“Game of Thrones” in the Joseon Dynasty: The Most Unusual Answer to the HBO Hit Was Filmed in Korea (Already on Netflix)

In medieval Korea, during the Joseon era, the king is struck by a mysterious illness. No one is allowed to see him after he is chained by illness, except for his young wife – the queen – and her father, minister Cho Hak-chu (the “hand”, in “Game of Thrones” terminology, is popularly considered the true ruler).

The Crown Prince, the King’s only offspring, though illegitimate, desperately wants to meet his father and care for him during his illness. But the Prince is a prisoner in his own palace.

In the carefully guarded royal mansion in the capital Hanyang (present-day Seoul), nothing happens without the knowledge and willing consent of the queen and Cho Hak-ju. The evil couple has a secret that could not only provoke a fight for the crown, but also cause the deaths of thousands of people.

A sort of mix of ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘The Walking Dead’, filmed during a posh, beautiful, flowery period in Korean history.

Sometimes it’s hard to escape the ‘Game of Thrones’ atmosphere: The queen and Cho Hak-Ju are pure Cersei and Tywin Lannister. The father guides his daughter and teaches her to hold on to power.

Frame from m/s “Kingdom”

Crown Prince – Jon Snow; the zombie horde he fights is comparable to the Army of the Dead. Moo-Young even has his own Samwell Tarly. (The other characters aren’t as well written as these four, a flaw that a second season should have corrected.)

There’s enough intrigue, plotting and politics to make up for the lack of a Night King-esque enemy and dragons. There’s even a distinct Ramin Djawadi feel to some of the background scores.

It is therefore not surprising that Western critics compare ‘Kingdom’ to ‘Game of Thrones’. And even though the Korean series is about zombies, the sheer amount of similarities and identical details when watching it cannot be denied.