The Boss (1999)

The Boss 1999 / 왕초 1999 / Wang Cho , Wang Jo , Street King

From the colonial period to the Park Chung Hee military regime this drama covers many crucial events of Korean history from the view of a gang of beggars. The story is about real-life figure Kim Ch'un Sam, a South Korean politician and army veteran who was given the nickname king of beggars (거지왕) as he was a beggar and gangster when he was young. Kim Doo Han, another politician who was a gangster, also appears as a character (more on him in the drama ‟rustic period‟). Some facts might have been exaggerated and changed so it is not a truly accurate documentary of historic events. In the drama, Kim Ch'un Sam joins a group of beggars as a kid and later becomes the leader of his own street gang in Seoul. He tries to protect his gang from the aggressions of the police and help his friend Kim Doo Han in gang fights. He falls in love with a young musician/actress. When the Korean War breaks out he goes to fight with his gang for the south.