The story map
Select a place on the map or in the list. Each place leads to its part of the story and its songs.
1THE YALU2THE FORGE3HANYANG4SONGNISAN5A VILLAGE IN JEOLLA6THE FROZEN FIELD7THE HARBOUR8THE NORTHERN SHOAL9JEJU10IEODOBase image: the Korean section of the Kangnido map (1402). Story locations are approximate; the map is not to scale.
THE NORTHERN BORDER
The border · Snow and Iron · Iron and Blood
The night the Yalu freezes and the beacons climb from one fire to five. A pardoned smuggler and a king's soldier stand in the same line. The morning after the fighting the king comes, and an edict comes, and the seal stays unbroken. The woman writing down the names of the dying is here too.
Gugak means Korean traditional music. Gayageum, haegeum and janggu meet hip-hop here. The original Korean lyrics and English translations are available throughout the archive.