The King: Eternal Monarch experienced a bittersweet weekend. The fantasy drama, which began on a high note, experienced a drop in numbers in its second weekend, as the K-Drama’s third and fourth episode aired on April 24 and 25, respectively. However, it seems like Lee Min-Ho and Kim Go-Eun’s chemistry worked wonders for the show. The fifth episode and sixth episode watched detective Jung Tae Eul ride into the parallel universe with Lee Gon. The couple experienced their first kiss, their first separation (since she fell in love with him) only to reunite in the Republic of Korea.
It seems like the growing proximity between the two characters interested the audience. According to Nielsen Korea, The King: Eternal Monarch recorded an average rating of 7.4 percent and 10.3 percent for its two parts. This is the first time since the drama peaked at a double-digit rating since the show’s second episode, Soompi reports.
While the director was expected to celebrate a little, he found themselves penning an apology note instead. Viewers were miffed that the warships shown in the sixth episode of the show shared a close resemblance to the naval ship designs of the Korean navy. Director Baek Sang Hoon issued an apology for the misrepresentation. In a statement shared by GMA Network, the show did not intend to mislead viewers.
“As the director, I sincerely apologize for causing this controversy. But I can tell you that we did not intend to put a Japanese flag on our Korean warships or to mislead viewers into mistaking our Korean warships as Japan’s,” he said. The director confessed he couldn’t differentiate between the two warships for he isn’t professionally aware. “I am not a professional, so I was not able to differentiate between the particular warship designs of each country and felt that they were all rather similar at first glance; furthermore, I should have checked more specific details regarding our purchased reference material but I failed to do so,” he said.
“I sincerely apologise for causing viewers discomfort, due to my carelessness, failing to check necessary details and using the current situation as an excuse to cover for my error… I will edit the controversial scenes in question as soon as possible so that there will be no more discomfort in the drama’s rerun episodes or VOD service content,” he added.
Meanwhile, the new episode hints at more romance blooming between Lee Gon and Jung Tae Eul. Before we get into the details, here’s a warning – SPOILERS AHEAD:
In the last episode, viewers watched Gon and Tae Eul open up about their lives. We watched Lee Gon embrace Tae Eul as she attempted to find her mother’s doppelganger. On the other hand, Gon opened up about his painful childhood, revealing the episode of his uncle, Lee Rim (played by Lee Jung Jin), killing Gon’s father and attempting to kill the emperor as well. As the storyline progressed, it was evident that Tae Eul was falling in love with Goon. By the end of the sixth episode, their reunion confirmed that their love story has officially begun. While there were a few teases to the new episode, including Tae Eul coming across recordings to realise that she might have bumped into someone from the Kingdom of Corea.
But in a few stills shared by Soompi, a possible date has also been teased. While we know Lee Gon and Jung Tae Eul have spent time together, the upcoming episode could witness their first romantic rendezvous. The date is expected to take place in Republic of Korea as Gon is visiting the parallel universe. In the still, Lee Gon and Jung Tae Eul are lost in each other’s eyes. Gon nervously wraps his arms around Tae Eul. The detective did not seem to mind the embrace.
The production team revealed, “Lee Min Ho and Kim Go Eun are diligent actors who don’t forget to monitor their acting in detail to perfectly capture the emotions of Korea’s Emperor Lee Gon and the Republic of Korea’s detective Jung Tae Eul on screen.”
Are you excited for the new episode? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
