Goong
As I've been madly obsessing about Goong for the last couple of weeks, I thought I'd do a proper introductory post about the series, in case some people have been wondering what on earth is this Goong that she has been babbling on about incessantly for the past few weeks :). Most of my recent posts were direct commentaries about my reactions to what was happening on the screen, and as such, were probably only understandable to people who had already seen the series.
Goong (or Gung, literally "Palace", aka Princess Hours) is a recent (2006) 24-part romantic Korean tv-drama that is based on a manhwa by Park Soo Hee. The main premise behind the series is that the ruling monarchy of Korea was never abolished, and is still in power.
In the beginning of the story, the current king's health is failing and the royal family starts to get worried about the succession. Lee Shin (Shin from now on), the 19-year-old Crown Prince, is a student in a prestigious Arts Academy and has been going steady with another student of the school for a few years already.
In the first episode of the series, Shin proposes to his long-time girlfriend Hyorin, but she refuses him, since marriage would interfere with her plans of becoming a ballerina. The pair is overheard by Shin Chaegyung (or CG for short), another student of the school.
CG is an ordinary middle-class girl who hasn't much been concerned about royalty before this. She had an encounter with Shin earlier that day and got angry at his nose-in-the-air attitude, so when she sees him deep in conversation with another of her schoolmates, she is naturally curious and eavesdrops on their conversation. When she hears the proposal, she thinks she has her hands on a major scoop. Shin, however, realises they have been overheard and follows her, but she ends up insulting him in turn.
Imagine their great surprise when later on they discover that years ago their grandfathers made a pact between them to arrange a marriage between their descendants. Although initially reluctant, in the end they both agree to the arranged marriage. CG's family has been having a hard time financially, and she wants to ensure their future by agreeing to the contract, while Shin is very aware of his duties and obligations to his family and position, and since the woman he loves has rejected him anyway, he might as well get married to the annoying little stranger.
During the run of the series, we see Shin and Chaegyung's marriage progresses and how Chaegyung adapts to her life in the Palace and how the Palace and it's inhabitants adapt to her. There are also political intrigues caused by the late king's widow and son returning to the country. The son, Lee Yul, was stripped of his position as Crown Prince when his father died, and now he and his mother want to take back the position.
Several personal entanglements also complicate matters quite a bit. Some time after the marriage, Shin's old girlfriend decides she was a fool to give him up and tries her best to get him back. On another front, Chaegung befriends Yul and he falls in love with her, though she doesn't realize it and only thinks of him as a friend. The previous generation also had their own problems, that are slowly revealed during the run of the series, and that affect the current generation's life in some quite profound ways.
I thought all members of the main cast were excellent in their roles. Joo Ji-Hoon, who has mostly worked as a model before playing Shin, does a wonderful job as the cool and aloof prince who gradually falls in love with his wife, but due to his repressive upbringing has real trouble in expressing his feelings. Yoon Eun Hye who plays Chaegyung is great in portraying CG's bubbly and innocent persona and the way she grows up and is changed by her experiences in the Palace.
The producers were denied permission to film the series in any of the actual palaces, but this turned out to be a blessing in disguise, since they could create their own sets from scratch. These beautiful and lavish sets, which combine Western and Eastern influences in their design, play a major part in creating the gorgeous visual look of Goong. The design is also complemented by characters wearing elaborate formal court robes, very fashionable design clothing (though some of the clothing choices are rather questionable, at best) and so on.
The music of the series is another factor adding great charm to the series. The cheerful Irish-y instrumental themes add to the humour of the funny scenes and the beautiful cello pieces and the love songs add another dimension to the romantic or sad scenes. I intend to get the soundtrack as soon as possible, since I really fell in love with the music of the series.
And what to say of the story itself? It has all the elements that I happen to like in romantic stories: there are some great romantic moments and some extreme angsting, at times it's laugh-out-loud funny and at others it makes you so sad you can't stop crying and feel like you heart is bursting, but, in the end it all reaches a very satisfying conclusion.
There are already plans for Goong 2, but all four members of the original main cast have refused to appear in it, so I don't know how they are going to be able to recreate the charm of the first series.
The main cast in school uniform, from left right: Min Ryohin, Lee Yul, Shin Chaegyung and Lee Shin
Ryohin, Shin, Chaegyung and Yul in party dress
Portrait of the royal family when Shin and Yul were children
Chaegyung's family
Shin in dress uniform
Chaegyun in the series and in the manhwa
Chaegyung having dinner with the queen - a good example of the beautiful sets
Shin and Chaegyung
Goong (or Gung, literally "Palace", aka Princess Hours) is a recent (2006) 24-part romantic Korean tv-drama that is based on a manhwa by Park Soo Hee. The main premise behind the series is that the ruling monarchy of Korea was never abolished, and is still in power.
In the beginning of the story, the current king's health is failing and the royal family starts to get worried about the succession. Lee Shin (Shin from now on), the 19-year-old Crown Prince, is a student in a prestigious Arts Academy and has been going steady with another student of the school for a few years already.
In the first episode of the series, Shin proposes to his long-time girlfriend Hyorin, but she refuses him, since marriage would interfere with her plans of becoming a ballerina. The pair is overheard by Shin Chaegyung (or CG for short), another student of the school.
CG is an ordinary middle-class girl who hasn't much been concerned about royalty before this. She had an encounter with Shin earlier that day and got angry at his nose-in-the-air attitude, so when she sees him deep in conversation with another of her schoolmates, she is naturally curious and eavesdrops on their conversation. When she hears the proposal, she thinks she has her hands on a major scoop. Shin, however, realises they have been overheard and follows her, but she ends up insulting him in turn.
Imagine their great surprise when later on they discover that years ago their grandfathers made a pact between them to arrange a marriage between their descendants. Although initially reluctant, in the end they both agree to the arranged marriage. CG's family has been having a hard time financially, and she wants to ensure their future by agreeing to the contract, while Shin is very aware of his duties and obligations to his family and position, and since the woman he loves has rejected him anyway, he might as well get married to the annoying little stranger.
During the run of the series, we see Shin and Chaegyung's marriage progresses and how Chaegyung adapts to her life in the Palace and how the Palace and it's inhabitants adapt to her. There are also political intrigues caused by the late king's widow and son returning to the country. The son, Lee Yul, was stripped of his position as Crown Prince when his father died, and now he and his mother want to take back the position.
Several personal entanglements also complicate matters quite a bit. Some time after the marriage, Shin's old girlfriend decides she was a fool to give him up and tries her best to get him back. On another front, Chaegung befriends Yul and he falls in love with her, though she doesn't realize it and only thinks of him as a friend. The previous generation also had their own problems, that are slowly revealed during the run of the series, and that affect the current generation's life in some quite profound ways.
I thought all members of the main cast were excellent in their roles. Joo Ji-Hoon, who has mostly worked as a model before playing Shin, does a wonderful job as the cool and aloof prince who gradually falls in love with his wife, but due to his repressive upbringing has real trouble in expressing his feelings. Yoon Eun Hye who plays Chaegyung is great in portraying CG's bubbly and innocent persona and the way she grows up and is changed by her experiences in the Palace.
The producers were denied permission to film the series in any of the actual palaces, but this turned out to be a blessing in disguise, since they could create their own sets from scratch. These beautiful and lavish sets, which combine Western and Eastern influences in their design, play a major part in creating the gorgeous visual look of Goong. The design is also complemented by characters wearing elaborate formal court robes, very fashionable design clothing (though some of the clothing choices are rather questionable, at best) and so on.
The music of the series is another factor adding great charm to the series. The cheerful Irish-y instrumental themes add to the humour of the funny scenes and the beautiful cello pieces and the love songs add another dimension to the romantic or sad scenes. I intend to get the soundtrack as soon as possible, since I really fell in love with the music of the series.
And what to say of the story itself? It has all the elements that I happen to like in romantic stories: there are some great romantic moments and some extreme angsting, at times it's laugh-out-loud funny and at others it makes you so sad you can't stop crying and feel like you heart is bursting, but, in the end it all reaches a very satisfying conclusion.
There are already plans for Goong 2, but all four members of the original main cast have refused to appear in it, so I don't know how they are going to be able to recreate the charm of the first series.
The main cast in school uniform, from left right: Min Ryohin, Lee Yul, Shin Chaegyung and Lee Shin
Ryohin, Shin, Chaegyung and Yul in party dress
Portrait of the royal family when Shin and Yul were children
Chaegyung's family
Shin in dress uniform
Chaegyun in the series and in the manhwa
Chaegyung having dinner with the queen - a good example of the beautiful sets
Shin and Chaegyung