New still cuts today

River When the Moon Rises Timeline

With the war scene appearing on the preview for episode 11, I went to dig some information that may connect the upcoming scene to actual historical records. But before that here's the brief background of King Pyeongwon and what timeline do we have now based on the story. 

King Pyeongwon reigned from 559-590 AD .

In the story, Pyeonggang is assumed to be from 16-17 years of age when she marries Ondal based on the folktale.

Thus the current timeline is around 570-575 AD. 

King Pyeongwon dies on 590 AD, to be succeeded by crown prince Yeongyang onwards.

Now according to this article, Ondal will become one of the great warriors to be recorded in history:

Quote

 

One day, Princess Pyonggang gave some money to her husband and asked him to buy a horse in the market. She advised him to select a horse disposed of by the court. She took care of the horse her husband bought devotedly and let him go hunting in mountain areas, riding it.

 

As the horse grew stronger, Ondal developed his horsemanship and archery. His skills were improved to such an extent that nobody was more excellent than he in horsemanship and archery. At that time, the Koguryo court sponsored an annual hunting festival in March. After developing his skills, Ondal participated in the festival and killed more game than any other participant. He was selected as the best hunter during the festival. The king deeply struck with his hunting skill, asked about the personal background of the winner.

Hearing that the excellent warrior was Ondal to whom his beloved daughter got married against his will, the king's heart was full of regrets for what he had done. Meanwhile, Princess Pyonggang knowing about the excellent performance of her husband during the hunting festival, felt that all hard-won and endeavors were repaid.

 

Several months had passed. Chinese soldiers led by King Wuti of the Late Chou Dynasty invaded the north-east border district of Koguryo. ( Based on this, presumably the timeline fits , because Emperor Wu's reign started from 543-578) 

 

Ondal decided to dedicate himself to the protection of his fatherland against the foreign attack.

 

Pleased with his decision, the king named him commanding general of the Koguryo army. His brave action in battlefields enhanced the morale of Koguryo soldiers and helped them beat back the enemy.

In ceremony, King Pyonggang officially called Ondal his son-in-law and appointed him to a high ranking government official position called "Taehyong."

 

King Pyonggang died after his reign of 32 years and King Yongyang succeeded to the throne.

 (590 AD)

 

One day, Ondal met the king (Yeongyang) and talked about his long-cherished dream of recapturing the land captured by Silla. With the king's consent, he led an attack against Silla.

 

Every night, princess Pyonggang prayed for his victory on the battlefield. But a messenger from the battlefield informed her of the sad news: Ondal was shot to death by an enemy arrow during a war at Castle Acha. According to him, army soldiers put the dead body in a coffin but it was stuck so fast on the ground that nothing could move it for the funeral. At first, Princess Pyonggang nearly fainted because of the sad news, but she immediately pulled herself together and hastened to the battlefield. She caressed the wooden coffin with her hands and whispered: "Your wife is here at your side. Life and death is beyond our power and decided by the heaven. Please rest in peace." Then a miracle occurred. The coffin began to move as though it had no regrets. 

 

Background on the presumed captured Goguryeo land by Silla . The place of death of Ondal was in Achasanseong Fortress , which is located at the northside of the Han River:

Quote

 In 551, King Jinheung (descendant ancestor of Queen Seondeok) allied with Baekje so that he could attack the northern Korean kingdom of Goguryeo. The result of this allied attack on Goguryeo was the conquest of the Han river estuary. The kingdoms of Baekje and Silla agreed on splitting the conquered territory equally between themselves. (wiki)

The first episode battle could be the upcoming scene tomorrow. 

Pre-release clip

Episode 1

@mademoiselle it's the nickname made by RWTR fans for Victory Content (producer) 

I have found the english article posted pages before about the origins of Ondal :

KBS drama raises questions about the 6th century Korean Romeo

Spoiler

KBS’s ongoing drama “River Where the Moon Rises” is a periodic romance based on the novel “Princess Pyeonggang” (2010) by Choi Sa-gyu, which is a fictional reinterpretation of the folktale of Princess Pyeonggang and the Fool Ondal. It first aired on Feb. 15 and after just four episodes saw its viewership rating hit 10 percent.
 
In the drama, Princess Pyeonggang is the only daughter of King Pyeongwon (?-590) but after losing her memory, ends up as an assassin. Ondal is the son of a fallen aristocratic family and the black sheep. 
 
However, as recorded in “Samguk Sagi” (1145, History of the Three Kingdoms), Ondal was a poor man who lives with his sick mother. Princess Pyeonggang married Ondal after running away from the palace because she refused to marry the son of a high-ranking official. Princess Pyeonggang raised money for their household by selling her jewelry and helped Ondal realize his potential as a soldier, who died honorably in battle.
 
The story of Princess Pyeonggang and Ondal is about a forbidden marriage that transcends social classes and is one of the most romantic stories recorded in Korean history but details about who Ondal actually was has never been verified in academia, and only theories exist. Even the place of his death remains a divided issue, with some claiming it to be Acha Mountain Fortress in Seoul while others say it was Ondal Mountain Fortress in North Chungcheong.
 
Who was this 6th century Korean Romeo? 
 
Was he a fallen aristocrat as suggested in the KBS drama?

 
This is the most widely accepted hypothesis. Goguryeo (37 B.C. to A.D. 668) had a strict rule in choosing the royal spouses, such as selecting the queen from only a certain region of the nation. Even in neighboring Silla Dynasty (57 B.C. to A.D. 935), nobleman Kim Seo-hyeon (564-?), who was the father of Kim Yu-shin (595-673), is said to have run away from his country because he could not marry his wife Princess Manmyeong (574-?).
 
Park In-ho, a researcher at the Hanllym University Museum, explained in his thesis “Koguryo's aristocracy in the 6th century around Ondal” (2004) that he was given the title of Daehyeong, “the seventh ranking in Koguryo.” Seeing as how the sons of General Yeongaesomun (603-666), who is said to have been Goguryeo’s leading politician and soldier, were given higher rankings after being named Daehyeong, it is likely that Ondal was also from a noble family, according to Park.
 
Goguryeo in the sixth century was divided among those who wanted to keep the old capital city of Guknae Castle and those who called to move to Pyongyang Castle. Park theorized that Ondal would likely be from a noble family rooting for Guknae Castle and lost in the power struggle. The description of his appalling living conditions would have been “metaphoric” of the family’s political downfall.
 
The reason that the king chose Ondal as the spouse for Princess Pyeonggang would have been a gesture of peace offered to the Guknae Castle advocates, represented by Ondal. Sixth century Goguryeo also suffered from the power-gaining Silla Dynasty and yielded the rich lands of the Han River as well as attacks from the inner continent. The king needed to unite local powers and the princess’s hand was the best peace offering.
 
 

 

Was he nouveau riche?

 
Another theory puts Ondal at the forefront of a social dynamic of the sixth century, which saw the struggle between blood-born nobles and lower class citizens gaining power through money.
 
A 1993 paper by Lim Gi-hwan, a Professor at the Seoul National University of Education, titled “The social change in sixth century Ancient Korea read through folktale of Ondal and Seodong” (translated) found that the common link between Ondal and the tale of Seodong was that both men were said to have started out poor and made their way up the social ladder by selling their wives’ riches. Seodong is the name of King Mu (580-641) who became the 30th King of Baekje (18 B.C. to A.D. 660) when he was just a child. He is said to have heard that Princess Seonhwa (date of birth and death unknown) was beautiful, so he spread rumors that he met her every night in secret. She was exiled in disgrace, but married him when she met him on her way to exile.
 
According to the paper, “During this time, the social change was accelerated due to the invention of steel farming tools and plowing using cows. There would have been a number of ordinary people who accumulated riches due to that change.” Lim described the two men as having been such cases where the lower ranks acquired gold — a symbol of wealth — and sought political power, and the two folktales tell this story.
 
Some theories suggest that Ondal was from a newly-rising noble family from Pyongang Castle rather than an old aristocratic family from the Guknae Castle. In this case, the description of his living conditions can be interpreted as the old families’ hostility toward a new player.
 

 

A stone statue of a foreigner made during the Silla Dynasty (57 B.C. to A.D. 935) is used as evidence that the Korean Peninsula was a part of the ″Silk Road″ and made transactions with the Western world. [PROVINCE OF GYEONGSANGBUK-DO]

 

 

Was he even Korean?

 
Perhaps the most daring of all theories is put forth by researcher Ji Bae-sun at Yonsei University Institute of Korean Studies who argues that Ondal was in fact not even Korean and was from Sogdiana, a middle-Asian city occupied by Scythians.
 
Ji explained at a Korean-Middle-Asian international conference held in Kazakhstan in 2014 that Ondal was born from a royal father from a Sogdian nation called Gang and a Goguryeo woman, basing her argument on the findings from two Chinese books, “Jeondangmun” (1819) and “Buksa” (659). According to the two recordings, Sogdiana was referred to as the Gang Dynasty and its royal bloodline was surnamed On. The name On had never been recorded before Ondal was mentioned in “Samguk Sagi.”
 
Ji also referred to records from China’s Tang Dynasty (618-907) that described the Sogdian people as being “brave and courageous, mostly soldiers” and “No match for any enemy in battle, as they take death for granted” in books such as “The Great Tang Dynasty Record of the Western Regions” (1857) and the “New Book of Tang” (1060).
 
“The descriptions are evidence of the hardship that children of multi-cultural families had to endure due to the strict class division in conservative Goguryeo,” Ji said in explaining the poor living conditions of Ondal within the folktale.
 
BY YOU SEONG-UN, YOON SO-YEON     [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]

 

Pre-released clip , excuse me while swim at the puddle of Goo-goryeo 

@Jane   You're here ! Welcome aboard !

Speaking of Kang Ha Neul's scene stealer in episode 10, the highest real time rating went to 9.9 because of his scene going towards the ending  ~ 

And does Tori spy on all platforms ? Because the Inwoondal chicken meme reached them ! 

About Na In Woo 's casting article 

Subbed snippet of the behind the scene

[Naver TV] ‘River Where The Moon Rises’ Episode 9 Comments and Reaction

Where did On Dal go for this nobleman to appear?! Na Inwoo who is born again (?) for his father and Gajin ☆

 1. [+355][-2] They started filming the day after the news came out about the casting for On Dal, so there mustn’t have been much time for him to analyse the character but it’s amazing, his acting is so good

 2. [+343][-3] His acting has become more natural than how it was in Mr. Queen

 3. [+219][-0] On Dal is handsome but when he dresses up more cleanly, that confident side of him is cool 💕 he’s seriously perfect for On Dal’s role

 4. [+190][-0] Seriously, his physicals are so f*cking good..

 5. [+169][-0] On Dal’s face is seriously just full of light..

Na Inwoo – On Dal who has been caught by Lee Jihoon?! Kim Sohyun appears at the moment of crisis to save her husband ♨

 1. [+291][-0] A small puppy protecting a large puppy

 2. [+220][-0] I think this is the first shot of them together, I f*cking like this  combination

 3. [+178][-1]  As expected, the princess is a princess. She was cool here

 4. [+163][-1] Is this place a feast for visuals… Everyone is really handsome..

 5. [+139][-0] Both of their acting today were sickening! I would seriously like it if Na Inwoo could do well!!!

‘I’m On Hyeop’s son, On Dal!’ Na Inwoo who reveals his identity! And Kim Beomrae who banishes both of them ♨

 1. [+497][-1] Why is Na Inwoo’s vocalisation so good… He really suits On Dal’s role ㅠㅠ The King is helping them get away by pretending to purposefully kick out the Princess

 2. [+459][-0] Na Inwoo seriously is On Dal. His voice is loud and clear and his physicals lack absolutely nothing

 3. [+395][-0] Inwoo-yah, thank you… There’s fun in watching, it’s a bumper harvest for visuals

 4. [+301][-0] Vocalisation, visuals, height – On Dal who has everything ♡ 

 5. [+289][-1] Na Inwoo is much neater looking than Jisoo and is perfectly suited for On Dal’s role. I hope this will be a blessing in disguise ~~

Master Go who only walks the path of poison ㅠ A fate too tightly intertwined…! Perfectly ends before it even starts..ㅠㅠ

 1. [+361][-5] I think I’ve said it more than 50,000 times so far, but I’ll say it again: let’s live together as the three of you

 2. [+316][-2] Lee Jihoon’s acting today was seriously… His feelings of desire to have the princess were so desperate that it was heartbreaking…

 3. [+279][-5] I wish we could see Kim Sohyun and Lee Jihoon’s chemistry again in another work ㅠㅠ Both of them suit each other so well that it’d be nice to see them meet again with a love line without burying Na Inwoo

 4. [+266][-3] It’s so funny that On Dal wins with strength because he hasn’t learnt the martial arts ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Let’s learn the martial arts from Pyeonggang and become a great General On Dal

 5. [+242][-5] Master Go, please cling on to the princess – it’s more fun that way,,,, You get me?

※Bloodboiling innocence※ A first night as a couple! Dal-ie who’s full of strength ~ ͜ʖ ͡°

 1. [+883][-2] I was surprised because On Dal looked like such a fool.. Not a Goguryeo-type face but a Chigor-Jabjon type of face (T/N: mutt dog breed found in Korea)… He looks like a Golden Retriever.. because he’s so big and so cute

 2. [+877][-1] They really cast Na Inwoo well.. Who could’ve acted out that fool, he’s cute ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

 3. [+625][-1] Na Inwoo going outside and doing that because he was embarrassed is so cute ㅋㅋㅋ I was smiling the whole time I watched it ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

 4. [+581][-3] I’d really like for Na Inwoo to do well. I thought his voice, gaze, handsomeness, height and personality were good after watching Mr. Queen ㅋㅋㅋ It’d be weird if he didn’t get popular

 5. [+510][-0] No seriously isn’t their chemistry insane?? My heart raced so much and the kiss scene I almost died..

Application for the world’s sweetest fight ♥ A sweet challenge brought about by On Dal-Na Inwoo’s actions, who’s more sly than you might think ☆

 1. [+1400][-5] Someone please bring my cheekbones down ㅎㅎㅎㅎㅎ It’s so heart-fluttering that I think my lips are going to rip ㅎㅎㅎ Why are the two of them so cute? I think they would have made lots of NGs whilst shooting this scene – both of them laughed for real

 2. [+1267][-5] A cute kiss in a historical drama.. Thank you so much.. I don’t know if I should be able to watch this for free

 3. [+1136][-5]  Why is our fool On Dal so innocent and cute ㅋㅋㅋ His moonlight gymnastics in the middle of the night. Both of their acting skills match well together and my heart raced like crazy for the first time in a while

 4. [+1066][-5] This is the cutest kiss scene I’ve seen recently ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

 5. [+964][-4] Both of them are so cute because they’re both embarrassed ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Thank you @mademoiselle for the behind the scenes clip ! 

@Tofu so happy that Tori granted our wishes for the kissu scene. The scene was actually long, and maybe because of time constraints they reduced it. The warmth atmosphere is very evident, as what Tori mentioned during their press release few days back.

About overall feedback on NIW's portrayal, I am not sure on the consensus from other platforms, but on Twitter and on Naver talk, the response is great and supporting NIW, KSH including the staff/production for the best effort they are doing for the refilming. 

I saw some few comments still wishing for JS as ondal, but I guess it is just a matter of preference already ? 

Articles about NIW also released today, praising the immersion as the new Ondal. Here is the highlight of the casting :

Some snippets I love from the filming -- NIW is a hyung collector indeed. And Go Geun found a baby giant to baby sit  

Episode 10 highlights 

PREVIEW

Bonus

 Lily Lily - The Destiny Given To Me

You live in my eyes
Can you see me in your eyes too?
My heart that was reflected indifferently
Was covered by the clouds and couldn’t reach you
Even if it takes long
Even if time endlessly passes
My love, my love
Some day, I’ll look into your eyes
And see myself reflected
What I want
Is that alone
Deep in my heart that I don’t even know about
I felt a trembling feeling for the first time
My heart aches and yearns
I want to tell you some how
Even if it takes long
Even if time endlessly passes
My love, my love
Some day, I’ll look into your eyes
And see myself reflected
That’s all I need
It’s like this destiny has already been given to me
All of me inside wants you
The person in my dreams from along ago, it’s you
Even if you don’t recognize me
I’ll go to you
I’ll recognize you
I just need to see myself reflected in your eyes
What I want
Is that alone
That’s all I need

Pre- released clip for Episode 10 😍

@Tofu the kissing scene is no.1 trending on Naver, apart from theqoo post that is most talked up to now 🥰🥰

New OST coming out today

VC updates ig with new ost released announcement 🙌🏻🙌🏻
Cap- the song in yesterday's episode of #RiverWhereTheMoonRisesEp9 captivate all of your eyes Llily lilys "destiney given to me" will be relesed today at 12noon.kst. 

#KimSoHyun #NaInWoo #RiverWhereTheMoonRises

The cover photo is 

Cute kissing scene in sageuk 

They are so cute, help 

Preview : 

Episode 9 live cap

The coffee truck sent yesteday was crowfunded by NIW fans

12 hours ago, Tofu said:

Maybe it's just me, but the photos don't work for me, @bluepebbles 

 Oh no, will repost it then tonight! 
 

new stills 

𝐹𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓃 𝓃𝑜𝒷𝓁𝑒? 𝒫𝓎𝑜𝓃𝑔𝓎𝒶𝓃𝑔 𝒹𝑒𝓈𝒸𝑒𝓃𝓉? 𝒜𝓇𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝒶 𝓂𝓊𝓁𝓉𝒾𝒸𝓊𝓁𝓉𝓊𝓇𝒶𝓁 𝒻𝒶𝓂𝒾𝓁𝓎? 𝒲𝒽𝑜 𝒲𝒶𝓈 𝒪𝓃𝒹𝒶𝓁

Reporter Yoo Seong-woon (translated thru papago)

KBS ' Monday-Tuesday drama 'River Where the Moon Rises' is a faction historical drama reinterpreting the story of Ondal and Princess Pyeonggang based on the novel 『Pyeonggang Princess』 ( 2010 ). It is gaining favorable reviews, such as recording a 10 % rating in the first 4 episodes of the drama that was aired .

Princess Pyeonggang is the only daughter of King Pyeongwon, but she lives as an assassin with her memory lost, and Ondal is the son of a fallen aristocratic family, who is treated as a traitor.

In fact, since the story of Ondal and Princess Pyeonggang recorded in 『The Three Kingdoms Sagi』 contains a dramatic story and marriage that transcends status, various theories have been raised in academia for a long time about 'Who is Ondal?'.

Also, regarding the place where Ondal died, Achasanseong in Achasan in Seoul and Ondalsanseong in Danyang in Chungcheongbuk-do are insisting on a connection with each other. In both regions, stories related to him have come down. Then, who was the Ondal recorded in the 6th century history?

① Is Ondal a fallen aristocrat?

It is the most widely accepted hypothesis. Goguryeo has been a country that has been strict about royal marriages for generations, including the release of queens from Zhanobu.
Kim Seo-hyun, a Silla aristocrat and father of Kim Yu-shin, was even running away at night because marriage to 10,000 royal family members was not accepted. Park In-ho, a researcher at the Hallim University Museum, said in a paper titled "The 6th Century Goguryeo aristocracy through Ondal,"

"The first government office received by Ondal was Goguryeo's 7th government post. Considering that Yeon Gaeseng and Yeonnamsan were also in formation, Ondal's status was high."

He also claimed that he may be an aristocrat from a domestic sect who lost his power amid a political turmoil at the level of civil war between the Korean and Pyongyang factions in Goguryeo in the first half of the 6th century. The underprivileged environment is also a metaphor for the political collapse of the Ondal family.

Then why did the king choose Ondal? The 6th century was when Silla lost the Han River basin as its challenges became stronger. Infringement from the continent has also become frequent. Researcher Park argues that the king needed to rally his national power to overcome the external crisis and offered a hand of reconciliation to the domestic sect represented by Ondal.

②Is Ondal a Gaecheonyong?

(Means a dragon who rises from a small stream, an analogy of someone  from a poor background has overcome hardships and worked hard to become extremely successful )

On the other hand, there is a more active interpretation of social changes in the 6th century.

Lim Ki-hwan, a professor of social education at Seoul National University of Education, paid attention to the connection between Ondal and Seo-dong in the 6th century with a paper titled "The Story of Ondal and Seo-dong in Ancient Korea." This is because they all came from poor low status and became sons-in-law of the king, and with the help of their wives (princesses), they sold gold or treasure to make wealth.

Professor Lim said, "At this time, socioeconomic fluctuations accelerated due to the spread of iron farming equipment and right-wing, and there must have been a group of ordinary people who accumulated a considerable economic foundation," and described it as being rich from gold. In other words, even in the lower social class, those who accumulated wealth symbolized as "golden" also sought political advancement and growth, which reflects this social atmosphere.

Contrary to the hypothesis that it was a domestic sect, some predicted that it would be an emerging aristocratic power based in Pyongyang, which was ignored by the long-established domestic sect. The slurred description of Ondal reflects the antipathy of the historic central nobles.

③ Did Ondal come from a West country?

It is the boldest theory. It is claimed that Ondal is from Sogdia, a western country on the Silk Road. "Ondal is a son of Sogdia's royal family, who was called a river country at the time, and was born to a Goguryeo woman," said honorary professor of history and culture at Yonsei University at the Korea-Central Asia International Conference co-hosted by Korea University's CIS

Professor Ji cited records in Chinese librarians such as "Jundangmun" and "Buksa" that read "Sogdia was called a powerhouse and the royal family was called "On". Before Ondal, you cannot see Onsi Castle anywhere in the " Samguk Sagi."

In addition, the Chinese records of the Tang Dynasty, such as "Daedangseo Station" and "Shindangseo," show that the people here are "excellent and courageous." Most of them are warriors... Ondal made brave contributions in the battle and how these families moved to Goguryeo, citing the fact that it was recorded as taking death for granted and that "there was no country that would not go if it could benefit when the man turned 20." Professor Ji explained in "The History of the Three Kingdoms" that "Ondal's appearance was ridiculous and ran out of clothes and worn-out gods" that "he described the same difficulties that children from multicultural families experienced today in Goguryeo, where the status order is strict."

@Tofu To add to our excitement

Tori's new still cut 

This meme is gonna last for a while  

Meanwhile Tori keep on teasing us until Monday 

Some production issues for the refilming surfaced   

By the way in episode 4, Ba Reum mentioned to Bong Yi that he spread his parent's ashes in the sea. The house was also bought thanks to his parent's insurance after they died.  (Unless I have translation issues from VIU)

If he is the baby of the second mom, he should have mentioned "mom". His father died before he was born. Unless his mom remarries. Interestingly, Bong Yi noticed the photo with his mom in the living room. No photos of his dad.

For Yohan, there is no indication yet the he is fond of animals. It was always Ba Reum.

So my hunch is

Moon Chae Won DC Gallery message, she's so thoughtful 

After having been crying all night, I meet morning with the sound of the approaching spring," or something like "Sorrowful night turns into morning with the sound of the spring approaching

KBS released pre-release video !