Kingdom: Ashin of the North – Who Was Ai Da Gan?

The Genesis of Darkness: Unpacking Kingdom: Ashin of the North and the Threat of Ai Da Gan

When Netflix’s critically acclaimed zombie-historical thriller Kingdom left audiences with a chilling cliffhanger at the end of Season 2, it introduced a mysterious figure standing atop a mountain of the undead: Ashin. Released as a special feature-length prequel episode, Kingdom: Ashin of the North strips away the royal politics of Hanyang to focus on the freezing, brutal northern frontier. At the heart of this bleak origin story is a collision of geopolitical betrayal, personal tragedy, and a formidable antagonist: Ai Da Gan.

Setting the Stage: The Frozen Frontier

Directed by Kim Sung-hoon and written by Kim Eun-hee, the special episode steps back in time to explore the roots of the resurrection plant—the very catalyst that brought terror to Joseon.

The story follows a young Ashin (played brilliantly by Kim Shi-ah, and later as an adult by Gianna Jun), a member of the Pjeojui-subordinated Seongjeol-in tribe—marginalized people caught in the crossfire between the Joseon dynasty and the fierce Jurchen tribes. Ashin’s father, Ta-hap, serves as a secret informant to Joseon military commander Min Chi-rok, desperate to secure official recognition and safety for his marginalized people.

However, political gamesmanship breeds catastrophe. When a group of Jurchen hunters are brutally slaughtered, scapegoating becomes a matter of national survival for Joseon. This manipulation sets off a domino effect of violence that obliterates Ashin’s village, murders her family, and paves the way for a terrifying confrontation with the region’s dominant power.

Enter Ai Da Gan: The Ruthless Pajeowi Chieftain

Played with intimidating charisma and chilling unpredictability by Koo Kyo-hwan, Ai Da Gan is the powerful chieftain of the United Pajeowi Jurchen Tribe.

• The Face of Border Power: Ai Da Gan commands absolute authority in the northern territories. He is sharp, observant, and deeply distrustful of the Joseon government.
• The Catalyst of Destruction: Manipulated by fabricated evidence orchestrated by Joseon officials (who claim a wild tiger killed missing Jurchen tribesmen), Ai Da Gan believes an atrocity has been committed against his people. Seeking retaliation, he leads the devastating raid that wipes out Ashin’s settlement.
• A Complex Villain: Unlike one-dimensional monsters, Koo Kyo-hwan’s portrayal of Ai Da Gan gives the character a grounded, tribal pragmatism. He is fiercely protective of his warriors and territorial integrity, yet he is ultimately a pawn in a larger, systemic chess match engineered by bureaucratic corruption.

The Intersection of Revenge and the Undead

The narrative core of Ashin of the North hinges on a bitter pill: realization. Ashin discovers that her village wasn’t destroyed by a random act of war, but by systemic betrayal. Her father wasn’t killed heroically; instead, he was left mutilated and tortured as a political secret.

Armed with the knowledge of the resurrection plant—which turns the dead into bloodthirsty, sprinting monsters—Ashin transforms from an innocent, forgotten child of the borderlands into an instrument of absolute vengeance.

Ai Da Gan, for all his military might and tribal dominance, stands directly in the path of a wrath far more lethal than regular warfare. The climax uses the resurrection plant not just as a survival tool, but as a weapon of mass destruction aimed squarely at dismantling those who wronged her, including the mighty chieftain and his camp.

Why This Story Matters to the Kingdom Universe

Ashin of the North recontextualizes the entire Kingdom series. It shifts the blame of the epidemic away from mere supernatural bad luck or royal carelessness, rooting it instead in class struggle, imperialism, and institutional cruelty.

Ai Da Gan represents the volatile external pressures of the northern borders, while Ashin becomes the internal cancer born out of systemic abuse. Together, their collision in this special episode explains why the plague spread with such calculated precision, setting up an inevitable, high-stakes collision with Crown Prince Lee Chang in future installments.