K-Drama Review: The King: Eternal Monarch | Only on Netflix
Lee Gon is the king, the eternal monarch, who must find a way to save his people from being ruled by a ruthless monarch, his uncle. He discovers a portal that leads to a parallel world and …
A Brother Who Covets the Throne of the Eternal Monarch
Prince Imperial Geum Lee Lim (played by Lee Jung-jin) desires to be the King, the Eternal Monarch. He covets the throne of his half-brother who is the ruler of the Kingdom of Corea. The king possesses the Manpasikjeok (A magic bamboo fluter with incredible power) but does not believe in its legend. According to legend, this instrument has the power to bridge two different but parallel worlds.
Lee Lim wants to rule both worlds, so he murders the king. The king asks Lee Lim if he feared the punishment of the skies (or the heavens). Just before he ruthlessly murders his half-brother, he responds:
“God never created humans. It was the weak who created God.”
In other words, he’s not weak and he’s going to rule the world. Or rather, two worlds. Why be the ruler of one world, when you can rule two? His plans don’t include a “God” who needs to be feared by him. All he needs are loyal minions who fear him. He knows where to find them and how to convert them.
The True Eternal Monarch of Corea
Lee Lim also intends to kill the king’s son, since the young child is the legitimate heir to the throne. However, his attempt fails because law enforcement officers from the other world, the Republic of Korea, crash his takeover party. Lee Lim evades capture by going through a portal that allows him to move between the two worlds, the Kingdom of Corea and the Republic of Korea.
A female lieutenant saves the life of the young crown prince. He is alive, but semi-conscious because of his uncle’s brutal attack. Somehow he grabs the lieutenant’s badge and clutches it in his hands. The lieutenant and the rest of her team leave the scene of the coup in Corea and return to the police station where they work in Korea. The crown prince survives the coup and becomes the 3rd king of Corea. King Lee Gon (played by Lee Min-Ho) grows into a fine young man and a beloved ruler.
King Lee Gon Discovers the Portal Between Two Parallel Worlds
One day Lee Gon is alone, horseback riding through the bamboo forest. A bright light shines and a portal in this beautiful forest opens. The king enters into the alternate parallel world, i.e. the Republic of Korea. Riding his trusted steed, Maximus, through a forest is fine. But a man on a white horse prancing down a busy street in South Korea among cars and buses is very conspicuous. The obvious thing happens. A law enforcement officer stops him and tells him to dismount. Who is that officer? Lieutenant Jeong Tae-eul (played by Kim Go-eun). He recognizes her face from the identification badge he clutched in his hands when he was a child. He dismounts, walks up to her, and says: “I’ve finally met you”. Then he hugs her. That’s probably not what you should do to an officer who is trying to decide if she should arrest you or have you committed to a mental hospital. Bystanders looking on think he must be a movie star.
A Romantic-Fantasy With an Interesting Twist
Lee Lim, the murderous uncle is in the Republic of Korea recruiting loyal subjects to serve him in his Eternal Kingdom of Corea. Lee Gon, his nephew, the true Eternal Monarch, needs to find his uncle and stop him!
In the process, he falls in love with Jeong Tae-eul. OK! So! It’s a love story. That’s to be expected. But what’s the twist?
Somehow the two worlds got crisscrossed. She ended up in Corea where she saved the life of Lee Gon when he was a young crown prince, only 8 years old. He became king after his father’s murder, and when he became an adult, he started searching for the woman who saved his life and he found her in Korea. The attempted murder happened in 1994, but her police badge was issued in 2019. When they meet, they are both about the same age. That’s the twist. But the beauty of romantic fantasy is that age differences can easily be eliminated. Consequently, a romance can develop.
Viewer Reaction and Rating
From the beginning of his career as an actor, Lee Min-ho (“Boys Over Flowers”) has never given a disappointing performance. In fact, by my standards, a movie or series automatically rates 3 stars just because he plays the main character. Fans were excited about this Netflix Korean drama series because this was his first acting gig after having completed his required military service. This K-drama series is 16 episodes, released in 2020, and is Only on Netflix. It falls under many genres: Mystery, Romance, Drama, and Sci-Fi or Fantasy. Most viewers gave this series a rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars. I agree.
Netflix K-Content. “The King: Eternal Monarch | Official Trailer | Netflix [ENG SUB].” YouTube, 12 Apr. 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1L1iaFZQ9I. Accessed 15 Mar. 2023.
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