The Boy General tells the tale of a brave child warrior Soeme ('iron hammer'), who battles invaders (Hobi and Daechujang) during the ancient kingdom of Goguryeo. The story is in three parts. The first is set in Soeme’s teen years, the second in his General period and the last in his years after his marriage. The Boy General grabs the audience's attention with action scenes and a good balance of fantasy and reality.

The Boy General premiered in 1987. It was originally planned to be produced for six to seven episodes, but due to such popularity it was expanded to 100 episodes. It stayed on North Korean television for 10 years and became the most popular cartoon in the DPRK. It eventually ended in 1997 after 50 episodes, but in 2015 it was brought back on the orders of Kim Jong Un.

Nearly every Korean was glued to their screens to watch the first new episode, and it still is on televisions in North Korea today.