The Roman empire had Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, also known as Caligula. The Russian empire had Ivan the Terrible. And Korea had King Yonsan. Each is noted on the list of history's tyrant rulers. King Yonsan (Yeonsan-gun of Joseon, the 10th king of the Joseon Dynasty) has been portrayed in many Korean historical dramas and in the blockbuster movie "The King and the Clown."

King Yonsan, whose 12-year reign ended in 1506, has also been profiled in the TV series "Dae Jang Keum," "Chang Nok-su," and most recently in "King & I," with the final episode airing Tuesday.

You should remember that all TV series and movies depicting King Yonsan are based on historical facts, but details are left to various interpretations of history.

Typically, King Yonsan is depicted as a tyrant whose ruthless rule was spurred by the death of his mother, Lady Yun, who was charged as a criminal then forced by government officials to take poison. King Yonsan took revenge on officials — even his grandmother — who were believed to be involved in his mother's death.

Storylines often note that the king enjoyed opulent parties and the company of beautiful women. In the Korean film "The King and the Clown" (second all-time box office hit in Korea), King Yonsan is subtly portrayed as bisexual in his relationship with an effeminate clown played by Lee Jun Ki. (The actor visited O'ahu's Louis Vuitton Hawaii International Film Festival in 2007.)

In "King & I," King Yonsan's move to take revenge on the noble class for his mother's death served as an excuse to seize assets to create wealth for the royal family. His predecessor, King Sejo, supposedly had generously granted wealth to his supporters, which left the royal family nearly broke during King Yonsan's rule. During King Yonsan's reign, he was criticized for having many parties when people were suffering from famine.

It is interesting that in "King & I," Lady Yun is portrayed as being innocent of crime and was forced to take poison at the pressure of high government officials whereas, in some historical books, Lady Yun is written up as being guilty.

At age 30, King Yonsan was the target of a coup. He was demoted to prince and exiled in 1506. His half-brother, Jinsung, then became King Jungjong.

THIS WEEK'S K-DRAMA SYNOPSES

'HAPPINESS'

EPISODE 14

Tonight, 6:30: On the wedding day, Seo-yun upsets her family by staying at work to meet a deadline. The family differences are clear and apparent at the wedding. Kang-suk tells his coach he wants to start living his life with purpose and vows to compete in an amateur boxing championship. Kang-suk also goes to the wedding to see Eda and faces off with Chief Lee.

'SCARY GIRL'

EPISODES 81 AND 82

Tonight at 7:45: After hearing from Joon-chul that her father only wants to believe what he remembers, Eun-hae tells Kyung-pyo that she and he should move out. Joon-chul is furious when he finds Kyung-pyo talking to Young-rim in her apartment. He tells Kyung-pyo that he loves Young-rim.

EPISODES 83, 84 AND 85, 86

Friday, 7:45 p.m.: Jung-jin tells Young-rim to find out the contents of Chairman Baek's safety deposit box in exchange for not confronting his uncle about the contents. After another fight with Eun-hae, Young-rim tells Chairman Baek what Jung-jin knows. Chairman Baek tells her that he'll reveal the contents. Saturday, 7:45 p.m.: Everyone is upset with Chairman Baek when the contents of the safety deposit box are revealed. Eun-hae and Kyung-pyo assume that Young-rim is behind Chairman Baek's decision. Chairman Baek gives Young-rim a company car and hires a driver for her.

'KING & I'

EPISODES 63 AND 64 (FINAL EPISODE)

Tomorrow, 7:45 p.m.: The king seeks out those involved in his mother's death and puts them through torture. But when one of the escorts hides in the queen mother's quarters, he goes out looking for her and pushes the queen mother to the ground when she tries to stop him. Tuesday, 7:45 p.m.: Chuh-sun tells the king to stop his ruthless and tyrannical ways, but the king tells him everyone's praising his name for being a virtuous king. The department of eunuchs goes on strike to oppose the king's tyrannical ways.

'ON AIR'

EPISODES 13 AND 14

Wednesday, 7:45 p.m.: During the first scene, which takes place in a soap shop, Cherry and Seung-ah appear on the set wearing the same clothes. Director Lee tells Seung-ah to change her wardrobe, which Seung-ah refuses to do. Upon seeing the fiasco, reporters rush in to gather materials for a story. President Jang tries to stop negative headlines, but is not successful. Thursday, 7:45 p.m.: Jang is upset at director Lee for putting Seung-ah through a hard time while filming. He tries to take Seung-ah away from the set, and Lee and Suh try to stop him. After the whole crew returns to Korea after the Taiwan shoot, Jang makes up with writer Suh, and Seung-ah openly offers to take Lee home.

Jeff Chung is general manager of KBFD-TV, which televises Korean dramas with English subtitles in Hawai'i. Reach him for comment at 521-8066 or jeffchung@kbfd.com.