The Haunted Palace

The Haunted Palace has a lot to offer to it’s viewers. The drama is partly a thriller with a slight comedic touch, as well as a clever supernatural farce in historical costumes and a romcom. All these elements manage to work well together within the story, creating an enjoyable and light atmosphere where we get to follow interesting characters who all work together to fight ghosts and other supernatural beings.

The story is fairly simple, but the mystery is serviceable and works well for the tale being told. The entertainment value is good, though it’s not always clever if you think about it too much. Things get resolved very easily to keep the story moving but the world has its own internal logic that works very well.

I found the folkloric elements of the story fantastic, and the mild horror atmosphere that the story managed to create was very impressive. It treads lightly on the horror, so the story maintains its lightness, and humor gets to be at the forefront. The special effects are well done, and overall the drama looks visually stunning.

The story moves quickly and confidently from one scene to another, but even when it slows down a bit towards middle of the drama it never comes too boring as there’s always something that keeps us interested. Additionally, the character development is well handled, and we have plenty of quiet moments to delve a bit deeper into them.

The three main characters, as well as all the supporting characters, are all unique and entertaining in their own way and work very well together and within this world and the historical setting. There’s an enjoyable interaction, dynamic and atmosphere between all of them.

The two main leads are great together as a ghost-mystery team, but as a romantic couple, I didn’t feel the spark between them despite how well the story set them up or made them bicker lovingly. Either something extra was missing, or perhaps it’s because an immortal supernatural male character falling in love with a young woman he’s known since she was a girl just doesn’t work for me.

the mysteries become a bit repetitive in the slower part of the drama, but by the time the story reaches its final stretch, it’s well worth having watched the slower episodes that built up the characters and story quite well.

The cheerful tone of the drama, interesting folkloric elements, and lively characters, along with the simple plot and light atmosphere, make this drama very enjoyable watching experience. It’s lightweight and doesn’t take itself too seriously. I enjoyed it while it lasted, happy with the escapism it provided, but I don’t think the story will linger long in my memory now that it’s over.

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unique story that will drawn you in and won't let you go

I was hooked from the beginning and could not stop watching it. Even though it has 16 episodes, I did not mind as I was not bored for a second.

I loved the beginning; it is so fun to watch Gang Cheol and Yeo Ri interact. The best part is how Sung Jae portrayed Imugi, as it is so refreshing and really brings the character to life. He is my favorite character, and I love his acting. I liked seeing how the male and female leads' romance slowly grew. And I like that the romance is not the center of the story.
Also, the relationship between Imugi and the King was great; I love their dynamic. Ji Hoon's acting is amazing; he portrayed the King perfectly.

It has a great balance of horror/thriller/romance, and I like how they became a great team to fight the spirits and corrupted magistrates. The only negative is that I expected much more from the final battle. Also, I don't know why, but the female lead did not suit the drama; I just could not feel it, and her performance was not as great as Imugi's and the King's. Apart from that, it is a great drama with a unique storyline and great performances, and also it has a satisfying ending even it felt it was rushed.

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Take 1 dragon + 1 shaman's granddaughter + 1 evil spirit = a story worth watching

I always judge on how much I anticipate the next 2 episodes dropping as to whether a drama is good or not. This was. Surprisingly. I really didn't expect it to be as good as it was.

The entire storyline stayed on track. It's about an evil spirit wrecking havoc on the royal family. The previous king, selfish and self-serving, commits a grievous sin that causes enormous suffering to a general in his military and the entire village he called home. This spirit never crossed over to the other side, but rather combined with the other villagers spirits to possess and cause death to the royal family.

Enter the granddaughter of a shaman, and her guardian dragon (who is in the form of a human) who takes on this very powerful spirit attempting to get it to cross over to the other side. Along the way, this granddaughter/shaman helps other wayward spirits cross over. Except for the spirit of the well who just wants to hang out and be BFFs. She absolutely was my favorite ghost of the series. Along the way throughout this adventure, our FL and her guardian dragon fall in love.

It's pure fantasy. It's also thriller, romance, drama, with a tad bit of comedy thrown in. I thought it was done well, with no outrageous exaggerations or unnecessary scenes to carry the storyline. It's why I couldn't wait for the next 2 episodes to drop each week. A good production that carried me the viewer along until everything culminating at the end, and left me satisfied and quite frankly wanting more of these characters. Well done to the writer, actors, and entire production crew!!!

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Not perfect, but not deserving of hate

I was cautious going into the series based on the reviews, but I also can’t resist a good ghost story either! What I wasn’t expecting was to tear up as much as I did, because there were so many sad moments, some of which I had to pause and come back to. Yun Gap’s mom crying over her son she lost twice nearly broke me!

I understand some of the frustration viewers felt when they thought Yun Gap was the ML, but it was fairly obvious early on that wasn’t the case. His story was tragic, to say the least, but it didn’t feel like a throw-away either. Like other similar shows, the SL sometimes makes a sacrifice for the good of those he cares for.

And yes, sometimes the decisions individual characters made were head scratchers, it stayed true to who they were and what they believed in. Granted, I wish the baddies had gotten far harsher punishments than they did. But I guess the series was about forgiveness instead of revenge, so I guess there’s that.

Finally, what’s up with the deity-possessing-a-human-body typecasting that Yook Sung-jae has seemingly fallen into? But he portrays it well, just as he did in Goblin!

All said, I enjoyed the series. I’m not sure about rewatch value since I know what’s going to happen, but maybe one day I’ll come back around to it.

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Bloody Throne that Haunts.

Kang Chul was a serpent diety who was thrown back down to earth during his ascension to the heaven to become a Dragon because a human baby saw his ascension. Due to this, he loathed humankind and created mayhem in the world, cited in legends as an evil diety. Fast forward 100 years later, come Yeo Ri, granddaughter of a powerful shaman who inherited her grandmother’s shamanism talents. Kang Chul caught sight of her and went to pester her, as becoming the guardian spirit of a great shaman would help him ascend to heaven. When Yeo Ri then told her grandmom about him during one of her purging rituals, the townspeople began to label her as the jinx who had attracted an evil diety, hence she was blamed for her loved ones dying around her and any misfortunes that befell the town. Left to fend for herself at a young age after her grandmother was killed during a ritual which she was convinced orchestrated by Kang Chul, she came to resent the diety in her entirety. 13 years later, Yeo Ri now makes a living as spectacle maker, while far in the capital the royal family got riddled with spirit possession. Royal Scribe Yoon Gap, the only friend and first love of Yeo Ri, remembered about her and thus went to fetch her in pretense of becoming the king’s glasses maker. On the way to the capital, Yoon Gap was killed and Kang Chul decided to possess the body so he could latch on Yeo Ri. When Yeo Ri realized Yoon Gap had been possessed by Kang Chul, a fight ensued and both fell down a cliff, but fate had a better plan for them as both ended up in the palace upon rescue. And there starts their journey around palace conspiracy and intrigue which would unfold the real reason behind the possession of the king’s son.

I am not really a fan of Khorror cuz i find all the jumping and dancing ritual very disturbing and ridiculous, but because I’ve read so many positive review about it, so here I am. I can’t say I hate this show, but can’t really say I love it either. The storyline is okay, but somehow I really dont like this Kang Chul guy. I liked Yoon Gap, but Kang Chul really gets on my nerves even though both had the same face. Although I like his banter with the king, i really am not crazy about his personality as a whole. Something about his bearing just irks me. And i can’t feel the spark between him and Yeo Ri when they ‘supposedly’ realized that they liked each other. Urghh. The idea just didnt come through. I basically fast forwarded all their romantic scenes after that.

Yeo Ri is typically straightfoward, naive girl who longed for companion after years of being alone, so she jumped right up when Yoon Gap invited her to the capital. She was determined to save Yoon Gap’s soul and would stop at nothing to ensure the people she care about is safe. She lacked proper planning and strategy though, it’s like she bulldozed her way through disregarding possible risks that couldve improved the outcomes had she mitigated it. Urgh since i got here right after watching cunning and scheming FLs in Blossom, Queen Woo, Prisoner of Beauty and Qingchuan’s Veil of Vengeance, i really felt Yeo Ri lacks so much and wouldnt have survived the palace intrigues had not for the serpent diety next to her.

I really love the king and the queen though, and was looking forward to see their romantic scenes more than main leads’. The king and queen’s chemistry is so striking, i can really feel how deep their love for each other is. The King is probably the star of the show for me, he is righteous, selfless, down to earth and good, a far cry from the usual selfish, domineering and power hungry king/emperor on screen. And with the queen being so kind, gentle and demure, and strikingly beautiful, they made a perfect pair. I love it when they came up on screen. And I teared up when the queen fell victim to the eight-legged spirit, and then when the king sincerely seek for forgiveness from the vengeful spirits for what his ancestors had done 100 years before. The actor playing the king is so dang good, he could really pull off playing two different characters. I could feel his remorse as a king who uncovered the family’s skeleton, and i could also feel his resentment and fury when he was possessed by the spirit. And he is so dang handsome too 😭 hey why am i talking about this side couple more than the main leads? 😆😂 i failed to feel anything when mishaps happen to the main couple, thats how ‘meh’ i feel their relationship is.

I can say that I only stayed to the end because of the royal couple and the mystery behind eight-legged spirit. Take out these two, i wouldve dropped this so fast.

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A perfect 16-episode-show

The Haunted Palace has become one of my favorite 2025 K-dramas so far. They have it all: story, acting, music, cinematography—everything is being handled very well.

I love the plot overall. How it doesn't shift the focus from the start that their purpose is the 8-ft.-tall ghost, how the characters came and blended together so well with their past history—it's so well-written, and I like how they didn't really drag it out. This drama is perfect as a 16-episode show.

The story also skillfully incorporates a subplot of ghosts, giving them a purpose and significant impact on the main plot. The only subplot that left me feeling a bit "eh" is Bibi's arc. Maybe because it didn't really give me a big impression, as it became forgettable after a few moments.

The casting nailed their characters. My favorites were definitely Sungjae. He suits this kind of character a lot and didn't make the comedic scenes become too cringey. And of course, Jihoon as the king left a strong mark that I don't think this drama will be the same without him.

There might be a little plot armor towards the ending, but since it gives a good happy ending, I'll leave it as it is. And I want to give credit for the OST; those were really some good ones. :)

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Fun Historical Fantasy

If you’re looking for something that’s high on the comedy, physical and situational, featuring shamanism and Korean folklore, with a bit of martial arts, and dashes of adorable romance, then this drama is for you. Yook Sung Jae is fabulous in this piece and his chemistry with Bo Na is adorable. Bo Na also carries her role well. The banter between the two is both hilarious and adorable, and their characters’ evolving dynamic is a pleasure to watch. Well-paced, this piece is fun with just enough stakes to keep things interesting. Would definitely recommend.

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