Lee Young-ae to reprise iconic role as Dae Jang Geum in Jewel in the Palace sequel

Back in 2003, some of our parents would have sat riveted in front of the television to catch the South Korean historical drama Dae Jang Geum or Jewel in the Palace.

Some of us might even have stayed up with them just to complete the drama on box set VCDs or DVDs.

Twenty years after we saw royal chef-turned-physician Seo Jang-geum’s happy ending with royal military guard Min Jeong-ho, she is returning to the screen again as actress Lee Young-ae reprises the role in an upcoming sequel.

According to South Korean publication Yonhap News Agency today (Jan 30), entertainment company Fantagio said that following the casting of Young-ae as the lead actress of the drama Dae Jang-geum (working title), they have also signed a contract with the scriptwriter.

“We plan to start filming in October and air it early next year,” said its spokesperson.

The company also shared that the drama is a follow-up to the hit series Jewel in the Palace and would cover the life story of the titular character.

The 2003 drama centres around the life of historical figure Jang-geum, who is orphaned at a young age and later becomes the first female royal physician in Korean history.

Throughout the process, she overcomes social discrimination as someone from the lower ranks of society, later emerging as the king’s most trusted royal physician in a male-dominated and rigidly hierarchical royal court.

When the drama aired in South Korea between 2003 and 2004, it heightened the Hallyu (Korean) wave that was spreading worldwide and created a buzz for South Korean culture, including cuisine, fashion, cutleries and tourism, with fans visiting filming locations of the drama.

According to a report by South Korea’s publication JoongAng Daily in 2014, the drama aired in 91 countries around the world. Broadcaster KBS World wrote that the drama was broadcasted in Hungary, Africa and eight Central and Latin American countries, including Mexico, Venezuela, Costa Rica and El Salvador.