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Meet the Cast of The Haunted Palace (Gwigung): 2025 K-Drama Character Guide & Netflix Info
✨ The Haunted Palace (Gwigung): A 2025 Korean Drama Where Spirits Haunt, Love Burns, and Politics Boils
🧧 1. Introduction
If you love K-dramas that mix mystery, romance, and supernatural suspense in a historical setting, The Haunted Palace (Gwigung) should be on your watchlist. This 2025 drama from SBS is more than just a ghost story—it’s a tale of reform, revenge, and a reluctant shaman thrown into a world she tried so hard to escape.
With a stellar cast including Yook Sung-jae, Kim Ji-yeon (Bona), and Kim Ji-hoon, the series unfolds inside a haunted Joseon-era palace where spirits roam freely and secrets are buried deep beneath royal power. The drama is already drawing comparisons to hits like Hotel Del Luna and Kingdom, thanks to its rich storytelling and chilling atmosphere.
Streaming globally on Netflix, The Haunted Palace promises to captivate both longtime sageuk fans and newcomers alike.
📺 2. Drama Overview
| Title | The Haunted Palace (Gwigung) |
|---|---|
| Genre | Fantasy, Supernatural, Historical, Romance |
| Broadcast Network | SBS (South Korea) |
| Streaming Platform | Netflix (Global), Wavve (Korea) |
| Air Date | April 18, 2025 |
| Schedule | Fridays & Saturdays at 9:50 PM (KST) |
| Episodes | 16 |
| Language | Korean (English subtitles available) |
| Directors | Yoon Sung-shik, Kim Ji-yeon |
| Writer | Yoon Soo-jung |
| Production | Studio S, IWill Media |
💡 Available on Netflix in over 50 countries, including the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia.
📖 3. Plot Summary
In a kingdom ruled by tradition and haunted by the past, The Haunted Palace begins with a simple premise: what if a ghost could change the future of a nation?
The story follows Yoon Gab, a soft-spoken royal archivist with a brilliant mind but a humble background. After mysteriously dying, he returns—except now he’s possessed by a dangerous spirit named Kang Cheol-i, a mythical Imoogi who failed to become a dragon and now seeks revenge on humans.
At the center of this spiritual storm is Yeori, a former child shaman who once had the power to see the unseen but chose to live a quiet life as an eyewear artisan. She's pulled back into the world of rituals and curses when she learns her first love, Yoon Gab, is no longer himself.
As evil spirits gather and a terrifying entity known as Paltcheok-gwi threatens the royal family, Yeori must confront her past, embrace her power, and fight for more than just the man she once loved—she may have to save the entire kingdom.
It’s a haunting, high-stakes story filled with forbidden magic, hidden grief, and the age-old question: Can destiny ever truly be escaped?
🧑🎓 4. Main Characters and Cast
Main Characters
Yoon Gab (played by Yook Sung-jae)
A royal archivist born of low status, Yoon Gab is physically frail but intellectually unmatched. Despite his humble position, he’s earned the king’s rare favor thanks to his reformist mind and bold proposals that challenge the kingdom’s rigid hierarchy.
He’s the type of character who doesn’t seek power, but finds himself dangerously close to it. His ideas about ending slavery and restructuring the military have made him a target among palace elites.
Just when the future of the crown prince—and the kingdom’s reform—hangs by a thread, Yoon Gab dies under mysterious circumstances. But death isn’t the end. His body becomes the vessel for Kang Cheol-i, an ancient, vengeful spirit. Now trapped between two identities, Yoon Gab’s journey becomes one of possession, loyalty, and a fate far beyond his own.
Yeori (played by Kim Ji-yeon / Bona)
Once hailed as a spiritual prodigy, Yeori was destined to become one of the greatest shamans in the land. But a tragic past—including the death of her grandmother and a haunting by the spirit Kang Cheol-i—caused her to turn her back on that life.
Now, she lives quietly as an eyewear artisan, determined to lead a normal life far from rituals and spirits. That peace is shattered when Yoon Gab—her childhood friend and first love—returns from the dead, possessed by the very entity she’s spent years avoiding.
Drawn back into the palace under false pretenses, Yeori becomes entangled in royal secrets, a looming ghostly threat, and a fate she can no longer deny.
Kang Cheol-i (played by Yook Sung-jae & Kim Young-kwang)
Kang Cheol-i is not your average villain. Once an Imoogi—a mythical serpent creature destined to become a dragon—his transformation was sabotaged by a human child who saw him at the wrong moment. Twisted by failure and fury, he’s spent centuries unleashing storms and plagues on mankind.
When he sets his sights on Yeori, whose spiritual aura is as clear as a divine mirror, he becomes obsessed. He believes she can help him ascend at last.
To get close, he takes over Yoon Gab’s body. But trapped in a human form, Kang Cheol-i is forced to endure eating, sleeping, emotions—and worst of all, love. His growing feelings for Yeori become a torment he never expected. Especially when he must face his old rival: the monstrous spirit Paltcheok-gwi.
King Lee Seong (played by Kim Ji-hoon)
A young reformist monarch, Lee Seong is both a scholar and a warrior. He dreams of a stronger, fairer Joseon—but the ghosts of his past won’t let him rest.
Haunted by his father’s horrific death and now watching his own son fall into madness, Lee Seong finds himself at a moral crossroads. Superstition is forbidden by law—especially within the capital—but what if it’s the only way to save his child?
As Yoon Gab returns with a strange new presence, and the palace fills with spiritual unrest, the king must decide: will he uphold the law or make a deal with the world beyond?
Supporting Characters
Other Notable Characters
- Pungsan (Kim Sang-ho) A blind spiritual judge who serves Paltcheok-gwi as a high-ranking seer to gain power and status.
- Kim Bong-in (Son Byung-ho) – The Prime Minister and king's maternal grandfather; a master politician who hides ruthlessness behind a gentle smile.
- Queen Park (Han So-eun) – The kind-hearted queen and mother of the crown prince; deeply devoted to her husband and son.
- Yi Gwang (Park Jae-jun) – The crown prince, a brilliant yet gentle child now afflicted with madness like his grandfather.
- Grand Queen Dowager (Han Soo-yeon) – The king’s stepmother and a calculating matriarch walking a thin line to protect her son.
- Prince Yeongin (Kim Sun-bin) – The queen dowager's son and the king's arrogant half-brother, frequently involved in palace scandals.
- Lady Han (Kim Na-yoon) – Loyal attendant to the Grand Queen Dowager who has witnessed her hardships for years.
- Lady Oh (Choi Jung-in) – The Queen’s right-hand court lady, brought into the palace alongside her mistress.
- Gwak Sang-chung (Yoon Seung) – Minister of Military Affairs; a powerful noble who strongly opposes royal reform.
- An Seok-joo (Go In-beom) – Minister of Rites; opportunistic and shrewd, he allies with reform opponents.
- Jung Sa-soon (Park Joo-hyung) – A royal guard promoted under Gwak's influence, completely loyal to him.
- Kim Eung-soon (Kim In-kwon) – The king’s loyal eunuch; constantly frustrated by possessed Yoon Gab’s behavior.
- Kim Geun-hoo (Kim Dong-hyuk) – The king’s elite bodyguard; a disciplined warrior of low noble birth.
- Seo Jae-il (Han Min) – A royal guard serving under Kim Geun-hoo, quiet but reliable.
- Sang-deuk (Kim Chan-oh) – A eunuch who assists the king alongside Kim Eung-soon.
- Neopdeok (Gil Hae-yeon) – Yeori’s shaman grandmother who raised her with love and sacrificed herself during a ritual.
- Monk Gaseop (Lee Won-jong) – A master of spirit-cleansing rituals who aids Yeori in fighting Paltcheok-gwi.
- Old Monk (Woo Sang-jeon) – Gaseop’s mentor; appears senile but holds great spiritual power.
- Imoogi Bibi (Jo Han-gyeol) – Kang Cheol-i’s fierce and more ruthless sibling who feeds on corrupt noble souls to ascend.
- Yeong-geum (Cha Chung-hwa) – Yoon Gab’s strong-willed mother who raised him alone and worries about his drastic change.
- Choi Won-woo (Ahn Nae-sang) – A retired official with great political influence and loyalty to his own family above all.
- Choi In-seon (Shin Seul-gi) – Choi Won-woo’s daughter, naive and bold, who mistakenly falls in love with Yoon Gab.
🤝 5. Character Relationship Chart
Wondering how all the characters in The Haunted Palace connect? This relationship chart reveals the hidden ties between the living, the dead, and those caught in between.
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Haunted Palace (gwigung): Drama Introduction and Lead Cast</h1>
What to expect from this post: This article introduces the 2025 Korean historical fantasy drama The Haunted Palace and highlights the three main lead actors. Dive into their careers, filmographies, and a heartwarming (and hilarious!) real-life friendship e
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