Empress Cheonchu (Korean: 천추태후; Hanja: 千秋太后; RR: Cheonchu Taehu; MR: Ch'ŏnch'ŭ Ta'ehu; also known as The Iron Empress) is a 2009 South Korean period television series based on the title character, an actual historical figure and her lifelong struggle to protect the country her ancestors built.[1][2] The granddaughter of Goryeo Dynasty founder Taejo Wanggeon, the empress ruled as the regent for her son Mokjong, the dynasty's seventh ruler. Determined to realize her ambitious goals for the kingdom of Goryeo, she dons armor, battles against foreign invaders, and tramples her lover, her son and brother in her rise to power.[3]
| Empress Cheonchu | |
|---|---|
Promotional poster
| |
| Also known as | The Iron Empress |
| Written by | Son Young-mok Lee Sang-min Kang Young-ran |
| Directed by | Shin Chang-suk Hwang In-hyuk |
| Starring | Chae Shi-ra Kim Suk-hoon Choi Jae-sung Lee Deok-hwa Kim Ho-jin Shin Ae |
| Opening theme | "Opening" (various artists) |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| No. of episodes | 78 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Kim Won-yong |
| Producer | Jin Hyung-wook KBS |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | Wednesday and Thursday at 21:30 |
| Production company | KBS self-production |
| Original release | |
| Network | KBS2 |
| Release | January 1 (2009-01-01) – September 30, 2009 (2009-09-30) |
The drama is based on the historical Dowager Queen Empress Cheonchu of the Goryeo, who fought against the Liao Dynasty in order to achieve her Grandfather's personal dream of reclaiming old lands lost over the years to other associated tribes and countries such as the Khitans and some Jurchens.
The series largely revolves around her desire to influence and win back her son (later known as Mokjong) from her brother Seongjong when he decided to have his nephew succeed him as ruler. Seongjong deemed her unacceptable to raise the boy in preparation of his future as Emperor and has his barren wife raise the boy as their son.
This causes a lot of conflict between Seongjong and his sister despite their continual working together to maintain the country from external and internal threats such as the Khitan invasion and various royal court intrigues and power struggles.
There are several liberties taken in the series the most obvious is that Mokjong is depicted as having epilepsy which is part of the reason General Gang Jo later removes him from ruling the country. There are no known records supporting the supposition that the historical Mokjong had epilepsy.
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | KBS Drama Awards[5] | Top Excellence Award, Actress | Chae Shi-ra | Won |
| Excellence Award, Actor in a Serial Drama | Kim Suk-hoon | Won | ||
| Choi Jae-sung | Nominated | |||
| Excellence Award, Actress in a Serial Drama | Shim Hye-jin | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Choi Cheol-ho | Won | ||
| Kim Myung-soo | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Moon Jung-hee | Won | ||
| Best New Actress | Kim So-eun | Won | ||
| Best Young Actress | Park Eun-bin | Won | ||
| Best Couple Award | Kim Hyeong-min and Lee Eun-jung | Nominated | ||
| Kim Ho-jin and Shin Ae | Nominated |