Age of Warriors

Age of Warriors covers fifty years of Goryeo history, from the military coup of 1170 that stripped the royal court of real power through to the death of military ruler Choe Chung-heon in 1219. Across that span, the series follows the generals who seized control of the kingdom from the throne, among them Jeong Jung-bu, Yi Ui-bang and Yi Ui-min, as each in turn rises to power only to be undone by the next round of plots and assassinations within the military regime.

The story eventually centers on Choe Chung-heon, who outlasts his rivals to found a line of military rulers that would control Goryeo in all but name for decades, while several kings of the period, from Injong through Gojong, remain largely figureheads as real authority stays in the hands of whoever controls the army. The series is built around near-constant political maneuvering, coups and battlefield sequences rather than a single romance or family plot.

Kim Kap-soo stars as Choe Chung-heon, with Seo In-seok as Yi Ui-bang, Lee Deok-hwa as Yi Ui-min and Kim Heung-ki as Jeong Jung-bu, in a 158-episode production that aired on KBS1 from 2002 to 2003 and was, at the time, the largest television production in Korean history.