Actor Cho Seung-woo, returning to the small screen after three years, is set to showcase a bold transformation as a lonely, charismatic King.

On the morning of the 8th, a press conference for the new Netflix original series "The East Palace" (written by Kwon So-ra and Seo Jae-won, directed by Choi Jeong-gyu) was held at the Fairmont Ambassador Seoul in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. The event was attended by director Choi Jeong-gyu and lead actors Cho Seung-woo, Nam Joohyuk, and Roh Yoonseo, who shared various stories about the production.

"The East Palace" is a mystery thriller occult historical drama that follows Gu-cheon (played by Nam Joohyuk), a ghost hunter with the special ability to freely traverse the world of spirits, and Saeng-gang (played by Roh Yoonseo), a palace inspector harboring deep secrets. The two are summoned by the King (played by Cho Seung-woo) to uncover the truth behind a cruel curse haunting "The East Palace".

Cho Seung-woo, making his return to television for the first time since "Divorce Attorney Shin", plays a rational King who believes ghosts and curses are nothing more than superstition. However, as the crown princes die one by one and his only surviving young son, Prince Yeongan, faces a life-threatening situation, the King summons the ghost hunter Gu-cheon to the palace, placing himself at the center of a massive whirlpool of events.

Regarding his role, Cho Seung-woo remarked, "The role offered to me was simply titled 'King' without even a name. I thought, 'Oh, I guess I can play a King.'" He continued, "When I read the script, I saw that various elements were blended very well, and the tense relationship between the Queen Dowager, played by Jang Young-nam, and the King was captivating. It was a perfect mix of drama, occult, action, and fantasy."

He added, "Above all, when I heard the casting lineup—Nam Joohyuk, Roh Yoonseo, and Jang Young-nam—there was no reason not to do it. I thought it wouldn't be bad to just ride the coattails of these trendy actors," drawing laughter from the room with his signature wit.

This project holds special significance for Cho Seung-woo, as it marks his third collaboration with director Choi Jeong-gyu, with whom he previously worked on the mega-hit drama "The King's Doctor." Cho shared a humorous behind-the-scenes story: "The director usually calls me by saying, 'Has the King arrived?' in a friendly and witty way, and it was so nice to hear that again after a long time. Since we are the same age, we have a lot in common, but I pestered him day and night with phone calls because I was worried about my character. I heard later that whenever he finished a call with me, he would sigh and go out for a cigarette."

Director Choi Jeong-gyu also expressed his deep trust in Cho Seung-woo. "It was my dream to work with Cho Seung-woo again," he said. "The King in this story is a character with many secrets. He knows many of the palace's hidden truths and has to endure them, and I thought the actor Cho Seung-woo was a perfect fit for the concept of 'secrets,' which is why I sent him the offer."

After pouring his energy into the musical "The Phantom of the Opera" and the play "Hamlet", Cho Seung-woo jumped straight into filming for "The East Palace". This marks his first-ever Netflix original series. "I am very happy to meet global fans directly through an original series for the first time," he said, expressing his confidence. "It will be a project that offers a unique kind of fun to viewers both at home and abroad."

"The East Palace" consists of 8 episodes and will be released simultaneously to viewers worldwide on Netflix on the 17th at 5:00 PM. 

(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)