However, as the Damulgun progress in their objective to free all refugees, the Han disguise their soldiers as fake refugees, whom the Damulgun attempt to rescue. Ambushed by the fake refugees and "ironclad cavalry," the Damulgun with him are killed, and he is captured. Hae Mosu is subsequently tortured and blinded by the Han.

Geumwa frees Hae Mosu, who, though blind, is able to ride a horse. Due to his blindness however, he and Geumwa get separated while fleeing from the Han forces in pursuit. Geumwa believes he ultimately fails in his task to save Hae Mosu, who Geumwa sees, trapped upon a chateau, shot with arrows and presumably falling dead into the river.

The Haebaek princess has Hae Mosu's child. She goes to the Crown Prince of Buyeo after bearing her son, Jumong. He becomes a prince of Buyeo (after the enthronement of the Crown Prince) and she a Royal Concubine upon the new Emperor's insistence.

The series then flashes twenty years into the future, where the majority of the story takes place. Having grown up being overshadowed by Geumwa's two sons Daeso and Youngpo, Jumong has grown into a weak and cowardly prince with a talent at womanizing. Yoohwa decides that she has had enough, and arranges for Jumong to begin training in swordsmanship and the martial arts. The man that trains Jumong is the chief jailor of an underground prison, and Jumong begins train there. Within a few episodes however, Jumong causes major trouble. First he womanizes a royal priestess, causing her to be kicked out of the palace. After that, he accidentally starts a fire in the Buyeo blacksmith workshop, exposing its existence to the wary Han nation and bringing major dishonor to Buyeo. Following these two events, he is stripped of his title as a prince and is expelled from the palace. His expulsion does little to staunch the rivalry between him and his two brothers, who send assassins to tail and kill him.

While wondering around Buyeo with nowhere to go, he encounters three common robbers named Oh-yi, Ma-ra and Hyup-bo, who disrespect and beat him up at first, but decide to serve and treat him as an older brother once they learn his true identity. He also runs into a now twenty-one year old Soseono, Yeon Ta-Bal's daughter, and establishes a relationship with the Gyeh-Ru trading clan.

Jumong also encounters a mysterious old man in the prison that he used to train in, who tells him that he used to be part of the Damulgun. Though Jumong does not know this, the old man is actually Hae Mosu, his father. After narrowly escaping the prison together after Daeso and Youngpo attempt to assassinate them, Hae Mosu trains Jumong to become an even better fighter as well as an archer, and a strong master-student bond grows between them. Hae Mosu is assassinated by Daeso and Youngpo while Jumong is away however, and Jumong does not realize the old man's true identity until well afterwards, upon which he swears to complete the work that his father could not. Seeing that Jumong has finally become the worthy successor to Hae Mosu that he had always envisioned, Geumwa allows Jumong to return to the palace.

Meanwhile, intense rivalry breaks out between Daeso and Youngpo, who are both vieing to become the Crown Prince. Youngpo brashly makes an attempt on Daeso's life, but Jumong saves Daeso and earns his trust. Jumong uses this against Daeso, and with the help of his three lieutenants, commandeers a group of refugees that were to be sent as slaves to the Han nation, and establishes his own settlement in the mountains. Jumong names this new settlement the Damulgun, symbolic of is revival. Over the next three years, the new Damulgun (led by Jumong) and Gyeh-Ru (led by Soseono) cooperate to unite the nearby settlements under one banner. Through many struggles with Daeso, Youngpo, Buyeo and the Han nation, the kingdom of Goguryeo is finally established. Jumong becomes the nation's first king; Soseono its queen.

81 Total

Episode 1: The 2100+ year old Korean empire of Gojoseon has fallen to the Han Empire of China. All that is left are separate city-states that have no choice but to appease the Han Empire. In the series, the Han are portrayed as cruel, taking refugees prisoner and demonstrating their new iron weapons on them. Hae Mosu, a legendary soldier, joins forces with Geumwa, the crown prince of Buyeo, in order to counter Han savagery, creating the Damulgun , a band of soldiers who defend Gojoseon refugees. The first episode opens with a small planned skirmish in a Han gladiator arena. Hae Mosu and Geumwa, disguised as gladiators, enter the ring and assassinate a high official of the Han. Using this as a distraction, Damulgun forces infiltrate the nearby prison and free the Gojoseon refugees within them. In response, the Governor of Xuantu city summons representatives from each nation and city state and demonstrates the power of their Iron Cavalry by slaughtering captured refugees. The governor also makes a threat—to annihilate any tribe or nation that harbors or aids Hae Mosu. Representing Buyeo, Geumwa is present at the summit when he sees Yoohwa, princess of the Haebaek tribe and is struck with infatuation for her. In the meantime, Hae Mosu is injured after a skirmish against Han soldiers, and floats down a river, half alive. Yoohwa, finds him and nurses him back to health, not knowing who he really is. Yoohwa is at a personal dilemma. Her father arranged a marriage with a man when he offered to pay 100 boxes of salt in exchange. Yoohwa however, thinks the man is ugly. When Hae Mosu explains that it is impossible to judge a book by its cover, Yoohwa responds that she would much rather die than marry him. “I wouldn’t care if it was Hae Mosu though,” she exclaims, not realizing the irony. “I’ve never met him before, but knowing what kind of man he is, I wouldn’t care what he looks like.”

Episode 2: Realizing that the Iron Cavalry is searching for him, Hae Mosu quietly slips away from the Haebaek tribe. He is too late however; the Iron Cavalry discovers that Yoohwa played a part in harboring Hae Mosu. Assuming her guilt on the entire tribe, the Iron Cavalry consequently wipes out the entire Haebaek tribe, taking only Yoohwa as prisoner to publically execute her at Xuantu city for personally aiding Hae Mosu. While traveling, Hae Mosu passes a trade caravan from Gyeh-Ru heading for Xuantu, and hears the news and requests permission for him to accompany the tribe. Judging by the stunned expression on his face as well as his request, Yeon Ta-Bal, the leader of the tribe realizes that he is Hae Mosu and plans to turn him in at Xuantu. Yeon Ta-Bal’s wife goes into labor during the trip however and the caravan stops for the night when it is ambushed by raiders. Hae Mosu singlehandedly kills them all and saves the caravan as well as Sosoneo, Yeon Ta-Bal’s newborn daughter. In gratitude, Yeon Ta-Bal decides not to turn him in. Meanwhile, having heard the news, Geumwa leads an attack on the Han forces escorting Yoohwa to Xuantu, rescues her and brings her back to Buyeo. Geumwa already has a wife, Wonhwo, from a marriage arranged by his father. Geumwa however, has no feelings for her and little interest for his son Daeso. Wonhwo is enraged by Yoohwa’s presence, and in a mask of kindness, sends Yoohwa to the Damulgun camp. Returning alive, Hae Mosu reorganizes the Damulgun forces and plans to coordinate a campaign against the Han nation in cooperation with Buyeo. Yoohwa and Hae Mosu meet again, and the two start a relationship. Geumwa is heartbroken, but as Hae Mosu’s closest friend, accepts this willingly. With Geumwa’s help, he successfully convinces Geumwa’s father, Haeburu into support. At the last minute however, BuDukBul and Yeomiul, the Prime Minister and High Priestess of Buyeo convinces Haeburu into thinking that Hae Mosu has other intentions. Haeburu sets up an ambush for Hae Mosu. Disguising Han soldiers as Gojoseon refugees, he lures Hae Mosu into trying to rescue them. Hae Mosu falls for the trap, is captured and subsequently blinded by the Han. He is then taken to Xuantu city for public display. A heartbroken Yoohwa watches Hae Mosu from a distance, who is unable to see her and unable to hear her as she tries to tell him that she is pregnant with his son.

Episode 3: Hae Mosu is being taken to Chang An, the Han capital for execution. Geumwa refuses to accept that his closest friend will soon be executed, and leads a rescue effort while Hae Mosu is en route. The raid is successful but the rescue is not; Hae Mosu and Geumwa are separated during the subsequent chase, and Geumwa is forced to watch from a distance as Hae Mosu is shot with multiple arrows and falls off a cliff into the water below to die. In the meantime, Yoohwa gives birth to her son and names him Jumong. The Buyeo High Priestess however, is now convinced that Jumong will one day become the same threat to Buyeo as she believed Hae Mosu once was, and sends Buyeo’s top general, Jeuk-Ji to eliminate him and Yoohwa. As Jeuk-Ji raises his sword to strike however, a bolt of lightning from a raging thunderstorm strikes the blade and electrocutes him, ending his life. Geumwa returns to the palace to find Yoohwa, and agrees the raise Jumong as his own son. Twenty years pass. Succeeding his father’s place as King of Buyeo, Geumwa strives to accomplish everything that Hae Mosu could not. He devotes much of the nation’s resources into the development of improved steel weaponry to match that of the Hans. Geumwa also launches multiple campaigns to assimilate the surrounding tribes, and the nation slowly expands to the point where it threatens the Han nation. During one of Geumwa’s campaigns, the three princes of Buyeo, Daeso, Yongpo and Jumong unexpectedly arrive at Geumwa’s camp to aid him in the upcoming battle. While Daeso and Youngpo leap eagerly into the ensuing carnage, Jumong has had no martial arts training and is hesitant to fight. Helpless, he is nearly killed by an enemy soldier when Daeso saves him. Geumwa then ends the campaign and leads his troops back to Buyeo. A memorial ceremony is planned for the recent victory of Buyeo. Jumong skips the ceremony however and is later discovered with a young priestess named Buyong. He is then taken before the king, and an enraged Geumwa points his sword at Jumong.

Episode 4: Geumwa orders twenty strokes of the plank to Jumong for failing to attend the ceremony. Daeso convinces him to rescind his decision however, reasoning that Jumong won’t even be able to walk after twenty strokes, and that Jumong is to come with him and Youngpo to visit the site of the Damul Bow. Convinced, Geumwa retracts his punishment. Daeso proves treacherous however—he only did Jumong the favor so he could bring him out of the palace—outside his father’s protection. He and Youngpo plan to kill him in the wilderness. The next day, Geumwa sends the three princes on their journey. They are not to divulge their true identity under any circumstances. An unwitting Jumong follows his older brothers outside the palace. Daeso and Youngpo abandon Jumong in the wilderness when he is not looking, and go off looking for the bow on their own. Jumong ends up getting extremely unlucky and falls into some quicksand. He is rescued at the last second however, by a now twenty-one year old Soseono, who Jumong is enamored by. Though Jumong is rude and belligerent at first, Soseono agrees to take him to Mount Shijo, where the Damul Bow is located. As the two part, Jumong divulges his true identity but Soseono simply snorts in disbelief. Daeso and Youngpo visit the site of the Damul Bow. However, neither of them is able to string the powerful bow.The two pay their respects and leave. Jumong hears their voices in the distance as the two head back however, and realize that he didn’t get lost, but his brothers left him to die. He decides to keep this quiet however, and continues on however, to the bow. Jumong is able to easily string the bow, but then the bow breaks. Frightened, Jumong also heads back to Buyeo, and a stunned Daeso and Youngpo watch him arrive at the palace. During the ensuing celebration, Daeso and Youngpo testify that the two of them were able to string the bow. When Geumwa asks Jumong however, Jumong responds that he was too scared after nearly dying and didn’t even get to go near Mount Shijo, not daring to tell the truth in front of his brothers. Later, Yoohwa privately coaxes the truth out of him.

Episode 5: Realizing the danger that her son is in, Yoohwa encourages Jumong to learn the martial arts while out of Daeso and Youngo’s sight. Her handmaiden, Muduk, informs her that her brother Musong is skilled in the martial arts and will be able to teach Jumong. Yoohwa arranges this, but divulges neither her nor Jumong’s identity. Unknown to Yoohwa, Musong is actually the head jailor of a secret prison under Mount Soomi, a prison that not even the King knows about. Musong doesn’t know much about the actual prisoners either—he just tells Jumong that some of them have been there for decades. Though he trains Jumong up on the mountains first, Musong eventually moves the training site into the prison itself. Jumong’s skills at swordfighting and martial arts begin to improve rapidly. In the prison however, Jumong encounters a strange prisoner in the cell furthest from the entrance. He has been there for twenty years. And he is blind. Jumong’s secret training doesn’t remain secret for very long however. The Buyeo iron workshop finishes development of a sword of stronger quality, and the high officials of Buyeo are summoned to watch as it is field tested against a sword made by the Han nation. Daeso asks to be the one to test the new sword and also requests that his opponent be Jumong, just to humiliate him. Jumong skills are still inferior to Daeso’s, but he holds his own against him until the sword Daeso is using breaks against Jumong’s. After the fight, Daeso is fully convinced that Jumong is training somewhere out of his sight. Yongpo sends a man to tail him. In the meantime, Geumwa is having constant nightmares from what he believes is Hae Mosu’s spirit and asks the High Priestess Yeomieul to look into it. Prime Minister BuDukBul notices the lights on in the High Priestess’s quarters late into the night and pays her a visit, asking her what’s going on. Yeomieul tells him the whole truth—Hae Mosu is not dead. He showed up at Buyeo several days after his supposed death. Interpreting this as the heavens will that Hae Mosu should continue living, Yeomieul locked Hae Mosu up in a secret prison to wait until Hae Mosu died of natural causes. The High Priestess and Prime Minister pay a quick visit to the prison to check on Hae Mosu the next day.

Episode 6: The Han nation has grown wary of the rate at which Buyeo is expanding, as well as Buyeo’s continued ironware research. Yang Jeong, an old friend of Geumwa and the newly appointed governor of Xuantu city is sent to negotiate Buyeo’s immediate termination of their ironware workshop. Though the two embrace each other as old friends at first, politics quickly turn their relationship ice cold. Geumwa replies to Yang Jeong that no such ironware workshop exists in Buyeo. Meanwhile, Daeso requests another duel with Jumong, this time in private. Jumong is still hesitant, but at Daeso and Yongpo’s constant urging, he consents. Jumong’s ordinary sword is eventually cut to pieces by Daeso’s specially crafted one. Youngpo mocks him after he is beaten. Provoked, Jumong asks Buyeo’s ironware workshop to craft him a sword like Daeso’s. Legal obligations prevent Mo Pal-Mo, the leader of the workshop, to personally craft him a sword. Instead, he teaches Jumong how to craft one. Jumong sneaks into the workshop every night to continue to refine his blade’s quality. However, a piece of blacksmith equipment explodes while Jumong is working one night and starts a fire that alerts Yang Jeong to the iron workshop’s existence. Enraged at the disgrace that Jumong brought to his country and the subsequent humiliation he had to endure from Yang Jeong, Geumwa strips Jumong of his status as a prince and expels him from the palace. Geumwa’s intention however, is not to simply punish Jumong, but to send him out into the outside world and learn. Yoohwa shares this intention, and through MuDuk, she orders Musong to refuse to meet with Jumong. While Jumong is wondering the streets of Buyeo, he encounters three common thieves, Ohyi, Mari and Hyupbo. Hyupbo yells to the streets that Mari owes him money and pretends to beat him up while Ohyi pickpockets one of the onlookers. Jumong is pick pocketed. Not knowing this, he goes to eat at a local restaurant but is unable to pay the bill when Soseono happens to run into him and pays to bill for him. Having saved Jumong from yet another embarrassing situation, she is even less convinced that Jumong is a prince. Jumong however, swallows his shame and asks Soseono to employ him as a trade caravan worker, but she refuses.

Episode 7: Now that Jumong is gone from the palace and out of the way, Queen Wonwhoo (Daeso’s mother) attempts to convince Geumwa to appointing Daeso as the official crown prince, but fails. Distressed, Youngpo sends Naro, Daeso’s bodyguard, to track down and kill Jumong. Naro is nearly successful and Jumong is gravely injured, but fails when an unknown warrior shows up and chases him off. The warrior is actually Songjoo, another palace bodyguard that Geumwa personally ordered to keep tabs on Jumong and ensure his safety. Jumong however, flees while Songjoo is fighting Naro, and Songjoo is unable to locate him afterwards. After another round of pick pocketing, the three thieves are strolling the alleys when they see Jumong passed out with a sword wound. Concerned, they take him to a girl that Ohyi knows who is skilled at treating wounds. The girl is none other than Buyoung, who was kicked out of the palace because of Jumong. Despite her past with him, she treats Jumong, who recovers fully. In the meantime, the guards working in the secret prison get bored and ask Musong to tell him one of his stories. Musong begins to tell them the story of Hae Mosu, getting to the part where Hae Mosu is captured and Yoohwa has his child. Hae Mosu, only a few cells away, overhears this, and is deeply moved—he did not know that Yoohwa had a child all these years. Meanwhile, Yon Ta-Bal and his trading clan visit Buyeo to establish trading rights with the nation. While roaming the palace, Soseono runs into Daeso, who is in the middle of practicing martial arts. Daeso acts very rudely, but is secretly enamored by Soseono. She doesn’t recognize him however, and the two of them end up sparring until some priestesses come and call off the fight. Back in the streets, Youngpo sends out men with wanted posters, asking passersby if they have seen Jumong. Both Mari and Musong run into them and realize that the Jumong is a wanted man. In a small house, Jumong comes around, realizes that Buyoung treated him, and is overcome by guilt. Mari then returns from the streets and tells him to leave, as they don’t want to associate themselves with someone wanted by the authorities. Meanwhile, Musong tells MuDuk what he saw, who then informs Yoohwa. Buyoung is now working for Dochi, the most powerful crime lord in the city. Seeing that Jumong needs employment, she refers him to her master and gets a job for him. He is quickly sent on an escort mission in which he is to guard some illegal goods during a smuggling transaction. The transaction is interrupted by a surprise attack from Yeon Ta-Bal’s clan, but Jumong manages to save Dochi’s life. In retaliation, Dochi pays Ohyi, Mari and Hyupbo to assault Yon Ta-Bal’s base of operations and kidnap Soseono. Back at the palace, Geumwa entrusts Daeso with the foreign ministry and Youngpo with military command. Though Jumong does not take part in the kidnapping, he realizes what has happened, and frees Soseono.

Episode 8: Enraged at Jumong, the three thieves are about to beat him to death when Buyoung arrives and divulges his identity to save him. Knowing that Dochi will kill them for letting his hostage escape, and realizing that they can literally change their fates by aiding the prince, Mari convinces his buddies into throwing their lot in with Jumong. It turns out that Mari is in fact Musong’s brother, and they hide him out at the prison that he works at. Musong has Jumong stay in the farthest cell for the time being. Jumong continues training with Musong, but it’s not much help—Jumong beats him too often anyway. Jumong befriends Hae Mosu while staying in his cell and learns the history of the Damulgun and that Hae Mosu was once part of it. Hae Mosu also begins instructing Jumong in the martial arts. Yoohwa comes to visit him one day. Naru tails her however, and learns of the prison’s existence. This is then divulged to Wonwhoo, and spreads to Yongpo and then Geumwa. Geumwa is angered that he was never informed of this before and decides to look around the prison himself. BuDukBul realizes that Geumwa has learned of the secret prison. Reasoning that a meeting between Geumwa and Hae Mosu could touch off a reemergence of hatred towards the Han nation within Geumwa, BuDukBul resolves to prevent a meeting between them.

Episode 9: Jumong continues his lessons with Hae Mosu and his skills begin to increase at astonishing levels. Youngpo, now knowing where Jumong is hiding out, brings Naro, his brother Daeso and some twenty assassins to eliminate him, not knowing the Geumwa is on his way to the prison. The break into the prison, killing all of the prisoners and the prison guards and make their way to the final cell where Jumong is. However, Jumong and Hae Mosu manage to break through the assassins and flee, gravely wounding Daeso in the process, though Hae Mosu is also injured. Daeso’s injury attracts his men’s attention, and Jumong and Hae Mosu manage to slip away. Together they flee to an old abandoned stockade at Mount Chun Moo. While living together, Jumong tells Hae Mosu his current situation with his brothers and that he is the third son of Geumwa.

Episode 10: Back at Buyeo, Youngpo testifies that Daeso’s was injured by an animal while hunting. However, the High Priestess and the Prime Minister immediately identifies the wound as a cut from a sword and Youngpo is forced to tell the truth. The High Priestess then goes to Geumwa and tells him the entire truth. Geumwa learns of Hae Mosu’s continued existence as well as his imprisonment and is enraged at Yeomieul for what she did to his old friend. Having heard that Geumwa is Jumong’s father, Hae Mosu writes a letter to Geumwa, requesting a reunion at one of their old meeting places. BuDukBul notices the expression on Geumwa’s face as he reads the letter however and checks it out for himself while the king is not around. Determined to stop the meeting no matter what, he sends assassins to kill Hae Mosu before he can meet with Geumwa. He fails and all of the assassins are killed by Hae Mosu and Jumong, but the two abandon the meeting and flee. In an attempt to strengthen their relationship with the royal family, Soseono pays a visit to Daeso while he is recovering from his injury and presents him with some gifts. While at the palace however, she finds out that Jumong really is the third prince of Buyeo and all of the events that led to her crossing paths with him.

Episode 11: Hae Mosu continues instructing Jumong, extending his instruction to archery, which Jumong turns out to be naturally talented in. Using his relationship with Soseono, Jumong manages to find work for his three followers in Yeon Ta-Bal’s clan as escort guards. Knowing that Hae Mosu is still alive and that he roams free once again, Yeomeiul visits Hae Mosu and asks him to leave Buyeo for good. In exchange, she agrees to arrange a meeting with him and Yoohwa. Under an agreement not to discuss their meeting, the two meet near Hae Mosu’s hideout. BuDukBul however, is much more straightforward. Brashly, he visits Daeso and tells him Hae Mosu’s entire story, including the fact that he is still alive. He then convinces him that he is a threat to Buyeo, and must be killed. Daeso then orders Youngpo to mobilize a squad of troops.

Episode 12: Together, Hae Mosu and Yoohwa share their stories of the past twenty years, and Hae Mosu finally learns that Jumong is his own son. When Yoohwa asks to accompany him in the remaining years of his life however, he kindly refuses, remembering his agreement with Yeomeiul. Though Yoohwa agreed not to discuss her meeting with Hae Mosu to anyone, she cannot help but divulge it to Geumwa, who she has been indebted to for so long. Geumwa decides to set out to meet Hae Mosu the following day. Now knowing that Jumong is not just a disciple but his son, Hae Mosu redoubles his efforts in training him, and teaches Jumong all he knows about archery. Jumong’s skills as a marksman rapidly increases and he is soon able to hit a target with accuracy white firing multiple shots rapidly. Afterwards, Hae Mosu sends Jumong to pay his mother a visit. Meanwhile, Youngpo finishes mobilizing his troops and advances towards Mount Chun Moon and Hae Mosu’s hideout. By the time Jumong’s three followers deliver him the news, he is already halfway to Buyeo. Rushing back toward the hideout, he arrives just in time to see Hae Mosu surrounded by hundreds of soldiers and his brothers watching in the distance. Though Jumong tries to run to his master’s aid, his followers try to stop him, knowing that it would be suicide. When Jumong continues to struggle, Ohyi knocks him out. True to his reputation as a legendary soldier however, Hae Mosu still manages to cut nearly all of them down. Agitated, Daeso then orders the archers forward and Hae Mosu is hit with multiple shots. Daeso then marches up to him and finishes him off. Geumwa and Yoohwa arrive at the hideout mere hours after Hae Mosu’s death. Seeing Hae Mosu’s limp body brings both of them to tears. Jumong comes around and runs back to the stockade just after Geumwa and Yoohwa leave to bury Hae Mosu. Seeing his master’s sword sticking up from the ground, Jumong breaks down and weeps. Back at the palace, Geumwa orders the immediate arrest of whoever released the soldiers to Mount Chun Moo. Youngpo is eventually brought forward—however Daeso assumes the blame, as it was he who ordered Youngpo to do so. He then admits that he killed Hae Mosu. Though Geumwa rage builds to a terrifying fury, he is unable to strike down his own son. An impressed BuDukBul pledges loyalty to him afterwards. Disheartened and driven nearly to madness by his master’s death, Jumong reverts to his old ways. He hangs out with Musong at a local tavern, drinking and gambling by day, womanizing by night. Geumwa however, wishes for him to return and sends his bodyguard, Songjoo, to deliver his message. Jumong however, refuses to go back. Frustrated, Geumwa goes out to fetch him himself. Jumong is assaulted on the streets by assassins again however, and Geumwa watches from the distance with astonishment as Jumong fights off nearly twenty men.

Episode 13: Geumwa personally invites Jumong back to the palace and Jumong agrees at his request. Though Youngpo is enraged at the sight of this and plans further attempts on Jumong’s, Daeso decides to challenge him honorably from now on. In the meantime, Yeon Ta-Bal is planning on making a profit by helping Buyeo develop iron swords equal to that of Han nation quality and contacts Mo Pal Mo, the leader of the Buyeo iron workshop. Back in the palace, Geumwa calls the entire cabinet together as well as the three princes. To address the issue of appointing the crown prince, he orders a competition between the three princes to decide who will be selected as successor to the throne. The three princes will compete in skills of all ranges to contribute to the Buyeo as much as they can. Buyeo however, is soon caught in an uproar. Dochi had been smuggling out shipments of Buyeo’s iron swords and Prince Youngpo and his uncle, the Palace Emissary, had been assisting him in the matter. Though the iron workshop leader, Mo Pal Mo witnessed the removal of the weapons from his workshop, he was powerless to stop it. A recent transaction between Dochi and the neighboring Ok-Jo nation had been discovered by Han forces and in retaliation, Xuantu’s governor Yang Jeong ordered the immediate halt of all salt trade between Han and Buyeo. Salt was a critical part of Buyeo’s continued survival and its source was now cut off. To restore salt trade, Yang Jeong had demanded that Geumwa himself come to Xuantu to apologize for the matter. Prince Daeso, in order to boost his position in the competition, travels to Xuantu in his father’s place. While Prince Daeso is attempting to contribute to the stability of the nation, Jumong simply asks for employment in Yeon Ta-Bal’s trade clan as a common worker.

Episode 14: Yeon Ta-Bal is completely flabbergasted by Jumong’s request, but agrees. Yoohwa and Geumwa are equally confused but decide to trust his judgment. Things do not go so well for Daeso however. Yang Jeong simply refuses to negotiate with anyone but Geumwa himself and is appallingly rude to Daeso. Troubling is brewing in the Buyeo palace as well. Geumwa openly defies one of Buyeo’s most ancient traditions by refusing to consult with the High Priestess on matters concerning the nation anymore out of anger towards Yeomeiul for what she did to Hae Mosu. In order to win Yang Jeong’s favor, Daeso exhumes Hae Mosu’s remains and brings his head to Yang Jeong. Daeso explains that Yang Jeong can win the favor of the Han emperor by claiming that he killed Hae Mosu. In return, Yang Jeong restores salt trade with Buyeo and even donates 10,000 bags of salt as well. Knowing full well what his father’s reaction would be if he found out the truth, Daeso does not dare tell him what he really did.

• Song Il Gook(송일국) as Prince Jumong(주몽)
• Han Hye-jin(한혜진) as Lady Soseono(소서노)
• Kim Seung-soo(김승수) as Prince Daeso(대소)
• Jeon Gwang-ryeol(전광렬) as King Geumwa(금와)
• Oh Yeon-soo(오연수) as Lady Yuhwa(유화)
• Kyeon Mi-ri(견미리) as Queen Wonhu(원후)
• Sung Ji Hyo(송지효) as Lady Yesoya(예소야)
• An Young Jun as Yuri
• Kim Byeong-ki (김병기) as Yeontabal(연타발)
• Jin Hee-kyeong(진희경) as High Priestess Yeomieul(여미을)
• Lee Jae-yong(이재용) as Prime Minister Budeukbul(부득불)
• Heo Joon-ho(허준호) as General Haemosu(해모수)
• Won Ki-joon(원기준) as Prince Yeongpo (영포)
• Bae Su-bin(배수빈) as Sayong (사용)
• Park Tam-hee(박탐희) as Lady Yangseolan (양설란)
• Lim So-yeong(임소영) as Buyeong (부영)
• Yoon Dong-hwan(윤동환) as Yangjeong (양정)
• Oh Uk-chul (오욱철) as Lord Hwang (황자경)
• Ahn Jeong-hoon(안정훈) as Mari (마리)
• Lim Dae-ho(임대호) as Hyeopbo (협보)
• Yeo Ho-min(여호민) as Oyi (오이)
• Park Kyoung-hwan as Bu-Buhn-No (부분노)
• Jeong Ho-bin(정호빈) as Wootae (우태)

Jumong has the highest rating of all Korean dramas in 2006 in Korea.

• Highest Rating Earned:
  • Seoul: 52.7%
  • Nationwide: 51.9%
• Lowest Rating Earned:
  • Seoul: 17.5%
  • Nationwide: 16.3%
• Final Episode:
  • Seoul: 52.7%
  • Nationwide: 51.9%
• Average:
  • Seoul: 41.83%
  • Nationwide: 40.98%

date	episode	nationwide	seoul area
2006-05-15	ep. 1	16.3% (3rd)	17.5% (3rd)
2006-05-16	ep. 2	18.4% (3rd)	19.2% (3rd)
2006-05-22	ep. 3	21.8% (1st)	23.6% (1st)
2006-05-23	ep. 4	25.3% (2nd)	26.6% (2nd)
2006-05-29	ep. 5	28.0% (1st)	29.9% (1st)
2006-05-30	ep. 6	28.7% (1st)	29.6% (1st)
2006-06-05	ep. 7	27.9% (1st)	29.2% (1st)
2006-06-06	ep. 8	32.3% (1st)	33.7% (1st)
2006-06-20	ep. 9	29.4% (1st)	30.7% (1st)
2006-06-26	ep.10	33.2% (1st)	35.3% (1st)
2006-06-27	ep.11	32.9% (1st)	34.8% (1st)
2006-07-03	ep.12	36.4% (1st)	38.1% (1st)
2006-07-04	ep.13	37.6% (1st)	38.8% (1st)
2006-07-10	ep.14	35.8% (1st)	37.5% (1st)
2006-07-11	ep.15	37.2% (1st)	38.8% (1st)
2006-07-17	ep.16	40.1% (1st)	42.8% (1st)
2006-07-18	ep.17	38.7% (1st)	39.9% (1st)
2006-07-24	ep.18	39.6% (1st)	41.1% (1st)
2006-07-25	ep.19	39.9% (1st)	40.5% (1st)
2006-07-31	ep.20	35.1% (1st)	36.1% (1st)
2006-08-01	ep.21	36.8% (1st)	38.2% (1st)
2006-08-07	ep.22	37.3% (1st)	37.9% (1st)
2006-08-08	ep.23	37.4% (1st)	38.9% (1st)
2006-08-14	ep.24	35.5% (1st)	35.8% (1st)
2006-08-15	ep.25	39.3% (1st)	40.7% (1st)
2006-08-21	ep.26	38.1% (1st)	39.6% (1st)
2006-08-22	ep.27	39.5% (1st)	40.0% (1st)
2006-08-28	ep.28	40.3% (1st)	41.7% (1st)
2006-08-29	ep.29	40.3% (1st)	40.9% (1st)
2006-09-04	ep.30	39.7% (1st)	40.6% (1st)
2006-09-05	ep.31	40.3% (1st)	41.4% (1st)
2006-09-11	ep.32	39.3% (1st)	40.6% (1st)
2006-09-12	ep.33	38.5% (1st)	39.2% (1st)
2006-09-18	ep.34	39.5% (1st)	40.3% (1st)
2006-09-19	ep.35	43.0% (1st)	43.9% (1st)
2006-09-25	ep.36	42.8% (1st)	43.9% (1st)
2006-09-26	ep.37	43.6% (1st)	44.4% (1st)
2006-10-02	ep.38	42.6% (1st)	43.2% (1st)
2006-10-03	ep.39	44.9% (1st)	44.8% (1st)
2006-10-09	ep.40	44.2% (1st)	45.0% (1st)
2006-10-10	ep.41	43.6% (1st)	43.8% (1st)
2006-10-16	ep.42	43.1% (1st)	43.6% (1st)
2006-10-17	ep.43	42.4% (1st)	42.2% (1st)
2006-10-23	ep.44	44.5% (1st)	45.4% (1st)
2006-10-24	ep.45	45.0% (1st)	45.2% (1st)
2006-10-30	ep.46	44.6% (1st)	45.1% (1st)
2006-10-31	ep.47	43.8% (1st)	43.7% (1st)
2006-11-06	ep.48	46.6% (1st)	47.9% (1st)
2006-11-07	ep.49	47.2% (1st)	48.3% (1st)
2006-11-13	ep.50	43.6% (1st)	43.5% (1st)
2006-11-14	ep.51	48.1% (1st)	49.2% (1st)
2006-11-20	ep.52	44.8% (1st)	45.4% (1st)
2006-11-21	ep.53	44.0% (1st)	44.5% (1st)
2006-11-27	ep.54	45.1% (1st)	45.2% (1st)
2006-11-28	ep.55	44.4% (1st)	44.9% (1st)
2006-12-04	ep.56	44.0% (1st)	44.4% (1st)
2006-12-05	ep.57	42.9% (1st)	43.2% (1st)
2006-12-11	ep.58	46.4% (1st)	46.1% (1st)
2006-12-12	ep.59	41.5% (1st)	42.6% (1st)
2006-12-18	ep.60	44.4% (1st)	45.3% (1st)
2006-12-19	ep.61	46.6% (1st)	47.1% (1st)
2007-01-01	ep.62	44.8% (1st)	45.8% (1st)
2007-01-02	ep.63	45.2% (1st)	45.3% (1st)
2007-01-08	ep.64	45.5% (1st)	45.4% (1st)
2007-01-09	ep.65	46.8% (1st)	47.1% (1st)
2007-01-15	ep.66	46.8% (1st)	47.5% (1st)
2007-01-16	ep.67	47.1% (1st)	47.9% (1st)
2007-01-22	ep.68	49.8% (1st)	50.5% (1st)
2007-01-23	ep.69	42.0% (1st)	43.6% (1st)
2007-01-29	ep.70	47.9% (1st)	48.3% (1st)
2007-01-30	ep.71	50.3% (1st)	51.0% (1st)
2007-02-05	ep.72	47.1% (1st)	48.5% (1st)
2007-02-06	ep.73	46.0% (1st)	47.2% (1st)
2007-02-12	ep.74	47.6% (1st)	48.1% (1st)
2007-02-13	ep.75	47.1% (1st)	47.8% (1st)
2007-02-19	ep.76	41.9% (1st)	42.1% (1st)
2007-02-20	ep.77	49.7% (1st)	49.9% (1st)
2007-02-26	ep.78	47.2% (1st)	47.1% (1st)
2007-02-27	ep.79	50.6% (1st)	50.9% (1st)
2007-03-05	ep.80	49.8% (1st)	50.0% (1st)
2007-03-06	ep.81	51.9% (1st)	52.7% (1st)
average		40.98%	41.83%

Source: TNS Media Korea

Broadcast rights for Jumong had been sold to 8 countries by March 2006, including Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines. It also airs in the US on the AZN TV network.^[1]

In Hong Kong, Asia Television bought the broadcast right to the show, but controversy surrounding the translation of the show was widespread, and has further escalated debates about ATV's editorial independence in its news and drama operations.

The controversy main surrounds the cutting of certain segments^[2], the mistranslation of names of certain locations, and the mistranslation of one of the character's occupation, which turned the character from the master of one castle to the Criminal of a castle.

Also, the translation of the word "Nation" (in reference to Goguryeo) to "Tribe", and the translation of the Han Dynasty to the "Heavenly Dynasty" has attracted much controversy over the station's editorial independence. The importance of this is related to recent controversies involving the governments of China and South Korea over the history of Goguryeo. Ever since ATV was bought by mainland investors, concerns have been raised about the station's ability to report on news impartially, especially in cases where the news carries a negative view towards the mainland. This debacle has been seen by many as one more sign of the Pro-Beijing shift that ATV is allegedly undergoing.

• Currently, there are floating Text Files in Internet and eDonkey servers, criticizing much of inaccuracy and dramatization of the historical fact, one of the main one, claiming Hae Mo-su is not Jumong's father, but great-grandfather, as a proof of jokbo.

1. ^ Popular historical TV drama has raked in $50 million
2. ^ 《世界日報》：韓劇醜化漢人 爆爭議 朱蒙 網友揚言抵制 (Translation: Korean drama attracts controversy for denigrating Chinese people. Net users calls for boycott)(In Chinese)

• Song Il Gook Website
• Jumong Photos,Music and Video Collections

• Official MBC Site - the ultimate source for information about the show (although this site is in Korean)
• (TFL.org-approved) Ju Mong Fanlisting - The unofficial fanlisting for Ju Mong TV series (listed at TheFanListings.org). Fans of this show are very much welcome to join--all that's needed to become a part of the site are your name, email and country (of origin).
• Jumong on HanCinema, pictures, cast, news, fanclub and forum (English)