The Slave Hunters
| The Slave Hunters | |
|---|---|
 Poster for The Slave Hunters | |
| Genre | Action, Historical, Drama |
| Written by | Chun Sung-il |
| Directed by | Kwak Jung-hwan |
| Starring | Jang Hyuk Oh Ji-ho Lee Da-hae Gong Hyung-jin Lee Jong-hyuk |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language | Korean |
| No. of episodes | 24 |
| Production | |
| Production location | South Korea |
| Running time | Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 (KST) 70 min |
| Production company | Chorokbaem Media |
| Original release | |
| Network | Korean Broadcasting System |
| Release | January 6 – March 25, 2010 |
| The Slave Hunters | |
| Hangul | 추노 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Chuno |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ch'uno |
The Slave Hunters (Korean: 추노; RR: Chuno) is a 2010 South Korean action historical drama set in the Joseon Dynasty about a slave hunter (played by Jang Hyuk) who is tracking down a general-turned-runaway slave (Oh Ji-ho) as well as searching for the woman he loves (Lee Da-hae).[1][2][3][4][5] It aired on KBS2 from January 6 to March 25, 2010 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 24 episodes.
An adequate display of muscular brawn, intricate yet gritty fight scenes, bawdy humor and eloquent moments of pathos and humanity made the series both visually and intellectually appealing to audiences. Critics gave special mention to director Kwak Jung-hwan's[6] lush cinematography, the use of a Red One camera giving each shot its theater-worthy luster.[7] The hit series topped the ratings chart for 7 consecutive weeks, averaging 31.7% and reaching a peak of 35.9%.[8][9][10][11]
In 2010, the series was honored at the Seoul International Drama Awards,[12][13][14][15] and the KBS Drama Awards (notably the highest prize Daesang for lead actor Jang Hyuk).[16] Jang also received a best actor nomination from the 2011 International Emmy Awards for his performance.[17][18]
Synopsis
Set during the Joseon Dynasty, Chuno follows the story of Lee Dae-gil, Song Tae-ha, and Kim Hye-won.
Lee Dae-gil is a man from a noble family, whose life is ruined by Keun-nom (큰놈이/Big One), a slave owned by Dae-gil's family. Because Keun-nom's sister Un-nyun and the young master Dae-gil are in love, Dae-gil's parents lock Un-nyun in a shed and leave her to die of dehydration. So Keun-nom burns down Dae-gil's house while rescuing her, then uses a sickle to slash Dae-gil's face. The house collapses shortly after, and Keun-nom and Un-nyun believe Dae-gil to be dead.
Keun-nom runs away with Un-nyun and eventually accumulates enough wealth to buy Jokbo of a noble family. Assuming the identity of the yangban Kim family, he then changes his name to Kim Seong-hwan and his sister Un-nyun's name to Kim Hye-won.
Driven by his desire for revenge as well as his obsession/love with Un-nyun, Dae-gil endures ten harsh years on the street and makes his name as a slave hunter. Dae-gil carries a sketch of Un-nyun at all times and searches for her wherever he goes.
Song Tae-ha is a military general who has spent years serving Crown Prince Sohyeon in China; Sohyeon has been held as a hostage after Joseon lost the war with the Qing Dynasty. Upon their release to Joseon, they find themselves embroiled in an even bigger political turmoil. The crown prince dies under suspicious circumstances shortly after returning to Joseon, the crown princess and two of his three young sons are also killed, and the youngest son is exiled on Jeju island. Tae-ha is framed for stealing military rations and is demoted to a slave along with his loyal subordinates.
When Tae-ha learns that the exiled youngest son of the late prince, who he believes to be the only rightful heir to the crown, is in danger, he is determined to protect him and have him declared the new crown prince. He escapes forced labor and sets off his journey to Jeju island. Along the way, Tae-ha comes across Hye-won/Un-nyun, who is on the run from an arranged marriage to a powerful noble, and saves her from danger. Dae-gil is hired to capture Tae-ha and chases after him, who, unbeknownst to Dae-gil, is now traveling and starting a romantic relationship with the woman for whom he has been obsessively searching for ten years.[19][20]
Cast
Main characters
- Jang Hyuk as Lee Dae-gil[21][22][23]
- Oh Ji-ho as Song Tae-ha[24][25][26]
- Lee Da-hae as Un-nyun / Kim Hye-won[27][28]
- Gong Hyung-jin as Eop-bok
- Lee Jong-hyuk as Hwang Chul-woong
- Han Jung-soo as Janggoon Choi ("General Choi")[29][30]
- Kim Ji-seok as Wang-son ("big hand")[31]
- Sung Dong-il as Chun Ji-ho
- Kim Eung-soo as Lee Gyeong-sik
- Kim Ha-eun as Seol-hwa
Supporting characters
- Min Ji-ah as Cho-bok[32]
- Yoon Gi-won as Won Ki-yoon
- Danny Ahn as Baek-ho
- Yoon Ji-min as Yoon-ji
- Jo Jae-wan as Keun-nom / Kim Seong-hwan
- Ahn Suk-hwan as Hwabaek Bang
- Lee Han-wi as Pogyo Oh
- Yoon Mun-sik as Horse doctor
- Jo Mi-ryung as Keun Jumo ("elder hostess")
- Yoon Ju-hee as Jakeun Jumo ("young hostess")
- Jo Jin-woong as Kwak Han-seom
- Park Ki-woong as Geu boon ("that person")
- Kim Ha-yoon as Crown Princess Kang
- Yoon Dong-hwan as Long Guda (General Qing)
- Kim Young-ae as Mogabi
- Kim Kap-soo as King Injo
- Ha Si-eun as Lee Sun-young
- Jo Sung-il as Lee Kwang-jae
- Kim Jin-woo as Lee Seok-gyeon
- Kang Sung-min as Crown Prince Sohyeon
- Lee In as Grand Prince Bongrim
- Lee Dae-ro as Im Yeong-ho
- Choi Deok-moon as Seonbi Jo
- Joo Da-young as Eun-sil
- Ahn Gil-kang as Jjak-gui ("one ear")
- Yoon Jin-ho as Park Jong-soo
- Kim Young-ok as Chul-woong's mother
- Song Ji-eun as Kisaeng Chan
- Ko Joon-hee as Je-ni
- Wi Yang-ho as Bandit boss
- Lee Dae-yeon as Bhikkhu Myung-ahn
- Jo Hee-bong as Kkeut-bong
- Sa Hyun-jin as Jang Pil-soon
- Park Hee-jin as Village woman
- Hwang Hyeon-hee as Spy at the inn
- Kim Kyeong-jin as Boatman
- Jang Dong-min as Bookstore owner
- Jung Ho-bin as General Shin
- Jeon Se-hyeon as Wang-son's lover
Cameos
- Lee Won-jong as Double-acting slave at the training site
- Yoo Chae-yeong as Wang-son's lover
- Choi Cheol-ho as Monk inside the jail
- Oh Ji-heon as Bandit
- Jo Sung-ha as Lee Jae-joon
- Marco as Yangban
- Kim Sung-soo as Citizen
- Kim Chang-ryul as Citizen
- Lee Ha-neul as Citizen
- Han Min-kwan as Citizen
Ratings
| Date | Episode | Nationwide | Seoul |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-01-06 | 1 | 22.9% (4th) | 23.8% (3rd) |
| 2010-01-07 | 2 | 24.8% (2nd) | 25.3% (3rd) |
| 2010-01-13 | 3 | 27.2% (2nd) | 27.6% (3rd) |
| 2010-01-14 | 4 | 30.8% (2nd) | 31.4% (2nd) |
| 2010-01-20 | 5 | 30.3% (2nd) | 31.0% (1st) |
| 2010-01-21 | 6 | 33.7% (1st) | 34.9% (1st) |
| 2010-01-27 | 7 | 31.6% (1st) | 31.7% (1st) |
| 2010-01-28 | 8 | 33.5% (1st) | 34.3% (1st) |
| 2010-02-03 | 9 | 34.6% (1st) | 35.2% (1st) |
| 2010-02-04 | 10 | 35.0% (1st) | 35.8% (1st) |
| 2010-02-10 | 11 | 32.5% (1st) | 32.6% (1st) |
| 2010-02-11 | 12 | 33.9% (1st) | 34.0% (1st) |
| 2010-02-17 | 13 | 32.5% (1st) | 32.4% (1st) |
| 2010-02-18 | 14 | 31.9% (1st) | 31.7% (1st) |
| 2010-02-24 | 15 | 31.9% (1st) | 32.2% (1st) |
| 2010-02-25 | 16 | 33.4% (1st) | 33.6% (1st) |
| 2010-03-03 | 17 | 31.6% (1st) | 31.8% (1st) |
| 2010-03-04 | 18 | 33.8% (1st) | 33.8% (1st) |
| 2010-03-10 | 19 | 33.5% (1st) | 34.0% (1st) |
| 2010-03-11 | 20 | 32.0% (1st) | 31.5% (1st) |
| 2010-03-17 | 21 | 31.2% (1st) | 30.9% (1st) |
| 2010-03-18 | 22 | 30.4% (1st) | 29.6% (1st) |
| 2010-03-24 | 23 | 32.8% (1st) | 33.2% (1st) |
| 2010-03-25 | 24 | 35.9% (1st) | 36.3% (1st) |
| Average | 31.7% | 32.0% | |
Source: TNS Media Korea
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Best Screenplay (TV) | Chun Sung-il | Won | |
| Best New Director (TV) | Kwak Jung-hwan | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor (TV) | Jang Hyuk | Nominated | ||
| Best Drama | The Slave Hunters | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Korean Drama Prize Category: Best Actor | Jang Hyuk | Won | ||
| Outstanding Korean Drama Prize Category: Best Director | Kwak Jung-hwan | Won | ||
| Outstanding Korean Drama Prize Category: Grand Prize | The Slave Hunters | Won | ||
| Best Miniseries | The Slave Hunters | Won | ||
| Best Writer | Chun Sung-il | Won | ||
| Best Actor | Jang Hyuk | Won | ||
| Best Drama | The Slave Hunters | Won | ||
| Best Screenplay | Chun Sung-il | Won | ||
| Best Director | Kwak Jung-hwan | Won | ||
| Best Short TV Drama | The Slave Hunters | Won | ||
| Grand Prize (Daesang) | Won | |||
| Best Actor | Jang Hyuk | Won | ||
| Best Couple Award | Jang Hyuk and Lee Da-hae | Won | ||
| Netizens' Award, Actor | Jang Hyuk | Nominated | ||
| Oh Ji-ho | Nominated | |||
| Netizens' Award, Actress | Lee Da-hae | Nominated | ||
| Best New Actress | Kim Ha-eun | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Sung Dong-il | Won | ||
| Best Supporting Actress | Jo Mi-ryung | Nominated | ||
| Excellence Award, Actor in a Mid-length Drama | Oh Ji-ho | Won | ||
| Top Excellence Award, Actor | Jang Hyuk | Nominated | ||
| Lee Jong-hyuk | Nominated | |||
| Kim Kap-soo | Won | |||
| Top Excellence Award, Actress | Lee Da-hae | Nominated | ||
| Grand Prize (Daesang) | Jang Hyuk | Won | ||
| 2011 | Best Actor | Jang Hyuk | Nominated |
International broadcast
The broadcasting rights to the series were sold to Japan even before its television premiere in South Korea. It began airing on April 20, 2010 on Japanese cable channel So-net,[34] with reruns on Mnet Japan beginning November 1, 2010.[35]
See also
References
- ^ "PREVIEWS: 추노 (Slave Hunters)". Twitch Film. 9 November 2009. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- ^ Yoon, Hee-seong (22 December 2009). "PREVIEW: KBS TV series Chuno". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- ^ Oh, Jean (4 January 2010). "Six dramas revamping 2010 lineup". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- ^ Kang, Myoung-seok (11 February 2010). "A sneak peak into TV series The Slave Hunters". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- ^ Chung, Ah-young (9 March 2010). "Fact vs. Fiction in Slave Hunters". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- ^ Cho, Ji-eun (31 December 2010). "2010 10Asia's Awards: Drama & Director of the Year". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- ^ Oh, Jean (21 January 2010). "KBS dominates prime time line-up". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- ^ Kim, Lynn (8 January 2010). "TV series Chuno debuts with flying colors". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- ^ Kim, Lynn (15 January 2010). "Chuno ratings storm ahead". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- ^ Hong, Lucia (22 January 2010). "Slave Hunters continues to draw larger audience". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- ^ Hong, Lucia (26 February 2010). "Slave Hunters maintains grip on Wednesday and Thursday nights". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- ^ Kim, Jessica (23 August 2010). "Slave Hunters top 'Hallyu' content at Seoul Drama Awards". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- ^ Han, Sang-hee (24 August 2010). "Drama fest to offer diversity". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- ^ a b Oh, Jean (12 September 2010). "The Slave Hunters sweeps four honors". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2013-05-31.
- ^ "Outstanding Korean Drama Prize Category - Winners (2010)". Seoul International Drama Awards. Retrieved 2012-11-13.
- ^ a b Cho, Bum-ja (3 January 2011). "Jang Hyuk scores top prize at KBS Drama Awards". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- ^ Kim, Yoon-mi (4 October 2011). "Korea gets 2 International Emmy nominations". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- ^ a b Cho, Jae-eun (5 October 2011). "Korea represented at Intl. Emmys". Korea Joongang Daily. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- ^ Kim, Jessica (7 January 2010). "REVIEW: Premiere episode of KBS2 TV series Chuno". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- ^ Kang, Myoung-seok (30 March 2010). "REVIEW: Final episode of The Slave Hunters". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- ^ Kang, Myoung-seok (11 March 2010). "INTERVIEW: Actor Jang Hyuk - Part 1". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- ^ Kang, Myoung-seok (11 March 2010). "INTERVIEW: Actor Jang Hyuk - Part 2". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- ^ Choi, Ji-eun (31 December 2010). "2010 10Asia's Awards: Writer & Actor of the Year". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- ^ Kang, Hye-ran; Sung, So-young (18 February 2010). "Rom-com Romeo takes tougher role: As a runaway slave, actor Oh Ji-ho wields a sword and bites into reptiles". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2012-12-07.
- ^ Wee, Geun-woo (9 April 2010). "INTERVIEW: Actor Oh Ji-ho - Part 1". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- ^ Wee, Geun-woo (9 April 2010). "INTERVIEW: Actor Oh Ji-ho - Part 2". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- ^ Han, Sang-hee (5 January 2010). "Heroines Line Up for Dramas in 2010". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- ^ "Lee Da-hae Has Big Plans After Slave Hunters Success". The Chosun Ilbo. 10 April 2010. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- ^ Choi, Ji-eun (28 May 2010). "INTERVIEW: Han Jeong-su - Part 1". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- ^ Choi, Ji-eun (28 May 2010). "INTERVIEW: Han Jeong-su - Part 2". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- ^ Choi, Ji-eun (19 January 2010). "MY NAME IS: Kim Ji-suk". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- ^ Yoon, Hee-seong (25 February 2010). "MY NAME IS: Min Ji-ah". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
- ^ "The Slave Hunters, Best Program in 2010". KBS Global. 9 September 2010. Retrieved 2014-09-08.
- ^ Kim, Lynn (3 June 2010). "Jang Hyuk to promote The Slave Hunters in Japan". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-04-27.
- ^ Hong, Lucia (27 September 2010). "Jang Hyuk to promote The Slave Hunters in Japan". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-04-27.