“The Haunted Palace” (aka “Ghost in the Palace” OR “Return to the Palace”) is a 2025 Viki Original Korean drama series, with 16 episodes, categorized as Fantasy, Supernatural, Historical Period, and Romance with Light Comedy.
SUMMARY: A young shaman ends up in the palace and finds that the place is loaded with ghosts and evil spirits who are haunting it. Fortunately, she has exceptional powers and should be able to send them all into the afterlife, so that they can no longer trouble the living.
♦ I Can See Dead People and Evil Spirits
In “The Haunted Palace”, Yeo-Ri is a precious child. She has always been pure-hearted and one with humans and nature. Gang Cheol emerged from the depths, hoping to become a full-fledged dragon and ascend to the heavens. But if a human sees the dragon when it comes forth, it turns into an imugi. (“In Korean folklore, an imugi (이무기) is a lesser dragon, a proto-dragon, or a hornless dragon that resembles a giant serpent.” SOURCE)
Yeo-Ri is the child who saw Gang Cheol, and he fell back to Earth. Because of this, Gang Cheol hates humans. Except, he doesn’t hate Yeo-Ri and has been following her around for 13 years, hoping to become her Guardian Spirit. By contrast, Yeo-Ri believes Gang Cheol is a wicked, evil spirit and wants nothing to do with him. Her grandmother was a powerful shaman, and Yeo-Ri thought she would become a shaman too. But her grandmother told her that Gang Cheol targets powerful shamans, and if she ever sees him, she should run away. To protect herself from Gang Cheol, her grandmother gave her a Spiritward Stone. It will prevent him from possessing her body.
Yeo-Ri decided not to become a shaman even though she can see spirits and can use her powers to help them cross over into the afterlife. Instead, she lives and works in the countryside selling eyeglasses. But back at the palace, something horrible is happening. The king, Yi Sung, has a son who is possessed by an evil spirit. The king and the queen are desperate to find someone who can cure him.
Yoon Gab is a faithful and trustworthy government officer. The king sent him on a secret mission, and while he went to carry out his duty, he also intended to meet up with Yeo-Ri. Yoon Gab and Yeo-Ri have known each other since childhood, and he is fully aware of her shamanic powers. If anyone can cast out the evil spirit that has possessed the king’s son, she can.
Yoon Gab completed his mission, then met up with Yeo-Ri and asked her to come back to the palace with him. He told her that the king needed spectacles. But that was a cover story. Once Yeo-Ri entered the palace, he had hoped that the king would allow her to perform a shamanic ritual to cure his son. But he didn’t tell Yeo-Ri that was the real reason for inviting her to the palace. Yeo-Ri was happy to go back with Yoon Gab because she had a special place for him in her heart and hoped that he felt the same way.
They were heading back to the palace together, and Gang Cheol was following them both very closely. Yoon Gab injured his leg while they were in the forest,t and Yeo-Ri went to find medicinal herbs to treat his wound. He was alone, and the king’s enemies murdered him and tried to get rid of the body. Gang Cheol seized the opportunity to possess the body of Yoon Gab.
Yeo-Ri found the herbs and returned to treat Yoon Gab’s wound. She saw the spirit of Yoon Gab, out of his body, and the body of Yoon Gab, which was now possessed by Gang Cheol. Yeo-Ri couldn’t believe that Gang Cheol had killed Yoon Gab to take over his body. Gang Cheol told her she was mistaken and someone else had murdered him. Not sure what happened, but Yeo-Ri woke up in the palace infirmary. Both she and Yoon Gab were found unconscious at the bottom of a cliff.
Once Yeo-Ri regained consciousness, she went to find Yoon Gab or … Gang Cheol … or Yoon Gab??? Perhaps his spirit had not crossed the “River” yet. A ghost in the palace tricked her by calling out to her in Yoon Gab’s voice. The ghost pulled her into the well, and she would have drowned, but Gang Cheol, in the body of Yoon Gab, dived in and saved her. Like it or not, Yeo-Ri realizes she is stuck with Gang Cheol but demands that he not misuse and abuse Yoon Gab’s body. She wants to know more about that ghost in the well at the palace who called to her using Yoon Gab’s voice.
The longer Yeo-Ri is at the palace, the more she learns about other ghosts and spirits haunting the palace. Even though she chose to sell spectacles instead of becoming a shaman, it appears she will have to use her powers after all. But what about Gang Cheol? Can she make him go away?
Main Characters:
- Yeo-Ri (played by Bona, “Joseon Attorney: A Morality”, “Pyramid Game”)
- Yoon Gab (played by Yook Sung-Jae, “The Village: Achiara’s Secret”)
- Gang Cheol (played by Kim Young-Kwang, “Mission: Possible”, “Pinocchio”, “White Christmas”)
- Yi Sung (played by Kim Ji-Hoon, “Ballerina”, “Love to Hate You”, “Death’s Game”, “Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area Part I and II”, “Babel”, “Bad Thief, Good Thief”)
Viewership and Rating:
- IMDb: 8.7 of 10 stars
- My Drama List: 8.1 out of 10 stars
- Viki viewers rated this series 9.7 out of 10 stars
My personal rating is the same as the Viki viewers.
“The Haunted Palace” is perfect for lovers of Korean historical period drama, with a touch of fantasy or the supernatural.
LINKS OF INTEREST:
The Haunted Palace K-Drama Opens with Strong Ratings, Can It Keep the Momentum? | DramaPanda
TRAILER/TEASER:
Kd Talky. “The Haunted Palace.” YouTube, 24 Dec. 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNWBlYR_KDI.
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