"The Haunted Palace" Writer Praises Cast, Opens Up About Her Inspiration For The Drama, And More

The writer of SBS’s upcoming drama “The Haunted Palace” has expressed her satisfaction with the performances of stars BTOB’s Yook Sungjae, WJSN’s Kim Ji Yeon (Bona), and Kim Ji Hun!

“The Haunted Palace” is a fantasy historical rom-com that delves into the tale of the Eight Feet Tall spirit that bears a grudge against the king, a female shaman who opposes it, and an Imugi (a mythical creature that is able to transform into a dragon upon acquiring a magical jewel).

Yook Sungjae stars as Yoon Gap, a royal archivist and Yeo Ri’s first love, who becomes possessed by an Imugi named Gang Cheol. Kim Ji Yeon stars as Yeo Ri, the granddaughter of a shaman with powerful spiritual abilities. Kim Ji Hun stars as King Yi Jeong, a wise and just ruler who prioritizes his country and people above all else.

The drama is helmed by director Yoon Sung Sik—known for dramas like “Mr. Queen,” “You’re the Best, Lee Soon Shin,” and “Bridal Mask”—and penned by writer Yoon Soo Jung, who wrote “Cheer Up!” and “The King’s Face.”

Talking about her inspiration for the drama, writer Yoon Soo Jung shared, “The initial idea came while I was co-writing ‘The King’s Face.’ Looking through reference materials at the time, I thought, ‘The palace must be full of vengeful spirits.’ That one line of thought, which I held onto for a long time, became the starting point for ‘The Haunted Palace,’ which I began planning about five years ago.”

She added, “The concept of a love-hate relationship involving a female shaman and a man possessed by an Imugi came to me while I was pondering how to make a historical drama with occult elements more entertaining and accessible to a broader audience.”

As “The Haunted Palace” features a rich blend of genres, Yoon Soo Jung remarked, “I put the most effort into balancing the different genres harmoniously. Especially since rom-com and occult are like water and oil—they don’t easily mix. One of my main goals in the early planning stages was to create a structure that could tightly link the two genres without them clashing.”

The writer also discussed her process of researching the supernatural beings featured in the drama, including the Imugi and the Eight Feet Tall spirit. She shared, “Personally, I love looking through source materials and piecing together stories hidden between the lines. I drew inspiration from countless books and films, but primarily from Korean classics like ‘Eou Yadam,’ ‘Seongho Saseol,’ and ‘Cheonyerok.’ In particular, a passage in ‘Eou Yadam’ about a ghost eight feet tall haunting the palace inspired me to start crafting the story in more detail.”

She went on to explain that some documentary films, including the 2013 film “Manshin: Ten Thousand Spirits,” and the autobiography of late shaman Kim Geum Hwa helped her gain a foundational understanding of Korean shamanism, which helped in shaping Yeo Ri’s backstory and character. She added that she got inspiration from Lauren Kendall’s “Shamans, Housewives, and Other Restless Spirits” and also from taking Korean cultural heritage classes.

Regarding the main characters, Yoon Soo Jung said, “Yoon Gap (Gang Cheol) and Yeo Ri are very difficult characters to portray. Yoon Gap (Gang Cheol) is a dual role and requires a range of emotions from comedy to action and deep emotional acting. Yeo Ri must have the heroic charisma to confront evil spirits while also being lovely enough to fit into a rom-com. After watching the edited cuts, I was so impressed with how perfectly Yook Sungjae and Kim Ji Yeon pulled off their roles.”

Praising Yook Sungjae and Kim Ji Yeon’s performances, she continued, “Yook Sungjae’s witty ad-libs and comedic acting made me burst out laughing. I also really loved his chilling gaze when portraying the evil spirit. His acting range is so broad that I look forward to his future even more. Kim Ji Yeon has such deep, expressive eyes. She portrayed the tragic backstory and hidden emotions of her character so well that I was in awe. In person, she’s very delicate, but on screen, her commanding presence is remarkable.” She added, “The director once told me, ‘The chemistry between these two actors is so good, I want to keep seeing them on screen together,’ and I wholeheartedly agree. The scenes that they create together are truly lovely.”

Regarding actor Kim Ji Hun, writer Yoon Soo Jung commented, “When I heard he was cast, I expanded the king’s role in the overall story. I had no concerns at all about his acting and wrote his part with full confidence.” She also shared a behind-the-scenes anecdote, saying, “On the final day of filming, I visited the set, and an exhausted Kim Ji Hun said, ‘I gave it my all.’ The latter half of the drama includes several intense scenes requiring passionate acting from King Yi Jeong, and I can’t wait to see how they turned out.”

Yoon Soo Jung also expressed her gratitude toward director Yoon Sung Sik, saying, “The drama includes high-difficulty action scenes and blends multiple genres, so I heard the entire team worked extremely hard on set. I worried a lot because filming continued through both a heat wave and a cold wave. Despite that, director Yoon Sung Sik always said the script was fun and continued to believe in and support the direction in which I wanted to take the story. Through our meetings, we were able to improve the script further, and I relied on him a lot.”

On the drama’s production team, she shared, “From the early planning stages to the moment I handed in the final script, everyone I met on ‘The Haunted Palace’ team had exceptional skills and genuine passion for the project, and they were all so kind. It made me wonder, ‘How is this even possible? Are our ancestors helping us because of the theme of the drama?’ I’m incredibly thankful to have worked with such amazing people.”

The writer concluded, “’The Haunted Palace’ is my first drama in a long while, and it’s one I’ve been preparing for a very long time, so I’m nervous and excited. I’m never fully satisfied with my scripts, but I did my best with no regrets. I hope viewers will enjoy this drama, which the production team and I poured our hearts into.”

“The Haunted Palace” premieres on April 18 at 9:50 p.m. KST and will be available on Viki.

In the meantime, you can watch teasers for the drama with English subtitles below:

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