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Netflix announced Kim Woo-bin would star in one of the anticipated K-drama lineups for 2023. The actor will be the male lead in the sci-fi drama Black Knight. Set to release in mid-May, Black Knight is based on a webtoon by Lee Yoon-kyun. While most K-drama adaptations stick to the source material, Black Knight makes a noticeable tweak to the character Sa-wol from the webtoon.
‘Black Knight’ takes place in a dystopian world where deliverymen help humanity stay alive
South Korea is unrecognizable in the K-drama’s official posters, as it became a barren wasteland by 2071. In a dystopian world, air pollution has become extreme and changed humanity’s way of life. The only way for the remaining 1% to survive is by purchasing oxygen and wearing filtration masks outside the safe zone.
While humanity stays safe indoors, a select group of people risks their lives. Parcel delivery drivers, known as Knights, venture through the toxic aired wasteland to deliver oxygen to the 1%. But they must also steer clear and protect their cargo from bandits.
Knight 5-8 (Kim) is legendary among his peers and civilians. He is highly skilled in combat and takes his job seriously. He soon meets a refugee named Sa-wol (Kang Yoo-seok). Sa-wol idolizes Knight 5-8 and wants to follow in his footsteps to become a delivery knight. At the same time, Sa-wol is taken under the care of an officer in the Defense Intelligence Command named Seol-a (Esom).
With the Black Knight webtoon 89 chapters, fans can get an idea of what will take place in the K-drama. While unsure how much of the story will be adapted, Black Knight did tweak Sa-wol’s character from the webtoons.
Sa-wol is not a male character in ‘Black Knight’ webtoon
Available on Manhwatop, the Black Knight webtoon has the same setting as what fans see in the K-drama posters. Fans also see that Kim accurately portrays Knight 5-8 as a seemingly handsome and tall man with a joking demeanor. But there is one small change regarding the character of Sa-wol in the webtoon compared to the Black Knight K-drama.
Actor Kang Yoo-seok was announced to play the leading role of Sa-wol. But in the webtoon, Sa-wol is a female character who fans meet as a child, who became a refugee with a group of others. Her story evolves as Seol-a takes her in. As she grows up, she trains passionately to become a skilled fighter and one day follow Knight 5-8’s footsteps.
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In the webtoon, Sa-wol also has one unique feature. She has Heterochromia, a condition where a person has two different colored eyes. As Netflix has not released a first look at the other characters besides Kight 5-8, fans are unsure if Kang’s Sa-wol will also have Heterochromia.
The Netflix K-drama has parallels to South Korea’s current air pollution problem
For fans of K-content and Korean culture, Black Knight’s K-drama and webtoon storyline parallels the country’s longtime air pollution problem. According to IQ Air, Korea ranks #56 among the countries with the worst air pollution. It is part of society that Koreans travel with KF95 masks which are sold regularly at convenience stores long before the Coronavirus pandemic.
Part of weather reports include the level of air pollution for the day and whether citizens must wear a mask outside for health concerns. Due to the normal use of masks, Koreans adopted a safety habit of wearing masks regularly when feeling sick or having allergies. What causes the air pollution? Reports state it is due to the country being in line with wind direction from China’s factories.
Knowing the truth about Korea’s air pollution problem, is the Black Knight webtoon an over-exaggeration of what could happen in the near future? A society where pure and clean oxygen is more valuable than money?
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