by Alex Billington
June 18, 2026
Source: YouTube
“They say that once you enter the palace, you leave only in death.” Netflix has revealed the teaser trailer for The East Palace series, a historic action fantasy series from Korea. Created and made entirely in Korea, this new horror series will be out to watch worldwide on Netflix starting in July coming right away this summer. From director Choi Jung-kyu, The East Palace follows Gu-cheon, who moves between the realms of the living and the dead (he’s a “ghost-slayer”), and Saeng-gang, a lady of the court guarding a secret of her own. When the king calls on them to unravel the mysteries within the palace, they’re drawn into a world where power, hidden histories, and restless spirits are bound together by a dangerous curse. Nam Joo-hyuk plays Gu-cheon, who investigates unnerving incidents at the palace with a blade that can cut down ghosts. Roh Yoon-seo plays Saeng-gang, whose ability to hear the voices of the dead aids Gu-cheon as they navigate the palace’s long-buried secrets. Also starring Cho Seung-woo and Park Su-yeon. They end up being lead to a dark realm and must confront the truth hiding underneath the pond. This looks like a sneaky mystery thriller series, not only dealing with some dark horror, but throwing in some Korean action as well.
Here’s the first teaser trailer (+ poster) for Choi Jung-kyu’s The East Palace, direct from YouTube:
When the crown prince is found dead in a pond, a chilling rumor paralyzes the palace: the pond spirit has returned to wipe out the King’s bloodline. The King (Cho Seung-woo) fiercely dismisses the killings as mere conspiracy, until his last remaining son, Prince Yeongan collapses. Driven to total desperation, the King secretly summons Gu-cheon (Nam Joo-hyuk), who can traverse the Realm of Gwi and defeat them. To ensure his loyalty, the King pairs him with Saeng-gang (Roh Yoon-seo), a court lady born with the ability to hear spirits. Gu-cheon embarks on the life-or-death mission to destroy the spirit and lift the curse of the East Palace, or die within its walls. But as Gu-cheon hunts the spirit and Saeng-gang secretly spies on his every move, the two draw closer to uncovering the dark truth of the East Palace that lies beneath the pond.
The East Palace, also known as 동궁 in Korean, is a Korean fantasy series from the Korean filmmaker Choi Jung-kyu, director of the series “The Flower in Prison”, “Drinking Solo”, “The Devil Judge”, “Soundtrack #2”, and the film So Far So Close previously. The screenplay is written by Kwon So-ra & Seo Jea-won. It’s produced by Showrunners, Imaginus. With music by Kim Joon-seok and Jung Se-rin. Netflix releases Choi Jung-kyu’s The East Palace series streaming on Netflix starting July 17th, 2026 coming soon this summer.
