Many around the world can't get enough of Korean dramas, or zombie thrillers. Combining those popular elements,... Netflix will launch its first original series in Korean later this week -- a zombie apocalypse set in Korea during the Joseon Dynasty.<br />Our Oh Soo-young tells us more. <br />A battle against the undead takes place in medieval Korea in an upcoming Netflix series,... the first K-drama to be commissioned by the online streaming platform.<br /> Before it hits the small screens on Friday,... stars of six-part drama titled Kingdom held a press conference in Seoul,... to share a glimpse of the zombie apocalypse set in the Joseon Dynasty,... the last kingdom of Korea.<br />In a time of social disorder and famine,... an epidemic breaks out, transforming those infected into zombies.<br />The crown prince,... who is played by Ju Ji-hoon,... has been framed for treason,... and has to prove his innocence through a journey to uncover the source of the epidemic.<br /> "It is unique as it can resonate with many people by blending the beauty of our country and its traditional tales with Western elements."<br /><br />The original screenplay, penned by writer Kim Eun-hee,... was inspired by royal records from the 19th century reporting tens of thousands of deaths caused by a mysterious plague.<br />Given the widespread popularity of Korean dramas as well as zombie thrillers,... Netflix teamed up with Kim and acclaimed director Kim Seung-hoon to create the Korean-language series,... which took almost eight years to produce with a budget of one-point-seven million dollars.<br /><br />"It looks like there's a high chance Netflix will increase investment,... but I think they will first consider the preferences of global users and their response to Korean content."<br /><br />Production for the second series of Kingdom is slated to begin in February.<br />Oh Soo-young, Arirang News. <br /><br /><br />
