SBS’s Friday-Saturday drama ‘The Haunted Palace’ (written by Yoon Soo-jung, directed by Yoon Sung-shik), which just dropped its first episode on the 18th, is a wild mix of body-snatching fantasy, romance, and comedy. It kicks off with Yeo-ri (played by Bona), a shaman who’s totally against her destiny as a spiritual medium, and Kang-cheol, an Imoogi (yep, that mythical serpent dude) who’s trapped in the body of Yeo-ri’s first love, Yoon-gap (played by Yook Sung-jae). The two end up dealin’ with a royal family’s vengeful spirit, and what follows is a tangled mess of souls and swapped bodies.
‘The Haunted Palace’ lands in SBS’s Friday-Saturday slot—that sweet spot where dramas pretty much guarantee good ratings. SBS has been killin’ it here, with most of its shows hittin’ double-digit numbers thanks to solid plots, relatable characters, and that classic good-vs-evil drama flow. But this one’s switchin’ things up. Instead of just stickin’ to the usual formula, ‘The Haunted Palace’ throws in mystery and occult vibes on top of its historical setting. It’s definitely a complex genre mash-up, but it works—it’s got fantasy, mystery, romance, and comedy all balanced just right, not too much, not too little.
Now sure, there’s been a bunch of occult and mystery dramas before, but they’re still kinda seen as “niche.” So folks were curious but cautious goin’ into this one. And boom—the drama opens with Yeo-ri and Yoon-gap (possessed by Kang-cheol, btw) headin’ into the palace, and from the jump, it’s movin’ fast and hittin’ hard. The whole “complex genre” thing? It totally shows. The blend of different elements feels natural, not forced, and really grabs your attention.
It all kicks off with Kang-cheol, an Imoogi who couldn’t make it to dragon status and turned into an evil spirit instead. Dude’s after Yeo-ri’s body, since she’s the pure-hearted granddaughter of this big-deal shaman. But Yeo-ri, being a total boss, uses a sacred stone to block him.
Flash forward a few years, and weird stuff’s goin’ down in the palace. The Crown Prince (played by Park Jae-joon), son of King Lee Jung (Kim Ji-hoon), is goin’ mad for no good reason. Yoon-gap, a loyal scholar-official, tells the King they should probs get some shaman help.
He comes up with this sneaky plan—says they should get an effigy of the King made, which is just a cover to bring Yeo-ri to the palace. But then Yoon-gap gets ambushed by his political enemies and dies. Kang-cheol sees it all and jumps into Yoon-gap’s body. Yeo-ri sees Yoon-gap’s spirit and totally freaks. In the chaos, she falls off a cliff and wakes up inside the palace. Meanwhile, Kang-cheol-as-Yoon-gap is tryna figure out how to act like a human again and deal with court life.
‘The Haunted Palace’ is kinda like a drama buffet—it’s got sweet romance, spicy mystery, and a savory political twist. The push-pull between the shaman and the Imoogi is super intriguing, and with every episode throwin’ in new ghost stories and palace secrets, it’s hard not to get sucked in. Just when things start to heat up between Yeo-ri and Yoon-gap, boom—vengeful ghosts show up and shake things up again. It’s got the youthful charm of a fresh historical drama but also dives deep into palace politics and heavy drama.
Now, some folks were worried about the lead cast. Yook Sung-jae and Bona aren’t quite as big as some of SBS’s usual headliners like Namkoong Min, Kim Nam-gil, Jang Nara, or Ji Sung. But hey, they’re more than holdin’ their own. Yook Sung-jae’s doin’ double duty with two roles, showin’ off both serious vibes and sneaky charm. Bona, who already got noticed for ‘Twenty-Five Twenty-One’ and ‘Pyramid Game’, is convincin’ as this tough but spiritual shaman. She’s carryin’ a lot of the fantasy weight in this story, and it looks like she’s just gettin’ started.
So how’s it doin’ ratings-wise? Pretty darn good. First episode hit 9.2% (Nielsen Korea nationwide household ratings), which is the best opening for any SBS drama this year. Second episode dipped a little to 8.3%—probably ’cause of competition—but it’s still solid. For comparison: ‘Love Scout’ started at 5.2%, ‘Buried Hearts’ at 6.1%. Even compared to last year’s shows like ‘Connection’ (5.7%), ‘Flex x Cop’ (5.7%), ‘From Now On, Showtime!’ (6.8%), and ‘Good Partner’ (7.8%), this one’s off to a hotter start. Only ‘The Fiery Priest 2’ had a bigger premiere with 11.9%.
‘The Haunted Palace’ is available for streaming on Viki, Netflix, and Wavve
