The Ruler of the Land (์ดํ๊ฐํธ), written by Jeon Geuk-jin and drawn by Yang Jae-hyun, started in the first issue of the magazine Young Champ in 1994 and is still being serialized as of August 2026. That makes this its thirty-second year. It is the longest-running serialized comic in Korea, and the collected volumes are published by Daewon C.I.
Wuxia is the genre of martial heroes fighting with swords and inner energy in a world called the murim. The Ruler of the Land lays that world out straight and then drops a very different kind of hero into it. Han Bi-kwang, the sixth disciple of the Heavenly Demon, the strongest figure of the unorthodox sects, has enormous skill and no composure at all, especially around women. He ends up wandering the murim with Dam Hwa-rin, granddaughter of the Sword Emperor, and the two run into Sinji, a faction that means to take the whole martial world for itself. Serious duels and comedy share the same panel, and that rhythm is what has held readers for three decades.
The numbers give a sense of scale. As of a September 2024 interview, the series had passed 90 volumes and 8.5 million copies sold. In that interview the two creators said it would end โnext year,โ but as of August 2026 it is still running. They also described what comes after: Yang plans a spin-off set in the same world, and Jeon wants to tell the Heavenly Demonโs own story. They joked about competing to see whose work would be more popular, which tells you how much of this world is still unwritten.
There is plenty happening outside the comic too. The online game Yulgang Online has been in service for more than twenty years, and on June 29, 2026, pre-registration opened for The Ruler of the Land: Next, a new MMORPG developed by Fun Games and published by Kingnet, playable across PC and mobile. On the screen side, director Yang Woo-seok of Steel Rain is preparing a drama for a streaming platform, and animation talks are ongoing, according to the 2024 interview. In April 2026 the rights holder announced a wider IP push, including a remastered webtoon-format edition and merchandise. No release dates for the drama or the animation have been confirmed yet.
If you are starting fresh, volume one is an easy way in. The early stretch is a travel story with Bi-kwang and Hwa-rin and reads lightly; the board gets bigger once Sinji enters in earnest. Digital platforms such as Mr. Blue and Ridi carry everything from volume one to the latest, in Korean. (As of August 21, 2026)
