The Return of Iljimae is a fusion sageuk (historical) drama about a mythical Robin Hood type hero who returns each generation to save the downtrodden of the world. The drama explores the beginnings of the hero in 17th century Korea, a Korea in which government corruption abounds and the country is about to fall apart.
The son of a high-ranking government official and a slave girl, Iljimae is abandoned as a child, and eventually taken to China and adopted by a wealthy Chinese couple. He is raised not knowing who his real parents are, but trained in martial arts every day. After finding out that he was adopted, Iljimae returns to Korea to look for his birth parents. There, he is faced with the injustice of society and the cruelty of the government, and watches as his first love, Dal Yi, is put to death. He vows from then on to protect the peasants and the helpless and to fight injustice wherever it may be found.
The last student of a master of an almost-forgotten form of martial arts, Iljimae mysteriously disappears after his master is unjustly executed. Three years later, he appears out of nowhere, and begins to roam the land, enforcing justice and protecting the helpless wherever he goes, leaving behind a white plum blossom as his trademark. He fights to protect the commoners and peasants from a corrupt, cruel government, and those in need from injustice and thus a legend is born.
The Return of Iljimae boasts beautiful cinematography, a stand-out soundtrack, and a compelling performance from well-cast Jung Il Woo, breakout star of 2006's Unstoppable High Kick.