Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth

Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth is a South Korean television series starring Park Seo-joon, Go A-ra, and Park Hyung-sik. It aired on Monday and Tuesday on KBS2 from December 19, 2016 to February 21, 2017.

I. Synopsis

Queen Jiso, as regent, has been the ruler Silla since the death of her father, King Beopheung, while keeping her son, Sammaekjong, hidden from enemies and assassins. As the young King comes of age, citizens, officials and Sammaekjong himself, have all grown impatient for her to cede power. However, the powerful nobles that tried to usurp the power continue to eye the throne, and Jiso fears the consequences of her ceding it. In order to break the power of the nobles, who have grown accustomed to their privileges under the bone rank system, Jiso plans to create a new elite group, the Hwarang, that will cut across the existing power factions, and to bind them to protect her son and the throne. As this new elite group of male youths bond and grow, they are unaware that within their number is their King, Sammaekjong, and Kim Sun-woo, a commoner with a secret even he is not aware of.

II. Trailer

III. Main Cast

	Park Seo-joon as Moo-myung/Kim Sun-woo A man of low birth who assumes the identity of Kim Sun-woo and rises to become a legendary warrior.		Park Hyung-sik as Sammaekjong/Kim Ji-dwi The young king who has gone into hiding; he joins the Hwarang under an assumed name.
	Go A-ra as Kim Ah-ro A young woman with a cheerful and straightforward personality.

IV. Supporting Cast

	Choi Min-ho as Kim Soo-ho A hot-blooded and chivalrous noble and rivals of Ban-ryu.		Do Ji-han as Park Ban-ryu A cold-blooded noble torn between his biological and adoptive fathers.
	Kim Tae-hyung as Seok Han-sung The youngest Hwarang, a bright and innocent boy with a warm personality.		Jo Yoon-woo as Kim Yeo-wool A mysterious, but thoughtful and caring member of the Hwarang.
	Sung Dong-il as Kim Wi-hwa The first Pungwolju of the Hwarang.		Kim Hyeon-jun as Seok-Dan-se Han-sung's elder half brother and Sun-woo's trainee.
	Yoo Jae-myung as Pah-oh Sammaekjong's personal bodyguard who looks after him as a father.		Kim Ji-soo as Queen Jiso Silla's acting Queen Regent who founds the Hwarang.
	Choi Won-young as Kim Ahn-ji A former noble who was driven into poverty, Ah-ro and Sun-woo's father.		Song Young-kyu as Kim Hwi-kyung Queen Jisoo's elder brother, his name was removed from the Royal Family due to illness.
	Seo Yae-ji as Princess Suk-myung Sammaekjong's half-sister and future consort.		Lee Da-in as Kim Soo-yeon Ah-ro's closest friend and Soo-ho's younger sister.
	Kim Won-hae as Woo Reuk A renowned musician and inventor and Moo-myung's foster father.		Kim Kwang-kyu as Pi Joo-ki Owner of the Dayiseo store and Sutabaksu tea house.
	Kim Chang-wan as Park Young-shil Ban-ryu's adoptive father, leader of opposition who wishes to kill the king.		Lee Byung-joon as Park Ho Ban-ryu's biological father, indebeted to Park Young-shil
	Lee Kwang-soo as Mak-moon/Kim Sun-woo Moo-myung's friend who is killed after seeing the king's face.

V. Soundtracks

VI. Reception

The show was noted for it's star-studded cast, but received critism for it's distractive storytelling. The series averaged a rating of 8.4% nationwide.

VII. Awards and Nominations