KBS Bets a Reported 30 Billion Won on Moonmu After Its Weekend Slot Sank to 1%

KBS2's historical epic Moonmu, reportedly made on a budget of about 30 billion won, premieres on the 14th of next month at 9:20 p.m. It replaces a weekend drama that has just posted five consecutive episodes in the 1% range, so the network is asking a 28-episode saga to do what its current lineup has not.

The outgoing series, Love Me Instead (너 말고 다른 연애), stars Seo Kang-jun and Ahn Eun-jin. It opened at 2.6% last month on the 12th and peaked at 2.8% in episode 2. Episode 12, which aired on the 25th, drew 1.9% of households according to Nielsen Korea, and episodes 8 through 12 all stayed in the 1% range. The picture is not uniformly bleak: early this month, viewing of the drama on Coupang Play rose 195% week over week, and related clips have passed 8 million online views. Streaming warmth and broadcast ratings are telling different stories.

A bigger bet than the usual weekend slot

Moonmu is KBS's first traditional large-scale historical drama since The Korean-Khitan War (고려거란전쟁), roughly three years ago. It covers six centuries of war and upheaval across the Three Kingdoms, following leaders who stake everything on a single victory. The production shot battle sequences on location in Mongolia.

The predecessor sets a demanding benchmark. The Korean-Khitan War opened at 5.5% in 2023, climbed steadily, and hit its series high of 13.8% in the March 2024 finale. By KBS's own count it reached 9.51 million TV and VOD viewers, and Netflix distribution helped widen its audience to younger viewers. For a public broadcaster, the large-scale historical drama has long been a flagship format, and a second hit would show the formula still works.

The cast across three kingdoms

Lee Hyun-wook leads as Kim Beop-min, the future King Munmu of Silla. Proud enough to clash with his father Kim Chun-chu's diplomacy, he changes through years of war and loss and eventually completes unification. This is Lee's first epic drama, and he describes the character as cold-headed on the surface but carrying many turbulent feelings inside.

Jang Hyuk plays Yeon Gaesomun of Goguryeo, a general facing Tang's armies who also tries to seize real power at home. Kim Kang-woo plays Kim Chun-chu (King Taejong Muyeol), a king whose route to the throne ran through diplomacy; he reportedly visited Muyeol's tomb in Gyeongju while preparing. Park Sung-woong plays Kim Yu-sin, described as the embodiment of the Silla army, and rated his resemblance to the character at 70%.

The supporting cast leans on box-office credentials. Park Myung-hoon, who plays the Tang schemer Heo Gyeong-jong, appeared in Parasite. Jung Woong-in was in Veteran, and Yang Hyun-min, cast as Tang Emperor Taizong, was in Extreme Job, which drew more than 16 million viewers. Choi Ye-bin plays Empress Wu, Lee Ji-hoon plays Seol In-gwi and Park Kang-seop plays Li Zhi. On the Silla side, Kim Do-hyun plays the commander Seol O-yu in what the source calls his first full-scale historical action role, after Reborn Rich, Queen of Tears and Gangnam B-Side.

Whether the money and the cast can lift a weekend slot that has stalled is the open question, and the first few weeks of ratings will begin to answer it.