Korean Drama: Kingdom

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안녕하세요 

(Annyeonghaseyo)

こんにちは 

(Konnichiwa)

你好

(Ni Hao)

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I'm back with another Korean Drama and this time it's the turn of the South Korean television series and Netflix Original Kingdom.

The series is written by Kim Eun-hee, directed by Kim Seong-hun and is adapted from the web comic series The Kingdom of the Gods, which was written by Kim Eun-hee and illustrated by Yang Kyung-il.

Season 1 of Kingdom was released on the 25th of January (2019), with each episode running between 43-56 minutes long and containing 6 episodes.

Main Cast:

Ju Ji-hoon as Crown Prince Yi Chang

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Ryu Seung-ryong as Cho Hak-ju

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Bae Doo-na as Seo-bi

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Kim Sung-gyu as Yeong-shin

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Supporting Cast:

Kim Sang-ho as Moo-young

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Heo Joon-ho as An Hyun

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Jeon Seok-ho as Beom-pal

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Kim Hye-jun as Queen Consort Cho

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Jung Suk-won as Cho Beom-il

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Actor Song Joong-ki was approached for the lead role but declined, while the series overspent on the budget, with each episode costing more than $1.78 million.

The series garnered positive reviews and was renewed for a 2nd season, with filming for the 2nd season starting in February (2019).

Set in Korea's medieval Joseon period, it tells the story of Crown Prince Yi Chang, who becomes embroiled in a coup/political conspiracy and is forced to embark upon a mission to investigate the spread of a mysterious undead plague that has beset the current emperor and the country's southern provinces. The story starts with a notice written in Korean on a billboard, claiming the King of Joseon is dead and the Crown Prince should be crowned immediately as the new King. However, inside the palace, the King is known to be severely sick and has been secretly treated for the past 10 days. No one was allowed to visit the King, not even the Crown Prince himself. Late at night, the Crown Prince sneaked out to visit his father, wanting to know the truth. But instead of his own father, he encountered the silhouette of a beastly monster. Accompanied by the physician Seo-bi, the enigmatic Yeong-shin, and his personal guard Moo-young. Prince Yi Chang must prevent the advance of the plague towards his home capital of Hanyang (present day Seoul) while addressing the sinister coup masterminded by Minister Cho Hak-ju and his family aimed towards his deposition from the throne.

Being a fan of Train to Busan, I had high hopes for this drama, which for me the trailer added even more excitement and I wasn't disappointed. I was hooked from the very first episode and I literally binge watched the series, it wasn't till I decided to check the time and saw that it was 2am that I decided I needed to stop watching and go to sleep, upon waking up I finished the final episode. With each episode it kept me wanting to watch the next episode to see how it would conclude, I lost count of how many times in each episode I was sat holding my breath with suspense. Season 1 definitely ended on a cliffhanger and I can't wait to see how their new obstacle is overcome. I couldn't help smiling upon seeing a familiar face as part of the cast, Kim Sang-ho was part of the cast of my first ever Korean drama Missing 9. I think Ju Ji-hoon did an amazing job in the lead role, it's definitely made me want to check out his other filmography, from looking him up I've noticed that I have actually been wanting to watch 2 of his films, which are proving hard to find here in the UK. I'm definitely intrigued on what the 2nd season of Kingdom will bring and I can't wait for Netflix to announce it's return which I think may be more towards 2020.

Have you checked out Kingdom?
Are Netlfix raising their game with their Original Korean dramas?
Are you looking forward to season 2?
Let me know in the comments below.

See you soon!

안녕
(Annyeong)
さようなら
(Sayonara)
再见
(ZaiJian)
Bye