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The Legend of the Blue Sea, a romantic fantasy Kdrama based on a 16th century Korean tale about the world’s last mermaid

Fantasy Kdrama based on a 16th century Korean tale about the world’s last mermaid exploring love through time in the form of reincarnations – The Legend of the Blue Sea

The Legend of the Blue Sea (Korean: 푸른 바다의 전설) is a 2016-2017 Korean romantic fantasy drama starring Lee Min-ho and Jun Ji-hyun. The series is based on Eou yadam, the first collection of Korean folk tales dating from the 16th century written by Yu Mong-in. The Legend of the Blue Sea depicts two parallel stories, one based in the Joseon era and the other in our current era. The series explores love through time in the form of reincarnations. Based on Eou yadam by Yu Mong-in | Budget US$19 million Hangul 푸른 바다의 전설 | Genre Romance, Fantasy, Drama Directed by Jin Hyuk, Park Seon-Ho | Written by Park Ji-eun Release date 16 November 2016 | Episodes 20 + 1 special

The Legend of the Blue Sea whose budget is estimated at $19 million, focuses on reincarnation and fate.
Written by Park Ji-eun, The Legend of the Blue Sea consists of 20 episodes and one special movie-like episode.
This is the last role for actor Lee Min Ho before entering mandatory military service for almost 2 years.

This Kdrama served as a reunion for Lee Min-ho and Kim Sung-ryung, who previously starred together in The Heirs.
For the project, The Legend of the Blue Sea, director Hyuk Jin was awarded Best Directing for a Television Series at the Macau International TV Festival 2017.

The Legend of the Blue Sea – WHAT’S THE STORY?

The Legend of the Blue Sea features two parallel stories. One is based in the Joseon era and revolves around the life of an aristocrat, Kim Dam Ryung, and a mermaid, Se-Hwa. The other story takes place in the 21st century, and is based on the lives of a con artist with magician skills, Joon-Jae, and Shim Cheong, who are the reincarnations of Kim and Se-Hwa. The Legend of the Blue Sea will center on the world’s last mermaid, Shim Chung, who is in danger of being exterminated. Her love story spans over centuries, bringing her to present-day Seoul in the search of Dam Ryung, who saved her life after being captured during the Joseon Dynasty, and whom she still loves.

The Legend of the Blue Sea – WHAT’S THE STORY? cast sub english online korean drama kdrama romantic fantasy series netflix

Her life will change after, in modern-day Seoul, she meets a genius con artist Heo Joon Jae, who, bears a striking resemblance to Kim Dam Ryung, the one who released her back into the sea after a fisherman caught her. After traveling oceans to find him, the mermaid decides to stay in Seoul and transform into a beautiful young lady, Shim Chung. The series depicts previous reincarnations of the protagonists and the events that influenced their tragedy in the past. The Korean romantic fantasy drama The Legend of the Blue Sea focuses on the idea that an individual involuntary repeats the past’s mistakes without mastering the lessons.

The Legend of the Blue Sea (2017) – Main Cast and characters

Jun Ji-hyun portrays Shim Cheong / Se-hwa, a mermaid from the Joseon era who falls in love with Dam-ryeong after he saved her life. Lee Min-ho portrays Heo Joon-jae / Kim Dam-ryeong, an aristocrat in the Joseon era and a con artist in modern-day Korea, who will fall in love with the mermaid. Lee Hee-joon as Jo Nam-doo / Park Moo, Shin Hye-sun as Cha Shi-ah, Shin Won-ho as Tae-oh, Lee Ji-hoon as Heo Chi-hyun, Na Young-hee as Mo Yoo-ran, Hwang Shin-hye as Kang Seo-hee / Kang Ji-yeon, Sung Dong-il as Ma Dae-young / Yang Seung-gil, Choi Jung-woo as Heo Il-joong, Moon So-ri as Ahn Jin-joo.

Filming locations

The shooting began on August 19, 2016, in Goesan, South Korea. The underwater scenes were filmed in the archipelago Palau. The production team all to Spain, where they filmed in A Coruña, Ribadeo, Lugo, Tossa de Mar, Castell de Santa Florentina, Canet de Mar, and Barcelona, including other places in Catalonia and Galicia.