Goong is a currently ongoing manhwa

Manhwa

Manhwa is the general Korean term for comics and print cartoons . Outside of Korea, the term usually refers specifically to South Korean comics. The term, along with manga, is a cognate of the Chinese manhua...

 series by author Park So-hee. It has been adapted into a popular TV drama series of the same name

Princess Hours

Princess Hours is a 2006 Korean drama starring Yoon Eun Hye, Joo Ji Hoon, Kim Jeong Hoon and Song Ji-hyo. It was based on manhwa Goong by Park So-Hee. It was broadcast from 11 January to 30 March 2006 on MBC.Princess Hours was one of MBC's most popular dramas of 2006, second only to Jumong...

.

Korean Terms

• Seja - Prince
• Sejaban - Prince's wife
• Uhmamama - Respectful way to say Mother to the queen by her children.
• Ahbamama - Respectful way to say Father to the king by his children.

In Korean language

Korean language

Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...

, the speech used in the royal household is different to that use by commoners. It was one of the ways that separated the royals from their citizens. The royal children weren't allowed to called their parents (the King and the Queen) mom or dad, they had to use these terms to call their parents that meant mother and father.

Summary

Due to a promise between the former king of Korea and an ordinary, strong-willed girl's grandfather, our heroine finds herself betrothed to a seemingly cold-hearted prince of Korea. How can she marry a guy who she overheard him proposing to another girl! Both unwilling parties agree to the marriage, each with his and her own different motivations for the agreement to marry. Can love bloom under the strain of love rivals and political ambitions?

Characters

Chae-Gyung Shin

Shin Chae-Gyung is a very creative and outgoing, normal high school girl. She attends the same school as Lee Shin, the Crown Prince of Korea. Her grandfather was best friends with the previous King. To honor his friend, the previous King dictated that Chae-Gyung is to become the Crown Princess, which means that she is to marry whoever is the Crown Prince at the time of the marriage (Lee Shin) . Although she often seems immature and irritating, she is a kindhearted, innocent, honest person. Chae-Gyung marries the prince because of the promise made between her grandfather and Shin's. Her initial reaction to Lee Shin is one of irritation but she falls in love with him in the earlier part of the series, not knowing that he, in return, feels the same way. Although she regards Lee Yul only as a friend and cousin-in-law, he falls in love with her. And with the help of Queen (even though she doesn't want to), Yul manages to make the royal couple divorce after the relationship between Shin and Chae-Gyung is good.

Shin Lee

The crown prince of Korea, Lee Shin, is on the surface a cold and indifferent young man. After his girlfriend Hyo Rin turns down his marriage proposal, he decides to go along with his elders' arranged marriage with Shin Chae-Gyung to satisfy them. At first, he was irritated by her naivete and enthusiasm, but as he recognizes how genuinely sweet she is, he begins to open his heart to her, and falls in love. Throughout the series, it becomes obvious that inside, he is just a lonely, sensitive, warm and kind young man. As his cousin re-enters the picture after being forced out of the country many years earlier, the prince quickly butts head with him, as Lee Yul is a contender not only for the throne, but for the crown princess Chae-Gyung's love. Chae-Gyung does not realize this until Yul confessed his love for her.

Lee Yul

Lee Yul, Shin's cousin. He returns from a long stay in England with his mother, the widow of the former crown prince. His kindhearted personality, charisma and good looks make him an instant hit with the girls but hides his twisted and manipulative true nature. He falls in love with Chae-Gyung and becomes her confidon all the while attempting to drive Shin and her apart. Although the position of the Crown Prince originally belonged to him, it was given to his cousin when Yul's father died and his mother was found to have had an affair with his uncle, Shin's father, who she was originally in love with, but she decides to marry his brother, the crown prince, wanting her son to inherit the title of crown prince. Being born as the crown prince he has a prideful and arrogant demeanor and has great contempt for Shin and his parents for taking what he considers his god given right. Originally uninterested in the throne, Yul decides to follow his mother's wishes and compete with Shin for the throne after falling in love with Chae-Gyung and resorts to underhanded tactics to obtain both.

Hyo Rin

Hyo-rin is a skilled ballerina. She is beautiful, intelligent, accomplished—basically, perfect in every way possible. In the beginning, she is Shin's girlfriend, and he proposes to her. However, she rejects him, not only because she thinks he is joking, but also because she does not wish to give up her dreams of becoming a star ballerina and be stuck at the palace all her life. When she sees Chae-Gyung and Shin's wedding and how Chae-Gyung is loved by the people, she regrets her hasty decision, and does everything she can to oust Chae-Gyung from her position. Hyo-rin finds ways to draw Shin back to her, including a "chance" meeting in England but simply ends up hurting herself. Later, however, she decides that Shin does truly love Chae-Gyung, and she ultimately gives him up and decides to just concentrate on her ballet. But after the divorce of the Royal couple, she is given a chance to be the new Sejabin knowing that Shin hearts is belong only to Chae-Gyung

Oh Mi-Roo

Daughter of a rich family, she is betrothed to Lee Yul against his will. She acts very high and mighty and is disliked among the palace maids. She also has an interest in Lee Shin, whether for the queen's position or romance is still unclear. However, she eventually fall in love with Lee Yul after she witnesses his ambition. She also discovers Lee Yul's feelings for Chae-Gyung, which causes her to help Chae-Gyung and Shin get back together after their divorce.

Book 1

Chae-Gyeong Shin is a normal high-schooler who happens to go to the same school as the Seja, or crown prince of Korea, in a fantasy, make-believe world where the Korean royalty still exists. After getting a "C" in music class, she spies the prince proposing to a girl (and getting rejected by her.) Fortunately for Chae-Gyeong, she manages to escape without having her face seen. Later that day, she goes through tortuous debates over whether to tell her friend Mok-Han about the incident or not. At the very moment where she almost blurts out everything, she is caught again by the Seja, who isn't fooled by her pretense of hiding her face away into Mok-Han's chest, and warns her to keep silent about the whole story (or else face life-imprisonment). Back at the palace, the King sends for Shin and gives him a picture of his future bride-to-be, and guess who it is? Chae-Gyeong! Shin explodes into laughter and agrees to the marriage. In the meantime, Yul comes back from England and enrolls into Shin's school, ending up in the same class as Chae-Gyeong.

Chae-Gyeong, during this time, is having a difficult time choosing between her family's wishes (almost bankrupt at this point) and her own desire to choose her own path. In the end, it is the image of her mother's patched sleeve that gives her the courage to accept the proposal during an audience with the Queen. When she starts having second thoughts, it is already too late. Chae-Gyeong is soon forced to enter and live in the palace, learn its endless traditions and rituals, and all without the permission of going back home. Lonely and depressed, even the sight of Shin, who had told her earlier that he would never do something as cruel as marrying (and making a puppet of) the girl he truly loved, is welcome to her; but when he finally makes his appearance, it is to simply tell her that he'd divorce her if she cannot get adjusted to palace life.
But Chae-gyung, being her lively self made the difference, made the palace adjust to her instead of her adjusting to the palace.

As the story progresses, romance starts to bloom between the new royal couple. But Yul, the Jenha's cousin, is also falling in love with his cousin-in-law, and tries everything to have her.

Live-action adaptations

In 2006, a live-action television adaptation of the manga was broadcast from 11 January to 30 March 2006 on Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC)

Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation

Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC (Hangul : 문화방송주식회사, Munhwa Bangsong Jushikoesa) is one of four major national South Korean television and radio networks. Munhwa is the Korean word for "culture". Its flagship terrestrial television...

, starring Yoon Eun Hye

Yoon Eun Hye

Yoon Eun-hye is a South Korean actress, singer, entertainer and model. She debuted as a member of girl group Baby V.O.X, staying with the group from 1999 to 2005...

, Joo Ji Hoon

Joo Ji Hoon

Joo Ji Hoon is a popular model and actor from South Korea. He is well known for portraying Crown Prince Lee Shin in Princess Hours , which was his acting debut....

, Kim Jeong Hoon

Kim Jeong Hoon

Kim Jeong Hoon , also known in Japan as "John Hoon", is a South Korean singer and actor. He initially rose to fame as a member of Korean duo UN debuting with the single Voice Mail in 2000...

 and Song Ji-hyo.

In 2010, a theatrical musical spin-off of the television drama, Goong: Musical (Hangul

Hangul

Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...

: 뮤지컬 궁) premiered. It starred Kim Kyu Jong

Kim Kyu Jong

Kim Kyu Jong was born on 24 February 1987. He is a South Korean entertainer and member of boyband SS501. He made his musical debut in Goong: Musical, playing the lead role of 'Lee Shin' and debut as a solo artist in September 2011 with mini album Turn Me On.-2005: Debut:Kim debuted as a member of...

 of SS501 as male lead Lee Shin, where he also performed Kyoto on 11 June 2011. It also starred U-Know Yunho of TVXQ

TVXQ

TVXQ, an acronym for Tong Vfang Xien Qi , is a South Korean pop group formed in 2003 under SM Entertainment. In South Korea they are known as Dong Bang Shin Ki , often abbreviated by international fans as DBSK; they were later introduced in Japan as Tohoshinki under the Avex sub-label Rhythm Zone...