Yung Dol Kim appeared in a deleted scene in Highlander. He was a Mongolian nomad plunderer, until becoming Immortal. In 1980s he worked as a security guard in a Manhattan skyscraper. He was one of the last six Immortals who competed in the 1985Gathering along with Connor MacLeod, The Kurgan, Sunda Kastagir, Iman Fasil and Osta Vazilek. After The Kurgan killed Vazilek and MacLeod killed Fasil, The Kurgan confronted him at his work office and the two fought. Kim fought with two katanas but that wasn't enough to beat The Kurgan. Finally, he puts his weapons down and kneeled before The Kurgan. After 400 years, he was tired of The Game and longed for peace. The Kurgan took his Quickening, which made the windows implode, sucking Kim's body out into space and making him fall 40 floors.
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Yung Dol Kim
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Here is my take on Yung Dol Kim. His name never sounded Mongolian to me, rather Korean : Yun-dol Kim, or rather Kim Yun-Dol.
Known aliases : Hong Gilgong, Kim Dol-sung,
Bang Hyun-Seok, Kim Ki-duk, Jonathan Kim
Notable characteristics : Ambidextrious
Weapon : Twin falchions
Recorded kills : Long Chao, Kitbuga, Halim Saad, Kutemeikashite, Anousheh Khayami, Valeria Rozhkova, Kwon Jun-ha, Song Hae-sung, Abdul-Mu’id Daher
Status
Most recent base of operations : New-York NY
Occupation : Security guard, Schlumberger
Prior occupations : War photographer, sailor,
mercenary, soldier, silk merchant
Roster of Immortals Status : Deceased
Date : 7 February 1985
Place : New-York NY
Victor : The Kurgan
Watcher : Research, Kim Yun-Dol Chronicle
Background
Original cultural affiliation : Korean
Born : 1552; Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
First death : 1592, During invasion of Korea by
Japanese army
First teacher : Matsuhiro Kanagawa
Known past associates : May-Ling Shen, Zhang-
Shi, Cho Chan, An Jon, Kim Yun Joon, Qiu Jin
Known ennemies : Matsuhiro Kanagawa
First recorded sighting : 1595, Okinawa Japan;
Indentured servant of Matsuhir oKanagawa
Surrounded from all sides by Oriental countries, Korea was often subjected to invasions like in 1592-98 when Japan attacked Korea with destruction of many buildings and the killing of many Koreans. Among them a pre-immortal merchant named Kim Yun-Dol. Kim's body was found by Hattori Hanzo, ancient immortal and forger of swords who taught Kim of the Game and kept him as indentured servant, in exchange for letting him keep his head on his shoulders. Kim's hate for his master grew every passing day, until he managed to flee from him, poisoning him and robbing him of money, but without daring to take his head.
The Korean society changed as traders and merchants began to trade with Japan and the West, and Kim knew he could never fit in any of those countries anymore. So he left for China and travelled to Outer Mongolia with several headhunters on his trail. He met Zhang-Shi, master of Kung-Fu and May-Ling Shen who both taught him more of the Game and to defend himself from his pursuers. A merchant by trade and heart, Kim evolved into a powerful fighting machine, so deeply involved in the Game that he lost track of the peaceful family man who saw his wife and children slaughtered by the Japanese.
After witnessing the invasion of Tibet by China, the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagazaki, the Vietnam war, the rape of Nanking and so many other horrors, Kim felt it was time for him to retire after four centuries of fighting. The Korean immortal vanished in the middle of the 1960's and didn't re-appear until this year when he fell prey to the furious onslaught of the Kurgan; the Kurgan's Watcher reported that Kim no longer wanted to play the Game and was tired of fighting, wanting only to rest. The Kurgan granted him his wish, contemptuously taking his head and Quickening.
Sarah Lao, 1985
Watcher Research, US Northeast
Update, 03.03.2015
It seems Sarah Lao’s write-up for the deceased Kim Yun-Dol was greatly exaggerated. Kim Yun-Dol never was a proficient player of the Game as Sarah seems to believe, unless this was a fantasy from her part.
Kim Yun-Dol’s life with Matsuhiro Kanagawa disgusted him from immortal life and he only sought training with May-Ling Shen and Zhang Shi to find self-defense techniques to ward off potential immortal opponents.
His fight against Flameshadow was based on a misunderstanding, the Japanese kabuki mistook him for a serial killer of Japanese schoolgirls. And where on earth did Sarah find the idea that such an honorable warrior like Hattori Hanzo could take Kim as slave ? Matsuhiro Kanagawa was Kim’s tormentor, not Hanzo. Kim did keep twin falchions in his place of work, out of common sense, but I don’t think he used them in the past twenty years since he retired from the Game. Yung was a lot of things, but he never became a champion of the Game.
Or only in the imagination of Sarah Lao.
Watcher Research, US Northeast
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Originally posted by Gardner View PostHere is my take on Yung Dol Kim. His name never sounded Mongolian to me, rather Korean : Yun-dol Kim, or rather Kim Yun-Dol.
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Thank you. I had this powerful image in mind of MacLeod in fur clothing travelling to Mongolia to meet May-Ling Shen. Kim could have done the same and lived in Mongolia for a time.
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Thanks. Here is a Mongol born in the 6th century, and who wasn't exactly a Mongol.
Naranbaatar
Known aliases : Guyuk Khan
Notable characteristics : Shaven head, 6’5’’ tall
Weapon : Mongol broadsword
Inconclusive fight against Jin Ke, 1211; Maharbal
of Carthage, 1253;May-Ling Shen, 1380
Status
Most recent base of operations : Eastern China
Occupation : Leader, Ghengid Mongols, leading
raids on Chinese territories
Prior occupations : War Monger under the Mongol
khans
Roster of Immortals Status : Deceased
Date : 1449
Place : Eastern China
Victor : Maharbal of Carthage
Watcher : Research, Maharbal Chronicle
Background
Original cultural affiliation : Altar Turk
Born : 512, present-day Mongolia
First death : 552; Blacksmiths Rebellions of the
Turks against Nirun Rule
First teacher : Isuke Ishkand, under the identity of
Buman, leader of the uprising
Known past associates : Isuke Ishkand,
Eiji Tomor-Ochir, The Kurgan
Known ennemies : Jin Ke, May-Ling Shen,
Maharbal of Carthage
First recorded sighting : 1211. Western China
General of Genghis Khan forces of invasion,
during invasion of Jin Dynasty China
Maharbal had the experience of fighting the Khan’s Golden Horde alongside Timur in 1391, in 1447 he was in charge of organizing the defense of several provinces of China against invasive Ghengid Mongols led by the cruel and savage Naranbaatar the Mongol, an immortal who knew no other joy that wanton destruction in times of warfare. Once a sworn ennemy of May-Ling Shen and Jin Ke whose heads he swore to someday attach to his belt, Naranbaatar made a new ennemy with Cleophon’s gifted student who opposed his own gerillas tactics against the Mongol’s raids. It took him two years, one battle after another, to finally get to Naranbaatar whom he publicy challenged before his men. Naranbaatar accepted the challeng,e in advance savoring his Quickening. He didn’t expect Maharbal had grown such an intense savagery, turning into a true berzerker when fighting others of his kind. Naranbaatar lasted ten minutes, bore losing both his arms and his entrails and his head, and then his army isbanded to the four winds.
From the Chronicle of Maharbal of Carthage
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And a quite different one :
Khan Singh
Known aliases : Kagan Ambagyan
Notable characteristics : Man of war turned into a
man of peace; pacifist
Weapon : Mongol cavalry saber, discarded
Inconclusive fight against Gil Jong-Duc, 1331; the
Eternal Sihan, 1398
Missing since the 17th century
Status
Most recent base of operations : Samarkand,
Uzbekistan
Occupation : Philosopher, writer
Prior occupations : Raider, warmononger,
commander of Tamerlane’s armies
Roster of Immortals Status : Deceased
Date : 2 November 1972
Place : Samarkand
Victor : Grayson
Watcher : Mara Schöner, Chronicle of Grayson
Background
Original cultural affilation : Mongol
Born : 792; Steppes of Mongolia
First death : 832; Undetermined
First teacher : Kanchiang Ch’ih
Known past associates : Darius, Nachagyn,
Kassar Olsvoi, Kanchiang Ch’ih, Amyr Beg
Known ennemies : Grayson, the Kurgan
First recorded sighting : 911. Kerulan Basin, Kidan
State of Mongolia. Encounter with Kanchiang
Ch’ih, philosophicl dispute over wether immortals
should rule over mankind or not
Grayson has found Khan Singh in Samarkand after four weeks of hunting the Mongol. Once a fierce warrior who rode with Genghis Khan and his successors, Khan has seen the Mongol's empire fade away and with Darius' teachings realised all empire crumble as dust and that the only thing that prevail in the end is the people who sooner or later put an end to empires when they won't curb their heads anymore. Khan understood it and spent 700 years of his life as a man of peace, teaching the lessons of Darius to those of his kind.
In front of Grayson's challenge, the little man smiled at him and told him that men of peace are remembered and honored, while men of war are remembered but never with love. Grayson, secretly yearning for Darius' love, angrily broke Khan's blade before taking his head. But I believe he didn't enjoy his Quickening much.
Mara Schöner, Samarkand
November 1972
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Those are two examples, but I must admit you were right : Yung Dol Kim could have been a Mongol In the first place, like Ramirez used to be Egyptian because Immortals change and adapt themselves to the places they visit.
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The most interesting thing for me is that in this scene you actually have Kim drop his weapons and ask the Kurgan to kill him playing up the burden of immortality, indeed even the Kurgan himself states that the game is "all we have".
You could argue perhaps its removal might have been due to pressure to make the film a bit more conventional but generally I wouldn't think suits would be in favour of removing action. Perhaps it came down were the scene was going to be in the film? it has to be before Kastagir is killed and I suspect before Ramirez is killed as well? maybe it was considered that it was a bit early for those kinds of world weary themes to be introduced?
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