Hunger drives the story of Kingdom, in which people fight zombies with swords and make their escape on a cartwheel chase during the 16th-century Joseon Dynasty.
"The word 'hunger' entails a lot of different ideas," said the period drama's director, Kim Seong-hun (director and writer of Tunnel), in Seoul earlier this month. "First, there's the physical hunger that's experienced by commoners in our story. Then, there's the hunger for greed."
Released last week on Netflix, the South Korean period drama features a virtuous crown prince battling a scheming statesman with the help of his commoner allies. But what sets it apart from others is plague-infested zombies charging and chomping on unfortunate souls. Kingdom -- as Netflix's first South Korean original -- is perhaps an answer to both Game Of Thrones and The Walking Dead, mashed in one where the fight is ever bloody, whether it's to do with politics or zombies.
"In my office, I have a whiteboard, and at the beginning of this whole process, I wrote the question 'What is politics?'. I want to tell the story of those who get ahold of power and how they affect the common people," said writer Kim Eun-hee (who wrote the acclaimed police TV series Signal). She began working on the story in 2011 after coming across a record in the Annals Of The Joseon Dynasty about a mysterious disease that killed thousands.
Kingdom sees crown prince Lee Chang leaving the palace to solve a mystery following the rumours of his father's death. Out in the rural area, a plague makes infected patients crave flesh and blood, while female physician Seo-bi seeks its cause and remedy. Within the palace wall, chief state councillor Cho Hak-ju is the mastermind vying for the throne's power.
From left to right, Ryu Seung-ryong, Bae Doona, Ju Ji-hoon, writer Kim Eun-hee, and director Kim Seong-hun.
The story of Kingdom -- told in six episodes that clearly pave the way for a whole other universe to come -- sets the scene in themes dealing with politics, class, social structure and survival.
Despite calling it a very Korean story, writer Kim said she hopes global audiences can enjoy Kingdom due to themes that resonate worldwide. At the heart of it, even without the thrill of zombies, lies the story of humans.
"We want to focus on who caused [the plague] and how they became zombies. I think that kind of storytelling is what differentiates Kingdom from others in the zombie genre," she said.
Leading the cast of Kingdom is the ensemble trio Ju Ji-hoon (best known among Thai audiences from Princess Hours and Along With The Gods), Bae Doona (The Host and Netflix's Sense8), and Ryu Seung-ryong (Masquerade and Miracle In Cell No.7), who play crown prince Lee Chang, physician Seo-bi and evil statesman Cho Hak-ju, respectively.
During our interview, Ju Ji-hoon recalled battling the freezing weather and harsh terrain during the shooting of the series. He also had to take part in some action scenes. But aside from physical hardships, there was another challenge everyone had to consider throughout the production.
Ju Ji-hoon plays crown prince Lee Chang.
"One of the biggest challenges is, because it's a historical period drama, there are certain types of ideology or attitude that my character has. However, the story will be seen by audiences of modern times. So, I think it was important for us to maintain that sort of balance, along with the actors as well as the director, to be able to deliver the reality of the time as well as deliver the story that we wanted to deliver," said Ju Ji-hoon.
Bae Doona, who has also appeared in Hollywood films Cloud Atlas and Jupiter Ascending, expressed certain frustration that her character isn't getting much action compared to others. Kingdom is also her first period drama.
"In the Joseon Dynasty, that was an era of Confucianism. It wasn't easy in terms of the social structure or the overall ambience for women to be quite active in their roles. So at first I thought I wouldn't be drawn to a female character in the setting of the Joseon Dynasty. But my character plays the role of a professional physician and that was what drew me to her. Despite her being a woman in Joseon, she is very active and is also a very smart woman. She's the brain of the group," said Bae Doona.
As for Ryu Seung-ryong, who's very sweet and funny in real life, he transforms into the cold, calculated councillor. And while his two co-stars are running from scary zombies, he has to step up and be an even more intimidating figure on the show.
Bae Doona plays physician Seo-bi.
"I focus more on preparing my tone of voice and also my glare so that we can really bring about fear within the audience," said the actor of his preparation for the role. "It was quite difficult for me because I had to play a character that was scarier than zombies, but I was actually very scared of the zombies themselves."
As a whole, Kingdom packs mystery-thriller with drama, horror, and even some comedic elements and lighthearted romance. To actress Bae Doona, this fusion of genres found in Kingdom and several other works from South Korean showbiz is perhaps what makes K-drama so popular around the world. She compares its charm to that of traditional Korean food.
"We have a saying in Korea that we prepare so much food the table legs are about to break. By that, we mean we prepare so many side dishes, and it's not just a single dish but there are so many factors that go into the Korean content," she said. "You can have some comical elements, as well as something sad, a little bit of a love story, and some action scenes. There are also thrillers. I think it has that kind of charm where everyone can find something they like."
Kingdom has been gaining traction worldwide since its release. But for those looking forward to the second season, it will be quite a long wait as its production is set to begin later this month.
Experience Kingdom in person at the "Hungry For Power" event, to be held from Feb 4-6, 11am-2pm and 5-10pm at Groove, CentralWorld. Netflix will transform the venue into a scene straight from the Joseon Dynasty. Visitors can see paintings and artefacts, and witness the arts and culture of Joseon, while joining in the race to solve the mystery behind this thrilling series.
