Kingdom () is a South Korean zombie sageuk action horror thriller series, created and written by Kim Eun-hee, based on the webtoon series The Kingdom of the Gods () by Kim Eun-hee and Yang Kyung-il. As Netflix's first original Korean series, it premiered on January 25, 2019. It stars Ju Ji-hoon, Bae Doona, Ryu Seung-ryong, Kim Sang-ho, Kim Sung-kyu, and Kim Hye-jun.
Set in 1601, three years after the end of the Imjin War, Kingdom takes place in a fictional Joseon (now Korea) and blends political thriller with zombie horror. The story follows Lee Chang, the crown prince of the House of Yi, 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. 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 premiered 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. The episode acts as a sidequel to the second season of Kingdom. It explores the backstory of Ashin, the mysterious character Lee Chang's group encountered on their journey north to discover the origins of the infected.
Premise Kingdom
Set during the Joseon dynasty, three years after the conclusion of the Japanese invasions known as the Imjin War, the story follows Crown Prince Lee Chang. He, along with his subordinates, finds a zombie apocalypse is ravaging the countryside amidst a brewing political conspiracy.
Ashin of the North Kingdom: Ashin of the North explores the backstory of a Jurchen woman named Ashin and the origin of the resurrection plant that triggered the events in Kingdom.
Cast + Character Portrayed by Seasons Ashin of the North 1 2 Main characters Lee Chang Ju Ji-hoon colspan="2" Seo-bi Bae Doona colspan="2" Lord Cho Hak-ju Ryu Seung-ryong colspan="2" Yeong-shin Kim Sung-kyu colspan="2" Cho Beom-pal Jeon Seok-ho colspan="2" Queen Consort Cho Kim Hye-jun colspan="2" Mu-yeong Kim Sang-ho colspan="2" Lord Ahn Hyeon Huh Joon-ho Ashin Jun Ji-hyunKim Si-a (young) Min Chi-rok Park Byung-eun Ai Da Gan Koo Kyo-hwan colspan="2" Ta Hab Kim Roi-ha colspan="2" Recurring characters Cho Beom-il Jung Suk-won colspan="2" Lee Seung-hui Kwon Bum-taek Kim Sun Kim Jong-soo colspan="2" Deok Sung Jin Seon-kyu Lee Do-jin Lee Gang-yun Kim Tae-hoon
Main Ju Ji-hoon as Lee Chang, the Crown Prince of Joseon and heir presumptive to the throne. Although he is the King's only child, his late mother was unmarried, meaning that a son born to the queen consort would become the heir apparent 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 epidemic that brings the dead back to life, but also a plot to betray the royal family and usurp him as heir. Bae Doona as Seo-bi, a physician from Dongnae, 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. Ryu Seung-ryong 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, whom he seeks to make heir to the throne in place of Lee Chang. Kim Sung-kyu as Yeong-shin, a mysterious tiger hunter from the South who is the only survivor of the first outbreak. A strong fighter, uniquely skilled with a novel bird gun (Joseon matchlock musket), and who shares little of his past, he allies himself with Lee Chang and helps lead the fight against the undead. Jeon Seok-ho 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 primary consort. 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 who 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 king's illness, leaving his pregnant wife in the capital. Huh Joon-ho 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 Sangju. He was also a mentor to the young Lee Chang. Jun Ji-hyun as Ashin (guest season 2; main in special), a mysterious woman from Hamgyong Province in the far north of the country. Kim Si-a as young Ashin (special) Park Byung-eun 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 as Ai Da Gan (special), the Leader of the nomadic Pajeowi tribe of the Jurchen people Kim Roi-ha as Ta Hab (special), Ashin's father and head of the Northern Seongjeoyain tribe of the Jurchens
Recurring Jung Suk-won 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 as Deok Sung: Ahn Hyeon's loyal right-hand man. Jeon Su-ji 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 as Eunuch (season 2), a former eunuch who later becomes the new king's servant. Kim Kang-hoon 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 Netflix approached Eun-hee, after Signal 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, Netflix 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. 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 and Signal, 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, as the turning point for the revitalization of the interest in zombie films 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.