Is the classic historical K-drama Hwarang inspired by a true story? The truth behind ancient Korean knights, explored

Historical K-drama Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth, which debuted on KBS2 in December 2016, became an instant favorite due to its unique premise and an ensemble cast, including popular K-pop group BTS' Kim Tae-hyung (V).

The K-drama explored a group of elite warriors formed by Queen Jiso in the Silla Kingdom to protect her throne and her son from external forces. The show starred Park Hyung-sik, Park Seo-joon and Go Ara in main roles.

While the complicated story and relationships between the characters were fictional, the concept was inspired by real life.

Hwarang, or popularly known as the flowering youth, were an elite warrior group of males who existed in the 6th-century Silla Kingdom and were active till the early 10th century.

The etymology of the word breaks into Hwa (flower) and rang (man), literally meaning flower man, which is why the group of males were primarily known for their beauty, as shown in the K-drama too.

While the term Hwarang came to be associated with common shamans post the 12th century, they were a revered and strong group in the 10th century in the Silla Kingdom.

More on this in our story.

Who were the Hwarang? Decoding the enigma of ancient Silla knights

While the K-drama is not based on any particular Hwarang, but is inspired by this elite group of males, who were equivalent to English knights or the French chevaliers. They were primarily known for their attractiveness and physical beauty and attained proper education and military training stemming from Korean Buddhism.

In the K-drama, Queen Jiso formed the elite warrior group to protect her throne and son, Sammaekjong. She was frustrated by the power struggles within the Silla Kingdom and wanted to break the rank system. So, she created a group of powerful youth who would not abide by this shallow hierarchy.

Since she was weak after her father's death and the people around her wanted her to cede power, she created Hwarang, who not only protected her throne but also the future king.

While the motive behind the creation of the actual elite group was the same, they were not created by a Queen. According to Korean history, Jinheung of Silla, the 24th monarch, created this elite group of warriors to drive away enemies from the Han River (Seoul) area.

Interestingly, Park Hyung-sik's character Sammaekjong is based on this monarch, who later joins the elite group himself. In reality, too, he was the one who led the group to victory and combated many enemy lines with them.

How accurate is the K-drama in its depiction of the Hwarang?

While the Joseon era is the most commonly used period in historical K-dramas, it was interesting and exciting to see an unexplored era on the small screen. The Silla kingdom is not only lesser known, but its history is interesting.

While it was the smallest area in comparison to the two other regions at that time, the monarch managed to defeat them both with his group of elite men.

The K-drama is almost accurate in its descriptions, except for the fictional romantic relationships. While there were complicated romantic and platonic relationships within the group, there is no way of knowing their actual inner workings.

However, Hwarang did a great job in adapting and depicting the flower youth's lifestyle on screen. As opposed to the Joseon era, men used to wear their long hair open, and instead of hanbok, they wore traditional Chinese clothing called hanfu.

The visual aspects of the actual flower youth are depicted accurately, as all the cast members donned beautiful and long hair, which became quite popular among the fans.

In addition, the K-drama also aptly depicted the friendships and brotherhood between the group, as seen between the characters. Their unity was a big strength, and the K-drama adapted it beautifully on-screen.

Lastly, fans connected to this historical K-drama because it explored an unknown period of Korean history through excellent storytelling.

Trending

For the latest scoops on your favorite TV shows and movies, follow SoapCentral.

Also Read: I just found out Dear Hongrang star Lee Jae-wook starred in another historical K-drama

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback