Movie Reviews: The Tale of Nokdu

The Tale of Nokdu (조선로코 녹두전) is a 2019 South Korean television series starring Jang Dong-yoon, Kim So-hyun, Kang Tae-oh and Jung Joon-ho. It is based on the webtoon by Hye Jin-yang which was published in 2014 on Naver Webtoon. It premiered on KBS2 on September 30, 2019.

Set in Joseon dynasty, the series is about a man who disguises as a woman to enter a mysterious women-only village; and a young woman who does not want to become a kisaeng.

Jun Nok Du (Jang Dong Yoon) is the son of a noble family. He is not happy that his family has arranged for him to marry a young girl. To avoid the marriage, Jun Nok Du runs away from home. He disguises himself as a woman and goes to a widow village. There, he meets Dong Dong Joo (Kim So Hyun) who is an apprentice to become a gisaeng. She does not want to become a gisaeng, but Dong Dong Joo doesn’t have a choice. She happens to know that Jun Nok Du is not a woman and she hears the reason why he is hiding in the widow village. Jun Nok Du saves Dong Dong Joo from a dangerous situation. She becomes Jun Nok Du’s adopted daughter and he decides to live in the widow village for 1 year.

Jeon Nok-Du lives on an island with his father and older brother. He is smart and a good swordsman. Since he was little, his father did not let him study or go to the mainland. One day, his father and older brother are attacked by a group of female assassins. Jeon Nok-Du chases after one of the assassins to the capital. During that time, Jeon Nok-Du meets Dong Dong-Ju. She wants to shoot the King with her arrow, but Jeon Nok-Du saves her from trouble. Meanwhile, the assassin that Jeon Nok-Du chases goes into a widow village. To find out who and why his family was attacked, Jeon Nok-Du disguises himself as a woman and enters the widow village. There, he meets Dong Dong-Ju again. She is an apprentice to become a gisaeng.