''Kingdom'' () is a 2019 South Korean

period Period may refer to: Common uses * Era, a length or span of time * Full stop (or period), a punctuation mark Arts, entertainment, and media * Period (music), a concept in musical composition * Periodic sentence (or rhetorical period), a concept ...

horror

streaming television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air aer ...

series, created and written by

Kim Eun-hee Kim Eun-hee (; born January 7, 1972) is a South Korean playwright and screenwriter. She has been working on the Netflix series ''Kingdom'' since 2011. Career On March 5, 2017, Kim was announced as the creator and screenwriter for the Netflix pol ...

and based on the webtoon series ''The Kingdom of the Gods'' (신의나라:버닝헬) by writer

and artist Yang Kyung-il. As

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

's first original Korean series, it premiered on January 25, 2019. It stars

Ju Ji-hoon Ju Ji-hoon (born May 16, 1982) is a South Korean actor and model. His first leading role was in the 2006 hit drama ''Princess Hours''. His other notable works include ''The Devil'', '' Antique'', ''Mask'', '' Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds'' ...

Ryu Seung-ryong Ryu Seung-ryong (born November 29, 1970) is a South Korean actor. Ryu began his acting career in theater, subsequently becoming one of the most versatile supporting actors in Korean film and television. In 2013, he headlined '' Miracle in Cell N ...

Bae Doo-na Bae Doona (; born October 11, 1979; also credited as Doona Bae), is a South Korean actress and photographer. She became known outside Korea for her roles as a political activist in Park Chan-wook's '' Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance'' (2002), archer ...

, Kim Sang-ho,

Kim Sung-kyu Kim Sung-kyu (born April 28, 1989), referred to as Sunggyu or Sungkyu, is a South Korean singer and actor. He is the leader and main vocalist of South Korean boy band Infinite. In November 2012, Kim began his solo career with his first extend ...

and Kim Hye-jun. The entire first season, and the first episode of the second were directed by Kim Seong-hun, with Park In-je directing the remainder of that season. Set in the

16th century The 16th century begins with the Julian year 1501 ( MDI) and ends with either the Julian or the Gregorian year 1600 ( MDC) (depending on the reckoning used; the Gregorian calendar introduced a lapse of 10 days in October 1582). The 16th cent ...

and three years after the end of the

Imjin War The Imjin River ( in South Korea) or Rimjin River ( in North Korea) is the 7th largest river in Korea. It flows from north to south, crossing the Demilitarized Zone and joining the Han River downstream of Seoul, near the Yellow Sea. The river i ...

, ''Kingdom'' takes place in a fictional, medieval-inspired

Joseon Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

(modern-day

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

) and blends political thriller and elements from

zombie A zombie (Haitian French: , ht, zonbi) is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. Zombies are most commonly found in horror and fantasy genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore, in whic ...

horror. The story follows Lee Chang, the Crown Prince of Joseon, who attempts to investigate the mysterious illness recently afflicting the King, only to find himself caught in the middle of a deadly epidemic ravaging the Kingdom of Joseon. While trying to save the Kingdom from the plague, he must also stop his political opponents from seizing the throne. The series was positively reviewed, and renewed for a second season which was released on March 13, 2020. A special feature-length episode of the series, titled "Ashin of the North", was released on July 23, 2021, presenting a focus on the supporting character played by

Jun Ji-hyun Jun Ji-hyun (born Wang Ji-hyun on 30 October 1981), also known by her English name Gianna Jun, is a South Korean actress and model. She has received multiple awards, including two Grand Bell Awards for Best Actress and a Daesang (Grand Prize) f ...

. The episode acts as a sidequel to the second season of ''Kingdom'' and explores the backstory of Ashin, the mysterious character Lee Chang's group encountered on their journey north to discover the origins of the infected.

Synopsis

Set during Korea's

Dynasty, three years after the

, the first season of ''Kingdom'' follows the story of Crown Prince Lee Chang and his subordinates, who stumble across an unnatural plague that resurrects the dead amidst their investigation of a brewing political conspiracy and rumors of the King of Joseon's death. Amidst the chaos and death that ensues, Chang meets allies who try to make a stand in the city-state of

Sangju Sangju () is a city in North Gyeongsang Province, central South Korea. Although Sangju is rather rural, it is very old and was once a key city. Along with Gyeongju, it gives rise to half of the name of the Gyeongsang provinces. Sangju is nickna ...

before it spreads further into the province, only to discover that the plague has already adapted. The second season picks up during Lee Chang's struggle to save his people from the spread of the plague and his dynasty from the machinations of the powerful Haewon Cho clan who hides a sinister secret.

''Kingdom: Ashin of the North''

''Kingdom: Ashin of the North'' explores the backstory of Ashin, the mysterious heir of the Northern Seongjeoyain tribe village, and the origin of the resurrection plant that triggered an unprecedented cascade of tragic events that swept through the Kingdom of Joseon.

Plot

''Kingdom'' is set during Korea's

period, three years after the famous "Battle of Unpo Wetland" near the city of

during the

Japanese invasions of Korea Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

, where 500 Korean soldiers, led by Governor Ahn Hyeon, defeated an army of 30,000 Japanese invaders. Unbeknownst to the common people, this victory was achieved by using an herb known as the "resurrection plant", which transformed the diseased villagers of Sumang into ferocious zombies; after the battle ended, the zombies were executed and buried in secret.

Season One

At the start of the series, the King dies of

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

. Chief State Councillor Lord Cho Hak-ju decides to hide the King's death until his daughter, Queen Consort Cho, produces a son. Such a son would have a more legitimate claim to the throne than Crown Prince Lee Chang, whose mother was a concubine. As a result, the King is inoculated with the resurrection plant and subsequently becomes a monster at night, restrained with chains and fed with the bodies of court servants. Refused permission to visit his father, the Prince leaves in disguise to search for Lee Seung-hui, the doctor who last treated the King. Shocked by what he finds in the process of investigating the King's illness, he heads to the Southern province of Gyeongsang with his loyal bodyguard Mu-yeong to search for more answers. At Lee Seung-hui's clinic outside the city of Dongnae, physician's assistant Seo-bi cares for dozens of patients, but is running out of food to feed them. Yeong-shin, one of the patients, makes a stew for the people from what he says is deer meat. However, the meat is later revealed to be from the cadaver of someone bitten by the King and all the patients quickly turn into zombies. The next day, the magistrate of Dongnae and nephew of Lord Cho Hak-ju, Cho Beom-pal, disregards Seo-bi and Yeong-shin's advice to cut off the head of each cadaver, leading to a night of chaos when the dead awaken. When the Prince takes control and orders that the bodies of the undead be destroyed, the

yangban The ''yangban'' () were part of the traditional ruling class or gentry of dynastic Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. The ''yangban'' were mainly composed of highly educated civil servants and military officers—landed or unlanded aristocrats ...

s secretly flee on the only boat, carrying their belongings and the corpse of a precious son. Soldiers of the royal guard from Hanyang confront the Prince, resulting in the slaughter of dozens of civilians he was trying to help. Subsequently, the Prince goes to Sangju to seek help from Lord Ahn Hyeon, his mentor. Investigating a village that seems to be oddly well-fed in such dire times, he discovers the fate of the missing boat; the precious son became a monster, the yangbans were killed or drowned, and the boat was looted after stranding itself. Awakened from his retreat by his own alarm network, Lord Ahn Hyeon arrives with troops who know how to deal with the zombie crisis. The season ends with Queen Cho taking the Regency of the vacant throne, decreeing the blockade of the South, while Lord Cho Hak-ju comes to Gyeongsang's gate with the Army and the zombie King. On the other side, Lord Ahn Hyeon and the Prince fortify Sangju against the zombies while Seo-bi and Cho Beom-pal explore the Frozen Valley, learning the origins of the zombie disease.

Season Two

In Hanyang, the Queen has gathered many pregnant women at Naeseonjae, her private residence. Mu-yeong's wife is there as well, taken as a hostage, to force Mu-yeong to spy on the Prince. The pregnant women are killed when their delivery is not as expected. As a result, the Special Forces Commander becomes suspicious and searches Naeseonjae. He finds the corpses of seven delivered women. The baby girls were strangled, but the baby boys were only stillborn. At Sangju, it is discovered that the zombies are slowed not by sunlight, but by temperature. Since the weather gets colder, the situation becomes worse after another night of chaos. The Prince decides to break into the border fortress with a limited squad. They are successful, but fall into a trap. Lord Ahn Hyeon is shot to death, while The Prince is put in the presence of the zombie King, and must cut his head off to save his own life. But there was a trap inside the trap; when Lord Cho Hak-ju turns back to Hanyang, Lord Ahn Hyeon appears as a resurrected zombie. Wearing his commanding flag, he bites Lord Cho Hak-ju, before being killed himself, proving the existence of zombies and the good faith of the Prince. The blockade army allies with The Prince. The next day, Lord Cho Hak-ju's corpse disappears. He has been taken by Mu-yeong, helped by Seo-bi and Cho Beom-pal. They flee towards Hanyang, but along the way Mu-yeong is killed. At the Lord Cho Hak-ju's residence, Seo-bi discovers a cure; a full immersion in water forces away the worm-like entities causing the zombification. At the same time, the Queen pretends to give birth, presenting Mu-yeong's wife's newborn as her own. She poisons her recovered father who discovered the lie, and organizes a zombie research lab beneath her Palace. While the Queen prepares a large proscription, the Royal Guards are lured out of the Palace, allowing the Crown Prince to conquer the place. But the Queen practices a scorched earth policy and orders to release the zombies from the research lab, and chaos ensues. However, the plan of closing the gates of the inner Palace is not sufficient, and the Queen is eaten. The last few survivors escape to the Rear Garden and break the ice of the pond. The zombies are stopped by the water, while the bitten but not yet transformed people are saved from being zombified. Seven years later, the baby is crowned King, while Seo-bi, Yeong-shin and the former Crown Prince investigate the Northern Provinces. Shortly after their arrival to a seemingly empty village, a mysterious woman named Ashin appears inside a barn, and stands next to the undead kept inside wooden boxes for some nefarious purpose.

Ashin of the North

Set before the events of the first season, the episode delves into Ashin's origin story and her experiences growing into a scorned woman that turned against the Kingdom of Joseon. During her childhood, Ashin lived in the Northern village of Seongjeoyain with her ailing mother, and her father, Ta Hab who was one of the Jurchen people living in

and also the head of their settlement. Tensions were high between Joseon, the central kingdom, and the Jurchen border tribes of Pajeowi. The Pajeowi had gathered their army at the basin of the Pajero River. When fifteen of Pajeowi Jurchen men enter the forbidden area known as Pyesa-gun to illegally gather wild ginseng, they all die unexpectedly. It is revealed that Cho Beom-il, a high-ranking member of the Haewon Cho clan, orchestrated the deaths of the Jurchen men. The Deputy Commander of the Chupajin group, Min Chi-rok was tasked to investigate the deaths of the Jurchen. After discovering Cho's involvement in the killings at Pyesa-gun, he travels to the Seongjeoyain village to conduct damage control and prevent a conflict against the Kingdom by the Pajeowi. Later, Min Chi-rok spreads the message that the deaths were due to a tiger attack but some villagers remained skeptical. During a meeting with Ta Hab, the Commander requests him to travel to the bordering Pajeowi tribe and spread the message, that the attack was caused by a tiger who killed the men. Ta Hab agreed to the mission as he had pledged his loyalty to Joseon and hoping his actions will grant Seongjeoyain governmental representation, improving the lives of its people. This was later revealed to be a ruse conspired by the Commander, to strategically protect the interests of the Kingdom. On a false hunt for the alleged tiger, the Commander encounters some Pajeowi soldiers and informs the group, that the attackers of the Pajeowi men were killed by the villagers of Seongjeoyain. This act later diverts the Pajeowi 's hostility towards the village of Seongjeoyain. Afterwards, the Pajeowi military led by Ai Da Gan, attacks Seongjeoyain in the middle of the night, massacring the inhabitants. Prior to the attack on the village, Ashin finds the resurrection plant in a hidden cave shrine and reads the ancient mural to understand its properties and effects, to tend to her terminally ill mother. Upon returning to the village, she finds that it has been burned to the ground and all the villagers killed. Unbeknownst to Ashin, her father was taken hostage by the Pajeowi military. Being the sole survivor of the massacre, Ashin goes to the Commander and begs for a chance to avenge her family. He places her in a military settlement post, where she begins to perform odd jobs and gets sexually abused by the soldiers, while training in the woodlands. Years later, she was told by the Commander to spy on the military camp of Pajeowi. While infiltrating the camp, Ashin finds her father held as a prisoner, with his limbs amputated. Ta Hab begs his daughter to kill him to end his misery. Ashin complies and sets the camp on fire before going back to the settlement. Prior to her return to the military settlement, the Commander was summoned to return to the South to deal with the war against the Japanese forces, leaving his Second-in-command and soldiers behind. Soon after, Ashin reads the records inside the Commander's hut, implicating the Commander in framing the Seongjeoyain village for the Jurchen deaths' at Pyesa-gun, leading to the eventual massacre of her village. Ashin prepares to take revenge against the Kingdom of Joseon. After night falls, she kills several Joseon soldiers as they sleep and uses the resurrection plant to bring them back as zombies. While the zombies rampage around the camp, Ashin kills any soldiers, with her bow and arrows, who manage to escape or lock themselves beyond the zombies' reach. Using the last soldier as bait, she attracted the zombies together and then burns them, effectively killing all the soldiers and zombies in the camp. Ashin is then seen dragging a giant sack back to her village which looks normal. She then enters her old house which was filled with her family and some villagers. She was awakened to zombie snarls which brings her to the present where the village is burned down and the house is filled with zombies chained to the back of the house. It is revealed that after the massacre of her village, she had converted her family and some villagers into zombies. Ashin had been feeding them animals for years but felt that they deserved better food and fed them a kidnapped soldier she had carried with her in the sack. She vowed to destroy Joseon and the Jurchen to avenge them and joined them when she is done. Ashin leaves to meet Lee Seung-hui, the Joseon King's physician at the border in Uiji. She sells him the resurrection plant, setting in motion, the events that would later occur in the "Battle of Unpo Wetland" and the tragedy that would come to pass at Dongnae. After exiting the city, Ashin walks into an open field, and later witnesses Ai Da Gan and his Pajeowi brethren riding horses in the distance. The Pajeowi riders approach Ashin and she shoots an arrow without hesitation.

Cast

Main

as Lee Chang, the Crown Prince of Joseon and

heir presumptive An heir presumptive is the person entitled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir apparent or a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question. ...

to the throne. Although he is the King's only child, his late mother was unmarried, meaning that a son born from the Queen Consort would become the

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

and new Crown Prince. Suspicious of the illness afflicting the King, and his recent lack of public appearances, his investigation not only uncovers a dangerous plague that brings the dead back to life, but also a plot to betray the Royal family and usurp him as heir. *

as Lord Cho Hak-ju (seasons 1–2), the Chief State Councilor of Joseon who is the head of the Haewon Cho clan and Lee Chang's political rival. He is the father of Queen Consort Cho and Cho Beom-il, and the uncle of Cho Beom-pal. A cold, ruthless leader, he is desperate to secure his power over the throne through Queen Cho's unborn child who he seeks to make heir to the throne in place of Lee Chang. * Bae Doona as Seo-bi, a

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

from

Dongnae Dongnae District is a '' gu'' in central Busan, South Korea. Administrative divisions It has a population of about 300,000, and an area of 16.7 square kilometers. It was once a separate city, the principal port of southeastern Korea. Numerous ...

, and one of the only two survivors of the plague's original outbreak. She desperately seeks to find a cure, and comes to possess a journal containing crucial information about the disease. *

as Yeong-shin, a mysterious tiger hunter from the South who is the other survivor of the first outbreak. A skilled fighter uniquely skilled with European

musket A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually d ...

s and who shares little of his past, he allies himself with Lee Chang and helps to lead the fight against the undead. *

Jeon Seok-ho Jeon Seok-ho (born May 2, 1984) is a South Korean actor. He is known for his role in ''Kingdom'' as the incompetent magistrate. He starred in TV series such as '' Misaeng: Incomplete Life'' (2014), ''The Good Wife ''The Good Wife'' is an Ame ...

as Cho Beom-pal, a magistrate of Dongnae and Cho Hak-ju's nephew, shown to have somewhat of a good nature but to be incompetent and easily scared. * Kim Hye-jun as Queen Consort Cho (seasons 1–2), the young and pregnant Queen of Joseon, and the King's wife. She is Cho Hak-ju's daughter, Cho Beom-il's sister and Lee Chang's stepmother. Like her father, she is desperate to secure her power over the throne by giving birth to a son that will displace Crown Prince Lee Chang as the rightful heir. * Kim Sang-ho as Mu-yeong (seasons 1–2), Prince Chang's loyal personal bodyguard who accompanies him to the southern provinces to investigate the plague, leaving his pregnant wife in the capital. *

Huh Joon-ho Huh Joon-ho (, born April 14, 1964) is a South Korean actor. His name was previously officially romanized as Hur Joon-ho and is sometimes romanized unofficially as Heo Joon-ho. His father was Heo Jang-kang, a well-known Korean actor. Huh bega ...

as Lord Ahn Hyeon (regular season 1; recurring season 2), a former governor considered a war hero for his part in the Imjin War. Despite his popularity with the people, he retired from public service to live a quiet life in

. He was also a mentor to the young Lee Chang. *

as Ashin (guest season 2; main in special), a mysterious woman from the

Hamgyong Province Hamgyong Province () was one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. Hamgyŏng was located in the northeast of Korea. The provincial capital was Hamhŭng. Names The province was first established as Yonggil ( ko, 영길, , ' ...

in the North of the country. **

Kim Si-a Kim Si-a (; born May 6, 2008), is a South Korean child actress. She had notable roles in '' Miss Baek'' (2018), ''Ashfall'' (2019), ''Kingdom: Ashin of the North'' (2021) and ''The Silent Sea'' (2021). She signed an exclusive contract with Mysti ...

as young Ashin (special) *

Park Byung-eun Park Byung-eun (born 14 July 1977) is a South Korean actor. Personal life Park majored in drama at Chung-Ang University. Park was set to debut with 90s South Korean boy group Taesaja in 1997, but gave up due to him feeling that he cannot sing ...

as Min Chi-rok (recurring season 2; main in special), head of the Royal Commandery and a skilled archer who becomes suspicious of the Queen. *

Koo Kyo-hwan Koo Kyo-hwan (born 14 December 1982) is a South Korean actor and film director known for his role in the films ''Jane'' (2016), ''Peninsula'' (2020), and '' Escape from Mogadishu'' (2021). He also attracted recognition for his performance in Ne ...

as Ai Da Gan (special), the Leader of the nomadic Pajeowi tribe. *

Kim Roi-ha Kim Roi-ha (born November 15, 1965) is a South Korean actor. Notable roles include a detective in '' Memories of Murder'' (2003), and a gangster in ''A Bittersweet Life'' (2005). Kim won Best Actor at the 2001 Dong-A Theatre Awards for his por ...

as Ta Hab (special), Ashin's father and head of the Northern Seongjeoyain tribe.

Recurring

Jung Suk-won Jung Suk-won (; born May 16, 1985) is a South Korean actor. He began his entertainment career as a stuntman with the Seoul Action School after being discharged from the Marines, then turned to modeling and acting, notably in the television serie ...

as Cho Beom-il (seasons 1–2; special), Cho-Hak-ju's son and Queen Cho's elder brother and a commander in the Royal Army. * Kim Jong-soo as Kim Sun, Chief Scholar in Hanyang who clashes with Cho Hak-ju. * Kwon Bum-taek as Lee Seung-hui (season 1; special), the Royal physician who attends to the King. * Lee Yang-hee as the Minister of War: Powerful politician in Hanyang who is initially loyal to the Haewon Cho clan but finds his loyalty wavering. *

Jin Seon-kyu Jin Seon-kyu (born September 13, 1977) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles on the big screen, such as '' The Outlaws'' (2017) and ''Extreme Job'' (2019). He won Best Supporting Actor award at the 38th Blue Dragon Film Awards ...

as Deok Sung: Ahn Hyeon's loyal right-hand man. *

Jeon Su-ji Jeon Su-ji (born 10 November 1983) is a South Korean actress. She is known for her roles in dramas such as ''Designated Survivor: 60 Days'', ''Signal (South Korean TV series), Signal'', ''Sin Don (TV series), Sin Don'' and ''Green Mothers' Club' ...

as Ashin's mother: She died when Ashin was a child. * Joo Suk-tae as Lee Do-jin (seasons 1–2), leader of the Palace Guard who travels south to apprehend Lee Chang. He is loyal to Cho Hak-ju. * Ahn Eun-jin as Mu-yeong's wife, who is pregnant and was put under the protection of the Haewon Cho clan. * Kim Tae-hoon as Lee Gang-yun (season 2), head of the Royal Army, who travels south with Cho Hak-ju. * Jo Han-chul as Won Yu (season 2), descendant of an exiled member of the royal family living a quiet life on remote island, who is sought out by Lee Chang. *

Ahn Jae-hong Ahn Jae-hong (, December 31, 1891 – March 1, 1965) was a Korean activist, politician, and journalist who participated in the Korean independence movement. See also * Korea Independence Party The Korea Independence Party (; KIP) was a p ...

as Eunuch (season 2), a former eunuch who later becomes the new king's servant. *

Kim Kang-hoon Kim Kang-hoon (Korean: 김강훈; born 2009) is a South Korean child actor. He is known for his roles in the television series '' Pride and Prejudice'' (2014), ''Criminal Minds'' (2017), '' Mr. Sunshine'' (2018), '' When the Camellia Blooms'' (2 ...

as King Yi Yeom (season 2), Mu-yeong's son who was rescued from a horde of zombies as a baby by Seo-bi.

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2019)

Season 2 (2020)

Special (2021)

Production

Development

approached Eun-hee, after ''

Signal In signal processing, a signal is a function that conveys information about a phenomenon. Any quantity that can vary over space or time can be used as a signal to share messages between observers. The ''IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing'' ...

'' ended its run, to work on a future project that she could helm. After successfully pitching the concept of the show, Netflix agreed to the proposition and committed to a series order announcement. On March 5, 2017,

announced that it had given the production a series order for a first season. Alongside the series announcement, it was confirmed that Kim Seong-hun would direct the series and that Kim Eun-hee would be credited as the writer. Production companies involved with the series were slated to consist of

AStory AStory () is a Korean drama production company founded in 2004 by Lee Sang-baek together with his friends, drama writer Choi Wan-kyu (최완규 (작가) and director , in Seoul. List of works As production company Scripted Non-scripted A ...

. Even before the release of the first season, Netflix announced that they would be making a second season. Filming for the second season started in February 2019, with Director Park In-je joining the production to direct its second episode and onward. In November 2020, production for a one-off special episode ''Kingdom: Ashin of the North'' was confirmed, with season one director Kim Seong-hun returning and Kim Eun-hee reprising her role as screenwriter. The series overspent the budget, with each episode costing more than $1.78 million. As a result, the first two seasons, which were originally planned to have eight episodes each, were shortened to six episodes. On January 16, 2018, a crew member of the art team died due to overwork. On March 14, 2019, it was confirmed that in the midst of filming the second season, a staff member in the production team died after a car accident. On January 7, 2021, a castle on the filming set of ''Kingdom: Ashin of the North'' caught fire as a staff member attempted to melt the snow using a torch lamp. Parts of the castle were destroyed in the process of extinguishing the fire, and there were no resulting injuries.

Writing

Screenwriter Kim Eun-hee began thinking about the story behind the series in 2011, wanting to reflect the fears and anxiety of modern times through the lens of the historical Joseon period. Originally, the creator thought it would be difficult to portray the story in a television series format, and instead created the webcomic ''The Kingdom of the Gods'' alongside illustrator Yang Kyung-il in 2014. While the series is adapted from the webcomic, they do not share much commonality other than their basic concepts. Whilst working on television series, ''

Phantom Phantom may refer to: * Spirit (animating force), the vital principle or animating force within all living things ** Ghost, the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that can appear to the living Aircraft * Boeing Phantom Ray, a stealthy un ...

'' and ''

'', Eun-hee continued to work on the project but encountered challenges in writing a period piece and securing investments for the project. Born out of an interest to explore opportunities for writing in a diverse range of genres and not limited by conventional choices in storytelling and censorship in publicly broadcast K-dramas, Eun-hee credited the success of ''

Train to Busan ''Train to Busan'' () is a 2016 South Korean action horror film directed by Yeon Sang-ho and starring Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, Ma Dong-seok, Kim Su-an, Choi Woo-shik, Ahn So-hee, and Kim Eui-sung. The film mostly takes place on a high-speed train ...

'', as the turning point for the revitalization of the interest in

zombie film A zombie film is a film genre. Zombies are fictional creatures usually portrayed as reanimated corpses or virally infected human beings. They are commonly portrayed as cannibalistic in nature. While zombie films generally fall into the horror g ...

s in the Korean media space. In an online interview, Eun-hee stated that politics is integrated to the core of the series, noting that "It's about what politics is. Flawed politics created resentment, and there will be a consequence of gaining the plant that brings dead people to life". She added that the political environment drives many of the decisions, and propels the actions of characters in their journey, highlighting that "If we go deeper and deeper, it all boils down to politics. The pain that comes from politics, the price we have to pay for pain, they are the message that penetrates the series." Eun-hee further spoke about the importance of blending those genres and particularly focusing on the examination of the political elements covered in the series, citing that "politics and the living dead are not separate, but they rather come together as one." Adding to that, Eun-hee commented about the nature of politics, and its role in shaping the world of ''Kingdom''. The series’ portrayal of political dynamics of corruption and power highlights the disparity of growing concerns against the bourgeoise, suffering in the midst of a plague. Speaking on the conceptualization of the plague, the creator argued its role in the narrative is to serve as a reflection of the corruption, greed, inequity and injustice committed by the ruling class, using it as a camouflage to usurp the political power to maintain influence in the Kingdom of Joseon. Eun-hee stated in an interview that she wanted to depict several themes through the use of various narrative devices in the series. She later explained that the theme of the first season was "to tell a story about hunger." Eun-hee further added that she wanted to "portray people who were mistreated by those in power struggling with starvation and poverty through the monsters". Shifting to the second season, the theme of blood was explored to "tell a story about monsters who crave blood and humans who desire a particular bloodline and lineage." Later, Eun-hee noted that a future season of ''Kingdom'' will dabble in the exploration of resentment as a theme for the basis of the new story to be told. After Netflix ordered the special episode ''Kingdom: Ashin of the North'', Eun-hee highlighted that the episode will mark an important bridge between the events of the first two seasons and the third season. In an interview, Eun-hee elucidated further on the reasoning behind the episode, stating that "I decided to go with a special episode because I thought it would be more interesting. We cannot leave out the story of the resurrection plant." She further added that "If the first season served as the cornerstone of the show, ''Kingdom: Ashin of the North'', will be a stepping stone for the third season of ''Kingdom''." In an interview with ''

The Philippine Star ''The Philippine Star'' (self-styled ''The Philippine STAR'') is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines and the flagship brand of the Philstar Media Group. First published on July 28, 1986, by veteran journalists Betty Go-Belmonte, ...

'', Kim Eun-hee discussed the significance of exploring the concept of

Han Han may refer to: Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group. ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...

in the special episode. Whilst the creator began to delve into the idea through the creation of Ashin's character when writing the second season, Kim Eun-hee wanted to further examine the collective trauma, grief and resentment born from the experiences of tragedy in the special episode. The writer expressed her desire in depicting Han in the story, stating that "I always wanted to write a story about the feeling of Han. And in the previous seasons, it’s usually focused on the dominating power such as Prince Chang and the established people who lead the story. And then I came to think of the northern part of Joseon and the ones who are actually dominated by these people. So regardless of whether it is Joseon or another country, I think the people who are dominated have that same feeling (of Han)."

Filming

Principal photography for the first two seasons took place on location in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

, including the

Gyeonggi Province Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Its name, ''Gyeonggi'', means "京 (the capital) and 畿 (the surrounding area)". Thus, ''Gyeonggi-do'' can be translated as "Seoul and the surrounding areas of Seoul". Seoul, the na ...

and

North Gyeongsang Province North Gyeongsang Province ( ko, 경상북도, translit=Gyeongsangbuk-do, ) is a province in eastern South Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Gyeongsang province, and remained a province of Korea until the ...

between 2018 and 2019. Filming for ''Kingdom: Ashin of the North'' took place in Jeju Island in 2020.

Casting

Actor

Song Joong-ki Song Joong-ki (; born September 19, 1985) is a South Korean actor. He rose to fame in the historical coming-of-age drama ''Sungkyunkwan Scandal'' (2010) and the variety show '' Running Man'' (2010–2011) as one of the original cast members. S ...

was courted for the lead role but declined. In September 2017, it was reported that

, and

were in talks to star in the series. In November 2019, it was reported that

would star in the second season. After the announcement for the special episode, it was confirmed that Jun Ji-hyun and

would reprise their respective roles in ''Kingdom: Ashin of the North''. Additionally, it was confirmed that Kim Shi-ah,

and

were cast in the special episode. Prior to the premiere of the second season, Joo Ji-hoon stated in a ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

'' interview, that he signed on to star in the series, due to his faith in the project. He adds that "From the refreshing subject matter to writer Kim Eun-hee’s exciting script, direction by director Kim Sung-hoon—and the cast members from season one—all these factors convinced me to continue on the journey to season two". Furthermore, he was excited at the prospect of a new director, joining the series in the second season, commenting that "Park In-je joined us for season two, and the new system of ‘making a TV series with people who make films’ was fascinating. The intensity is definitely higher compared to filming a two-hour film, but the actors were allowed enough time and room to prepare for filming a season that amounts to six hours, so I had faith in the final outcome being of high quality." In a press conference for ''Kingdom: Ashin of the North'', Jun Ji-hyun revealed her experience of joining the series. The actress stated that "I was a huge fan of ''Kingdom''. When I met with the writer im Eun-heein a private setting before I was offered the role, I told her I was willing to even appear as a zombie in ''Kingdom''. I am so thankful that she gave me such a big role." She later stated that after reading the screenplay for the special episode, "I was thrilled at the thought that I could start the big story."

Reception

The first season received critical acclaim from critics and the audience. The

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

website

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reported a 93% approval rating based on 14 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "An enthralling blend of blood, terror, and political intrigue, ''Kingdom'' is a refreshing addition to the zombie landscape." The series is praised by critics for its blend of the political thriller, historical drama and horror genres. Aloysius Low of ''

CNET ''CNET'' (short for "Computer Network") is an American media website that publishes reviews, news, articles, blogs, podcasts, and videos on technology and consumer electronics globally. ''CNET'' originally produced content for radio and televi ...

'' praised the cinematography of the first season, stating that "shots cleverly linger on certain scenes to draw out the impressive sets, while adeptly tracking the action during sword fights or zombie attacks." Renaldo Matadeen from '' CBR'' mentioned in a positive review of the first season, that "''Kingdom'' makes even bolder sociopolitical statements than '' The Walking Dead'' does. Sure, the

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...

series waxes on about class and elitism, but ''Kingdom'' wades deep into governance and the divide between the rulers and the suffering populace." Jonathan Christian from ''The Playlist'' complimented the series by adding that "this series is risky programming for people who appreciate the unusual, gory, but imaginative, things in life. Considering the over-saturated state of the market, it is refreshing to see Netflix taking chances." Joel Keller from '' News AU'' recommended the first season in their review of the series by stating that "''Kingdom'' dares to show that zombies aren't just a 20th and 21st-century phenomenon, and we applaud that kind of creative storytelling." While reviewing the first season, Kate Sanchez from ''But Why Tho?'' declared in a positive review that "''Kingdom'' offers a period drama, a zombie show, and a tense atmosphere that will keep you watching until you're done with this season. In an over-saturated sub-genre, this show takes common horror tropes and rewrites zombie rules for Joseon Korea in a way that reinvigorates my love of the sub-genre." Michael Pementel from ''

Bloody Disgusting Bloody Disgusting is an American multi-media company, which began as a horror genre-focused news site/website specializing in information services that covered various horror medias, including: film, television, video games, comics, and music. ...

'' praised the series, stating that "''Kingdom'' is by far one of the most compelling works to come out of the zombie genre" and further adding that "thanks to strong acting, gripping action and drama, gruesome visuals, and an overall powerful narrative, ''Kingdom'' is a must watch for horror fans." On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season reported a 100% rating based on 8 reviews. In a positive review of the second season, Jorge Loser from ''Espinof'' wrote that, "''Kingdom'' avoids unnecessary fillers in the story, and leaves a consistency in its spine that makes it worthy." Sol Harris from '' Starburst'' praised the second season, stating that it is "a true roller-coaster of a thrill-ride, balancing nail-biting zombie carnage with the sword-based military action of countless samurai movies with a handful of darkly comedic moments that would make

Sam Raimi Samuel M. Raimi ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the Spider-Man (2002 film series), ''Spider-Man'' trilogy (2002–2007) and the ''Evil Dead'' franchise (1981–present). He also directed the 1 ...

proud." Kevin Lever of ''Tell-Tale'' TV gave the second season a very positive review, writing: "the most important thing about ''Kingdom'' remains absolutely, undeniably riveting. The political intrigue is certainly exciting when the outbreak is its backdrop, the future of the country at risk when leadership is most needed." He said further that the season, "continues the greatness of the first season and delivers a satisfying, bloody good time." Rafael Motamayor from ''

GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...

'' recommended the second season in his review by highlighting that, "Not to be outdone by ''

Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the first ...

'', ''Kingdom'' also serves as an intriguing courtroom thriller", further praising the narrative, by adding that it "doubles down on the viral aspect of the zombie outbreak, exploring its natural origin, how it spreads, and most frighteningly, how it evolves." ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' named ''Kingdom'' one of "The Best International Shows of 2020." Following Netflix's reporting on the considerable success that ''Kingdom'' obtained globally after it was made available to stream on their platform service, Eun-hee stated in response that "I could never have imagined the popularity ingdom got I did my best to make it as Korean as possible because I wanted people to see it and become more curious about Korea."

Release

On December 17, 2018, the official trailer for the series was released. On January 25, 2019, the first season of the series, consisting of six episodes, was released for streaming on

. The second season, also consisting of six episodes, was released on March 13, 2020. A special 92-minute episode, titled "''Kingdom: Ashin of the North''", was released on July 23, 2021. A second special episode on the Crown Prince is reported to be in the works and scheduled for release in 2023.

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

* *
''Kingdom'' (season 1)
at

''Kingdom'' (season 2)
at

* {{Netflix original ended series (2019–present) 2019 South Korean television series debuts 2010s South Korean television series 2020s South Korean television series South Korean web series Alternate history television series Cannibalism in fiction Korean-language Netflix original programming Period television series Political television series Serial drama television series South Korean fantasy television series South Korean horror fiction television series South Korean pre-produced television series South Korean thriller television series Television shows written by Kim Eun-hee Television series by AStory Television series set in the Joseon dynasty Television shows based on South Korean webtoons Zombies in television