Set in the ancient Korean kingdom of Silla, which lasted for 1,000 years after its inception in B.C. 57, the 2009 TV series “The Great Queen Seondeok” chronicles the life of the first female ruler in Korean history. Historically, Queen Seondeok is noted for her leadership and foresight and for laying the foundation for bringing together the first unified nation on the Korean Peninsula in the 7th century.

While the period drama depicts the life of this historic figure, the plot is mostly fiction sprinkled with the writer’s imagination. The plot revolves around the power struggle between two women—the wise and respected ruler, Queen Seondeok, and her rival Mishil who dreams of becoming queen herself. In the Silla Kingdom, legend has it that the royal bloodline will end if a king has twins. When King Jinpyeong learns his wife gave birth to twin daughters, he secretly sends the second daughter out of the palace to save his kingdom. The deserted princess Deokman, who grows up in a desert in China, returns to Silla to discover her true identity. There she meets her twin sister, Princess Cheonmyeong and the two sisters work together to battle with Mishil, a royal concubine who takes virtual control over the kingdom and attempts to help her husband ascend to the throne. The ambitious concubine secretly assassinates Princess Cheonmyeong in the process of the power struggle, and her sister Deokman vows vengeance against Mishil. Deokman manages to take back power from Mishil and eventually becomes Silla’s first queen, Seondeok.

In most previous historical dramas, female characters are often portrayed as femme fatales competing to curry favor with men in power. But this drama breaks the stereotype by depicting women as leaders who make decisions to determine the future of the nation. Here, men play subordinate roles, in contrast to the male protagonists in many other dramas and movies. The success of this women-dominated drama is largely attributable to the two actresses who performed the roles of the leading characters. In particular, many viewers take note of the villain, Mishil, played by Ko Hyun-jung. Although Queen Seondeok is the heroine in the drama, Mishil also steals spotlight as a beautiful yet ruthless woman who stops at nothing to get her way. Actress Ko transformed herself into the ambitious and charismatic Mishil so successfully that many viewers deeply emphasized with the diabolical Mishil when she loses power and dies.

The sweeping 62-episode historical epic enjoyed great popularity and recorded high audience ratings, becoming the most viewed drama in 2009. The soap’s huge popularity led to a musical adaptation, which was staged in January 2010. The Korean costume drama has been aired in many countries around the world, including Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, the United States, Hungary and Turkey.