Season 1 Release Date, Cast, Recap, Episodes

We can never get enough of Korean dramas, can we? And Netflix seems to agree with that. The streaming giant is slowly expanding its K-dramas collection and ‘Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung’ happens to be the latest addition. Written by Kim Ho-soo and directed by Kang Il-soo and Han Hyun-Hee, it follows a weekly airing schedule on the platform. A combination of a historical period drama and romance, the story follows a historian who fights against gender stereotypes in an era and society that frowned upon women.

‘Rookie Historian’ is not a Netflix Original in entirety. The network is responsible for its international distribution in the USA, Canada, Australia, and the UK. The show simultaneously releases on South Korea’s MBC, which also airs Netflix’s K-drama, ‘One Spring Night’. 

Rookie Historian Cast: Who is in it?

The cast of ‘Rookie Historian’ is led by Shin Se-Kyung as Goo Hae-Ryung and Cha Eun-woo as Prince Yi Rim. Se-Kyung’s primary acting credits include her roles in ‘Deep Rooted Tree’, ‘A Girl Who Sees Smells’, ‘Black Knight’, and ‘Six Flying Dragons’. Eun-woo has appeared in multiple famed titles, such as ‘Hit the Top’ and ‘My ID is Gangnam Beauty’. The main cast is accompanied by Lee Ji-hoon as Min Woo-won, Park Ki-Woong as Crown Prince Yi Jin, Ryoo Tae-ho as Song Jae-Cheon, and Park Ji-Hyun as Song Sa-hee.

Rookie Historian Plot: What is it about?

‘Rookie Historian’ takes us to the beginning of the 19th century in South Korea, where we meet Goo Hae-Ryung, a historian, who attempts to break gender stereotypes that were prevalent in that era. This is when she meets a prince named Yi Rim. The story then unfolds to narrate her ongoing struggles with society and her budding romance with the young prince.

In a ‘fictional’ historical sequence of events, set against a backdrop of the early 1800s, the tale introduces us to a regime under the Joseon Dynasty — when everybody is occupied with the past and follows old, routine traditions. But then, the events take a sudden twist when a task presents itself — keep records about the queen’s quarters, a room which cannot be breached by male historians. As a result, the government decides to hold a test so as to select the ideal female historian. In that age, nobody, even nobles from the highest societal strata, could discuss anything privately without a historian being present in the vicinity. In fact, these experts held complete autonomy and were not answerable to anyone. Now, the question arises that when Goo Hae-Ryung is selected (among three other women) to fill the vacancy, would she be treated with the same respect?

Again, after Hae-Ryung assumes her role in the palace, she meets prince Yi Rim, second in succession to the throne. A romance starts developing between the two protagonists, who hold completely different beliefs. While one is a popular romance novelist on the down-low, the other is of the opinion that the brush is mightier than the sword.