Princess Hours

This article is about the Korean television series. For the Korean manhwa, see Goong (manhwa).

Princess Hours
Promotional poster
Also known asGoong
Genre
Based onGoong
by Park So-hee
Written byIn Eun-a
Directed byHwang In-roi
Starring
Opening theme"Palace" by Second Moon
Ending theme"Perhaps Love" by HowL and J
Country of originSouth Korea
Original languageKorean
No. of episodes24
Production
Production locations
Running time60 minutes
Production companyEight Peaks
Original release
NetworkMBC
ReleaseJanuary 11 (2006-01-11) –
March 30, 2006 (2006-03-30)
Related
Prince Hours
Korean name
Hangul
궁
Hanja
Revised RomanizationGung
McCune–ReischauerKung

Princess Hours (Korean: 궁; Hanja: 宫; RR: Goong; lit. Palace) is a 2006 South Korean television series, starring Yoon Eun-hye, Ju Ji-hoon, Kim Jeong-hoon and Song Ji-hyo.[1] It is based on Korean manhwa Goong by Park So-hee. It aired on MBC from January 11 to March 30, 2006, on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 24 episodes.

The show was the tenth most popular drama of 2006, with a peak rating of 28.3%. It also became a hit across Asia, contributing to the Korean Wave. Due to its success, a spin-off series, Prince Hours, was broadcast in 2007.[2]

Synopsis

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The show is set in an alternate, 21st-century Korea which has retained its monarchy and imperial family since 1945. The series focuses on the lives of Crown Prince Lee Shin of Korea, and his new bride, Chae-kyeong.

The series starts off with the news that Shin's father, Emperor Lee Hyeon of Korea, is seriously ill. There is a grim outlook on the Emperor's health, driving the imperial family to find Shin a suitable consort that will allow him to ascend to the throne if the situation requires. Despite being in love with the ambitious and talented ballerina Hyo-rin (whom he initially proposed to and was rejected), Prince Shin eventually marries a commoner to whom he was betrothed by his grandfather, the late Emperor Seongjo, in an agreement with the girl's grandfather. His new wife is the headstrong yet lovable Chae-kyeong, and despite initially feeling nothing for each other, love eventually blossoms between the couple.

Matters are further complicated with the return of Lee Yul and his mother, Lady Hwa-young, who was once Crown Princess before the death of her husband, the late Crown Prince Lee Soo, and older brother of the reigning Emperor. Yul and his mother were driven out of the palace some time after the death of his father, and it is revealed that this was because the Emperor discovered an affair between Lady Hwa-young and the current Emperor, who is his father's younger brother. Lady Hwa-young has returned to restore her son's place in the line of succession to the throne, which she believes remains rightfully his. A series of events befalls the palace with the schemes Yul's mother carries out, and these are further intensified by the various scandals involving the imperial family. Shin maintains an extramarital affair with his old flame, Hyo-rin, while Yul himself developing feelings for Chae-kyeong. Things get out of hand and the imperial family takes matters into their own hands.[3]

Cast

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Main

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A normal high school girl, who has an interest in drawing and art. Though seemingly immature, she is kind-hearted and honest. She is betrothed to Crown Prince Lee Shin, who attends the same high school as her, by the late Emperor Seongjo of Korea, who was best friends with her grandfather. Though she was initially annoyed by her seemingly unemotional new husband, Chae-kyeong gradually falls in love with him, not knowing that he harbours similar feelings. She sees Lee Yul as a close friend. At the end of the series, is revealed that Chae-kyeong is pregnant with Lee Shin's heir.[3]
A smug, indifferent and insensitive man, who is actually lonely on the inside. After getting rejected by his girlfriend Min Hyo-rin, he decides to proceed with his arranged marriage to Shin Chae-kyeong. Though he was initially annoyed by her naivete and enthusiasm, he gradually begins to open his heart to her. He owns a teddy bear called Alfred, the only 'companion' that allows him to let his guard down, and which serves as a focal point throughout the series. He quickly becomes rivals with Prince Lee Yul, who not only fights for the throne but also Chae-kyung's affection.[3]
The son of Crown Prince Soo. After his father's death, he was exiled to the United Kingdom with his mother, Lady Hwa-young. After returning to Korea, he fell in love with Shin Chae-kyeong, whom was initially betrothed to him. A kind-hearted and gentle person, Yul was not interested in fighting for the throne. He is best friends with Prince William.
A talented and gifted ballet dancer. She is Shin's girlfriend, but rejected his proposal as she did not wish to give up on her dreams of becoming a star ballerina. When she sees Chae-kyeong and Shin's wedding and how much Chae-kyeong is loved by the people (similar to the rapport of Diana, Princess of Wales), she regrets her hasty decision, and does everything to win Shin back, including engineering a "chance" meeting in Thailand. She ends up hurting herself, driving her to attempted suicide by overdosing on pills. She later recognises that Shin does truly love Chae-kyeong, and ultimately concedes and instead decides to concentrate on her career as a ballerina.[3]

Supporting

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  • Kim Hye-ja as the Dowager Empress/"Tae Hoo mama"
  • Park Chan-hwan as Emperor Lee Hyeon of Korea
  • Shim Hye-jin as Lady Hwa-young
Yul's mother, and the former Crown Princess.
  • Yoon Yoo-sun as the Empress Consort/"Wang Hoo mama"
  • Lee Yoon-ji as Princess Hye-myung
  • Kang Nam-gil as Chae-kyeong's father
  • Im Ye-jin as Chae-kyeong's mother
  • Kim Seok as Shin Chae-joon
  • Yeojin Jeon as Lee Kang-hyun
  • Nah Eun-kyeong as Kim Soon-young
  • Dan Ji as Yoon Hee-soong
  • Choi Seong-joon as Kang-in
  • Lee Yong-joo as Jang-kyung
  • Uhm Seong-mo as Ryu-hwan
  • Lee Ho-jae as Gong Nae-kwan
  • Jeon Su-yeon as Choi Sang Gung
  • Song Seung-hwan as Emperor
  • Kim Sang-joong as Crown Prince Lee Soo, Yul's late father
  • Choi Bool-am as Emperor Seongjo, Shin and Yul's late grandfather and father of Crown Prince Lee Soo and Emperor Lee Hyeon.

Original soundtrack

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Princess Hours
Original Sound Track
Soundtrack album by
Various Artists
ReleasedMay 30, 2007
GenrePop, K-pop, soundtrack, R&B
LabelVitamin Entertainment
Disc 1:
No.TitleArtistLength
1."사랑인가요" (Perhaps Love)HowL feat. J 
2."당신은...나는 바보입니다 (Acoustic ver.)" (With You...I'm a Fool)Stay 
3."두 가지 말" (Two Words)Jung Jae-wook feat. The One 
4."Give Me a Little Try"Seo Hyun-jin 
5."난 널 사랑해 너만 사랑해II"Shim Tae-yoon 
6."사랑인가요 (Remix ver. 가재발)" (Perhaps Love (Remix ver. 가재발))  
7."1993 광화 49년"Various Artists 
8."宮"Various Artists 
9."복장 불량!"Various Artists 
10."우주 정복 #1"Various Artists 
11."Crystal Flower"Various Artists 
12."A Dancing Teddy"Various Artists 
13."내가 선택한 길이야!"Various Artists 
14."닿지 못한 마음"Various Artists 
15."꽃잎이 내린다"Various Artists 
16."우주 정복 #2"Various Artists 
Disc 2:
No.TitleArtistLength
1."사랑에 빠지다" (Falling in Love)HowL feat. Luna 
2."그대를 사랑합니다"Various Artists 
3."이 노래를 부를게요" (I Would Sing This Song)Sorea 
4."Always"Geon Hwi 
5."궁 (Piano)" (Palace (Piano))Second Moon 
6."바람에 실어" (Blow By Wind)Sorea 
7."꽃잎이 내리다 (Piano)"Second Moon 
8."너를 보면..."Words by the Crown Princess 
9."惡緣"Second Moon 
10."내 맘속의 너"Words by the Crown Prince 
11."Home"Second Moon 
12."닿지 못한 마음 (Acoustic ver.)"Second Moon 
13."별처럼..."Words by the Crown Princess 
14."말할 수 없어도"Second Moon 

Ratings

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Date Episode Average audience share
(TNS Media Korea)[4]
Nationwide Seoul Area[5]
2006-01-11 1 16.2% (5th) 16.6% (5th)
2006-01-12 2 16.0% (6th) 16.5% (7th)
2006-01-18 3 14.3% (9th) 14.3% (8th)
2006-01-19 4 15.1% (9th) 15.3% (8th)
2006-01-25 5 19.7% (5th) 20.5% (4th)
2006-01-26 6 16.5% (8th) 16.5% (7th)
2006-02-01 7 13.7% (11th) 14.0% (10th)
2006-02-02 8 18.6% (6th) 19.1% (6th)
2006-02-08 9 24.0% (2nd) 25.2% (2nd)
2006-02-09 10 25.2% (2nd) 26.3% (2nd)
2006-02-15 11 24.5% (2nd) 25.7% (2nd)
2006-02-16 12 25.6% (2nd) 27.2% (2nd)
2006-02-22 13 25.0% (2nd) 25.8% (2nd)
2006-02-23 14 26.7% (2nd) 28.4% (2nd)
2006-03-02 15 27.9% (2nd) 28.8% (2nd)
2006-03-02 16 24.3% (3rd) 25.0% (3rd)
2006-03-08 17 25.8% (2nd) 26.1% (2nd)
2006-03-09 18 26.6% (2nd) 27.1% (2nd)
2006-03-15 19 27.0% (2nd) 27.3% (2nd)
2006-03-16 20 27.1% (2nd) 26.9% (2nd)
2006-03-22 21 24.6% (2nd) 25.2% (2nd)
2006-03-23 22 24.4% (2nd) 25.5% (2nd)
2006-03-29 23 25.4% (2nd) 26.9% (2nd)
2006-03-30 24 28.3% (2nd) 28.8% (2nd)
Average 22.6% 23.2%
  • In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.

Awards

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International release

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DVD

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The US DVD release by YA Entertainment uses the title Palace.[7]

Remakes and spin-offs

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Prince Hours

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Main article: Prince Hours

A spin-off series, Goong S or Prince Hours, revolves around a young worker at a Chinese restaurant who suddenly discovers that he is a member of the imperial family and subsequently enters the palace. Hwang mentioned that he would be looking for Shin Chae-kyeong's male counterpart, of sorts. This spinoff has no relation to the first season, and had a new cast and plot.

In October 2006, Korean pop star Se7en was chosen to play the leading role in the spinoff. He will play the character of "Yi Hoo". The rest of the main cast are Huh E-jae (who plays the female protagonist Yang Soon-ae), Kang Doo (who plays Yi Joon), and Park Shin-hye (who plays Shin Sae-ryung). Many of the supporting cast, who played minor characters, reprised their roles. Filming started in November 2006.

The name for the spin-off changed from Goong 2 to Prince Hours – (궁 S) due to copyright infringement problems. Filming continued despite Group 8 facing lawsuits due to the unlawful use of Goong in the title.[8] However, MBC has looked into this issue with Eight Peaks and have stated that the channel station and original production company both own the rights of the name.[9] Goong S will still be used for this season, with the subtitle of "Prince Who". Goong S was broadcast from January 10 to March 15, 2007, to moderate success.

Goong: The Musical

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This drama was later adapted into a musical titled Goong: The Musical (Hangul: 뮤지컬 궁). Producer Song Byung-joon, CEO of production company Group Eight, collaborated with the drama's screenwriter In Eun-ah for the stage rendition, and also brought in theater director Kim Jae-sung.[10] The creative team constructed flamboyant stage sets, which were visualized through digital devices to show off the dramatic effects and fantasies on stage. A variety of music genres from traditional court music, classics, hip-hop and jazz was used, along with varying dance styles such as ballet, court dances and b-boy.[11][12]

Princess Hours teddy bears display at the Teddy Bear Museum in N Seoul Tower

When the musical debuted at the Yong Theater at the National Museum of Korea in September 2010,[13] the lead role of Crown Prince Lee Shin was played by U-Know Yunho of TVXQ.[14][15][16]

Kim Kyu-jong of SS501 played Shin during the musical's run at the Minami-za Kabuki Theater in Kyoto, Japan in June–July 2011,[17][18][19] and Kangin of Super Junior alternated with Sungmo of Supernova to take over the role at the Gotanda U-Port Hall in Tokyo, Japan in September 2012.[20][21][22]

In 2014, Shinee's Taemin, ZE:A's Kim Dongjun, U-KISS Soohyun and Hoon alternately played the part of Prince Lee Shin in the Japan run of Goong held from May 10 to 24 (25 stages) in Akasaka ACT Theater, Tokyo, Japan.[23]

Remakes

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In 2017, Princess Hours Thailand (Thai title: รักวุ่นๆ เจ้าหญิงจอมจุ้น) is broadcast on True4U. The starring is Ungsumalynn Sirapatsakmetha as Khaning and Sattaphong Phiangphor as Crown Prince Inn.[24]

On March 5, 2021, Group 8 has been announced that the drama will have its second Korean adaptation.[25]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "An interview of Joo Ji-hoon from Princess Hours". MBC Global Media. February 14, 2008. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
  2. ^ 시청률로 본 올 최고의 드라마는?. MyDaily (in Korean). December 11, 2006. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved January 5, 2007.
  3. ^ a b c d "Princess Hours" Archived August 20, 2017, at the Wayback Machine Korea Tourism. Retrieved November 19, 2011
  4. ^ "TNS Media Korea" (in Korean). TNS Media Korea. Archived from the original on December 28, 2014. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  5. ^ TNmS daily ratings (Seoul):
  6. ^ "Individual category winners - 1st SDA 2006"[permanent dead link‍]. Seoul International Drama Awards. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  7. ^ "Palace". YA Entertainment. Archived from the original on May 17, 2011. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  8. ^ "'궁S' 세븐-허이재 VS 강두-박신혜 "첫 촬영부터 비교되네~"". News En (in Korean). November 27, 2006. Archived from the original on September 20, 2007. Retrieved July 4, 2007.
  9. ^ "MBC측 "궁S의 '프린스 후' 는 납품명이자 드라마 부제"". News En (in Korean). January 19, 2007. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved July 4, 2007.
  10. ^ Choi, Ji-eun (March 15, 2010). "INTERVIEW: Producer Song Byung-joon of musical Goong". 10Asia. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  11. ^ Chung, Ah-young (February 23, 2010). "Princess Hours Goes on Stage". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on January 1, 2013. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  12. ^ Kim, Lynn (February 3, 2010). "TV series Goong to be made into musical production". 10Asia. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  13. ^ Kim, Lynn (June 16, 2010). "Goong set on rekindling Hallyu fever with musical adaptation". 10Asia. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  14. ^ Kang, Seung-hun (June 10, 2010). "U-Know Yunho cast as male lead in Goong musical". 10Asia. Archived from the original on May 31, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  15. ^ Hong, Lucia (July 6, 2010). "Official poster of musical Goong revealed". 10Asia. Archived from the original on May 31, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  16. ^ Hong, Lucia (July 9, 2010). "U-Know Yunho racks up ticket sales for musical Goong". 10Asia. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  17. ^ Kim, Heidi (April 12, 2011). "SS501 Kim Kyu-jong to star in musical Goong". 10Asia. Archived from the original on August 17, 2013. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  18. ^ Kim, Heidi (April 15, 2011). "SS5501 Kim Kyu-jong poses for pictures of musical Goong". 10Asia. Archived from the original on January 11, 2014. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  19. ^ Kim, Heidi (June 14, 2011). "Korean musical Goong arrives in Japan". 10Asia. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  20. ^ Hong, Lucia (July 12, 2012). "Super Junior Kang-in confirms role in musical Goong in Japan". 10Asia. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  21. ^ "Japanese Musical Version of K-drama Goong to Star Kang In and Sung Mo". KBS Global. August 30, 2012. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  22. ^ Sunwoo, Carla (August 30, 2012). "Boy band members take on musical". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on January 26, 2013. Retrieved August 10, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  23. ^ "[No.1 문화신문 [뉴스컬처]] 일본에서 매년 무대 올리는 한류 뮤지컬 ‘궁’". No.1 문화신문 [뉴스컬처]. March 28, 2014. Archived from the original on August 15, 2018. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  24. ^ "เผยโฉมแล้ว ! นักแสดงสุดแบ๊วเรื่อง Princess Hours เวอร์ชั่นไทย". lakorn.guchill.com (in Thai). November 29, 2015. Archived from the original on December 10, 2015. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
  25. ^ 문지연. "[공식] 주지훈·윤은혜 '궁' 다시 드라마 제작..그룹에이트 리메이크 계약". entertain.naver.com (in Korean). Archived from the original on September 11, 2021. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
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