The King: Eternal Monarch

The King: Eternal Monarch
Promotional poster
Hangul
더 킹: 영원의 군주
Hanja
더 킹: 永遠의 君主
Revised RomanizationDeo King: Yeongwon-ui Gunju
Genre
Written byKim Eun-sook
Directed by
Starring
Music byGaemi
Country of originSouth Korea
Original languageKorean
No. of episodes16
Production
Executive producers
Camera setupSingle camera
Running time70 - 79 minutes
Production companies
Budget>30 billion Won[2][3]
Original release
NetworkSBS TV[4]
ReleaseApril 17 (2020-04-17) –
June 12, 2020 (2020-06-12)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

The King: Eternal Monarch (Korean: 더 킹: 영원의 군주) is a 2020 romantic-fantasy South Korean television series starring Lee Min-ho, Kim Go-eun, Woo Do-hwan, Kim Kyung-nam, Jung Eun-chae, and Lee Jung-jin.[5][6][7][8] Written by Kim Eun-sook and produced by Hwa&Dam Pictures and its parent company Studio Dragon, the series premiered on SBS TV and Netflix for the global audience on April 17, 2020.[9]

Set in two parallel worlds, the series follows Emperor Lee Gon of the Kingdom of Corea, who discovers access to an alternate reality after crossing a mythical door opened by his half-uncle, Lee Lim, where the Republic of Korea exists in the Kingdom's stead and sets out to put an end to Lee Lim's atrocities and retrieve the other half of Manpasikjeok used as a portal between two worlds.

Hailing as one of the most-anticipated series in the first half of 2020 due to its ensemble cast, screenwriter, extensive publicity and production budget,[10][11] the series set a record for SBS's highest 2020 Friday-Saturday drama premiere ratings.[12] It also maintained the No.1 spot on the weekly Wavve drama chart for eight consecutive weeks,[13] and was listed as the most popular Korean drama series on Netflix in India, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore and one of the top two in the U.S.[14][15] The series received mixed reviews and lower-than-expected domestic TV viewership ratings on later episodes,[16][17][18] with news media attributing it to competition from streaming platforms and criticism of its screenplay, production and various controversies.[19][20][21]

  1. ^ Dong, Sun-hwa (April 26, 2020). "'The King: Eternal Monarch' yet to impress viewers". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on May 16, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  2. ^ Seo, Byung-ki (May 28, 2020). "[서병기 연예톡톡]'더 킹'이 얻은 것과 잃은 것". Herald New (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  3. ^ Lee, Da-kyum (May 16, 2020). "[MK초점] '도깨비'엔 있고, '더 킹'엔 없는 '김은숙 센스'". Star Today (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  4. ^ "이민호X김고은 '더 킹 : 영원의 군주', 2020년 SBS 방송 확정 [공식입장]". Xports News (in Korean). Naver. Archived from the original on August 12, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  5. ^ "'더 킹 : 영원의 군주' 김은숙 작가, 배우 이민호와 다시 만난다…'상속자' 이후 두번째(공식)". Sports Seoul (in Korean). May 7, 2019. Archived from the original on June 18, 2019. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  6. ^ "[공식입장] 정은채, 김은숙 작가 신작 '더 킹' 확정…이민호·김고은과 호흡". 뉴스1 (in Korean). June 21, 2019. Archived from the original on June 9, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  7. ^ "김고은·이민호, 김은숙 작가 '더 킹:영원의 군주' 캐스팅→설레는 '첫 만남'[종합] - 스타투데이". Maeil Business Newspaper (in Korean). May 20, 2019. Archived from the original on June 24, 2019. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  8. ^ "[단독] 이정진, 김은숙 사단 합류…'더 킹 : 영원의 군주' 캐스팅". Edaily (in Korean). September 4, 2019. Archived from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  9. ^ "'더킹 영원의 군주 이민호, 김고은 끌어 안았다…'방영일은 언제?'". Top Star News (in Korean). March 11, 2020. Archived from the original on March 12, 2020. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
  10. ^ "Young actors move to online platforms as TV producers woo bankable veterans". The Korea Herald. May 22, 2020. Archived from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  11. ^ "[단독] 이정진, 김은숙 사단 합류…'더 킹 : 영원의 군주' 캐스팅". Edaily (in Korean). September 4, 2019. Archived from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  12. ^ "The King: Eternal Monarch Breaks Premiere Records Despite Local Controversy". Elle Magazine, Singapore. April 22, 2020. Archived from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  13. ^ "'놀면 뭐하니', 주간웨이브 예능 1위 최초 달성···'예능 왕좌 등극'". Archived from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  14. ^ White, Peter (December 10, 2020). "Netflix Viewers Search For Love, Baking Shows Rise & Foreign-Language Drama Booms As Streamer Reveals What Was Watched In 2020". Deadline. Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  15. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (December 10, 2020). "Netflix Top Viewing Lists Reveal India's Huge Film Appetite, 'Extraction' Popular Across Asia Region". Variety. Archived from the original on February 17, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  16. ^ Marfil, Dawn Laurente (May 20, 2020). "In Defense of Kim Eun Sook's "The King: Eternal Monarch"". Medium. Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
  17. ^ "Star screenwriter struggling with lower-than-expected popularity of 'The King'". The Korea Herald. May 18, 2020. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  18. ^ Koh, Ewe (May 7, 2020). "Binging Netflix's 'The King: Eternal Monarch?' Here's Where You've Seen the Cast Before". Vice. Archived from the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  19. ^ "[E!시청률] '더 킹' 8.5% 기록, 2049는 5.1%…두 자릿수 못넘고 '시들'". sports.hankooki.com (in Korean). May 10, 2020. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  20. ^ "[SC초점] '더킹' 부진은 다 김은숙 탓? 디테일 부족→연출도 한몫했다". Sports Chosun (in Korean). May 22, 2020. Archived from the original on November 6, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  21. ^ Sun-hwa, Dong (July 26, 2020). "'Viewership is not everything': K-dramas find norm-breaking recipe for success". Korea Times. Archived from the original on March 5, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2020.