The Princess' Man Review & Historical Background
Drama Overview
Air Date: 2011
Episodes: 24 Episodes
Genre: Faction (Fact + Fiction) historical drama based on a folktale from Geumgye Pildam, a collection of stories written by Seo Yu-yeong during the late Joseon Dynasty.
Streaming: Apple TV, Prime Video
Written by Jo Jung-joo
Directed by Kim Jung-min, Park Hyun-suk
Cast
- Lee Se-ryung as Moon Chae-won
- Kim Seung-yoo as Park Si-hoo
- Grand Prince Suyang as Kim Yeong-cheol
- Princess Gyeonghye as Hong Soo-hyun
- Shin Myeon as Song Jong-ho
- Jeong Jong as Lee Min-woo
- Kim Jong-seo as Lee Soon-jae
The Motive
The story is inspired by a folktale about the romance between Kim Seung-yu, the grandson of Kim Jong-seo (portrayed as Kim Jong-seo’s son in the drama), and Lee Se-hui (renamed 'Lee Se-ryeong' in the drama), the mysterious eldest daughter of King Sejo.
In actual history, Kim Jong-seo’s sons were older than Grand Prince Suyang (King Sejo), making a romance between their children historically impossible. It seems the writers changed Kim Seung-yu’s role from grandson to son to create a "Joseon version of Romeo and Juliet."
Character Profiles
Lee Se-ryung(Moon Chae-won)
The Romeo of Joseon. The youngest son of Kim Jong-seo, a man whose power rivals the King. He is a true nobleman of the era: blessed with striking looks, a strong physique, and innate intellectual brilliance. His academic focus is a habit of his prestigious upbringing, and he possesses high self-esteem and a bold, manly spirit. He is, by all accounts, the most eligible bachelor of his time.
The Tragic Princess. The eldest daughter of King Munjong, born to Queen Hyeondeok. Renowned for her radiant beauty, she is often called the most beautiful woman in Joseon. Having lost her mother at a young age, she grew up receiving all of Munjong's affection, making her spoiled, haughty, and even arrogant. Although her cousin Se-ryeong was her only close friend, their relationship becomes irreparable as they both become entangled with Seung-yu.
The second son of Shin Suk-ju, Joseon’s greatest intellectual. As a magistrate of Hanseong-bu, he is a middle-manager responsible for the capital's security. He was once a friendly rival to his childhood friend Kim Seung-yu in both academics and martial arts. However, hiding a secret inferiority complex toward the ever-popular Seung-yu, Shin Myeon harbors a deep desire to make a grand name for himself in the world.
The close friend of Seung-yu and Shin Myeon. Despite his family's downfall and his mother's severe illness—which leaves him so destitute that he frequents loan sharks—he is a "good man among good men" who never loses his smile. He possesses the broad-mindedness to embrace his two distinct friends. Though chosen as the Royal Son-in-law (Buma) due to political calculations rather than his own will, he cherishes and loves Princess Gyeonghye more than anyone.
The supreme power holder, so stern he is nicknamed the "Great Tiger" (Dae-ho). Having walked the path of a timelessly loyal subject who "serves no two masters," the power he naturally gained led people to call him the "Left State Councilor above the King." He seeks to protect King Danjong with the same loyalty he showed since King Sejong’s reign, but he falls by a heavy mace on the night of Gyeyu Jeongnan at the hands of Grand Prince Suyang.
Grand Prince Suyang (Kim Young-chul)
The incarnation of Machiavelli, believing that while pain can be shared, power cannot. He is a charismatic figure possessing both the virtue of Liu Bei and the cunning of Cao Cao, yet he is also Janus-faced, hiding cruelty beneath his composure. Meticulous and calculating, he moves toward his goals without revealing his desires. He is a gambler who knows exactly when to run, when to stop, when to reveal himself, and when to hide. However, he occasionally reveals the nature of a "moral renegade" who boldly discards ethics to realize his ambitions.
Review: A Masterpiece of Fusion Sageuk
I was impressed by how the drama stayed faithful to the historical figures despite being a "fusion" sageuk. In particular, the story of Princess Gyeonghye and Jeong Jong was portrayed with heartbreaking poignancy based on historical facts. While the story of King Danjong—who was exiled to Yeongwol and died at 16—is devastating, Princess Gyeonghye (Danjong’s sister) also led a life of immense hardship. I appreciated how the drama captured her tragic life so well.
Moreover, King Sejo is depicted as a cold, ruthless power-seeker, closer to his actual historical persona. The drama portrays the Gyeyu Jeongnan (the 1453 coup) as a brutal means to gain power without any glorification or excuses, and the meticulous historical research behind the gruesome scenes was striking. Danjong is also portrayed not as a weak, mindless child, but as a young monarch who tried his best to resist his uncle’s ambition with the help of his loyal supporters.
A minor drawback was the leads' acting early in the series; compared to the veteran actors in supporting roles, the lead couple's presence felt somewhat weak initially. However, from Episode 7 onwards, the focus shifts entirely to their romance, and their performances become significantly more stable. It was a major hit in Korea, successfully blending historical fact with creative imagination. Compared to recent fusion sageuks that often feel too unrealistic, this is a truly well-crafted piece.
The Tale from Geumgye Pildam
In the folktale, Se-hui opposes her father Sejo’s plan to kill his nephew, King Danjong, and is eventually expelled from the palace. As a result, her name was omitted from the Seonwonrok (the royal genealogy). Her mother, Queen Jeonghui, sent her to Boeun, Chungcheongbuk-do, for safety. There, she fell in love with a young man she met by chance. After they married, they discovered each other’s true identities and were shocked: she was Sejo’s daughter, and he was the grandson of Kim Jong-seo. The grandson had survived the purge because he was studying far away at the time. When Sejo later tried to find them, they reportedly lived out their lives together in a cave, hidden from the secular world.
Historical Records
Official History: There is no mention of "Se-hui" in the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty. While a man named Kim Seung-yu did survive the purge, he was actually Kim Jong-seo’s third son and was already married before the Gyeyu Jeongnan.
Historical Discrepancy: In the 1446 epitaph of Yeongneung (the tomb of King Sejong), it is recorded that Suyang (Sejo) had one son and two daughters. However, the 1468 epitaph of Gwangneung (the tomb of King Sejo) records that he had two sons and only one daughter (Princess Uisuk). If we follow the earlier record from Yeongneung, the "unnamed eldest daughter" might indeed be the model for this folktale.
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