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TV SERIES · 2006–2007 · SOUTH KOREA

Jumong

Episodes
81

10 archived facts 2 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026

Jumong, the 2006 MBC drama about the founder of Goguryeo, and the political fights over his legacy in China and Japan.

10 Interesting Facts About Jumong

Interesting Facts (9)

  1. #001

    A number of Shinto shrines in Japan are dedicated to Goguryeo kings, Jumong among them; they were built by Goguryeo refugees who fled to the Japanese islands after their kingdom fell.

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  2. #002

    MBC initially ordered 60 episodes of "Jumong," but the drama's huge popularity led the network to extend the run to 81.

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  3. #003

    The show's success spawned a children's program: the series was adapted into an animated version titled "Adventures of Jumong."

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  4. #004

    When "Jumong" aired in Hong Kong, the translation of key terms in the historical drama stirred considerable controversy. Mainland Chinese investors who had bought ATV raised doubts among viewers about the channel's impartiality in reporting the news. The history of Goguryeo, the kingdom founded by Jumong, also became the subject of heated debate between the Chinese and South Korean governments.

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  5. #005

    The blogger praised Song Il Guk for making Jumong's aging over the course of the series believable.

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  6. #006

    Won Ki Joon drew criticism from the blogger for leaning too heavily on one bad-smell expression as Prince YounPo, a habit the blogger likened to Joey's method acting in Friends.

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  7. #007

    After launching the Northeast Project in 2002, Chinese researchers argued that the people of Goguryeo were ancient Chinese and that the kingdom had no direct connection to later Korean dynasties.

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  8. #008

    Chinese researchers present Jumong as an ordinary monarch rather than the son of heaven, which demotes him from emperor to provincial ruler.

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  9. #009

    Japanese nationalists have often renamed these shrines, but they are now maintained by Japanese-Koreans seeking to preserve their historical ancestry.

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Deeper Meaning (1)

  1. #010

    MBC's 2006 drama Jumong stripped out most of the traditional mythology, giving Jumong a fully human rather than divine origin.

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Sources & editorial notes

Reference databases

  • IMDb IMDb title page (trivia)

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