Jun Ji Hyun’s ‘Kingdom: Ashin of the North’ is Fueled by Vengeance + Illustrates Origins of Life and Death
Netflix's "Kingdom: Ashin of the North" took the thriller genre to a whole new level as it set the bar high for the K-zombie series.
The visually stunning cinematography, and not to mention the brilliant storyline penned by screenwriter Kim Eun Hee, exceeded the audience's expectations as it focuses on "the beginning of everything, the root of it all."
"Kingdom: Ashin of the North" Highlights: Ashin Discovers the Resurrection Plant
The 92-minute spin-off illustrates the origin of the chaos that engulfed the whole Kingdom.
Ashin, played by Jun Ji Hyun, belonged to the Seongjiyan tribe, who settled in Joseon-era Korea.
Her people became loyal to Korea for letting them settle in their land--this includes her father, Ta Hab (Kim Roe Ha), who works for the head of the Royal Commandery Division Min Chi Rok (Park Byung Eun.)
In one scene, he was ordered by Min Chi Rok to spread the word that a tiger killed 15 Jurchen people.
There, he advised Ashin to look after her family until he comes back.
On the other hand, in hopes of finding a cure for her sick mother, the young Ashin (Kim Shi Ah) traversed to the forbidden mountain to find the precious wild ginseng but ended up laying her hands on the purple flower, which was then called the resurrection plant.
The inscription wrote that the plant has restorative power that can bring back the dead, "but you have to pay the price."
As she returned from her quest, Ashin found that her whole tribe, including her family, were slaughtered and burned to the ground.
Despite the devastating situation and intense grief, Ashin is resilient and eager to survive to know the truth behind the attack.
Here, she sought the help of the royal commandery and begged him to get revenge no matter how long it takes.
Ashin grew up behind the enemy's fence as she trained herself to be strong and skilled in archer.
At the camp, people are looking down on her for being the "traitor" of her tribe; given that she was the only survivor, she realized that she must be the force of her own revenge.
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Ashin Reunites with her Father
While at the Joseon camp, she served as the spy to find the plans of the Pajeowi tribe.
She had no choice but to follow the Royal Commandery head's order and cross the river to get to their camp.
At one of the huts, she saw an old man who was held captive by one of the Pajeowi men. Ashin was surprised upon seeing his father weak and tied in a chain.
Unable to get him out of the place, Ta Hab instructed his daughter to kill him.
"Kingdom: Ashin of the North" illustrates what prompted Jun Ji Hyun's character for vengeance.
Upon sneaking to the Royal Commandery's office, she learned that Joseon wiped off the Seongjiyan village where her people and family belonged.
Ashin is more than ever fueled by the desire to avenge her tribe with the help of the resurrection plant that turned the whole camp into a pit of hungry flesh-eating creatures.
"Kingdom: Ashin of the North" wraps up with Jun Ji Hyun's character, who promised her people to join them after "killing every living thing from Joseon and Jurchen soil."
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KDramastars owns this article.
Written by Geca Wills
