The Iron Empress is a South Korean television program of 78 episodes airing through the year 2009. A big-budget, sweeping historical drama set in the Goryeo era of Korean history, Chae Si Ra takes on the role of Empress Cheonchu, the granddaughter of the first emperor of united Goryeo. Based on the true historical figure, . A warrior queen, Cheonchu is the granddaughter of Wang Gun, the legendary first king of Goryeo. Wishing to protect her lands from outside Chinese forces and the other kingdoms in Korea, she battles alongside her soldiers in support of her brother, King Seongjong. But despite this united front for the good of her country, she wages a personal war against her own brother over the raising of her son, Mokjong. When Seongjong is left heirless, he decides to take his nephew and raise him as his own. Cheonchu struggles to win back her son amidst the wars and political intrigues in the palace. A sweeping epic of the early Goryeo dynasty, Iron Empress depicts a strong woman who is willing to give up love and family for the good of her empire.