The King Eternal Monarch: A Time Travel K-Drama That’s Out of This World
“A modern-day Korean emperor passes through a mysterious portal and into a parallel world, where he encounters a feisty police detective.”
The King: Eternal Monarch (Netflix)
Lee Min-ho’s first role since being discharged from the military in April 2019, is the second K-drama I ever started and the first I couldn’t completely binge-watch because when I discovered it only half the episodes had aired. I’m fascinated by time travel so this parallel world scenario between the Kingdom of Corea and the Republic of Korea definitely piqued my interest. I’m a sleuth when it comes to movies and TV—doesn’t matter if it’s a sitcom or a drama I’m always trying to predict what comes next and I’m usually pretty on-point. TKEM has so many little nuggets, twists, and turns I always see things I missed when I rewatch it. Yep. I’ve seen it more than once. That in itself should tell you something.
A portion of this K-drama is set in Busan (where I was born), so if you’re not familiar with this southern city it’s a good introduction. Located on the southeastern corner of S. Korea east of the Nakdong River on the tip of the Korean peninsula at the Korea Strait, which is the sea passage between South Korea and Japan. The Kingdom of Corea’s palace is located in Busan because of the city’s proximity to that sea passage.
As this was only my second K-drama it was my introduction to Lee Min-ho. You know what they say about first impressions. Min-ho will always be in my top three. As the king, he came across as very regal and balanced the roles of dignitary, mathemetician, humanitarian, protector, and boyfriend nicely. Min-ho has claimed he isn’t very funny, but he is definitely capable of playing funny. I admire his skills when it comes to physical action and he handles a horse and a sword nicely.
This was also my introduction to Kim Go-Eun but I am definitely a fan. I loved the banter between her Lt. Jeong Tae-Eul and the King. Even though the two characters come from different worlds and different walks of life—they didn’t change who they were once they met. The way their character’s stories were written made the chemistry between them believable. There was a certain innocence and also an almost driving force in their relationship—which made for an interesting dynamic. Clearly, the romance between Jeong Tae-Eul and Lee Gon was key to the storyline but it didn’t overpower the other stories being told.
Many in the cast had their work cut out for them with double the work. My favorite had to be Woo Do-Hwan. Jo Yeong and Jo Eun-Sup couldn’t be more different and Do-Hwan played both beautifully. My kids were actually more smitten with Woo Do-Hwan than Lee Min-Ho—but what do they know—ha! Seriously, who wouldn’t like Do-Hwan after seeing him play these two characters side-by-side? Written by Kim Eun-Sook it’s no surprise to find a wonderful bromance. At one point someone asks Captain Jo if he and the king are dating and he replies, “There have been rumors.” Truly, this friendship which seems to extend to real life between Min-ho and Do-Hwan was a joy to watch. There’s an epic slo-mo scene with the two which reminds me of the one in the Goblin. K-dramas use slo-mo like no other!
This was another great ensemble cast with so many characters to like. Lady Noh played by Kim Young-Ok was absolutely adorable. Lee Jung-Jin was very unlikable as the evil Lee Lim. My kids pointed out how handsome they thought Jung-Jin (Lee Lim) is. Kang Shin-Jae’s storyline was one of the great twists and played well by Kim Kyung-Nam. I loved what a boss Nari is. She owns her own coffee shop, has several bad-ass cars, and made interest loaning money to the king! Jang-Mi (Michael Jang) was a hoot as a new member of the violent crimes division on the police force.
I’ve yet to watch a K-drama with kids that I don’t marvel at how such young ones are able to pull off those heart-tugging emotional scenes. TKEM had numerous wonderful young characters played by wonderful young actors.
The King: Eternal Monarch has a little bit of everything. If romance is your thing TKEM has you covered but it balances nicely with the intrigue and humor. Right to the very end, TKEM delivers. This was one of the more satisfying finales of all the K-dramas I’ve watched. Even though it was only my second one to see, I’ve since watched over 50.
What famous statue is located in Busan in TKEM that is actually in Seoul IRL?
Did you know Korea actually used to be called Corea?
Can you name another Lee Min-Ho K-drama also by screenwriter Kim Eun-sook?
Which other Kim Eun-sook K-drama did Kim Go-Eun star in?
Did you know director Baek Sang-Hoon and Kim Eun-sook worked together in the 2016 drama series Descendants of the Sun?
Which two castmates will appear in the Apple+ TV production of Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko?
Released: April 2020, Episodes: 16
Cast: Lee Min-Ho (Lee Gon, the King), Kim Go-Eun (Lt. Jung Tae-eul/Luna), Lee Jung-Jin (Lee Lim), Woo Do-Hwan (Capt. Jo/Eun-sup), Kim Kyung-Nam (Kang Shin-Jae), Jung Eun-Chae (Koo Seo-Ryeong), Kim Young-Ok (Lady Noh), FULL CAST
