The KBS TV2 drama "The Slave Hunters" (director Kwak Jung-hwan, writer Chun Seon-il), which will premiere January 6, will feature a vast array of items that were actually used in the Joseon era. The weapons used by the slave hunters, played by Jang Hyuk, Han Jin-soo and Kim Ji-seok, to catch runaway slaves look very realistic.
Jang Hyuk, Han Jin-soo and Kim Ji-seok are the Joseon era "ubersexuals." Their weapons are bows, folding maps and compasses.
"The Slave Hunters" features true-to-life chase scenes that cannot be seen even in historic documents. The magnificent scale, tight-knit plot and breathtaking action scenes of the drama have drawn significant attention long before its release. Its high-profile cast, which includes Jang Hyuk, Lee Da-hae, Oh Ji-ho, Kong Hyung-jin, Lee Jong-hyuk, Seong Dong-il, Kim Ji-seok and Han Jung-soo, is another reason this drama has received the spotlight.
Unlike other epic dramas, this drama depicts the lives of commoners of the Joseon era and stands apart for more realistic and true-to-life scenes. Jang Hyuk, Kim Ji-seok and Han Jung-soo play slave hunters, who use unique weapons and act in fast-paced and engaging action scenes.
One of the most eye-catching weapons used by the slave hunters are small bows, which have round arrowheads and are softer than other bows. But counter to their innocent looks, they have an enormous destructive power. Arrows are inserted in bamboo cases before shooting and have the shooting range of 600 meters (the shooting range of regular bows is about 180 meters). They are more frightening than bullets and they were regarded as the best weapon of the Joseon era. In the drama, Dae-gil uses a bow to target Tae-ha, who rides in a boat, despite the long distance between them. In this scene, viewers will see the sharp and charismatic look in Jang Hyuk's eyes as well as his strong arms that never waver.
To make the chase scenes more realistic, the production team exerted special effort. The slave hunters are shown using compasses and maps when discussing pursuit routes and use special signals to notify one another of problems. Thanks to diverse accessories and tools, they perfectly portray slave hunters, who were the objects of horror among Joseon slaves. The map that slave hunters are shown to carry and use to ferret out runaway slaves is particularly impressive as it breaks the stereotype that Joseon slave hunters roamed blindly in search of slaves using primitive methods.
The special KBS TV drama "The Slave Hunters" will premiere January 6.
Source http://english.kbs.co.kr
