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Pierce Conran

Lead cast: Suho, Hong Ye-ji, Kim Min-kyu
Latest Nielsen rating: 1 per cent
Palace intrigue and romantic comedy are mashed together in the unhurried Missing Crown Prince, a period drama that takes its time luxuriating in the treacherous machinations playing out around the story’s attractive young leads.
Suho, of the K-pop band Exo, plays Yi Geon, the crown prince of the Joseon Kingdom, while Hong Ye-ji (Love Song for Illusion) is Choi Myung-yoon, the daughter of the head royal doctor.


While Geon may be the crown prince, it is quickly revealed that his situation, unbeknown to him at the outset of the series, is rather precarious.
His father, King Haejong (Jeon Jin-oh), does not have a strong grip on power as he rose to the throne through a rebellion, thanks in large part to the actions of the Queen Dowager (the widow of the former king) Min Soo-ryun (Myung Se-bin).
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Although Geon is in line for the throne, Soo-ryun wants the king to transfer that birthright to his second son, Geon’s half-brother, Grand Prince Doseong (Kim Min-kyu); neither of the brothers, who are very close, are aware of this.
The king wishes for Geon to marry the daughter of royal doctor Choi Sang-rok (Kim Joo-hun), his most trusted adviser. Here is where things start to get a little complicated.
Sang-rok approves of the union, but owing to a prophecy regarding his daughter Myung-yoon, which states that she is fated to marry someone who will die, he feels compelled to carry out an elaborate ruse to kidnap an unsuspecting man and secretly marry him to Myung-yoon first, to fulfil the curse and free her to be with Geon.

The trouble is, the person that Sang-rok’s men drug and kidnap to fulfil the unwitting role is none other than Geon himself, who is outside the palace grounds in disguise. Also drugged is Myung-yoon, as she becomes another willing participant in this charade.
The romcom side of the series thus begins in unusual fashion with the striking visual of Myung-yoon waking up dressed in full wedding regalia beside Geon, who is similarly attired, as well as gagged, blindfolded and still unconscious.
Myung-yoon proceeds to switch clothes with her loyal servant and then helps Geon escape in the dead of night. With neither knowing the true identity of the other, she helps him return to the palace, where she thinks he lives as a scholar.

Geon manages to return home, but he does not get the welcome he expects. Since his return proves to be a spanner in the Queen Dowager’s plans, she is compelled to reveal the full extent of her power within the court to the king, who she has secretly been controlling this whole time.
Given that Geon’s life will remain in jeopardy so long as he remains within the palace walls, it would be reasonable to expect that he will find his way outside again and join forces once more with Myung-yoon before long.
Missing Crown Prince is the latest series penned by Kim Ji-soo and Park Chul, the co-writers of the previous hit period drama Bossam: Steal the Fate. Handling the director’s reins is Kim Jin-man, whose credits include Kill Me, Heal Me and Stealer: The Treasure Keeper.

This story has the unfortunate distinction of being both convoluted and commonplace, but there is nevertheless plenty happening on the screen that will satisfy fans of Korean period dramas.
The series opens with a daring ninja raid on the palace compound, a young woman’s body is accidentally fished out of a palace pond, and a royal power player is caught in flagrante, all within the first episode, with each of these instances starting a mystery that will presumably play out throughout the rest of the series.
There are also lighter elements, including side plots involving the illicit sale of erotic literature and the various clownish brigands dealt with by the show’s fighting-fit leads.

The crown prince and his half-brother need to deal with a group of con men, which includes one pretending to be him, not realising who his mark is.
After beating up her own band of thugs, Myung-yoon engages in an epic makgeolli (Korean rice wine) drinking contest, which she handily wins.
So far the leads haven’t spent a lot of time together, but the stakes are rising and how that relationship develops once they are reunited is likely to determine the success of the series.
Missing Crown Prince, which cost 20 billion won (US$14.5 million) to produce, will run for 20 episodes until the middle of June.
Missing Crown Prince is streaming on Viu.


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K-drama Missing Crown Prince: Exo’s Suho, Hong Ye-ji get caught up in familiar palace schemes and royal machinations

K-pop star Exo’s Suyo (above) stars as Crown Prince Yi Geon, who gets caught up in a court plot when he is kidnapped – while disguised as a citizen – along with the court doctor’s daughter (Hong Ye-ji).

Suyo of K-pop group Exo as Crown Prince Yi Geon in a still from period Korean drama Missing Crown Prince on Viu. Hong Ye-ji and Kim Min-kyu co-star.

Hong Ye-ji as Choi Myung-yoon, the daughter of the head royal doctor, in a still from Missing Crown Prince.

Kim Min-kyu as Grand Prince Doseong in a still from Missing Crown Prince.

Hong Ye-ji in a still from Missing Crown Prince.

Suho in a still from Missing Crown Prince.

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Jo Soo-min as go-getting student Cha Se-young in a still from Under the Gun.

Zuho as Go Gun in a still from Under the Gun.

Zuho (left) as Go Gun and Jo Soo-min as Cha Se-young in a still from Under the Gun.

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Cha Eun-woo in a still from Wonderful World.

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Cha Eun-woo as Kwon Seon-yul (left) and Kim Nam-joo as Eun Soo-hyun in a still from Wonderful World.

Kim Kang-woo as Soo-hyun’s husband Kang Soo-he (left) and Cha Eun-woo in a still from Wonderful World.

Cha Eun-woo (left) and Kim Nam-joo in a still from Wonderful World.

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Ju Ji-hoon as bodyguard Woo Chae-woon in a still from Blood Free. Ju and Han Hyo-joo star in the sci-fi action series by writer Lee Soo-yeon. Photo: Disney+

Han Hyo-joo as Blood Free CEO Yun Ja-yu in a still from Blood Free. Photo: Disney+

Ju Ji-hoon as bodyguard Woo Chae-woon in a still from Blood Free. Photo: Disney+

Jeon Kuk-hwan (left) as former South Korean President Lee Mun-gyu and Ju Ji-hoon as bodyguard Woo Chae-woon in a still from Blood Free. Photo: Disney+.

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Kim Hye-yoon in a still from Lovely Runner.

Korean actress Kim Hye-yoon, who is back on screens in April in drama series Lovely Runner. A hard worker, she has had roles in more than 50 productions since 2013, some while still at university and including hit series SKY Castle. Photo: Instagram/@hye_yoon1110.

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Kim as Kang Ye-seo in a still from SKY Castle.

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Byeon Woo-seok as Ryu Sun-jae (left) and Kim Hye-yoon as Im Sol in a still from Lovely Runner.

Byeon Woo-seok as Ryu Sun-jae in a still from Lovely Runner.

Kim Hye-yoon as Im Sol (left) and Song Geon-hee as Kim Tae -sung in a still from Lovely Runner.

Kim Hye-yoon as Im Sol (left) and Byeon Woo-seok as Ryu Sun-jae in a still from Lovely Runner.

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Missing Crown Prince on Viu mashes palace intrigue and romantic comedy together in a royal period drama full of attractive young leads
This story has the unfortunate distinction of being both convoluted and commonplace, but there is still plenty that will satisfy fans of Korean period dramas


Starring Suyo of K-pop group Exo, Hong Ye-ji and Kim Min-kyu, Missing Crown Prince on Viu mashes palace intrigue and romantic comedy together in a royal period drama full of attractive young leads.


K-drama Missing Crown Prince: Exo’s Suho, Hong Ye-ji get caught up in familiar palace schemes and royal machinations

Missing Crown Prince on Viu mashes palace intrigue and romantic comedy together in a royal period drama full of attractive young leads This story has the unfortunate distinction of being both convoluted and commonplace, but there is still plenty that will satisfy fans of Korean period dramas

Missing Crown Prince on Viu mashes palace intrigue and romantic comedy together in a royal period drama full of attractive young leads

This story has the unfortunate distinction of being both convoluted and commonplace, but there is still plenty that will satisfy fans of Korean period dramas