The King: Eternal Monarch on Netflix – the Korean drama starring Lee Min-ho, Lee Jung-jin and Kim Go-eun mixing royal intrigue, love triangles and parallel universes
The King: Eternal Monarch has snatched the highest first-episode ratings for a weekend drama. It had an average viewership rating of 11.4 per cent for the first episode, and 12.9 per cent for the second episode.
Now that the star-studded drama is airing, here’s what we know from watching the first two episodes. Spoiler alert!
1. It begins with a royal family drama
The series begins in a magical kingdom where the young crown prince Lee Gon (Lee Min-ho) witnesses the murder of his father, the emperor, at the hands of his uncle Yi Rim (Lee Jung-jin). His uncle wanted to take over the throne and attempted to kill him, too.
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However, his plans were foiled when a mysterious figure attacked Yi Rim’s forces and sounded the alarm in the royal palace. As Lee Gon lay in his own blood, he grabbed the ID of his saviour, which had a picture of Jung Tae-eul (Kim Go-eun).
2. It explores parallel universes
The drama takes place in two parallel universes in the 21st century – a fictional kingdom ruled by emperor Lee Gon and a modern-day Korea where police lieutenant Jung Tae-eul lives. With the help of a mysterious flute, Lee Gon travels to modern-day Korea and finally meets Jung. The drama also has a time travelling aspect, and in the current timeline Jung has never met Lee.
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3. Most actors tackle two roles
Since the drama takes place in two universes, most characters have a parallel universe counterpart. Woo Do-hwan plays the role of Jo Young in the Kingdom of Korea. He is a strict security guard and best friend of Emperor Lee Gon.
In modern-day Korea his character is known as Jo Eun-sup. He works in a police station as a laid-back and optimistic employee.
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4. Love triangles
The main characters are involved in complicated love triangles. In the Kingdom of Korea, Goo Seo-ryung (Jung Eun-chae) is the prime minister. Her staged relationship with Lee Gon has received a lot of public support, but she wants something more.
Meanwhile, Kang Shin-jae (Kim Kyung-nam) has had a crush on Jung Tae Eul since they were kids.
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