The King and I

Plot

The King and I revolves around the life of Kim Cheo-sun, considered the best eunuch attendant who lived during the Joseon period.

Cheo-sun secretly loves his childhood friend So-hwa, but he cannot confess his love because of their difference in social class. Eventually, when So-hwa becomes betrothed to King Seongjong, he castrates himself and enters the palace as an eunuch, determined to watch over and protect her.

Initially the King's concubine, So-hwa is later elevated to the rank of Queen. But she becomes a pawn of the intense strife among warring political factions, and is stripped of her title and cast out of the palace in disgrace. Despite Cheo-sun's attempts to help her, she is sentenced to death. Cheo-sun carries out his orders by handing her the bowl of poison and he watches as the woman he loved all his life dies before his eyes. After her death, he looks after her son, Prince Yeonsan.

Cast

Main characters

Oh Man-seok as Kim Cheo-sun

Joo Min-soo as young Cheo-sun

Koo Hye-sun as Yoon So-hwa, later Deposed Queen Yun

Park Bo-young as young So-hwa

Go Joo-won as King Seongjong

Yoo Seung-ho as young Prince Jalsan (later Seongjong)

Jun Kwang-ryul as Jo Chi-gyeom, head of the eunuchs

Yang Mi-kyung as Grand Queen Dowager Jaseong (later known as Queen Jeonghui), Seongjong's grandmother

Jeon In-hwa as Queen Dowager Insu, Seongjong's mother

Ahn Jae-mo as Jung Han-soo, a eunuch

Baek Seung-do as young Han-soo

Jeon Hye-bin as Seol-young, Chi-gyeom's adoptive sister

Lee Jin as Queen Yun (later known as Queen Jeonghyeon)

Supporting characters

Shin Goo as Noh Nae-shi, Chi-gyeom's adoptive father / former eunuch

Kim Soo-mi as old woman So-gwi, in charge of discipline at the eunuch training house

Yoon Yoo-sun as Wol-hwa, Cheo-sun's foster mother / Soginopa's daughter)

Kang Nam-gil as Choi Cham-bong, eunuch trainer

Jung Tae-woo as Yi Yung, Prince Yeonsan, King Seongjong and So-hwa's son

Jung Yoon-seok as young Yi Yung

Kim Sa-rang as Eoudong

Extended cast

Yang Jung-a as Lady Oh, Cheo-sun's mother

Lee Il-jae as Kim Ja-myung, Cheo-sun's father

Sunwoo Jae-duk as Yoon Ki-kyun, So-hwa's father

Choi Jung-won as Lady Shin, Ki-kyun's wife

Han Da-min as Queen Gonghye

Kim Hee-jung as young Lady Han

Han So-jung as Court Lady Um

Yoon Hye-kyung as Royal Consort Eom Gwi-in

Ahn Gil-kang as Kae Do-chi

Kim Jung-min as Beo Deul-yi

Jo Jung-eun as young Deul-yi

Kim Da-hyun as Choi Ja-chi

Yoo Tae-woong as young Ja-chi

Kang In-hyung as Moon So-woon

Jeon Ha-eun as young So-woon

Kim Ha-kyun as Jang Soon-moo

Kim Myung-soo as Yang Sung-yoon

Han Jung-soo as Do Geum-pyo

Kim So-hyun as Lady Jung, Ji-gyeom's wife

Kim Byung-se as King Sejo

Yoo Dong-hyuk as King Yejong

Kim Jong-gyul as Han Myung-hoe

Production

Park Sang-min was originally cast as King Seongjong, but had to back out. He was replaced by Go Joo-won.

Yeo Woon-kye was supposed to portray So-gwi but had to quit for health reasons, even though she had already filmed a few episodes. Her replacement was Kim Soo-mi.

Reportedly enraged because the scripts were routinely turned in late, resulting in exhaustion for the actors in the cast, Jeon In-hwa's husband Yoo Dong-geun assaulted two producers on set on December 29, 2007. He later apologized for the incident.

Episode ratings

The King and I performed moderately well, getting ratings in the 20%–25% range and ranking in the top 10. However, in late January 2008, due to competition from MBC's Yi San, ratings fell to the mid-tens, barely cracking the Top 20 in Korea.

SBS first extended the episodes from the originally planned 50 to 67, then back to 61 because of bad ratings, and finally to 63.

Awards

2007 SBS Drama Awards

Top Excellence Award, Actor Jun Kwang-ryul

Excellence Award, Actor in a Serial Drama: Oh Man-seok

Top 10 Stars: Jun Kwang-ryul

Best Teen Actor: Yoo Seung-ho

Best Teen Actor: Joo Min-soo

Best Teen Actress: Park Bo-young

Achievement Award: Shin Goo

New Star Award: Koo Hye-sun