Iljimae (2008): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2008, Iljimae is an action & adventure and drama series.

What it’s about. Set during the Joseon Dynasty, Ryung acts as a useless gangster in the marketplace by day but at night he is a chivalrous robber who robs corrupt government officials to give to the poor. After each robbery he leaves behind a wooden branch from a plum tree at the site of the robbery to take responsibility for the robbery. The poor citizens only know him as Iljimae. Bong Soon is a hilarious girl with good martial art skills and lives as a swindler. She only loves Ryung and sacrifices her whole life for him. Eun Chae is a government official's daughter and is good in nature and usually helps miserable people. She meets Iljimae once by chance, and their sweet love story begins. However, her love puts Iljimae in a dangerous situation because an Imperial Guard also loves her.

Who’s in it. Iljimae stars Lee Joon-gi as Geom / Yong / Iljimae, Han Hyo-joo as Byun Eun Chae, Park Si-hoo as Shi Hoo / Ja Dol and Lee Young-ah as Bong Soon, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.9/10, Iljimae has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. In US you can stream it on Rakuten Viki, OnDemandKorea and Kocowa Amazon Channel. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Iljimae page.

If you liked it. Fans of Iljimae tend to enjoy Rick and Morty, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Attack on Titan and Attack on Titan: No Regrets.