KBS2 has unveiled a new poster for the upcoming historical drama Sword & Silence, lining up its full ensemble in armor against the backdrop of a battlefield. Front and center, Lee Hyun-wook's Kim Beop-min — the Silla prince who would become King Munmu — appears to be holding back his pain, his eyes filled with sorrow as though he has witnessed the horrors of war, while Jang Hyuk's Yeon Gaesomun stands beside him exuding a fierce ambition to conquer the world.
Kim Kang-woo's Kim Chun-chu and Park Sung-woong's Kim Yu-shin reveal an unwavering determination to unify the Three Kingdoms. The battlefield stretching out behind the characters hints at the horrors of war and the arduous journey toward unification ahead of them.
The remaining eight figures each carry their own ambitions into the war: Jung Woong-in as Kim Jin-ju, Kim Do-hyun as Seol O-yu, Baek Sung-hyun as Go Yeon-mu, Yang Hyun-min as Li Shimin, Oh Seung-hun as Kim In-mun, Lee Ji-hoon as Bidam, Choi Ye-bin as Empress Wu Zetian and Lee Ji-hoon as Xue Rengui. Amid external threats and internal divisions, the drama will follow the choices they make in pursuit of their respective aims, from defending their kingdoms and seizing power to attaining wealth and glory.
The production team explained what the poster is meant to convey. "The poster captures the determination of characters who each bear a different destiny amid war," the team said. "We ask for your great interest and anticipation for this drama, which will portray not only the weapons on the battlefield but also the psychological warfare unfolding between the characters."
Directed by Kim Young-jo of Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth and Koo Sung-joon, and written by Kim Ri-heon and Hong Jin-yi, Sword & Silence tells the story of how the small kingdom of Silla overcame the stronger states of Goguryeo, Baekje and the Tang dynasty of China to unify the Three Kingdoms. The 28-episode epic is one of KBS's biggest historical productions, mounted on a large-scale budget befitting its sweep across the kingdoms' final wars.
At its heart, the drama sets Silla's leadership against the most formidable obstacles in its path. Kim Chun-chu works the diplomatic channels and Kim Yu-shin commands on the battlefield, while Kim Beop-min stands between them as the heir who must hold the kingdom together — with Yeon Gaesomun's Goguryeo, Baekje and the Tang dynasty all pressing in at once, and figures like Bidam, Wu Zetian and Xue Rengui ready to tilt the balance from inside and outside the court.
Sword & Silence is set to premiere on November 14 at 9:20 p.m. KST on KBS2, and will air every Saturday and Sunday.
Sources: KBS2, Naver
