Queen for Seven Days ~ For Fans of Park Min Young

“Queen for Seven Days” is a Korean drama series released in 2017, with 20 episodes, categorized as Romance, historical period, sageuk, costume and period; and streaming on Viki. It is based on a true Joseon queen who only lasted on the throne for literally 7 days. Dang! Only a week?

SUMMARY: A dramatization of the life of Queen Dangyeong. TRUE STORY: Shin Chae-kyung became Queen Dangyeong. She married Grand Prince Jinseong. In 1506, when Prince Jinseong ascended to the throne, he became King Jungjong and Shin Chae-kyung became the queen. Just seven days later, she was deposed and expelled from the palace. Her father, Shin Su-geun, was implicated in a coup against King Jungjong, which led to her deposition. She remained deposed until her death in 1557. Her title was posthumously restored, i.e. she was honored with the title of Queen after her death.

♦ Based on the True Story of Queen Dangyeong

In “Queen for Seven Days”, Shin Chae-kyung is the daughter of the king’s most trusted official. That official is also a relative of the queen and is well-connected in many ways. Even so, he did his best to hide his daughter in the countryside and she doesn’t know why. She thinks her parents are ashamed of her. However, her parents were told a prophecy. If their daughter married into the royal family, there would be a bloodbath. Her mother and father believed that. (Although, truth be told, during the Joseon Era, weren’t there always bloodbaths in the royal family?) Nevertheless, Shin Chae-kyung overheard servants talking and saw that an important document was supposed to be delivered to her father. She stole the document, dressed up like a young boy, and traveled from the countryside to Hangyang to visit her family’s home. It would be a surprise! Surprise? More like a SHOCK!

Before she finally reached her home, she had a few misadventures.

• First, she accidentally met Grand Prince Jinseong, the boy who would become her husband and would also become the king and she would be his queen. Having never been to Hangyang or the palace, she was clueless and thought he was just a rude child of a nobleman who acted like a gangster.

• Second, that important document that she was carrying to give to her father was stolen by a pickpocket. She wrongfully accused the grand prince of stealing it. That misunderstanding led to more misunderstandings.

• Third, she thought she was chasing after the grand prince but crossed paths with the current king, the older brother of the grand prince instead. Once again, she was clueless, not realizing that she was interacting with her future brother-in-law.

By the time she finally reached her home, her mother and father were meeting with the royal family, discussing her marriage to the grand prince. She was standing outside the door and could hear her parents making all kind of excuses about why she was not a suitable match. The grand prince noticed that someone was eavesdropping and when he pushed the door open, she fell down. Her parents were shocked and yelled out her name in the form of a question. “Chae-kyung????“ It was their turn to be clueless. What was their daughter doing in Hangyang? That was their question. Her question was why were her parents saying such terrible things about her. She is too a suitable match for the grand prince and she was going to prove it!

Shin Chae-kyung had no idea about the prophecy. She also had no idea that the document she was bringing to her father was the “secret order” of the late king. It was that king’s will that the grand prince ascend to the throne. Grand Prince Jinseong was also clueless about these matters. They were both innocents who had unintentionally walked directly into a fire, a hotbed of treachery and treason, and a bloodbath. They would eventually marry but Shin Chae-kyung would not survive.

• If only that young innocent girl had remained hidden in the countryside and/or her parents had told her about the prophecy.
• More importantly, if only the Joseon noblemen, government and court officials, and the royal family didn’t always engage in politics based on treachery and treason!

Would her history have been different? We will never know.

Main Characters:

• Shin Chae-Kyung (played by Park Min-Young)
• Lee Yeok (played by Yeon Woo-Jin)
• Lee Yoong (played by Lee Dong-Gun)

Where to Watch

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb: 7.6 out of 10 stars
• My Drama List: 8.2 out of 10 stars
• Dramabeans: 9.3 out of 10 stars
• Google users shared a rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars
• Viki viewers have rated this series 9.3 out of 10 stars

My personal rating is the same as Viki’s.

Park Min Young has had a loyal following ever since “Healer” but “Marry My Huband” made her even more popular. “Queen for Seven Days” has been on my watch list for ages. It’s a sageuk K-drama and these days, since there seem to be so few historical period dramas being released, I save up the ones that I have not watched for when I want to take a break from the modern K-dramas.

“The Tale of Lady Ok” is a 2024 historical series but it’s fiction. I enjoy the sageuks based on real historical figures such as:

• Jewel in the Palace
• Dong Yi
• The Red Sleeve
• Queen Seondeok
• The Fatal Encounter
• The History of Us

I watched all of those and now I can add “Queen for Seven Days” to my watched list.

LINKS OF INTEREST:

First Impressions: “Queen For 7 Days” Delivers Sweet Puppy Love And Intense Family Drama | Soompi

Queen for Seven Days Korean Drama Review | Kdrama Kisses

Seven Day Queen Finale Review | I Dreamed A Drama

K-Drama Review: “Queen For Seven Days” Reigns With Emotional Love Picture & Standout Portrayals | Hello KPop

5 K-Dramas to Watch If You Enjoyed ‘Marry My Husband’

TRAILER/TEASER:

KBS WORLD TV. “Queen For Seven Days.” YouTube, 1 July 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N-ZggGd2ng.

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“Queen for Seven Days” is Available on DVD

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