The King: Eternal Monarch
An emperor crosses into a parallel world to stop his half-uncle.
The King: Eternal Monarch is a 2020 South Korean romantic-fantasy television series set in two parallel worlds. It stars Lee Min-ho and Kim Go-eun, was written by Kim Eun-sook, and premiered on SBS TV and Netflix on April 17, 2020. The series set a record for SBS's highest 2020 Friday-Saturday drama premiere ratings and maintained the No.1 spot on the weekly Wavve drama chart for eight consecutive weeks.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Romance, Fantasy
- Writer
- Kim Eun-sook
- Director
- Baek Sang-hoon
- ko
- 백상훈 (프로듀서)
- Jung Ji-hyun
- Yoo Je-won
- Starring
- Lee Min-ho
- Kim Go-eun
- Woo Do-hwan
- Kim Kyung-nam
- Jung Eun-chae
- Lee Jung-jin
- Music
- Gaemi
- Country
- South Korea
- Language
- Korean
- Episodes
- 16
Facts from the source article.
Synopsis
Lee Gon, the modern-day Emperor of the Kingdom of Corea, attempts to cross into an alternate reality where the Republic of Korea exists. He meets detective Jeong Tae-eul, whom he recognizes from an identity card obtained during his father's assassination. His half-uncle Lee Lim, who killed the previous king, hides and assembles armies while moving between the two worlds.
Cast
Lee Min-ho plays Lee Gon, the third king of the Kingdom of Corea, a mathematician and rower who witnessed his father's assassination at age eight and was saved by an unknown person with Jeong Tae-eul's identity card. Lee Min-ho also portrays Lee Ji-hun, Lee Gon's South Korean counterpart killed by Lee Lim as a child. Kim Go-eun plays Jeong Tae-eul, a police inspector in South Korea's Violent Crimes Squad Three, and Luna, her criminal counterpart in the Kingdom of Corea who was abandoned in a Busan slum, has no official records, and suffers from terminal cancer. Woo Do-hwan plays Jo Yeong, Captain of the Royal Guard and childhood friend of Lee Gon, and Jo Eun-sup, his counterpart. Jung Hyeon-jun plays young Lee Gon and young Lee Ji-hun; Kim Si-woo plays young Jeong Tae-eul; Lee Ye-won plays young Luna; Jung Si-yul plays young Jo Yeong.
Production
Hwa&Dam Pictures announced the series on May 7, 2019, with Kim Eun-sook writing and Baek Sang-hoon directing; Jung Ji-hyun and later Yoo Je-won also participated in direction. The total production cost exceeded 30 billion Won, recouped from the SBS broadcast deal and Netflix licensing before the premiere. Lee Min-ho was confirmed as male lead on May 7, 2019, reuniting with writer Kim Eun-sook after The Heirs; Kim Go-eun was announced as female lead on May 20, reuniting with Kim after Guardian: The Lonely and Great God. Woo Do-hwan confirmed dual roles on June 3; Son Seok-gu declined a role, Jung Eun-chae confirmed hers, and Kim Kyung-nam confirmed his role. The first script reading took place on September 17, 2019; principal photography ran from October 23, 2019, to May 28, 2020. The first scene between Lee Min-ho and Kim Go-eun was filmed at Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul; temple scenes were shot at Saseongam Temple in Mt. Osan, Gurye; the Busan train station was filmed at Yeosu Exposition.
Reception
The series held the No.1 spot on the weekly Wavve drama chart for eight consecutive weeks and ranked in the top 10 most talked-about programs in the first half of 2020 according to a Korea Communications Commission survey. Netflix's 2020 year-end lists showed it as the most popular Korean drama in India, Malaysia, Philippines, and Singapore, and one of the top two in the U.S. Studio Dragon reported record-breaking second-quarter sales of 135 million dollars, attributing the boost to license sales including The King: Eternal Monarch. The BBQ Chicken brand advertised on the series sold 550,000 sets of fried chicken in a month. The series received mixed reviews; Arab News called it unique and mind-blowing, while the Philippine Cosmopolitan praised its ambition to veer from drama tropes. Woo Do-hwan's dual-role performance was praised throughout the run.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who stars in The King: Eternal Monarch?
The King: Eternal Monarch stars Lee Min-ho, Kim Go-eun, Woo Do-hwan, Kim Kyung-nam, Jung Eun-chae and Lee Jung-jin.
How many episodes of The King: Eternal Monarch are there?
The King: Eternal Monarch has 16 episodes.
When did The King: Eternal Monarch end?
The King: Eternal Monarch last aired on 12 June 2020.
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