Thanks, @Welmaris, for clearing up the Lee Gon’s ancestry!
Let’s stop the misconception about Lee Lim’s place in the monarchy’s family tree.
Lee Lim is the oldest son of King Haejong, but illegitimate because his mother was a woman other than the queen. He is the older half brother of King Lee Ho, whom he murdered, and uncle to Lee Gon.
Prince Buyeong is the eldest son of Prince Inpyeong, who must’ve been King Haejong’s younger brother. Prince Buyeong is NOT Lee Kim’s father, but is his first cousin. Prince Buyeong was also a first cousin to King Lee Ho, and is a first cousin once removed to Lee Gon.
I’ve been an avid amateur genealogist for decades.
I plotted the names on a “family tree” in keeping with the tree theme of the drama.
Remember: If Lee Gon dies, the power transfers over to Prince Buyeong and his descendants. That’s why we’re looking for Prince Buyeong’s children and grandchildren. He has one grandson.
******
As of Episode 5, I suspect that Kang ShinJae’s counterpart in Corea (or perhaps ShinJae himself) is part of Lee Gon’s family tree.
Three reasons:
One, the logo of the Kingdom of Corea keeps appearing in his dream.
Two, his family picture.
Do we know the maiden name of his mom? Is it a Lee?
Could he be related to Prince Buyeong?
The show is being mysterious about the number of sons and daughters Prince Buyeong has. Judging from these family pictures, I’m guessing that he has one son, one grandson, and at least one daughter. However, I can’t tell whether he has a second daughter or a granddaughter.
And lastly, ShinJae’s childhood home is overgrown with…I don’t know… roots? or are they branches of a tree. They’re growing on the wall. To me, that’s a sign.
What else do we know about Kang ShinJae?
1. He was born in 1987, three years before TaeEul. That means he and LG were born in the same year. They’re both 33 years old.
2. His family used to be rich. He lived in an upscale neighborhood.
3. His family went bankrupt when he was 15. That was in 2001/2002. (Somebody will have to RECALCULATE this because I don’t know if they’re using Korean age and I don’t know anything about that.) We have to know why his family went bankrupt in 2001/2002.
4. His mom was from a rich family.
5. His mom had a gambling addiction which the gambling den lord tried to exploit.
6. He’s a good cop; he wouldn’t accept bribes from the gambling den lord who wanted to be given heads-up before a crackdown.
7. He liked ice cream
8. He kept meeting his psychiatrist. We have to keep an eye on the psychiatrist. Was she a friend or a spy?
9. He’s falling in love with TaeEul.
By the way, we all know that Shin Jae and TaeEul didn’t actually meet on the road, right?
Look at their shadows. 🙂 This was an illusion to show that Shin Jae and TaeEul were in separate worlds at that time. Although their paths didn’t intersect, they were thinking of each other.
I just finished Ep 6. Will write something brief before heading off to bed. Good night!
Who really is Shin Jae? If he really is Prince Buyeong’s grandson, how long has he been living in ROK? The Prince keeps saying that his family members live “abroad”, without specifying in which country, so a parallel universe seems like a probable place of exile. If that’s the case, how did he find out about the portal?
It seems that Evil Uncle knows the true identity of Shin Jae and plans to use him for his plans.
@Welmaris and @packmule3 This family tree is great! Clears up a lot of confusions in my mind.
I agree with @packmule3 and @Snow Flower that there’s something fishy about Prince Buyeong’s missing family. Did you notice that twice in ep.6 he was questioned on if he bears a resentment against the royal family for being forced to be a scholar and for having to send his children to stay abroad. I too think his children/grandchildren are significant somehow in the scheme of things. We don’t know his part of the family tree at all, and if something happens to LG, his line will be the gainers.
Also, @packmule3 I agree Shin Jae is more important somehow in the scheme of things too because so much time was devoted to him, his back story and his family in the latest episodes. Did you notice how the psychiatrist said she thought he was a gangster instead of a police detective? I feel TE is the only positive influence in his life and he is under a lot of pressure to succumb to the dark side because of his financial circumstances and background. I have a feeling TE going over to LG’s side will finally tip him over to the side of LL, if LL tries to influence him. I think he has more shades of gray in him than WDH’s character and will be interesting to see how his change in alliance will affect LG and his team.
omg that Tree is so wide and green hahahaha thank you @welmaris and @packmule3
okay, so now the logo which he drew in his notebook is from his nightmares? noted. because I’m still in believe that he saw it somewhere on a crime scene.
I think we can see Prince Buyeong’s children at ep 1 when the coronation of LG’s is held. although it’s not a close up enough but I can remember one man and one woman in the picture was there.
when I look at SJ’s ex house, I’m gaping. ROOTS. again orz
idk maybe after this drama end I will never look at the roots the same way as before. who are you Kang Shin Jae?
(side note: do you guys already see their interview with the Swoon >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks8bd33qMJM&t=111s the actor who played as Kang Shin Jae is a cutie irl)
@yellow_grass I missed those ROOTS too till @packmule3 pointed that out. This tree motif is everywhere in this drama because of the flute being made of wood, I think. I remember an earlier post here on this.
I too thought Shin Jae had seen the Kingdom of Corea royal crest on a murder scene (maybe done by evil uncle in this ROK). But now after the two mentions of SJ’s nightmares by the psychiatrist, I think he might just have seen it in his dreams.
I have seen that Q&A video – everyone looks cute in that😊. Even WDH. Nice bonding between the cast.
@Phoenix IKR. it’s everywhere. even in their dialogue (refers to LG). ROOTS are like the key of everything here.
“I too thought Shin Jae had seen the Kingdom of Corea royal crest on a murder scene”
really??? wow I think I should watch it again. how come I always missed something important like this.
yesss WDH is a cutie pie too. everyone is happy and eggcited like a bunch of teenagers, maybe because for some of them it’s the first experience. after all ofc nice bonding!
@yello_grass I had assumed Shin Jae had seen that logi somewhere a murder scene, but now I think I’m wrong. So you didn’t miss anything😊 Now zi think SJ has seen that in his dreams which must be related somehow to his doppelganger existing in parallel universe.
The doppelgangers are connected somehow btw. Did you all notice that WDH doppelgangers in both universes feeling the hot/cold sensations at the same time when they picked up the hot/cold coffee mugs? And how TE had seen Kuna fleetingly in the car? I think the doppelgangers are connected psychically or something.
I believe Shin Jae subconsciously doodled the plum flowers in his notebook because he saw them in his dreams. If he’d seen them at a crime scene, I believe he would have had a different reaction when he saw the symbol on the pommel of Maximus’s saddle. He seemed astounded that the symbol really exists rather than suspicious it connected LG to a crime.
Although I believe we will see a Shin Jae double in KOC, I don’t believe he’s Prince Buyeong’s grandson. Remember, the KOC double of Shin Jae’s mom was the staffer serving tea to HCL in the palace. If she were Prince Buyeong’s daughter or daughter-in-law, she would be living in exile in another country, much less working in the palace.
@Packmule3, I hesitated to label Lee Lim’s mother as a concubine. LL described himself as illegitimate during the police interrogation at the beginning of ep. 1, and he was labeled a bastard son in the newspaper headline announcing the discovery of the body. Concubines were of lower status than wives, yet were officially recognized. With words like illegitimate and bastard being used to describe LL, even with his being the king’s first born son, I believe LL’s mother had no official standing in the court.
This is also my guess. I think his nightmares may pertain scenes from Corea which he cannot understand…
@packmule 3 wrote, “ShinJae’s childhood home is overgrown with…I don’t know… roots?” I think this may be a Parthenocissus. Some common forms are Virginia creeper or Boston Ivy. They are deciduous, so only the branching vines show in winter. As the vines form, they develop hairy roots for attaching, so they are both vines and roots. Well thought out by the researchers.
After reading everyone’s comments, I wondered if Shin-Jae may have been kidnapped from KoC by Lee Lim and brought over to RoK. He would have had to be around eight at the time, so it’s unlikely that he wouldn’t remember any of his previous life.
Hidden clues in The King Eternal Monarch
Ep 1 Opening interrogation of Prince Lee Lim. Jung Tae Eul id badge is the current bagde that she is using. Which means This event took place after Jung Tae Eul travels to The kingdom of Corea and that she is well aware of who Prince Lee Lim is.
Ep 2 When Jo Yeong is summoning Myeong Seung Ah from the Royal public affairs office at the Palace. When he asked her to email the photos she took at the rowing competition. The last photo on the camera is of Prince Lee Lim who is standing as one of the spectators on the bleacher.
Ep. 3 When Head Court Lady Noh is hiring Myeong Seung Ah. During the Interview the Court Lady who poured tea to them is The Spy of Prince Lee Lim. She is the woman who puts the type written notes on the book at the book store that Prince Lee Lim visit in the Kingdom of Corea and also she is the Mother of Detective Kang Shin Jae in the parallel universe Korea She is the gambler on the illegal gambling site that detective Shin Jae and JangMi raided.
Thank you for your intelligent note. I agree with your analysis. The King, on my personal view, requires viewer’s critical comprehension of a historical fiction’s objective to stimulate interest and to enrich the mind. I am disappointed though with some utterly negative comments about its production – maligning Korea’s history. The King is a historical fiction kdrama!
Favor please, can you write about its genre being a historical fiction to enlighten them … To just stop being naive… And learn to the art of appreciation.
Thanks Big!
Zeneth
I just hope that Shin Jae stay good. He worked so hard to be a good person, he let his mother to be arrested. So I don’t want him to be a villain because he can’t have Ta Eul…
9. He’s falling in love with TaeEul. ==> didn’t he already fall for her when she rescued him? Or when she gave him shoes.
He has nightmare and eat sweet things because it help him. I’m curious about the nightmares that made him to see a psy.
I love the scene Shin Jae – Ta Eul in the same place but in a different world. First I thought he had a doppleganger but then Ta Eul didn’t react so… I prefer this kind of connection than an ID card :p
I’m curious about LG’s mother. Unless it’s another lie, it’s understood that she died, since he calls himself an orphan. I wonder if he is curious about her doppelganger, as Ta Eul was curious about her mother’s. Also, I wonder what will happen if and when he and his mother’s double meet.
I have one big question.
If Shin jae is from the Kingdom of Corea, how is he aging (If we assume that he was brought to the Republic of Korea when he was a kid ???)
Or that’s not the case ???
Maybe this has something to do with the fact that he was in coma for a year when he was a kid.
Can someone please explain this to me as I can’t make sense of it at all and it seems to be of significance: why do Prince Bueyeong’s family live abroad? It seems like they have to because of the current king? I don’t see the connection. I’d be grateful for some pointers. thanks.
I’m still confused about Evil Uncle Lee Lim’s actual status in kingdom of Corea. Everyone seems to acknowledge him as the actual son of the previous Emperor and half brother to the current king. He is given the title of Imperial Prince Geum. How can he be called a bastard/illegitimate? Here is a translated character bio taken from SBS websute:
Lee Rim (69 years old)
He is the half brother of Emperor Sun Hwang-je and uncle of Lee Gon. His mother died before becoming an empress and was posthumously honored. He is the first son, but was removed from the line of succession when he was 13 years old for being a bastard. Lee Gon’s father, Sun Hwang-je, eventually became emperor and had possession of the Manpasikjeok (flute). With the Manpasikjeok, the emperor had the world in his hands, and yet he did not do anything. He did not even know that the Manpasikjeok in his hands would bring the world to him. To be exact, two different worlds.
Lee Rim’s anger eventually became a concrete plan. One night, in an act of treason, he assassinated the emperor and strangled his young nephew with the flute in his hands. The Manpasikjeok was broken in two. He ran away with half of the Manpasikjeok, reached the Great Forest, and the door of dimension opened to the parallel world.
It is wrong to say that God created man. Man made God. He asked the humans, would you change your life? Humans change their eyes with greed. Lee Rim decided to pierce through the greed of those insignificant human beings and transcend into a mightier being. He must seize the other half of the Manpasikjeok from Lee Gon’s hands and become the god of the two worlds.
Here is excerpt from article in the Business Timrs:
“Another character is Lee Rim (Lee Jung Jin), who takes the role of Emperor Lee Gon’s uncle. Lee Rim is the older half-brother of Lee Gon’s father. Although he is older, Lee Rim was removed from the line of succession at age 13 because he was the son of a concubine.”
From this information, it seems his mother was a concubine. Anyway, she was apparently going to become the Empress but died before her coronation. She was still given the title of Empress posthumously. Also, Lee Lim wasn’t demoted or taken out of the line of succession until age 13 years, why wait so long if he was considered illegitimate from the beginning? It seems strange.
@Jo-Good question about Prince Bueyeong and his family. I don’t understand why he and his family have to live apart either.
Welcome to the blog, knight.
What stopped the Uncle from aging?
It can’t be the flute. I believe I mentioned this before. The flute BY ITSELF cannot be the anti-aging instrument.
Why?
Because Lee Gon had the other half of the flute. If the flute held the secret to anti-aging, then Lee Gon should still look like an 8-year old boy, right?
Both Lee Gon in Corea (and everybody else in Corea) and ShinJae in Korea follow the normal aging process.
So this should tell us the writer hasn’t fully revealed the Uncle’s secret. But there’s something else that the Uncle has in his possession that stopped the aging process.
So…how do we go about this then.
My suggestion is to look for something that he has that the Lee Gon doesn’t.
My guesses?
A. the red paint he uses?
B. the bad energy that he gains from women?
C. water?
D. Perhaps he has his own land “between 1 and 0” because a minute in that no-man’s land means an hour outside?
E. he’s a blood-sucking vampire ala Edward Cullen?
F. an excellent plastic surgeon in Korea?
G. He eats broccolli.
H. Time will tell.
I’m going with H. 🙂
@packmule3 thank you very much for the answer !!!
(also sorry for the double question i didnt saw may post so i thought it had dissapeared or that there was some problem while posting)
No worries. I deleted you second question.
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