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A Korean Empire Meets Modern-Day Seoul
“The King: Eternal Monarch” is a 16-episode fantasy romance built around two versions of Korea: a fictional Korean Empire ruled by Emperor Lee Gon and the present-day Republic of Korea, where detective Jeong Tae-eul works in law enforcement.
Lee Min-ho stars as Lee Gon, while Kim Go-eun plays Tae-eul. The SBS drama aired in South Korea from April 17 to June 12, 2020, and was directed by Baek Sang-hoon, Jung Ji-hyun and Yoo Je-won.
The story begins during a 1994 coup attempt in the Korean Empire. The young crown prince loses his father and is left with half of a mystical flute called the Manpasikjeok, along with an identification card belonging to an unknown woman. Twenty-five years later, Lee Gon passes through a mysterious gateway into the Republic of Korea in 2019 and meets the card’s owner, Tae-eul.
The mathematically minded emperor seeks to close the passage between dimensions and confront the threat behind it. Tae-eul, characterized by a more humanistic outlook, fights to protect the people and relationships central to her life.
Actors Take on Parallel Roles
The alternate-world premise allows several cast members to play counterparts. Kim portrays both Tae-eul and Luna, a woman in the Korean Empire. Woo Do-hwan plays Jo Eun-seop, a public service worker in the republic, and Jo Yeong, captain of the imperial guard. Kim Kyung-nam appears as detectives Kang Sin-jae and Kang Hyeon-min, while Jung Eun-chae plays imperial Prime Minister Koo Seo-ryeong and her republic counterpart, Koo Eun-a.
Lee Jung-jin plays Lee Gon’s uncle, Prince Geum Lee Lim, as well as Lee Seong-jae in the parallel world. Other performers with dual roles include Kim Yong-ji, An Si-ha and Kang Hong-seok. The supporting cast also includes Kim Young-ok as senior court lady Noh Ok-nam, Jeon Moo-song as royal relative Prince Buyeong Lee Jong-in, Jeon Bae-soo as Tae-eul’s father and taekwondo school owner, and Park Won-sang as the head of a violent crimes squad.
Controversy, Scheduling and Recognition
The series faced criticism for excessive product placement. South Korea’s broadcasting regulator also issued an advisory over material considered at risk of reinforcing gender stereotypes. The production identifies its characters and events as fictional and unrelated to real people or institutions.
SBS preempted the drama on May 29 for an emergency broadcast of the pandemic thriller “Contagion” amid COVID-19 concerns. Episode 13 aired the following night.
Lee Min-ho won the top excellence award for an actor in a fantasy-romance drama at the 2020 SBS Drama Awards. On TMDb, the series has a user score of 8.244 based on 924 ratings.
A K-Pop-Heavy Soundtrack
The original soundtrack features Zion.T’s “I Just Want To Stay With You,” Hwasa’s “Orbit,” Kim Jong-wan’s “Gravity,” Yongzoo’s “Maze,” Ha Sung-woon’s “I Fall In Love,” Davichi’s “Please Don’t Cry,” Sunwoo Jung-a’s “You Can’t Stop It From Blooming” and Paul Kim’s “Dream.” Gaeko, Kim Na-young, Zico, Wendy, Gummy, Hwang Chi-yeul, Lim Han-byul and Kim Jae-hwan also contributed music to the series.
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