Jumong Key Characters

Note: This article contains some spoilers.

1. Prince Jumong of Buyeo:


Son of General Hae Mo Soo and Lady Yuhwa, Jumong grows up as a prince at the Buyeo palace. King Geum Wa hides the true identity of Jumong’s father in order to protect him and his mother. Prince Jumong loved the good life and continually disappoints his mother and King Geum Wa because of his antics.

He loved women and booze and never focused in attaining recognition in any fields. However one harrowing event where his own brothers left him for dead in the quick sand gave him a whole new perspective about life, the Buyeo palace, and the people he taught he loved. This marks his road as a prince who will someday become a renowned leader and warrior who is unbeatable even by the Han Empire.

2. Lady Soseono of Gyeru:

She saves prince Jumong from drowning in the quick sand and thinks he’s just any other ordinary guy. Because she’s used to getting her own way as the leader of the Yeontabal merchant group (second only to her father), she insults Jumong when he seemed rude in spite of saving his life from certain death. Jumong tries to beat some sense into her, thinking that she’s a guy and later stares in amazement that she’s actually a very pretty young woman.

Their lives become intertwined since the clan of Soseono actively seeks alliance with the King of Buyeo. Jumong falls in love with her but his step-brother prince Daeso also seeks to conquer Lady Soseono’s heart. Soseono becomes one of the key allies who will help Jumong’s Noble Design to succeed. But this will give a lot of heartache to Soseono but she still continues to champion Jumong amidst the persecution of Daesu and resistance from some of the members of her clan.

3. Prince Daeso: Pronounced as Desu

The eldest son among the three of King Geum Wa, he harbors deep resentment and hatred to the fact that Jumong is the favorite of his father, and his own mother the queen is set aside by the king for his second wife Lady Yu Hwa. He is wise and unbeatable in combat skills, but these achievements are overshadowed by the love that the king has for Yu Hwa and Jumong.

His mother the queen always campaigned for him to be the next successor of King Geum Wa and thus he participates in her numerous schemes to kill Jumong. His loathing for Jumong increases when he realizes that he is his rival for the affections of Lady Soseono.

4. King Geum Wa

He used to be Hae Mo Soo’s best friend and together they tried to fight off the Hans. He was secretly in love with Lady Yu Hwa and when Hae Mo Soo disappeared and assumed dead, he offered to marry Yu Hwa and claim Jumong as his own son in order to protect them from harm. He finds it hard to keep his great love for Yu Hwa from the envious and murderous eyes of the queen, his first wife.

He raises Jumong and showers a lot of love for him, which hurts his two biological sons prince Daeso and prince Youngpo. There was a mutual deep feeling of affection between Jumong and the king.

Geum Wa did everything he could to protect Jumong from the disapproving eyes of the lead Fairy of Buyeo, the queen, his sons, and the ministers. Sadly his natural loyalty to his two sons during one test of honor wherein Daeso and Youngpo murdered a blind Hae Mo Soo (yes, he was actually alive and kept in a dungeon for years) will slowly estrange him from Jumong and his beloved second wife Yu Hwa.

5. Lady Yu Hwa: Pronounced as Yuwa

She is the second wife of King Geum Wa and the devoted mother of Jumong. She hides a lot of things from his own son in fears that this will harm Jumong’s future. Because of the queen, she suffers a lot of insults and mockery about her and her son but she patiently endures. Yu Hwa is trusted by Geum Wa because of her obvious lack of personal interest for more power. He cherishes her and many in the palace observe that the king’s heart is in the hands of Yu Hwa.

She never really forgot General Hae Mo Soo but because of deep gratitude for the king, she never revealed to Geum Wa that her heart stayed with Hae Mo Soo.

She proves to be an astute woman when she silently orchestrates the transformation of Jumong from a lackluster prince to a skilled and splendid fighter.


6. General Hae Mo Soo/Hemusu :Pronounced as Hemusu

He is the real father of Jumong, the hero of the suffering Gojoseon refugees. He led the Da Mul Gun together with King Geum Wa until he disappeared and mistaken to be dead. During the crucial time in Jumong’s life where he is battered with threats on his life, Hae Mo Soo saves his son’s life without any realization that Jumong is his son wih Lady Yu Hwa.

His life is brutally ended by Daesu and Young Po because of the prodding of Boo Deuk Bul, the chief minister of Geum Wa.

7. Prince Young Po/Yungpu

The second son of King Geum Wa with the queen. He is more vocal than Daesu in expressing his dislike for Jumong and his mother. Because he is always looked down as Daesu’s shadow, he tries his hard to please his older brother by plotting to kill Jumong together with Dochi, a rich merchant in Buyeo. He is rash and impulsive with his decision that’s why he always fails with his intention to murder Jumong which only further exasperates Daesu.

Later on, it will be gleaned that Yongpo has his own ambitions of becoming the king of Buyeo. He changes his tactic from absolutely marking Jumong as an enemy and becomes a cunning puppet master trying to create a situation where Jumong and Daseu kill each other which will benefit him in the end.

8. Queen Hwang Hu:

The first wife of king Geum Wa, she never really forgave him and Lady Yu Hwa for their sudden and abrupt union. She blames Yu Hwa for Geum Wa’s disregard of her stature as his queen. She always finds ways to insult and degrade Yu Hwa and Jumong. Her animosity for the two is passed on to her sons’ prince Daesu and prince Young po.
She actively seeks to discredit Jumong and worst, mastermind the attempts to kill him. With her authority as a queen, she gathers powerful people in the Bueyo palace to align with her and her sons.


9. Sorceress Yeo Mi-Eul: Pronounced as Yumwil

A loyal servant of the King and Buyeo, she constantly consult the gods for signs to guard the peace of their kingdom. Her greatest fear is for their nation to be attacked by the Han Empire. When an opportunity came to her to reinstate Hae Mo Soo with the Da Mul Gun army, she opted to keep him hidden in a secret jail ward in the mountain caves. For years she carried the burden of her act and felt guilty over it but she justifies this as a measure to keep their tribe safe.

She is also deeply suspicious of Jumong and believes he carries a bad omen that might destroy Buyeo.

She was effectively ignored and abhorred by the king when he found out that his comrade Hae Mo Soo is alive all these years and is too late to save his life because his own sons with the queen successfully murdered him.

She left the palace on her own accord with a self-imposed exile. Soon, she had a change of heart towards Jumong when she saw with her own eyes how he saved her life from assassins sent by Young po. She promised to serve Jumong from that time on.

10. Minister Boo Deuk Bool: Pronounced as Budekbul

One of the chief adversaries ofJumong who will unite with Daesu in order to ensure the place of Daesu as king Geum Wa’s successor. He is responsible for the attempt on Jumong’s life when he was a baby and the death of Hae Mo Soo.

11. Mopalmo:

A devoted chief blacksmith of the king who tirelessly seeks the secret in creating a sword that can rival the strength of the Han’s weaponries. He is one of the earliest friends of Jumong who seek to help him improve his lot in life. Later on Jumong recognizes the importance of Mo Pal-mo in his Noble Design and encourages him to improve his craft in sword making.

12. The Trio:

The trios are thugs who encounter the luckless prince during a chance meeting wherein Jumong lies unconscious with a deep wound caused by assassins who failed to end his life. They later realize that Jumong is actually the exiled prince of Buyeo. As time passes by, they develop a huge respect for Jumong and leave their sinful life to help Jumong achieve his Noble Dream.

13. Merchant Yeontabal: Pronounced as Yontabal

Yeontabal is the devoted father of Lady Soseono, a patriarch of Gyeru tribe. He is a shrewd businessman who forms an alliance with the Buyeo king, Geum Wa. He faced a lot of danger to make their clan one of the richest in their era. All throughout, he trains his only child Soseono to be wise, brave and sensible.

14. Merchant Dochi: (No Photo Yet)
He is the chief ally of prince Young po who benefits with his closeness to the prince by illegally trading stolen weaponries of the Buyeo kingdom. He cunningly makes Young po believe that he is a most loyal servant but in truth, he creates every opportunity in profiting from the foolishness of Young po.

He gives a lot of grief to Jumong just to prove to Young po that he is on his every beck and call. He is also incredibly envious of the success of Yeontabal and urges Young po to harass the merchant group of Soseono.

15. Sayong:

Sayong is a member of Yeontabal’s merchant group. He is prized for his intelligence in deciphering important information crucial to the success of their endeavors. He proves to be very useful for Jumong and Soseono later on in making their goals succeed.

Early on he confuses people he meets because of the question about his gender. His love interest is Hyeop-bo (hihihi) ^^.


Dear Reader: Thank you for reading above, I really worked hard on it. As you can see, the listed characters are still few; as Jumong meets more people I will continually update this section. Remember to check back here every now and then.
xoxo:
Nadine

Note: Please give credit to this blog and put a link back here if ever you repost any part of my article. E-mail me for any reactions, corrections or requests: (jumongnadine@yahoo.com).

Introduction to Jumong: The Book of Three Hans