Lee San, Wind of the Palace

Yi San, also known as Lee San, Wind of the Palace, is a 2007 South Korean historical drama, starring Lee Seo-jin and Han Ji-min. It aired on MBC from September 17, 2007 to June 16, 2008 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55. The series was directed by Lee Byung-hoon, who also created the award-winning television series Dae Jang Geum.

Lee Seo-jin and Han Ji-min received recognition for their performances at the MBC Drama Awards.

Synopsis
The series dramatizes the life of Korea's King Jeongjo, the 22nd ruler of the Joseon Dynasty. Jeongjo is remembered in Korean history for his sympathy with the plight of the common man, in spite of his own pampered upbringing as royalty.

The drama begins with the King's early years, during which he befriends two children working in the Palace who are later expelled. King Yeongjo (Yi San's grandfather) seals San's father, Crown Prince Sado, in a rice chest with no food or water because he fears that the Crown Prince is planning a coup. San wants to save his father, and with the help of his friends Seong Song-yeon and Park Dae-su, begs King Yeongjo to forgive the Crown Prince.

The drama then skips forward to Jeongjo's adult years when he and his friends re-establish contact with each other. Throughout, his position as heir is threatened by palace intrigues.

Yi San begins to fall in love with one of his childhood friends, Seong Song-yeon, whose father, a palace artist, died when she was young. The story then follows his rise to power, his assumption of the kingship, and the labyrinthine palace intrigues that he must constantly guard against from the Noron Faction.

While the show does deviate from the historical record in a number of ways, its representation of court life during the Joseon Dynasty appears to be based on contemporary sources.

Main

 * Lee Seo-jin as Yi San/King Jeongjo
 * Park Ji-bin as young San
 * The main protagonist in the series. He is the only son of Crown Prince Sado and Lady Hyegyeong.


 * Han Ji-min as Seong Song-yeon/Seong Ui-bin'''
 * Lee Han-na as young Song-yeon
 * King Jeongjo's love interest. She is the daughter of a skilled palace artist and thus has a fondness for art.


 * Lee Jong-soo as Park Dae-su
 * Kwon Jung-min as young Dae-su
 * King Jeongjo's favorite military officer.


 * Kyeon Mi-ri as Lady Hyegyeong
 * Jeongjo's mother.


 * Park Eun-hye as Queen Hyoui
 * King Jeongjo's primary wife, born into the Cheongpung Kim clan.


 * Lee Soon-jae as King Yeongjo
 * Jeongjo's grandfather. He was the 21st King of Joseon before San took over.


 * Kim Yeo-jin as Queen Jeongsun
 * King Yeongjo's second wife.


 * Sung Hyun-ah as Princess Hwawan
 * Yeongjo's beloved daughter.


 * Cho Yeon-woo as Jeong Hu-gyeom
 * Princess Hwawan's adoptive son.


 * Han Sang-jin as Hong Guk-yeong
 * King Jeongjo's right-hand man, as well as distant cousin to his mother, Lady Hyegyeong.


 * Song Chang-eui as Jeong Yak-yong
 * A scholar from the Confucian Academy and a member of the Namin Faction.


 * Lee Ip-sae as Yang Cho-bi
 * A damo at the Bureau of Painting.


 * Park Young-ji as Kim Gwi-joo
 * Queen Jeongsun's older brother and a member of the Noron Faction.


 * Maeng Sang-hoon as Nam Si-cho
 * San's chief eunuch.


 * Han In-soo as Chae Je-gong
 * San's administrative assistant and Minister of the Tribunal.


 * Ji Sang-ryeol as Yi Cheon/Lee Chun
 * A Royal Artist at the Bureau of Painting.


 * Yoo Min-hyuk as Tak Ji-soo
 * Another Royal Artist at the Bureau of Painting.


 * Cha Jae-dol as Crown Prince Munhyo
 * The infant son of King Jeongjo and Ui-bin Seong who died at the age of four.

Others (fictional characters)

 * Yoo Jung-suk as Seong Song-wook
 * Song-yeon's little brother


 * Jung Ho-keun as Min Joo-shik
 * Son Il-kwon as Oh Jung-ho
 * Gyeong In-seon as Mak-seon
 * Lee Jung-young as Shin-geom
 * Baek Min as Eo-ui
 * Hwang Il-chung
 * Maeng Bong-hak
 * Jo Jae-yoon as Kkak Jung-yi
 * Lee Jung-sung

Special appearance

 * Lee Chang-hoon as Crown Prince Sado
 * King Jeongjo's father and Yeongjo's son


 * Hwang Geum-hee as Royal Noble Consort Wonbin Hong
 * Kang San as Prince Eunjeon
 * Choi Jung-woo as Sado's eunuch
 * Yoo Jae-suk
 * Park Myung-soo
 * Jeong Jun-ha
 * Jung Hyung-don
 * Noh Hong-chul
 * Im Hyun-sik

Episode Ratings
Yi San was popular and recorded a solid viewership rate (average) of 26.4% (Nationwide) and 28.6% (Seoul) and a peak of 35.3% (Nationwide) and 38.6% (Seoul)

International Broadcast
In Sri Lanka, the drama aired on Rupavahini dubbed in Sinhala from 7 July 2014 to 9 February 2015. Under the title, යහපත් මහරජ - Yahapath Maharaja