''Arthdal Chronicles'' () is a

South Korean television series Korean drama (), also known as K-drama or Koreanovela, refers to Korean-language television shows made in South Korea. These shows began to be produced around the early 1960s, but were mostly consumed domestically until the rise of the Korean Wa ...

written by Kim Young-hyun and Park Sang-yeon and directed by Kim Won-seok, under the production banner of

Studio Dragon Studio Dragon Corporation () is a South Korean Korean drama, drama production, marketing and distribution company under CJ ENM CJ ENM Entertainment Division, Entertainment Division. It was established on May 3, 2016, as a Corporate spin-off, sp ...

and KPJ. Starring

Jang Dong-gun Jang Dong-gun (born March 7, 1972) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his leading roles in the films ''Friend'' (2001) and '' Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War'' (2004). Jang is one of the highest-paid actors and celebrity endorsers in ...

and

Kim Ok-vin Kim Ok-vin (; born 3 January 1987), also known as Kim Ok-bin, is a South Korean actress. She made her debut in an online beauty contest in 2004, and began her acting career with a role in the 2005 film ''Voice''. She appeared in the television ...

in both seasons, joined by

Song Joong-ki Song Joong-ki (; born September 19, 1985) is a South Korean actor who primarily works in television. His accolades include two Baeksang Arts Awards, one Buil Film Award and two Blue Dragon Film Awards. Since 2012, he has appeared on ''Forbe ...

and

Kim Ji-won Kim Ji-won (; born October 19, 1992) is a South Korean actress. She gained recognition through her roles in Korean drama, television series ''The Heirs'' (2013) and ''Descendants of the Sun'' (2016), before taking on leading roles in ''Fight f ...

in the first season, and

Lee Joon-gi Lee Joon-gi (; born 17 April 1982) is a South Korean actor, singer, and dancer. He rose to fame on his first leading role playing a clown in the critically acclaimed film '' The King and the Clown'' (2005) and gained further recognition in the ...

and

Shin Se-kyung Shin Se-kyung (; born July 29, 1990) is a South Korean actress. She started as a child actress and had her breakthrough in the sitcom ''High Kick Through the Roof'' (2009). Since then, she starred in the films ''Hindsight (2011 film), Hindsight ...

in the second season. Regarded as the first Korean ancient fantasy drama, the story takes place during the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

and is loosely based on the story of

Dangun Dangun or Tangun (; ), also known as Dangun Wanggeom (; ), was the legendary founder and first king of Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom. He founded the first kingdom around the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. He is said to be the "gra ...

, the founder of the first Korean Kingdom of

Gojoseon Gojoseon (; ), contemporary name Joseon (; ), was the first kingdom on the Korea, Korean Peninsula. According to Korean mythology, the kingdom was established by the legendary king Dangun. Gojoseon possessed the most advanced culture in th ...

and

Asadal Asadal, () was the capital city of the kingdom of Gojoseon (), the first Korean kingdom and notably founded by the legendary king Dangun. It is thought that Asadal was located in Manchuria, in the northeastern Hwanghae Province in North Korea, ...

, the capital (which the series is loosely named after). The first season aired on tvN from June 1 to September 22, 2019, every Saturday and Sunday at 21:00 ( KST). The second season aired on tvN from September 9 to October 22, 2023, every Saturday and Sunday at 21:20 (KST). It is available for streaming on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

for the first season and on

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

for the second season in selected regions. In spite of the generally mixed to negative reception from critics, the series was the sixth most preferred Korean drama among viewers in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

market in 2019 per Consumer Research Report by the

Korea Creative Content Agency The Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA; ) is a South Korean government agency which is affiliated with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and is charged with governing cultural content. As part of its partnership the Export-Import B ...

Synopsis

In a mythical land called Arth, the inhabitants of the ancient city of Arthdal contend with power struggles, while some encounter love along the way. Eun-seom goes through hardships to bring his tribe back to life and learns of his true origins in the process.

Cast and characters

as Ta-gon *

(season 1) and

(season 2) as Eun-seom and Saya *

(season 1) and

(season 2) as Tan-ya *

as Taealha

Production

Season 1

The cast and crew attended a workshop in

Yangju Yangju (; ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Yangju is located south of Dongducheon and north of Uijeongbu, not far from Seoul. In the past, it was one region with Uijeongbu-si, Guri-si, Namyangju-si, Dongducheon-si, and some parts ...

Gyeonggi-do Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous administrative divisions of South Korea, province in South Korea. Seoul, the nation's largest city and capital, is in the heart of the area but has been separately administered as a list of provinc ...

, on August 21, 2018. The first script reading was held on August 26, 2018. Filming officially started on December 5, 2018 with the opening ceremony of the set in

Osan Osan (; ) is a Subdivisions of South Korea, city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, approximately south of Seoul. The population of the city is around 200,000. The local economy is supported by a mix of agricultural and industrial enterprises. ...

, whose construction took place for eight months. The drama was also filmed overseas in

Brunei Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...

, with

departing first on February 24, 2019. The drama serves as a reunion project for

and

who both starred in the 2016 hit drama ''

Descendants of the Sun ''Descendants of the Sun'' () is a 2016 South Korean television series starring Song Joong-ki, Song Hye-kyo, Jin Goo, and Kim Ji-won. It aired on KBS2 from February 24 to April 14, 2016, for 16 episodes. KBS then aired three additional spec ...

''.

Season 2

On February 12, 2020, it was announced that the drama was renewed for a second season. On June 11, 2020, it was announced that the production schedule was postponed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

and had been excluded from the 2021 lineup. In February 2022, it was announced that the second season was expected to be released in early 2023 along with a

webtoon Webtoons () are a type of episodic digital comics that originated in South Korea usually meant to be read on smartphones A smartphone is a mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities. It typically has a touchscreen interface, allo ...

and an

MMORPG A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that combines aspects of a role-playing video game and a massively multiplayer online game. As in role-playing games (RPGs), the player assumes the role of a Player charac ...

. Writers Kim Young-hyun and Park Sang-yeon were in charge of the script again, with

Kim Kwang-sik Kim Kwang-sik (born March 6, 1972) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He directed the romantic comedy ''My Dear Desperado'' (2010) and the thriller (genre), crime thriller ''Tabloid Truth'' (2014). Career Early works Kim Kwang-sik ...

as director. Titled ''Arthdal Chronicles: The Sword of Aramun'' (), the season is set about eight years later; thus,

and

replaced Song Joong-ki and Kim Ji-won as the adult versions of Eun-seom and Tan-ya, while Jang Dong-gun and Kim Ok-vin reprised their roles. Filming began on August 23, 2022 and took place in

Jeju Island Jeju Island (Jeju language, Jeju/) is South Korea's largest island, covering an area of , which is 1.83% of the total area of the country. Alongside outlying islands, it is part of Jeju Province and makes up the majority of the province. The i ...

. Shin finished filming her part on April 4, 2023. Filming was completed on May 2, 2023.

Episodes

Season 1

Season 2

Reception

Critical reception

The first season of the drama received mixed reviews. It was criticized by ''

Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American Fantasy television, fantasy Drama (film and television), drama television series created by David Benioff and for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of high fantasy novels by ...

'' fans for sharing similarities with that series, while critics felt that it employed poor use of CGI, had a formulaic plot, was similar to other foreign fantasy dramas and films centered on ancient times, and had a slow-paced storyline, which could make viewers lose interest. Viewers were also bewildered by the anachronistic use of armors and weapons. Conversely, the drama was praised for its intriguing storyline and unique setting, touching on subjects like the meaning of a tribe, an alliance and a nation, as well as religion. Writer Park Sang-yeon said, "I wouldn't even think of comparing our series to 'Game of Thrones''and I don't think our goal is to create something similar... I wouldn't try to claim to do anything similar to the show and I don't think it's an appropriate comparison." He added, "We tried to create a great series by building a fictitious world of our own with our imagination and I hope you see our series as it is." Although John Serba of

Decider.com The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost.com; PageSix.com, a gossip site; and Decider.com, an entertainm ...

gave the first season a "Skip It" rating, he said, "''Arthdal'' occurs in a more primitive time than 'Game of Thrones'' and appears to be set up to explore different ideas about the human creature and its thirst for power and possessions." He said that the show further differentiated itself from ''Game of Thrones'' by its absence of nudity and sex scenes. ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' contributor Joan MacDonald said, "Stunning camera work makes ''The Arthdal Chronicles'' a visual pleasure to watch, capturing sweeping panoramas that place fledgeling humans in the context of a wide world waiting to be explored—and possibly conquered."

Viewership

In South Korea, the first season received lower-than-expected viewership ratings, in comparison to its massive budget. The first episode recorded average ratings of 6.7% and peaked at 8%, taking first place for all dramas in its time slot, including non-cable broadcasting stations. The season's personal record of 7.7% was on its fourth episode. Its finale scored an average rating of 7.4% nationwide.

Season 1

Season 2

Staff mistreatment

The production team was criticized for mistreatment of its production staff. In 2019 the production team was accused of violating labor laws from local civic groups, including the Seoul-based Hanbit Media Labor Rights Center and Hope Solidarity Labor Union, as the drama crew had been subject to a "murderous" working environment that made them work up to 150 hours a week. The organizations reported Studio Dragon to the Seoul Employment and Labor Administration. The standards were agreed upon and announced by the studio last September to enhance the labor environment of its staff. Studio Dragon responded to the allegations, saying they abided by its own labor rules, but admitted that they had filmed for 113 hours during the week they went to Brunei in order to make the most out of their time shooting overseas. The studio denied reports that an injured staff member was ignored and told to continue working.

Original soundtrack

Season 1

Part 1

Part 2 Album OST

Season 2

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

* (season 1) * (season 2) * * * {{TvN (South Korean TV channel) television dramas (2006–2019) TvN (South Korean TV channel) television dramas 2019 South Korean television series debuts South Korean historical television series South Korean fantasy television series Alternate history television series South Korean pre-produced television series Television series by Studio Dragon Korean-language Netflix exclusive international distribution programming 2019 South Korean television series endings