Kingdom Writer, Director Kim Eun-hee On Creating The Hit Zombie Thriller Series: Hunger Was the Starting Point
As a fan of the zombie genre, Kingdom writer Kim Eun-hee says she was always intrigued by the hunger of the undead, the principal theme which runs through her internationally popular Netflix period thriller series
As
a
fan
of
the
zombie
genre,
Kingdom
writer
Kim
Eun-hee
says
she
was
always
intrigued
by
the
hunger
of
the
undead,
the
principal
theme
which
runs
through
her
internationally
popular
Netflix
period
thriller
series
as
well
as
its
upcoming
prequel
Ashin
of
the
North.
In
an
exclusive
interview
with
PTI,
the
writer
and
director
Kim
Seong-hun
spoke
about
the
universe
of
Kingdom
and
what
makes
the
Korean-language
series,
set
in
the
medieval
period
of
Joseon
Dynasty
(1392-1897),
resonate
with
the
audience
across
the
world.
"I'm
a
big
fan
of
zombies.
When
I
watched
other
zombie
series,
they're
all
running
around
to
have
some
food.
I
might
sound
a
little
perverted
but
I
didn't
feel
fear,
I
felt
very
sorry
for
the
zombies
because
why
would
they
run
so
hard
to
just
eat
that
little
bit
of
flesh?
That's
why
I
landed
on
the
theme
of
hunger," Kim
Eun-hee
said
in
a
Zoom
interview
from
Seoul,
South
Korea.
The
writer,
49,
also
known
for
the
popular
time-travel
investigative
Korean
drama
Signal,
said
while
the
original
drama
with
its
story
of
a
crown
prince
(played
by
Ju
Ji-hoon)
investigating
a
mysterious
outbreak,
has
different
themes
at
its
heart,
the
concept
of
hunger
stands
out
for
her.
"We
have
a
lot
of
different
themes
like
politics
and
thirst
for
power,
but
what
I
was
attracted
to
the
most
was
hunger
and
that
was
the
starting
point
for
me," Kim
Eun-hee,
who
adapted
Kingdom
from
her
webcomic
series
The
Kingdom
of
the
Gods,
said
through
the
help
of
an
interpreter.
Kingdom
director
Kim
Seong-hun,
who
has
also
helmed
the
92-minute
special
episode
"Ashin
of
the
North",
believes
South
Korean
zombie
stories
have
become
globally
famous
as
the
writers
and
filmmakers
focus
on
telling
original
stories
to
stand
apart
from
their
western
counterparts,
who
have
more
money
and
technical
know-how
to
invest.
South
Korea
has
made
the
genre
its
own
by
delivering
highly
original
content
with
the
2016
blockbuster
film
Train
to
Busan,
its
sequel
Peninsula,
#Alive,
Rampant,
animated
"Seoul
Station"
and
"Kingdom"
to
name
a
few.
Kim
Seong-hun,
50,
credits
Korean
creators
for
the
popularity
of
the
zombie
stories
from
the
country.
"Usually,
it's
Hollywood
that
does
the
best
job
because
they
have
the
money
and
the
know-how.
So,
to
differentiate
from
Hollywood,
what
the
Korean
creators
do
is
to
become
more
original
and
have
more
original
stories
moulded
to
the
zombie
genre,
which
makes
them
look
great.
I
think
that's
why
so
many
people
love
the
Korean
style,"
he
added.
The
director
said
it
is
challenging
to
direct
local
actors
as
the
flesh-eating
creatures
as
"Korean
zombies
are
full
of
stamina
and
they're
very
fast",
which
may
lead
to
safety
issues
on
the
set.
"The
other
challenge
was
that
this
is
a
zombie
genre,
but
it's
also
based
in
a
historic
time
period
so
there
were
a
lot
of
visual
effects
and
martial
arts.
Even
having
just
one
of
them
in
the
story
can
make
it
difficult,
but
we
had
all
three
of
them.
So
I
think
that
was
the
most
challenging
part,"
he
added.
While
there
is
no
clarity
on
the
third
season
of
Kingdom,
fans
will
get
to
whet
their
appetite
with
Ashin
of
the
North,
a
prequel
story
headlined
by
My
Love
from
the
Star
actor
Jun
Ji-hyun
and
set
to
stream
on
Netflix
from
Friday.
Ashin
of
the
North
will
narrate
the
story
of
its
titular
warrior
from
the
northern
border
town
of
Joseon,
who
has
vowed
to
avenge
the
death
of
her
loved
ones.
She
clashes
with
Park
Byung-eun's
Min
Chi-rok,
who
made
a
lasting
impression
in
Kingdom
season
two
as
the
head
of
the
Royal
Commandery.
It
will
also
reveal
the
backstory
of
the
resurrection
plant,
or
"saengsacho"
in
Korean,
responsible
for
the
zombie
epidemic.
In
a
global
press
conference
on
Tuesday,
Kim
Seong-hun
teased
a
scene
involving
zombies
as
the
highlight
of
Ashin
of
the
North,
saying
it
is
a
scene
that
the
entire
prequel
"is
really
running
towards".
"It
is
truly
a
sad,
tragic
but
immensely
charming
scene,"
he
added.
Kim
Eun-hee
said
she
decided
to
set
the
spin-off
at
the
northern
border
town
of
Joseon
to
tell
the
story
of
"marginalised
people
of
that
time".
In
the
press
conference,
the
writer
also
spoke
about
feeling
the
pressure
that
comes
with
the
expectation
from
a
hit
series.