Despite being set in 16th century Joseon, Disney+’s very first original historical Korean drama series, The Murky Stream, is as relatable as it can get – with corruption running rampant and people struggling to survive and make their dreams come true while they seek to overturn the turbulent world they live in.
After watching the first two episodes, we were fortunate enough to attend the virtual press con of the show attended by cast members Rowoon, Shin Ye-eun, Park Seo-ham, Park Ji-hwan, Choi Gwi-hwa, and Kim Dong-won, as well as Director Chu Chang-min.
Photo from Disney+
The Murky Stream Plot
Premiering on Disney+ this Friday, September 26, 2025, The Murky Stream is an action drama about pioneers of fate and is set in Gyeonggang (now the Han River area), the hub where all the wealth and resources of Joseon flowed. Here, oulaws, merchants, and officials all become entangled in a complex web of stories.
What makes The Murky Stream truly stand out? While most sageuks focus on kings, nobles, or the yangban class; The Murky Stream focuses on the lower classes, specifically the walpae (called bandits in the English version of the show).
The Murky Stream Characters
Director Chu reveals that he really wanted a young generation of actors to star in The Murky Stream. “I met with the three main actors, and when i met them, I thought each of them had such a strong desire and ambition to become great actors,” he reveals. “To make up for what they may lack in experience, I also needed the best veteran actors.” Well, he definitely got a great group together, in my opinion.
Not only were great actors cast but I was also extremely surprised by how Rowoon looked in the show. Apparently, he was also surprised himself, sharing that Director Chu wanted to “take away his greatest weapon: his good looks”.
Photo from Disney+
“That’s why the makeup process for The Murky Stream was so enjoyable,” he adds. “Realizing that I could show such a different side of myself made me think that if I just keep working harder, I’ll be able to act for a long time to come.”
As for Shin Ye-eun, she plays the role of Choi Eun, the treasured only daughter of the Choi family guild, aka the most powerful merchant guild of Joseon. She is very smart and quick-witted, and when she comes across a particular circumstance, especially something that she sees as unfair, she takes it on.
Photo from Disney+
Ye-eun also revealed that she took proper lessons on how to use the abacus for her role, a true merchant guild lesson.
Other cast members include the handsome Park Seo-ham, a top military officer named Jung Cheon who is on a mission to create a fair and just world. He is honest and upright and quite sensitive. He is willing to fight the corrupt.
Since he is playing a military official who uses a sword, Seo-ham shares that he went through swordsmanship training. “For the action scenes, I also trained for horseback riding and archery,” he adds. “Since i was supposed ti be very good, I wanted to be polished and precise.”
Park Ji-hwan, on the other hand, plays Park Mu-deok, a bandit broker in charge of the laborers. He is a has-been, someone who used to be powerful but isn’t anymore. “He has a pathetic and pitiful daily life,” Ji-hwan admits. “When he comes across the very handsome Rowoon, he learns his secret and wants to use that to regain power.”
Photo from Disney+
Choi Gwi-hwa plays the character Dol-gae who is quite out of his wits. He manages and oversees bandits, and is like a hyena, a corrupt official who will do anything for his gain. Apparently though, there is this saying that when Gwi-ha is in a hanbok, it’s always a hit, and I totally agree. So far, this series is amazing!
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As for Kim Dong-won as Wang-hae, he lives as a Joseon man but actually carries Jurchen blood. He seeks power and goes around honing power and bringing people that he needs together – a very intense character indeed!
Behind the Scenes of The Murky Stream
The Murky Stream generally takes place at the Gyeonggang River and Mapo ferry docks, and apparently, filming it was no easy task at all because of the high tide, low tide, and rainfall. Still, Director Chu used very limited CGI and instead found a location in Sangju where they did some landscaping and worked with very limited CGI. “I am very proud of our decision and think it was the right thing to do,” he beams.
“I am really proud of this,” Rowoon chimes in. “About 98% of our production was ope-air, and our night lighting was truly beautiful. I highly recommend watching it with the lights off at home.”
Photo from Disney+
“What I really loved about working on set was how incredibly realisitic it was. The set design team did an amazing job. Everything was so comfortable, and we felt at ease because the set was perfect. Even the smallest props were perfect. Thanks to this careful attention to detail, I could really immerse myself.”
To add to the immersion, Rowoon also admits that he didn’t wash that often and didn’t care about the smell since they were playing bandits. Ji-hwan points out that since their clothes were dirty, they could just lie down whenever they felt like it. They didn’t even need to wash up because their hair was always dirty.
“When we were together, it was often stinky,” he admits, “but Rowoon still smelled really nice. It’s the smell of my soul.”
Photo from Disney+
Ye-eun recalls that they were filming at the height of summer and there was nothing to hide them from the sun. “There was no shade, and Rowoon in particular was sweating a lot, but he didn’t care,” she shares. “He didn’t wipe himself off or use a fan because that was his character. He didn’t care about his looks, and he said it was actually better that he was sweating because it was more authentic and real.”
Rowoon returns the compliment by pointing out that while he was sweating while barely wearing anything as a bandit, Ye-eun had to wear a hanbok in the heat. “It must have been hot and challenging for her,” he muses, “but she energizes the crowd and lightens up the mood for everyone. She’s like a lantern, bringing that kind of energy.”
Photo from Disney+
He shares, “There was a scene I was struggling with, but when I saw her, I just figured it out in my head because she gave me advice and the way she looked inspired me. I would love to work with her again.”
To wrap up the press con, Director Chu reveals that although he has worked on multiple projects, he had the most fun working on this one because all of the actors were having fun, and they all became friends. “We became brothers and sisters, or maybe I’m more of a father figure,” he jokes.
Despite The Murky Stream not even streaming on Disney+ yet, a journalist already showed interest in more, asking if there might be a potential for sequels and spin-offs because “it’s so grand, it needs more screen time.” To this, Director Chu replies, It is possible to expand the story, but for now, I did not plan to create more seasons. It will be complete in 9 episodes, but if people want to learn more about the story, it could expand.”
Here’s to crossing our fingers for more from The Murky Stream! Make sure to stream it on Disney+!
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