The Emperor: Owner of the Mask

The Emperor: Owner of the Mask[2] (Korean: 군주-가면의 주인; RR: Gunju – Gamyeonui juin; lit. Ruler – Master of the Mask) is a South Korean television series starring Yoo Seung-ho, Kim So-hyun, Kim Myung-soo, Yoon So-hee, Heo Joon-ho and Park Chul-min. It aired on MBC every Wednesday and Thursday at 22:00 (KST) from May 10, 2017 for 40 episodes.[3][4][5]

The Emperor: Owner of the Mask
Promotional poster
Hangul	군주-가면의 주인
Genre	Historical Political Melodrama Romance
Created by	Kim Kyung-hee
Written by	Park Hye-jin
Directed by	Noh Do-chul Park Won-gook
Starring	Yoo Seung-ho Kim So-hyun Kim Myung-soo Yoon So-hee Heo Joon-ho Park Chul-min
Opening theme	"Emperor Opening Title" by V.A
Ending theme	"For A While" by Hwang Chi-yeul
Country of origin	South Korea
Original language(s)	Korean
No. of episodes	40[lower-alpha 1]
Production
Executive producer(s)	Kim Kyung-hee
Producer(s)	Jung Chan-hee Sim Jung-woon Bae Jung-hoon
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	30 minutes[lower-alpha 1]
Production company(s)	People Story Company Huayi Brothers
Distributor	MBC
Release
Original network	MBC TV
Picture format	1080i (HDTV)
Audio format	Dolby Digital
Original release	May 10 (2017-05-10) – July 13, 2017 (2017-07-13)
External links
Website

The show was a domestic ratings hit, garnering an average rating of 12.4% and ranking as the 4th most watched series in Korea during 2017.[6]

Plot

During the Joseon Dynasty, the long-awaited son of King Yi Yoon is born, but in exchange for its life, the king will hand over the power of the Bureau of Water Supply to the secret society "Pyunsoo Group" that controls the government. The king covers the Crown Prince’s face with a mask and raises him secretly in order to protect him from the Pyunsoo Group.

Sixteen years later, Crown Prince Yi Sun, who grew up as a respectable young man, removes his mask and left the palace secretly to go to the town to find out why he has been masked since he was born. The purpose is to meet scholar Master Woo Bo who is the only person who knows why.

Crown Prince Lee Sun then meets high-ranking official’s daughter Lady Han Ga-eun and a young man who has the same name as himself, Lee Sun, and deepens friendship with them.

After some time, the secret society Pyunsoo Group assassinates King Yi Yoon but Crown Prince Yi Sun escaped. The Pyunsoo Group put a fake king on the throne and controls this king and the whole Imperial Court by using a suspicious drug with poisonous properties. Having witnessed the people's suffering, the Crown Prince decides to devote himself to fight the Pyunsoo Group and reclaim his throne.

Cast

Main

• Yoo Seung-ho as Crown Prince Yi Sun[7][8], the real Crown Prince of Joseon and also known as the Chief Peddler.
• Kim So-hyun as Lady Han Ga-eun[9], daughter of Deputy Magistrate Han, one of the students of Master Woo Bo and childhood friend of commoner Yi Sun. She has wide knowledge of medicinal herbs.
• Kim Myung-soo as Commoner Yi-sun[10], initially worked as a water deliverer at the Bureau of Water Supply, student of Master Woo Bo and a childhood friend of Lady Ga Eun.
• Yoon So-hee as Kim Hwa-gun, granddaughter of Pyunsoo Group leader Dae-mok and head of all the merchants in Joseon. She fell in love with the Crown Prince at first sight.
• Heo Joon-ho as Kim Dae-mok[11], head of the secret society “Pyunsoo Group.” He controls King Yi Yoon and the imperial court by using a mysterious drug with poisonous properties. He forgives no one when they betray Pyunsoo Group.
• Park Chul-min as Master Woo-bo, a scholar in medicine and well-versed in Western knowledge.

Supporting Actors

• Kim Byung-chul as Kim Woo-jae
• Kim Jong-soo as Joo Jin-myung
• Do Yong-goo as Choi Sung-gi
• Jung Kyu-soo as Heo Yoo-gun
• Kim Young-woong as Jo Tae-ho
• Kim Seo-kyung as Gon, the loyal bodyguard of Lady Hwa-gun.
• Park Ki-ryung as Mr. Jang
• Lee Ki-young
• Um Hyo-sup

People around Crown Prince Yi Sun

• Shin Hyun-soo as Yi Chung-woon, Crown Prince Lee Sun’s loyal personal bodyguard
• Bae Yoo-ram as Park Moo-ha, adjunct official who was arrested together with Deputy Magistrate Han
• Lee Chae-young as Mae-chang, a court lady who disguises as a gisaeng. Joseon’s expert on poetry and an experienced gayageum player. She is a lady of mysterious origin and identity.

Family of commoner Yi-sun

• Park Hyun-suk as Yoo Sun-daek, commoner Yi-sun's mother.
• Jung Hae-kyun as commoner Yi-sun's father
• Go Na-hee as Kko-mool, commoner Yi-sun's younger sister

Royal palace

• Kim Myung-soo (1966)[12] as King Yi Yoon, Crown Prince Yi Sun's father
• Kim Sun-kyung as the Queen, Crown Prince Yi Sun's legal mother
• Choi Ji-na as Lady Yi Young-bin, Crown Prince Yi Sun's biological mother
• Jung Doo-hong as Yi Bum-woo
• Song In-guk as Hyun-suk
• Jung Ah-mi as Court Lady Han
• Lee Dae-ro as Chief Eunuch

Extended

• Jeon No-min as Deputy Magistrate Han Kyu-ho, father of Lady Ga Eun.
• Jin Ki-joo as Choi Kang-seo[13]
• Gong Jung-hwan
• Min Pil-joon as Park Cheon-soo

Production

• Despite differences in tone, the media noted the drama's similarities with KBS2's hit series Love in the Moonlight (2016) as both are set in Joseon era with young lead actors born in 1993 (Moonlight's Park Bo-gum, Emperor's Yoo Seung-ho) and 1999 (Moonlight's Kim Yoo-jung, Emperor's Kim So-hyun).[14][15] Emperor also co-stars Park Chul-min who had a supporting role in Moonlight.[16]
• The first script reading took place on December 23, 2016 at MBC Broadcasting Station in Sangam, Seoul, South Korea. The series was pre-produced with filming commencing in December 2016, and lasted six months.[17][18][19][20] The series reunited Kim So-hyun and Yoo Seung-ho who starred in Missing You (2013), and Kim Myung-soo and Yoon So-hee in The Day After We Broke Up (2016).[21][22]
• The series was promoted heavily by MBC, with the first teaser released six months before its premiere at the MBC Drama Awards, where leads Yoo and Kim also served as presenters.[23] There were also several exclusive Naver features and V Live broadcasts before and during its run.[24][25][26]

Original soundtrack

The Emperor: Owner of the Mask OST
Soundtrack album by Various artists
Released	2017
Genre	Soundtrack
Language	Korean
Label	Plus Media Danal Entertainment (digital) LOEN Entertainment (physical)[27]
Producer	Lee Sung-kwon

Part 1

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"The Man That Couldn't Cry" (남자라 울지 못했어)	Im Dong-kyun Good Choice	Kang Dong-un Im Dong-kyun Kim Young-sung	Yang Yo-seob (Highlight)	03:45
2.	"The Man That Couldn't Cry" (Inst.)		Kang Dong-un Im Dong-kyun Kim Young-sung		03:45
Total length:					07:30

Part 2

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artists	Length
1.	"From The First Time You and Me" (처음부터 너와 나)	Vanilla Man (Vanilla Acoustic)	Vanilla Man (Vanilla Acoustic)	Bolbbalgan4	03:25
2.	"From The First Time You and Me" (Inst.)		Vanilla Man (Vanilla Acoustic)		03:25
Total length:					06:50

Part 3

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"For A While" (잠시나마)	Jeon Chang-yeob Black Belt	Black Belt	Hwang Chi-yeul	04:02
2.	"For A While" (Inst.)		Black Belt		04:02
Total length:					08:04

Part 4

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Star And Sun" (별과 해)	Yoon Jin-hyo Jeon Chang-yeob	Jeon Chang-yeob Yoon Jin-hyo	Kei (Lovelyz)	03:51
2.	"Star And Sun" (Inst.)		Jeon Chang-yeob Yoon Jin-hyo		03:51
Total length:					07:42

Part 5

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Between Seasons" (계절사이)	Jeon Chang-yeob Ryu Won-gwang	Jeon Chang-yeob Ryu Won-gwang	Kim Yeon-ji	04:36
2.	"Between Seasons" (Inst.)		Jeon Chang-yeob Ryu Won-gwang		04:36
Total length:					09:12

Part 6

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"I'm OK" (괜찮다고)	Good Choice Yoda	Kim Se-jin Park Chan	Kim Na-young	03:57
2.	"I'm OK" (Inst.)		Kim Se-jin Park Chan		03:57
Total length:					07:54

Part 7

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"The Tree" (나무)	Yang Yo-seob Gyuberlake	Yang Yo-seob Gyuberlake	Yang Yo-seob (Highlight)	03:57
2.	"The Tree" (Inst.)		Yang Yo-seob Gyuberlake		03:57
Total length:					07:54

Part 8

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"The Person Who I Love" (내가 사랑할 사람)	Ahn Soo-wan	Ahn Soo-wan	K.Will	03:48
2.	"The Person Who I Love" (Inst.)		Ahn Soo-wan		03:48
Total length:					07:36

Part 9

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Sparkling" (반짝인다)	Black Belt Miss Kim	Black Belt Yang Hong-seob	Hwanhee	03:25
2.	"Sparkling" (Inst.)		Black Belt Yang Hong-seob		03:25
Total length:					06:50

Part 10

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Flowing Down My Cheeks" (두볼에 흐른다)	Kang Woo-kyung As You Know	As You Know Kim Ji-hwan	Seo Young-eun	04:00
2.	"Flowing Down My Cheeks" (Inst.)		As You Know Kim Ji-hwan		04:00
Total length:					08:00

Part 11

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Affection" (애심)	Major League	Major League	Gavy NJ	04:24
2.	"Affection" (Inst.)		Major League		04:24
Total length:					08:48

Part 12

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Even if I Want" (원하고 원해도)	Black Belt Good Choice	Black Belt Yang Hong-seob	ZIA	03:40
2.	"Even if I Want" (Inst.)		Black Belt Yang Hong-seob		03:40
Total length:					07:20

Part 13

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Only One Person" (단 한사람)	Major League	Major League	Kim Greem	03:36
2.	"Only One Person" (Inst.)		Major League		03:36
Total length:					07:12

Part 14

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"It's Okay Even If It's Not Me" (내가 아니어도 좋아)	Good Choice Red Socks	Red Socks	L (INFINITE)	04:42
2.	"It's Okay Even If It's Not Me" (Inst.)		Red Socks		04:42
Total length:					09:24

Part 15

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Water Orchid" (수란 (水蘭))	As You Know Major League	As You Know Major League	Suran	03:39
2.	"Water Orchid" (Inst.)		As You Know Major League		03:39
Total length:					07:18

Part 16

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Artist	Length
1.	"Can't You Hear My Heart" (내 맘이 들리지 않니)	Major League As You Know	Major League	Kim So-hyun	03:29
2.	"Can't You Hear My Heart" (Inst.)		Major League		03:29
Total length:					06:58

Part 17

No.	Title	Artist	Length
1.	"Hidden Tears" (가려진 눈물)	U Sung-eun	04:21
2.	"Hidden Tears" (Inst.)		04:21
Total length:			08:42

Part 18

No.	Title	Artist	Length
1.	"Looking" (바라보기)	Heo Young-saeng	04:04
2.	"Looking" (Inst.)		04:04
Total length:			08:08

Disc 2:

No.	Title	Artist	Length
1.	"The Emperor : Owner of the Mask" (Opening Title)	Various Artists	4:28
2.	"Anger behind the mask"	Various Artists	1:58
3.	"Advance of the monarch"	Various Artists	3:56
4.	"Battle for blood"	Various Artists	2:05
5.	"Bright Mind"	Various Artists	2:50
6.	"Chaotic Tension"	Various Artists	2:41
7.	"Carrying out"	Various Artists	2:38
8.	"Conspiracy"	Various Artists	2:37
9.	"Destiny Waltz"	Various Artists	3:37
10.	"Decision"	Various Artists	2:27
11.	"Gauns Sonata"	Various Artists	3:44
12.	"Kingdom's gate"	Various Artists	3:53
13.	"Love of the monarch"	Various Artists	4:44
14.	"Longing"	Various Artists	2:53
15.	"Monarch pizz comic"	Various Artists	2:48
16.	"Pain Hearts"	Various Artists	3:25
17.	"Ramification"	Various Artists	3:29
18.	"Rattle"	Various Artists	2:15
19.	"Situation"	Various Artists	2:46
20.	"Strong Strike"	Various Artists	1:51
21.	"Toxic Flower"	Various Artists	2:31
22.	"The beginning of the fate"	Various Artists	2:44
23.	"The space of secret"	Various Artists	3:09

Chart performance

Songs

Title	Year	Peak chart positions	Sales	Remarks
		KOR Gaon
"The Man That Couldn't Cry" (Yang Yo-seob (Highlight))	2017	77	KOR: 27,015[28]	Part 1
"From The First Time You and Me" (Bolbbalgan4)		4	KOR: 524,397+[29]	Part 2
"For A While" (Hwang Chi-yeul)		64	KOR: 24,671[30]	Part 3
"The Person Who I Love" (K.Will)		89	KOR: 21,644[31]	Part 8

Reception

Despite being touted as the next Love in the Moonlight (2016) which became a youth sageuk sensation,[32] Emperor was not able to emulate Moonlight's success and only averaged modest ratings of 12.4%.[33][34] Additionally, even though it topped ratings in its time slot, it was overtaken by its competitor in the important 20-49 year old demographic, as well as streaming, popularity, and brand reputation charts for consecutive weeks.[35][36] With the extensive promotion and hype the series received before premiere, its figures were underwhelming.[37][38][39] Performances of the cast were praised, though audiences also stated their dissatisfaction with the story and the production as a whole.[33][40] William Schwartz of HanCinema stated that the series is "irredeemably stupid", adding that "...the obstacles the characters run into are never clearly defined. It's one of the reasons why the resolutions in this drama are so unsatisfying. There's no tension."[41]

Ratings

In the table below, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.

Episode #	Original broadcast date	Average audience share
		TNmS Ratings[42]		AGB Nielsen[43]
		Nationwide	Seoul National Capital Area	Nationwide	Seoul National Capital Area
1	May 10, 2017	8.8% (9th)	10.0% (5th)	9.7% (6th)	10.5% (5th)
2		10.1% (6th)	10.9% (4th)	11.6% (4th)	12.1% (4th)
3	May 11, 2017	10.4% (8th)	11.5% (6th)	10.5% (6th)	11.2% (5th)
4		10.8% (6th)	11.9% (5th)	12.6% (4th)	13.4% (4th)
5	May 17, 2017	8.5% (12th)	10.4% (6th)	11.2% (5th)	11.8% (5th)
6		9.2% (10th)	11.0% (5th)	12.5% (4th)	12.9% (4th)
7	May 18, 2017	10.4% (6th)	11.8% (5th)	12.0% (5th)	12.9% (5th)
8		11.6% (5th)	13.1% (4th)	13.4% (4th)	14.2% (3rd)
9	May 24, 2017	10.6% (8th)	10.9% (6th)	11.9% (6th)	12.7% (5th)
10		11.7% (5th)	12.6% (4th)	13.8% (4th)	15.2% (3rd)
11	May 25, 2017	11.1% (7th)	11.7% (5th)	12.1% (6th)	13.2% (5th)
12		12.3% (5th)	13.3% (4th)	13.8% (4th)	15.1% (3rd)
13	May 31, 2017	11.8% (6th)	13.8% (4th)	11.7% (6th)	12.2% (4th)
14		12.8% (6th)	15.7% (3rd)	13.6% (4th)	14.5% (3rd)
15	June 1, 2017	12.0% (6th)	14.5% (5th)	12.0% (6th)	12.6% (5th)
16		13.4% (5th)	15.8% (2nd)	13.6% (4th)	14.2% (3rd)
17	June 7, 2017	11.6% (6th)	13.0% (5th)	10.9% (7th)	11.6% (5th)
18		12.4% (5th)	14.0% (3rd)	11.9% (5th)	11.0% (6th)
19	June 8, 2017	11.0% (7th)	13.0% (5th)	11.2% (6th)	11.2% (6th)
20		11.4% (6th)	14.0% (4th)	12.2% (5th)	12.1% (5th)
21	June 14, 2017	11.8% (5th)	13.0% (5th)	11.3% (5th)	11.8% (5th)
22		13.0% (4th)	14.5% (2nd)	13.0% (4th)	13.8% (3rd)
23	June 15, 2017	10.3% (5th)	11.3% (5th)	11.3% (5th)	11.3% (5th)
24		12.0% (4th)	13.2% (3rd)	13.4% (4th)	13.2% (4th)
25	June 21, 2017	10.3% (8th)	11.5% (5th)	10.6% (6th)	10.8% (7th)
26		11.8% (5th)	13.0% (4th)	13.2% (4th)	13.5% (3rd)
27	June 22, 2017	10.0% (9th)	11.9% (5th)	10.8% (6th)	11.4% (5th)
28		11.6% (5th)	14.1% (3rd)	12.2% (4th)	12.4% (4th)
29	June 28, 2017	9.6% (7th)	11.0% (5th)	10.2% (6th)	10.1% (5th)
30		11.2% (4th)	13.7% (3rd)	12.2% (4th)	12.3% (4th)
31	June 29, 2017	10.5% (6th)	12.6% (4th)	11.9% (5th)	11.9% (5th)
32		12.2% (4th)	14.5% (2nd)	14.4% (4th)	14.6% (3rd)
33	July 5, 2017	12.1% (6th)	14.0% (4th)	12.6% (5th)	13.3% (5th)
34		14.0% (4th)	14.6% (3rd)	13.6% (4th)	14.5% (4th)
35	July 6, 2017	12.9% (5th)	15.2% (4th)	12.8% (5th)	13.5% (5th)
36		14.7% (4th)	16.6% (3rd)	14.9% (3rd)	15.2% (2nd)
37	July 12, 2017	15.5% (5th)	18.0% (2nd)	13.2% (5th)	13.9% (5th)
38		17.6% (3rd)	20.3% (1st)	14.5% (4th)	15.2% (2nd)
39	July 13, 2017	14.4% (5th)	16.1% (4th)	13.3% (5th)	13.5% (5th)
40		16.0% (3rd)	18.4% (2nd)	14.4% (3rd)	14.7% (3rd)
Average		11.5%	13.51%	12.4%	13.19%

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Recipient	Result	Ref.
2017	10th Korea Drama Awards	Best Drama	The Emperor: Owner of the Mask	Won	[44][45]
		Best Production Director	Noh Do-cheol	Nominated
		Best Screenwriter Award	Park Hye-jin	Won
		Excellence Award	Jeon No-min	Won
		Best New Actor	Kim Myung-soo	Nominated
		KDA Award	Heo Jun-ho	Won
	1st The Seoul Awards	Best New Actress	Yoon So-hee	Won	[46]
	19th Mnet Asian Music Awards	Best OST	Bolbbalgan4 ("You and Me from the Start")	Nominated
	9th Melon Music Awards			Nominated
	Korea Hallyu Awards	Popular Culture Awards	Kim So-hyun	Won	[47]
	44th MBC Drama Awards	Grand Prize (Daesang)	Heo Joon-ho	Nominated	[48][49][50][51]
			Yoo Seung-ho	Nominated
		Drama of the Year	The Emperor: Owner of the Mask	Nominated
		Top Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries	Heo Joon-ho	Nominated
			Yoo Seung-ho	Won
		Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries	Kim So-hyun	Nominated
		Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries	Kim Myung-soo	Nominated
		Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries	Yoon So-hee	Nominated
		Golden Acting Award, Actor in a Miniseries	Park Chul-min	Nominated
		Golden Acting Award, Actress in a Miniseries	Kim Seon-kyung	Won
		Male Popularity Award	Kim Myung-soo	Won
		Female Popularity Award	Kim So-hyun	Won
		Best New Actor	Kim Myung-soo	Nominated
		Best Character Award, Fighting Spirit Acting	Kim Myung-soo	Won
		Best Character Award, Best Villain	Heo Joon-ho	Nominated
2018	12th Soompi Awards	Actor of the Year	Yoo Seung-ho	Nominated	[52]
		Best Idol Actor	Kim Myung-soo	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actress	Yoon So-hee	Nominated
		Best Couple	Yoo Seung-ho and Kim So-hyun	Nominated

International broadcast

• In Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Hong Kong, it was aired on Oh!K within 24 hours from original Korean broadcast.
• In Philippines, the drama was aired on July 15, 2019 to August 29, 2019 as part of GMA Network's The Heart of Asia under the title Emperor: Ruler of the Mask on its 16th anniversary celebration.

Notes

1. In order to circumvent Korean laws that prevent commercial breaks in the middle of an episode, what would previously have been aired as single 70 minute episodes are now being repackaged as two 35 minute episodes, with two episodes being shown each night with a commercial break between the two.[1]

References

1. Park, Jin-hai (2017-05-16). "Drama viewers angry over commercial breaks". The Korea Times. PressReader. Retrieved 2017-05-27.
2. [The Emperor: Owner of the Mask]군주-가면의주인ep7,8L, Seung-ho's said he would be an understudy.170518. MBC Drama via Youtube. 2017-05-18. Retrieved 2017-05-26.
3. "유승호, MBC '군주' 출연 확정…12월 첫 촬영 [공식입장]". TV Report (in Korean). 12 October 2016. Retrieved 2016-10-14.
4. 유승호, 멜로사극 '군주' 출연 확정…몸 만들기 돌입(공식입장). News1 (in Korean). 12 October 2016. Retrieved 2016-10-14.
5. "TV show 'Ruler' deals with fight for Joseon's water supply". Yonhap. 8 May 2017.
6. https://www.kdramapal.com/10-highest-rated-korean-dramas-2017/
7. "유승호, MBC '군주' 출연 확정…12월 첫 촬영 [공식입장]". TV Report (in Korean). 12 October 2016. Retrieved 2016-10-14.
8. "Yoo Seung-ho cast as prince in new drama". The Korea Times. 2016-10-12.
9. "유승호X김소현, MBC '군주' 확정..꿈의 라인업 [공식입장]" [Kim So Hyun Cast In New Historical Drama]. OSEN (in Korean). 11 November 2016.
10. [단독] 엘-윤소희, '군주' 안방극장 컴백 – 한국스포츠경제. 한국스포츠경제 (in Korean). 22 November 2016. Retrieved 2017-01-02.
11. POP, 헤럴드 (29 December 2016). 허준호, '군주' 합류…왕세자 役 유승호와 사투 벌인다. Herald Corporation (in Korean). Retrieved 2017-01-02.
12. HanCinema
13. POP, 헤럴드 (27 December 2016). "진기주 측 "MBC '군주' 합류, 유승호와 호흡"". Herald Corporation (in Korean). Retrieved 2017-01-02.
14. "유승호X김소현 '군주', 제2의 '구르미'되나" [Is "Emperor" the next "Love in the Moonlight"?]. Herald Corporation (in Korean).
15. ""Monarch", "Sassy Girl", "King in Love": Which will be the second "Love in the Moonlight"". Sports Chosun (in Korean).
16. [포토] ‘군주’ 박철민 "박보검, 김하늘 보다 지금 작품하는 유승호가 최고". Kookje (in Korean).
17. "'군주' 노도철 PD "정치적 메시지는 없다"". Korea Times (in Korean). 8 May 2017.
18. "[단독]'유승호의 '군주', 내년 MBC 편성…'빛미' PD 연출". IS Plus (in Korean). 10 October 2016. Retrieved 2016-10-14.
19. "'군주' 첫 대본리딩 현장 포착, 유승호X김소현X엘 케미 어땠나". Newsen (in Korean). 25 January 2017. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
20. '군주', 오늘(30일) 촬영 끝..유승호 활약은 이제부터- 스타뉴스. 스타뉴스 (in Korean). 2017-06-30. Retrieved 2017-06-30.
21. "보고싶다..'군주' 유승호X김소현, 수목극 왕좌 주인될까(종합) - enews24". enews24.tving.com/ (in Korean). Retrieved 2017-05-31.
22. 윤소희 측 "'헤어진 다음날' 출연…엘 여자친구 役". 뉴스1 (in Korean). 2016-08-16. Retrieved 2017-05-31.
23. 군주 첫 티저 ＂나의 조선은 다를 것입니다＂. Naver TV (in Korean). Retrieved 2017-05-20.
24. "[어게인V]'군주' 김소현, 믿고 보는 배우의 탄생". Herald Corporation (in Korean). 9 May 2017.
25. [군주] 소현이가 100초만에 소개하는 군주. V Live (in Korean). Retrieved 2017-05-20.
26. "[공식입장] '군주' 유승호x김소현, 26일 V라이브 뜬다..배유람 MC". OSEN (in Korean).
27. "군주-가면의 주인 O.S.T - MBC 수목미니시리즈 (2CD) (The Emperor: Owner of the Mask OST - MBC Wednesday-Thursday Miniseries (2CD))". Synnara Record. Media Synnara Co., Ltd. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
28. "2017 Gaon Download Chart – Week 19 (See #46)". Retrieved 2017-05-18.
29. Cumulative sales for "From The First Time You and Me":
    • "Gaon Download Chart – May, 2017". Retrieved 2017-05-25.
    • "Gaon Download Chart – June, 2017". Retrieved 2017-06-08.
    • "2017 Gaon Download Chart – Week 26". Retrieved 2017-07-07.
30. "2017 Gaon Download Chart – Week 21". Retrieved 2017-06-01.
31. "2017 Gaon Download Chart – Week 23". Retrieved 2017-06-16.
32. "Fantasy period dramas dominate small screen". The Korea Times. 2017-06-05.
33. "No Hit Drama Among the Three Big Broadcasters". Yonhap News (in Korean). 주연을 맡은 배우들은 너나 할 것 없이 멋진 한복차림으로 '어여쁨'을 뽐내고 있고, 이들이 펼치는 로맨스는 어김없이 감정이입을 이끈다. 하지만 스토리가 받쳐주지 않으면서 로맨스도 더는 치고 나가지 못하고 있다. 배우들끼리의 멜로 화학작용 자체도 썩 매끄럽지 못하다. '구르미 그린 달빛'이 지난해 9~10월 시청률 20%를 넘어서며 '박보검 신드롬'을 일으켰던 것과 비교하면 현재 세 사극의 성적은 초라하다. '군주'가 11~13%로 그나마 10%를 넘어서고 있고, '엽기적인 그녀'가 7~10%, '7일의 왕비'는 6%대에 시청률이 머물고 있다. '어디서 많이 본 듯한 이야기의 짜깁기', '닥치고 애틋한 멜로만 강조한다' 등의 지적이 나온다.
34. '드라마=로코' 성공 방정식 깨진다. Se Daily (in Korean). 수목 로코 드라마도 상황은 마찬가지다. SBS의 ‘수상한 파트너’, MBC의 사극 ‘군주’ 역시 시청률 10% 안팎을 힘겹게 오가고 있는 것. ‘군주’ 역시 지난해 화제가 됐던 ‘구르미 그린 달빛’을 연상케 하는 풋풋한 사랑에 아역 출신 유승호와 김소현의 매력이 더해져 커다란 사랑을 받을 것이라는 관측이 지배적이었다.
35. "'수상한 파트너', 6월 1주차 드라마 부문 TV화제성 1위 기록…'2위는 군주'". Topstar Newslanguage=ko. 2017-06-16.
36. "The Irony of Suspicious Partner". Newsen. 그러나 전체 시청률을 제외한 TV 화제성, 브랜드 평판, 2049 시청률 등에서는 ‘수트너’가 압도적으로 1위다. 전체 가구 시청률에서 20세에서 49세까지의 시청률을 별도로 산정한 ‘2049 시청률’은 ‘수트너’가 6연속 1위를 차지했고, TV 화제성에서는 3주 연속 1위를 유지했다. ‘수트너’의 주인공인 지창욱은 5주 연속 TV 드라마 출연자 화제성 1위에 이름을 올렸다.language=ko
37. "[SE★2017상반기:MBC드라마] '역적'-'군주', 사극 효자로 지킨 자존심". Se Daily (in Korean).
38. "안방극장엔 사극열풍, '진부한 로맨스' 비판도 (A Criticism of the Classic Romance)". MBN (in Korean). 사극 로맨스는 수차례 증명된 흥행공식이다. '공주의 남자'(2011)는 24.9%, '해를 품은 달'(2012)은 시청률 42.2%, '구르미 그린 달빛'(2016)은 23%를 기록하며 종전의 히트를 쳤다. 하지만, 이번 세 작품의 성적표는 기대이하다. 가장 높은 시청률을 기록하고 있는 '군주'가 11%, '엽기적인 그녀'가 8%, '7일의 왕비'는 6%에 그쳤다.(6월 둘째주 기준).
39. "Emperor Couldn't Even Reach 15%". JTBC.
40. '군주' 새 시대 연 허준호…유승호 살아있었다 (종합). XSports News (in Korean).
41. "[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Ruler: Master of the Mask"". HanCinema.
42. "TNMS Daily Ratings: this links to current day-select the date from drop down menu". TNMS Ratings (in Korean). Retrieved March 24, 2017.
43. "AGB Daily Ratings: this links to current day-select the date from drop down menu". AGB Nielsen Media Research (in Korean). Retrieved March 24, 2017.
44. Son Ye-ji (September 27, 2017). "한석규·김상중·차인표·김영철·최민수, '2017 KDA' 대상 후보 5人 확정 (공식)". TenAsia (in Korean). Retrieved October 2, 2017.
45. Noh Gyu-min (October 2, 2017). 김상중, 대상 "5년마다 수상…그것이 알고싶다" 소감… '도깨비' 작품상(코리아드라마어워즈). TenAsia (in Korean). Retrieved October 2, 2017.
46. '서울어워즈' 송강호·나문희·지성·박보영 주연상…·'박열'·'비숲' 대상[종합]. TV Report (in Korean). October 27, 2017.
47. 김재중·김소현, ‘2017 대한민국 한류대상’ 가수·배우 부문 수상. Herald Pop (in Korean). 5 December 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
48. "2017 MBC Drama Awards". MBC (in Korean). December 2017.
49. Lee Eun-ho (December 30, 2017). "'2017 MBC 연기대상' 빛낸 '역적' 그리고 김상중 (종합)". BizEnter (in Korean). Retrieved December 30, 2017.
50. Oh Ji-eun (December 30, 2017). "[2017 MBC 연기대상] 김상중, 데뷔 27년만 지상파 첫 대상... '역적' 8관왕(종합)". Zenith News (in Korean). Retrieved December 30, 2017.
51. Jang Ah-reum (December 30, 2017). "[2017 MBC 연기대상] 김상중, 데뷔 27년만 대상…'역적' 7관왕 싹쓸이". News1 Korea (in Korean). Retrieved December 30, 2017.
52. "13th Annual Soompi Awards: The Winners". Soompi. April 16, 2018. Retrieved November 10, 2019.

External links

• Official website (in Korean)
• Official website
• The Emperor: Owner of the Mask at HanCinema