''Prince Hours'' (; lit. "Palace S") is a 2007 South Korean romantic comedy

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

, starring

Seven 7 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 7 or seven may also refer to: * AD 7, the seventh year of the AD era * 7 BC, the seventh year before the AD era * The month of July Music Artists * Seven (Swiss singer) (born 1978), a Swiss recording artist ...

Huh E-jae Heo Yi-jae (, born February 19, 1986) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her leading roles in the Korean drama, television dramas ''Prince Hours'' and ''Single Dad in Love''. Career Heo Yi-jae began her entertainment career by mode ...

Kang Doo Kang Doo (born February 27, 1979) is a South Korean singer and actor. He is a former member of the group, The Jadu. He played the bass guitar and did backup vocals. Kang Doo is now replaced with a new member, Maru. He gave up his position for ...

and

Park Shin-hye Park Shin-hye (, born February 18, 1990) is a South Korean actress and singer. She gained recognition as a child on TV shows such as ''Stairway to Heaven'' (2003), and ''Tree of Heaven'' (2006). Later on, she would achieve further success when ...

. It is a spin-off of the 2006 series ''Goong'' (also known as ''

Princess Hours ''Princess Hours'' (; lit. ''Palace'') is a 2006 South Korean television series, starring Yoon Eun-hye, Ju Ji-hoon, Kim Jeong-hoon and Song Ji-hyo. It is based on Korean manhwa ''Goong'' by Park So-hee. It aired on MBC from January 11 to Mar ...

''), both were directed by Hwang In-roi and produced by Group Eight. ''Goong S'' aired on MBC from January 10 to March 15, 2007 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 20 episodes.

Plot

The story set in a universe where

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 ...

is a

constitutional monarchy A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...

. The Empress regnant, (

Myung Se-bin Myung Se-bin (born April 10, 1975) is a South Korean actress from the Seochok Myeong clan. A textile graduate from Dongduk Women's University, Myung was spotted in 1996 at a department store in Seoul by singer Shin Seung-hun, who cast her in his ...

), already in her thirties, is still unmarried and without an heir, which prompts the imperial court to look for a suitable Crown Prince. They encounter Lee Hoo (

), the son of the empress' uncle, and brings him into the palace where he begins to learn the life of a royal. However, another competitor arrives at the court: Lee Joon (

), the son of another uncle of the Empress. They compete for the title of Crown Prince via a trial of several tasks to determine the worthy future Emperor of the country.

Cast and characters

as Kang Hoo/Lee Hoo :A prince raised as a commoner because his mother was thrown out of the palace shortly before his birth. After his mother's death, he was raised by one of the former Palace guards. The imperial family was unaware of his existence until he was taken into the succession line by the Empress. At the beginning, Lee Hoo seemed to be the least likely candidate to fill the spot of Crown Prince. He was rash, lacked focus and was seemingly selfish to most but as he struggled to learn of the life he was destined to live, he turned into a considerate, mature and responsible young man. He is also fair and has a great sense of right and wrong. *

Heo Yi-jae Heo Yi-jae (, born February 19, 1986) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her leading roles in the television dramas ''Prince Hours'' and '' Single Dad in Love''. Career Heo Yi-jae began her entertainment career by modeling for maga ...

as Yang Soon-ae :Prince Lee Hoo's childhood friend and one of the few that still refer him as Kang Hoo (the name he was raised as). A sensible and kind-hearted young woman who works as a palace maid. She is in love with Lee Hoo, and is supportive of Lee Hoo during his journey to becoming a Crown Prince. *

as Lee Joon :Raised by nobility, Prince Lee Joon has his mind set to be the next Emperor of Korea. He was to be engaged to the Prime Minister's daughter Shin Sae-ryung and agreed to the arrangement, but later resented it as he fell for palace maid Yang Soon-ae. He later refused the throne after realizing the truth of his father's greed, and decided to pursue his dreams of becoming a musician. *

as Shin Sae-ryung :The daughter of the Prime Minister, who was raised to be a proper lady and groomed to be the next Empress of Korea. She had always followed her father's instructions after her mom left her for a life of simplicity. Though her only interest was to be the Empress, she eventually fell for Prince Lee Hoo. She eventually came to peace with her mother's decision, and remain friends with both Princes. *

as Queen Hwa-in :Korea's current reigning Empress. In public, she seems to be the most well-adjusted woman with high regards, but in truth, she has been concealing her feelings. She had been in love with a half-Korean, half-Austrian professor whom she met during her studies at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, but had to leave him and return to Korea to assume her role. She becomes conflicted when her former love, Alexander comes to Korea, when she is forced once again to choose between her love or people. *Marc Andre Jourdan as Alexander :The Empress's love interest. He's half-Korean, half-Austrian, and though unable to speak fluent Korean, he is able to understand the language. He came to Korea, accepting a job offer at the Royal Academy and at the same time seeking for an answer for the choices the Empress had made. He later backed out, realizing that it would make the situation difficult for the Empress. He left Korea and later it was revealed that he also contributed to Yang Soon-ae's education fund. *Oh Mi-hee as Empress Dowager :The mother of the current Empress, who is rather detached from the outside world from having lived in the palace for a very long time. She is unable to distinguish the difference between the latest technology. She is very fond of Prince Lee Hoo. Though she supported Prince Lee Hoo's father when he chose to marry a commoner, she strongly opposed his Lee Hoo's relationship with Yang Soon-ae, for fear of history repeating itself.

Supporting cast

*Ha Jae-young as Grand Duke Hyo-sung *

Chun Ho-jin Chun Ho-jin (born September 9, 1960) is a South Korean actor. Early life Chun studied chemistry at Inha University but dropped out to pursue acting. His father Chun Gyu-deok was among the first generation of professional wrestlers in the countr ...

as Grand Prince (Hyojang Daegong) Lee Gyeom, Joon's father *Yoon Ye-hee as Jang Yoon-hee, Joon's mother *Cha Hyun-jung as Min Shi-yeon, Joon's bodyguard *Lee Hong-pyo as Min Young-hyun *Jeon Hye-soo as Shi Jong-gwan *Seo Song-hee as Ma Young-nam, Soon-ae's friend *Seo Young-don as In-woo *So Do-bi as Min-hyuk *Lee Man-young as Kwak Nae-kwan *Song Baek-kyung as Bulbam *

Ye Soo-jung Ye Soo-jung is a South Korean actress. She is known for her roles in dramas such as ''Mine'', ''The King of Tears, Lee Bang-won'', ''One the Woman'', '' Link: Eat, Love, Kill'', ''Do You Like Brahms?'' and ''Becoming Witch''. She also appeared i ...

as Court attendant Han *

Lee Ki-young Lee Ki-young (born August 26, 1963) is a South Korean actor. His notable roles include ''Marathon'' (2005), ''A Bittersweet Life'' (2005), and ''Love Me Not'' (2006). Filmography Film * '' Night in Paradise'' (2020) * ''How to Steal a Dog' ...

as Go Sang-ki *Lee Joo-hyun as Yoon-chul *

Lee Ho-jae Lee Ho-jae (born January 3, 1973) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Lee debuted with the crime thriller ''The Scam (2009 film), The Scam'' (2009). It won Best New Director at the 46th Grand Bell Awards, 46th Grand Bell Awards i ...

as Jin Sin-sa *Kim Hong-sik as Shin Jae-man, Sae-ryung's father *Jeon Soo-hyun as court attendant Choi *Kim Chang-sung as Jjooba *

Jung Hye-young Jung Hye-young (born December 14, 1973) is a South Korean actress. She is a part of the YG Entertainment group and is best known for her roles in Korean television dramas. Personal life In 2004, Jung married Sean Noh, a member of hip-hop du ...

as Hoo's mother (cameo) *Cho Sung-hwan as Jjodaeng *Hwang In-woo as Hwang Ka *

Moon Ga-young Moon Ga-young (; born July 10, 1996) is a German-born South Korean actress. She is best known for her roles in ''Heartstrings'' (2011), ''EXO Next Door'' (2015), '' Tempted'' (2018), ''Welcome to Waikiki 2'' (2019), ''Find Me in Your Memory'' ...

Reception

Although ''

'' was a hit, ''Prince Hours'' failed to attract many viewers. Initial overnight ratings averaged around 10%, about half of the original's. Further in its run, the ratings decreased to 7-8%. Despite the low ratings, ''Goong S'' was the most searched and rewatched drama online and ranked higher than its competition:

KBS2 The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, a ...

's ''

Dal-Ja's Spring ''Dal-ja's Spring'' () is a 2007 South Korean romantic comedy television series starring Chae Rim, Lee Min-ki, Lee Hyun-woo, Lee Hye-young and Gong Hyung-jin. It aired on KBS2 from January 3 to March 15, 2007 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 ...

'' and SBS's ''Surgeon Bong Dal Hee''. The drama has also gained a wide variety of support from international fans in the U.S., Thailand, Malaysia, Brazil, Singapore, Philippines etc.

Ratings

Source
TNS Media Korea

International broadcast

Indonesia *Channel:

Indosiar PT Indosiar Visual Mandiri, commonly known as Indosiar, is an Indonesian over-the-air television network. It broadcasts nationwide on UHF and can be received throughout the Indonesian archipelago on analog PAL television sets, established on ...

*Broadcast: September 13, 2007 Japan *Channel: MNet Japan *Broadcast: June 9, 2007 *Channel:

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*Broadcast: August 15, 2007 Malaysia *Channel: 8TV *Broadcast: March 26, 2008 - May 2, 2008 Philippines *Channel:

Studio 23 Studio 23 (officially Studio 23, Inc. and previously AMCARA Broadcasting Network) was a Filipino television network owned by ABS-CBN Corporation. The network was named for its flagship station in Metro Manila, DWAC-TV and carried on UHF chann ...

*Broadcast:2010 Singapore *Channel: Channel U *Broadcast: October 13, 2007 - December 8, 2007 Taiwan *Channel: GTV *Broadcast: July 4, 2007 Thailand *Channel: Channel 7 *Broadcast: June 17, 2007 - August 12, 2007 Turkey *Channel:

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*Broadcast: January 10, 2007 – March 15, 2007, January 29, 2009 - February 25, 2009 United States *Channel: LA18 *Broadcast: February 21, 2007 - April 25, 2007 Vietnam *Channel:

HTV7 HTV7 is a entertainment sociocultural TV channel in Vietnam, broadcast by Ho Chi Minh City Television since 1987. History of formation and development * Before January 27, 1973, this was the channel serving the US Army stationed in Southern V ...

*Broadcast: August 8, 2007 Sri Lanka *Channel/Streaming service:

Iflix WeTV iflix, or simply iflix, is a Malaysian free and subscription video on demand (VOD) service focused on emerging markets. Its global headquarters are in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The site serves as a digital hosting and distribution platform fo ...

References

External links

''Goong S'' official MBC website

''Goong S - Secret Prince'' official Japanese website
* {{hancinema film, Prince_Hours MBC TV television dramas 2007 South Korean television series debuts 2007 South Korean television series endings Alternate history television series Korean-language television shows South Korean alternate history South Korean romantic comedy television series South Korean teen dramas Television spin-offs