Lee Byeong-hoon

Orphaned Jang-geum becomes the first female physician in the Joseon Dynasty and her determination is tested when people around her start showing their true faces.

At the young age of 11, Lee San witnesses his father Crown Prince Sado's death, but he does not lose his cheerfulness with his strong heart and a gentle personality. He even inherits his grandfather's intelligence, King Yeongjo, and a warm view toward humans. Lee San, who is good at both studying and martial arts, becomes the next king after Yeongjo. Song Yeon is the woman King Jeongjo loves. Song Yeon is talented in painting thanks to her father from a flower garden. While running errands in the royal art department, she enters the palace and establishes a relationship with Lee San. Will Lee San be able to overcome various schemes, stand up against maligning forces, and ascend as a king? And will he be able to achieve love with Song Yeon despite their difference in status?

Set during the reign of King Sukjong in the Joseon dynasty, the story focuses on Dong Yi, a water maid who gains the trust of Queen Inhyeon and later the favour of the king when he is moved by her prayers for the health of the Queen during the court disputes caused by Jang Hee Bin. Dong Yi becomes a concubine with the rank of sook-bin and bears a son who will later become the 21st king of Joseon, Yeongjo.

Jeonokseo, the most horrifying prison in Joseon, is where Ok Nyeo was born. This genius girl learns the art of living from the most eccentric people of the time. Despite the difficulties, Ok Nyeo grows up to introduce a human rights institution of Joseon to protect the weak.

Born into a low caste, Baek Gwang Hyeon first started working as a horse doctor, then worked his way up to become a famous veterinarian. Eventually, he became a doctor appointed to the royal palace, honoured with the distinction of being the king’s personal doctor. He was the first Oriental medicine doctor who practised surgical treatments in the field of Oriental medicine, and for this, he became a famous doctor and acupuncture specialist throughout Asia. His tumultuous life story, which begins with him surviving on the bottom rungs of society, encapsulates the deep humanism that he practised when healing patients.

The eigth installment of 500 Years of Joseon Dynasty covers the reign of King Sukjong in the late 17th-early 18th Centuries.

The third episode of 500 Years of Joseon Dynasty deals with the period of history spanning from the reign of King Munjong, the first son of Sejong, to the chaos of Yeonsangun's rule.