The Korean drama “Captivating the King” undefinedThe drama will be broadcasted from January 21, 2024. It is a weekend drama, but due to the AFC Asian Cup broadcast on Saturday, the first episode will be aired on Sunday instead, with episodes 1 and 2 aired consecutively.

“Captivating the King” deals with a fictional history, but the appearance of a war with the Qing Dynasty suggests that the time setting is in the 17th century during the Bingja Horan. The main character, ‘Lee In,’ the king's younger brother, is taken hostage to the Qing Dynasty, and returns to Joseon after a few years. However, the king and everyone around him react coldly to Lee In, who had been a hostage in the Qing Dynasty. They suspect Lee In of being a Qing spy, ‘Sajak.’ Lee In is tormented by the reactions of those around him, and then meets a mysterious Go player who takes his side.

‘Kang Hee-soo,’ a woman who has been watching her father play Go since she was a child, has excellent Go skills. However, it is difficult for her to play Go as a woman, so she dresses up as a man and goes around playing Go for money. In the midst of this, Kang Hee-soo meets Lee In, and becomes friends with him, defending Lee In from unjust words and playing Go with him. Lee In gives Kang Hee-soo a nickname, ‘Mong-woo,’ which means ‘light rain.’ undefinedLee In continues to be suspected by his brother, the king, of being a Qing spy, ‘Sajak,’ and eventually ascends to the throne due to political struggles. In the drama trailer, Lee In is seen ascending to the throne, and for some reason, he points a sword at Kang Hee-soo. It seems that Kang Hee-soo was betrayed by Lee In. Lee In, who became king, still considers Kang Hee-soo as a friend with whom he can play Go, but Kang Hee-soo decides to become a real ‘Sajak’ out of a sense of betrayal.

The complex story between the two characters seems to be difficult to grasp with just the official trailer. The two characters, who had feelings for each other but came to hate each other, still seem to have lingering feelings for each other. It raises curiosity about how the two characters will change their relationship. The genre is described as romance and melodrama, but it is expected that political conflicts during the Joseon Dynasty will also be a significant part of the drama. undefinedAlso, with a strong cast including lead actors Cho Jung-seok and Shin Se-kyung, as well as Jo Sung-ha, Son Hyun-joo, and Jang Young-nam, the acting is generating expectations. undefinedThe Korean drama “Captivating the King” will premiere on January 21, and can be watched on TVING and Netflix afterwards.