Sacred Jewel

About this title

Set in Goryeo in 1258, when the war with the Mongols had dragged on for nearly 30 years, this JTBC historical drama follows a convoy that sets out under orders to recover the Gwaneum Boju, a sacred relic said to protect the nation. It is Ahn Bo-hyun's first lead role in a historical drama since his debut.

JTBC has said the series will premiere in December 2026 as a Saturday–Sunday drama, but as of October 20, 2026, no official announcement of the exact premiere date could be confirmed. It has been reported as a 14-episode series, and JTBC has scheduled it to follow Final Table. The series will be available on demand in Korea on Coupang Play, and it is set to be released internationally on Amazon Prime Video. It is produced by Celltrion Entertainment and SLL. Ahead of its Korean broadcast, it had its world premiere on April 24, 2026 (local time) in the non-competitive Rendez-Vous section of the 9th Canneseries (Cannes International Series Festival) in France, where Ahn Bo-hyun and Claudia Kim attended the pink carpet and an audience Q&A.

The screenplay is by Jung Hyun-min, writer of Jeong Do-jeon, The Nokdu Flower and Assembly, and it is directed by Jung Dae-yoon, of She Was Pretty, W and Reborn Rich. Reborn Rich, which Jung Dae-yoon directed for JTBC, was nominated in the TV Movie/Mini-Series category at the 2023 International Emmy Awards. The teaser poster released by JTBC carries the line “In the year 1258, with the king's permission, 10 men of the Yabyeolcho were sent forth.”

According to the released character descriptions, Ahn Bo-hyun plays Baek Gyeol, the convoy's doryeong (special mission commander). A young commander who came up through the Gyeollyonggun, the royal guard, Baek Gyeol is handed the dangerous task of escorting the jewel because he loved the emperor's daughter. Lee Sung-min plays Choi Gu, a byeolchojang (commander) of the Yabyeolcho, Goryeo's equivalent of a special forces unit. A veteran of countless battles, Choi Gu is chosen as the convoy's byeolchojang and sets out alongside the inexperienced commander Baek Gyeol. Claudia Kim plays Wang Hui, Princess Gyeonghwa, the emperor's youngest daughter, who lives quietly in Gyeonghwa Palace after a political marriage and a loss; Ha Yoon-kyung plays Geolseung, the proprietress of a pleasure house in a Ganghwa Island marketplace, who becomes the convoy's guide after accepting Baek Gyeol's offer; and Yoon Kyun-sang plays Wang Mu, a member of the royal family who serves as defense commissioner of Wonju Fortress and was Wang Hui's first love.

In an interview featured in a video of his Cannes trip released by his agency, Ahn Bo-hyun said he was excited to introduce a Korean historical drama to audiences around the world, and that having come to Cannes to represent a series they spent nearly a year filming, he felt a sense of responsibility.

See alsoJeong Do Jeon 2014The Nokdu Flower 2019Reborn Rich 2022

Drama Lineup editors · Fact-checked against: sll.co.kr, joonganggroup.com, starnewskorea.com, tvreport.co.kr, enews.imbc.com, wikitree.co.kr, yna.co.kr, news.tf.co.kr, sports.khan.co.kr · 2026-10-20