{ "id": "epw17qbvae", "slug": "song-of-the-bandits", "title": "Song of the Bandits (도적: 칼의 소리)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials", "label": "International serial drama and telenovelas", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia", "label": "East Asian drama series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.korean_sageuk", "label": "Korean historical drama (sageuk)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.korean_sageuk" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia", "label": "Asia (other) · 2021 and later: East Asian drama series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia", "path": [ { "id": "geo.asia", "label": "Asia (other)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021", "label": "Asia (other) · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials", "label": "International serial drama and telenovelas", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia", "label": "East Asian drama series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Song of the Bandits (도적: 칼의 소리) is a 2023 Netflix Korean Western series, nine episodes set in 1920s Gando, starring Kim Nam-gil as bandit leader Lee Yoon; no season 2 confirmed.", "snippet": "Song of the Bandits (도적: 칼의 소리) is a 2023 Netflix Korean Western series, nine episodes set in 1920s Gando, starring Kim Nam-gil as bandit leader Lee Yoon; no season 2 confirmed.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_east_asia.korean_sageuk", "markdown": "# Song of the Bandits (도적: 칼의 소리)\n\n**Song of the Bandits** (도적: 칼의 소리, *Dojeok: Kalui Sori*) is a South Korean action Western television series released on Netflix on September 22, 2023, set in the lawless 1920s border region of Gando, where, in the show's framing, China's land, Japan's money, and Joseon's people converge[1](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81484051). All nine episodes dropped at once[2](https://www.tvtango.com/series/song_of_the_bandits). The series stars [Kim Nam-gil](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-nam-gil), Seohyun, Yoo Jae-myung, Lee Hyun-wook, and Lee Ho-jung[3](https://about.netflix.com/ko/news/song-of-the-bandits-teaser-poster).\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Original title | 도적: 칼의 소리 (*Dojeok: Kalui Sori*); the title's 도적 is written with the characters 刀嚁, \"sound of the sword,\" rather than 盜賊, \"thief\"[3](https://about.netflix.com/ko/news/song-of-the-bandits-teaser-poster) |\n| Release | September 22, 2023, all nine episodes on Netflix; TV-MA rating[2](https://www.tvtango.com/series/song_of_the_bandits) • [4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/song-of-the-bandits-release-date-news) |\n| Setting | Gando (Jiandao in Chinese), a border region in present-day northeastern China with a large ethnic Korean population, long disputed between Korea and China[4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/song-of-the-bandits-release-date-news) |\n| Main cast | Kim Nam-gil as Lee Yoon, Seohyun as Nam Hee-shin, Yoo Jae-myung as Choi Chung-soo, Lee Hyun-wook as Lee Gwang-il, Lee Ho-jung as Eon-nyeon[3](https://about.netflix.com/ko/news/song-of-the-bandits-teaser-poster) • [5](https://asianwiki.com/Song_of_the_Bandits) |\n| Creators | Co-created by writer Han Jung-hoon and director Hwang Jun-hyuk[4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/song-of-the-bandits-release-date-news) |\n| Reception | 86% Tomatometer and 88% Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes; 7.2/10 on IMDb from about 2,900 ratings[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/song_of_the_bandits/s01) • [7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21627436/ratings/) |\n| Basis | Not based on a book or a true story, but draws on the history of Korean resistance to Japanese colonization in the 1920s[4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/song-of-the-bandits-release-date-news) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise and setting\n\nThe story takes place in 1920s Gando, a region in present-day northeastern China that drew Korean settlers during the Japanese occupation of Korea. Netflix's logline describes it as a place with \"China's land, Japan's money, and Joseon's people,\" where people come together to protect their loved ones and home[1](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81484051). The region, known as Gando in Korean and Jiandao in Chinese, has long been an area of territorial dispute between Korea and China, and the characters refer to it as Gando throughout the series[4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/song-of-the-bandits-release-date-news).\n\nNetflix has stated that the series is not based on a book or a true story, though it draws on the actual history of the Korean uprising against Japanese colonization during the 1920s[4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/song-of-the-bandits-release-date-news). Director Hwang Jun-hyuk described it as \"a historical drama that combines a Western genre action [story] with an Asian hero to deliver a new kind of catharsis\"[4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/song-of-the-bandits-release-date-news).\n\n### Characters\n\n**Lee Yoon (Kim Nam-gil)** is the series' central figure, an enslaved person turned Japanese soldier turned resistance leader[4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/song-of-the-bandits-release-date-news). AsianWiki's synopsis describes him as a Korean serving under the Japanese military in South Korea who leaves everything behind, travels to Jiandao, and becomes a bandit to protect the settlement and its people[5](https://asianwiki.com/Song_of_the_Bandits). Kim Nam-gil said he was drawn to the story of people who live to protect those around them rather than to reclaim the nation, and to how that thread would combine with the period setting[3](https://about.netflix.com/ko/news/song-of-the-bandits-teaser-poster).\n\n**Nam Hee-shin (Seohyun)** works as a section chief in the railway bureau of the Japanese-controlled government in Korea while hiding her real identity as an independence fighter[5](https://asianwiki.com/Song_of_the_Bandits). Kakao [Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/entertainment) describes her as an activist disguised as the head of the Railway Bureau of the Japanese Government-General of Korea[8](https://newsroom.kakaoent.com/news/kakao-entertainment-enthralls-the-audience-with-netflix-series-song-of-the-bandits-and-disney-original-the-worst-of-evil/).\n\n**Choi Chung-soo (Yoo Jae-myung)**, an army commander for the independence movement, now leads the Korean settlement in Jiandao and joins forces with Yoon as leader of the bandits to protect the townspeople[5](https://asianwiki.com/Song_of_the_Bandits) • [4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/song-of-the-bandits-release-date-news). **Lee Gwang-il (Lee Hyun-wook)** is a Japanese military officer hostile to Lee Yoon; Netflix's character notes identify him as Yoon's former \"owner\" who serves in the Japanese military and unknowingly dates Hee-shin, his own fiancée, who is secretly an independence fighter[5](https://asianwiki.com/Song_of_the_Bandits) • [4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/song-of-the-bandits-release-date-news). **Eon-nyeon (Lee Ho-jung)**, called \"Some Girl\" in Netflix's materials because no one knows her real name, is a contract killer skilled with guns who is hired to kill Lee Yoon and heads to Jiandao to carry out the contract[5](https://asianwiki.com/Song_of_the_Bandits) • [4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/song-of-the-bandits-release-date-news).\n\n### Season 2 status\n\nThe first season's finale left several storylines open, and Kim Nam-gil spoke publicly about wanting a second season, saying he had joined the project with that intention and hoped filming could begin the following autumn[11](https://sports.khan.co.kr/article/202310100907003/amp). Netflix has not officially confirmed a renewal[14](https://a2zsoundtrack.com/song-of-the-bandits-soundtrack/).\n\n## The Korean Western style\n\nThe series is built as a Korean Western, with dusty vistas, gunslingers, and horseback action in the lawless borderland[9](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-pop/k-drama/article/3235799/netflix-k-drama-review-song-bandits-kim-nam-gil-seohyun-rollicking-korean-western-sings-hollow-tune). Its action draws on weapons from both East and West: Lee Yoon's signature [Winchester rifle](https://www.edgepedia.org/winchester-rifle), Choi Chung-soo's black horn bow and sword, and other characters' shotguns, double axes, and rifles[10](https://v.daum.net/v/XBUQWsFLrW). Kim Nam-gil performed a \"spin cocking\" maneuver with a Winchester rifle weighing 15 kg, rotating it upside down to reload[11](https://sports.khan.co.kr/article/202310100907003/amp).\n\nThe title itself carries the genre's framing. Netflix's Korean announcement explains that the 도적 in the title is not the 盜賊 meaning \"thief\" but 刀嚁, meaning \"sound of the sword\"[3](https://about.netflix.com/ko/news/song-of-the-bandits-teaser-poster).\n\n## Production\n\nThe series was produced by Baram Pictures, a subsidiary of Kakao Entertainment, with [Studio Dragon](https://www.edgepedia.org/studio-dragon) handling production planning[8](https://newsroom.kakaoent.com/news/kakao-entertainment-enthralls-the-audience-with-netflix-series-song-of-the-bandits-and-disney-original-the-worst-of-evil/) • [12](https://www.zeppjamiesonfiction.com/an-eastern-western-a-review-of-song-of-the-bandits/). It was co-created by writer Han Jung-hoon and director Hwang Jun-hyuk[4](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/song-of-the-bandits-release-date-news).\n\nAccording to Kim Nam-gil, the series was originally planned as 20 episodes but was reduced to nine, which left out material on how the bandit group formed and the backstories of Lee Yoon, Lee Gwang-il, and Nam Hee-shin; he said he joined with a second season in mind[11](https://sports.khan.co.kr/article/202310100907003/amp). Netflix also gave the series an 18-and-under restricted rating in Korea because of the violence of its action scenes[11](https://sports.khan.co.kr/article/202310100907003/amp).\n\n## Release and reception\n\nNetflix confirmed the September 22, 2023 release in August 2023, positioning the series for the Chuseok holiday period[3](https://about.netflix.com/ko/news/song-of-the-bandits-teaser-poster). Two days after its debut, the series ranked first in the Korean TV show category on Netflix; on October 4 it reached second place in the non-English TV category on Netflix's Global Top 10, and it made the Top 10 in 26 countries including Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, and Vietnam[8](https://newsroom.kakaoent.com/news/kakao-entertainment-enthralls-the-audience-with-netflix-series-song-of-the-bandits-and-disney-original-the-worst-of-evil/).\n\nCritics generally responded to the action and craft. On Rotten Tomatoes the season holds an 86% Tomatometer from seven reviews and an 88% audience score[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/song_of_the_bandits/s01). Reviewers praised the choreographed fight sequences and cinematography; Pierce Conran, writing in the *South China Morning Post*, gave it three of five stars and found the execution good but unremarkable, noting that the show \"feels like it ends halfway through\"[9](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-pop/k-drama/article/3235799/netflix-k-drama-review-song-bandits-kim-nam-gil-seohyun-rollicking-korean-western-sings-hollow-tune). An NME review called it thrilling and cinematically stunning while observing that it is not entirely historically accurate and that its many subplots can feel overwhelming[13](https://www.nme.com/reviews/tv-reviews/song-of-the-bandits-review-3504323). On IMDb the series holds a 7.2/10 weighted rating from about 2,900 users, with individual episode ratings between 7.7 and 8.3[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21627436/ratings/).\n\n## References\n\n1. [Song of the Bandits, Netflix Media Center](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81484051)\n2. [Song of the Bandits, TV Tango](https://www.tvtango.com/series/song_of_the_bandits)\n3. [〈도적: 칼의 소리〉 9월 22일 공개 확정! 추석 연휴 책임질 액션 활극 티저 포스터 & 티저 예고편 공개, About Netflix (August 25, 2023)](https://about.netflix.com/ko/news/song-of-the-bandits-teaser-poster)\n4. ['Song of the Bandits': Everything to Know About the Riveting K-Drama Western, Netflix Tudum (September 27, 2023)](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/song-of-the-bandits-release-date-news)\n5. [Song of the Bandits, AsianWiki](https://asianwiki.com/Song_of_the_Bandits)\n6. [Song of the Bandits: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/song_of_the_bandits/s01)\n7. [Song of the Bandits (2023) – Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21627436/ratings/)\n8. [Kakao Entertainment enthralls the audience with Netflix series \"Song of the Bandits\" and Disney+ Original \"The Worst of Evil\", Kakao Entertainment Newsroom (October 11, 2023)](https://newsroom.kakaoent.com/news/kakao-entertainment-enthralls-the-audience-with-netflix-series-song-of-the-bandits-and-disney-original-the-worst-of-evil/)\n9. [Netflix K-drama review: Song of the Bandits, South China Morning Post (September 26, 2023)](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/k-pop/k-drama/article/3235799/netflix-k-drama-review-song-bandits-kim-nam-gil-seohyun-rollicking-korean-western-sings-hollow-tune)\n10. [일제 강점기 웨스턴 들고온 넷플릭스, 어떤 작품?, ALZi Media via Daum](https://v.daum.net/v/XBUQWsFLrW)\n11. [넷플릭스 '도적:칼의 소리' 김남길, 오로지 시즌 2를 향해 달린다, 스포츠경향 (October 10, 2023)](https://sports.khan.co.kr/article/202310100907003/amp)\n12. [An Eastern Western: a review of Song of the Bandits, Zepp Jamieson's Fiction (December 6, 2023)](https://www.zeppjamiesonfiction.com/an-eastern-western-a-review-of-song-of-the-bandits/)\n13. ['Song of the Bandits' review: bandits and soldiers are no match for Kim Nam-gil, NME (September 26, 2023)](https://www.nme.com/reviews/tv-reviews/song-of-the-bandits-review-3504323)\n14. [Song of the Bandits Soundtrack — Full Tracklist & FAQ, A2Z Soundtrack](https://a2zsoundtrack.com/song-of-the-bandits-soundtrack/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › Korean historical drama (sageuk)*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/song-of-the-bandits", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/song-of-the-bandits.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Song of the Bandits (도적: 칼의 소리)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/song-of-the-bandits. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Song of the Bandits (도적: 칼의 소리)](https://www.edgepedia.org/song-of-the-bandits)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/song-of-the-bandits](https://www.edgepedia.org/song-of-the-bandits). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Song of the Bandits (도적: 칼의 소리)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/song-of-the-bandits. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Song of the Bandits is a 2023 Netflix Korean Western series, nine episodes set in 1920s Gando, starring Kim Nam-gil as bandit leader Lee Yoon; no season 2 confirmed." }