The Great King Munmu

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KBS's 35th epic historical drama centers on Kim Beop-min, who would later become King Munmu of Silla, and depicts the era of the wars to unify the Three Kingdoms, when the leaders of Silla, Goguryeo and Baekje, as well as Tang China, faced off against one another.

It is scheduled to premiere on KBS2 on November 14, 2026, at 9:20 p.m. In October 2026, KBS News introduced it as a 28-episode epic drama made on a budget of 30 billion won. It is KBS's first traditional epic historical drama in three years, since Korea–Khitan War (2023–2024), and is produced by KeyEast and Monster Union. The production included location shooting in Mongolia, and at the production press event, director Kim Young-jo said its budget was the largest of any KBS epic historical drama and its CG costs were also at an all-time high.

It is directed by Kim Young-jo and Gu Seong-jun and written by Kim Ri-heon and Hong Jin-i. Kim Young-jo directed The Jingbirok: A Memoir of Imjin War, Jang Yeong-sil, Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth and Woman of 9.9 Billion, among others, and Kim Ri-heon won the miniseries category of KBS's 2021 screenplay competition. Kim Young-jo said that because he remembered being taught Silla's unification in a negative light in high school, he opposed the project as chief producer (CP) when it was being developed, but changed his mind after hearing Kim Ri-heon's interpretation that a chain of events set off by Yeon Gaesomun ultimately led to Silla's unification. He also said the team has assembled an advisory panel of professors and that he has been studying at the National Assembly Library, adding that he would not deliberately portray China in a bad light in order to emphasize the joy of victory.

Lee Hyun-wook plays Kim Beop-min, the eldest son of Kim Chun-chu and nephew of Kim Yu-sin on his mother's side, who would later become King Munmu, Silla's 30th monarch. Jang Hyuk plays Yeon Gaesomun, who holds power in Goguryeo; Kim Kang-woo plays Kim Chun-chu (King Taejong Muyeol), the first Silla king of jingol (true-bone) rank; and Park Sung-woong plays Kim Yu-sin, Kim Chun-chu's brother-in-law and Beop-min's maternal uncle. Jung Woong-in plays Kim Jin-ju of the Silla court, portrayed in the drama as an unsentimental realist, and Jo Sung-ha plays Go Geon-mu, King Yeongnyu of Goguryeo. Oh Seung-hoon (Kim In-mun), Lee Ji-hoon (Bidam), Kim Do-hyun (Seol O-yu), Choi Soo-rin (Queen Seondeok), Yang Hyun-min (Li Shimin) and Baek Sung-hyun (Go Yeon-mu), among others, also appear. The production team presented two main threads: the family story of Beop-min, who grows up under the guidance of his father Kim Chun-chu and his maternal uncle Kim Yu-sin, and the power struggles within the Silla court.

Lee Hyun-wook said he chose another historical drama after tvN's The Queen Who Crowns because he learned a lot from playing real historical figures, and that since this is his first epic drama, he would keep studying history until the series ends. Kim Kang-woo explained that he took the role because, whereas earlier epic historical dramas were often heavy and strongly message-driven, every character in this series is vivid, giving it the excitement of a martial arts novel. Jang Hyuk said that because there are many interpretations of the historical Yeon Gaesomun, he wanted to show a Yeon Gaesomun somewhat different from the familiar image. Director Kim Young-jo described Kim Beop-min as someone who learned politics and diplomacy from Kim Chun-chu, and martial skill and a general's leadership from Kim Yu-sin.

See alsoThe Jingbirok: A Memoir of Imjin War 2015Jang Yeong Sil 2016The Queen Who Crowns 2025

Drama Lineup editors · Fact-checked against: mt.co.kr, news.tf.co.kr, sports.khan.co.kr, slist.kr, isplus.com, tvreport.co.kr, xportsnews.com, yna.co.kr, news.kbs.co.kr, enews.imbc.com, starnewskorea.com · 2026-10-20