‘The Haunted Palace’ ends with strong ratings, boosting SBS’s ‘K-occult’ success story

Scenes from "The Haunted Palace" / Courtesy of SBS

SBS continues its winning streak in Korean television with another successful foray into the occult genre. The weekend fantasy drama “The Haunted Palace,” which concluded with an 11 percent nationwide rating, maintained the top spot in its time slot for eight consecutive weeks, reinforcing SBS’s reputation for bold programming. Its success follows the network’s 2023 occult mystery hit “Revenant,” highlighting the broadcaster’s commitment to revitalizing and globalizing “K-occult” content.

Amid a wave of K-romance and genre dramas, occult-themed shows have struggled to maintain momentum, despite their early global breakout through series “Kingdom” and films “Train to Busan.” SBS, however, has emerged as a rare exception, demonstrating consistent success with darker, folklore-based narratives.

The first half of 2025 has been particularly fruitful for SBS. With back-to-back hits including “Love Scout,” “Buried Hearts” and “The Haunted Palace,” the broadcaster attributes its strong performance to continued investment in original storytelling and strategic time slot placement. “Love Scout,” timed perfectly with a resurgence of interest in K-romance, boosted the profiles of lead actors Lee Jun-hyuk and Han Ji-min and ended with an 11 percent rating.

SBS has focused its most ambitious dramas on the Friday-Saturday evening slot, once a fiercely competitive time frame. “Buried Hearts,” an action-packed thriller, closed its run with a 15.7 percent viewership rating — this year’s highest for a mini-series — cementing SBS’s lead. Similarly, “The Haunted Palace” delivered compelling palace mysteries and folklore-based fantasy, portraying possessed mythical creatures and royal secrets with distinct Korean flair.

“The Haunted Palace” tackled unconventional material, weaving elements of Korean shamanism, traditional myths, and fantasy-period drama. It introduced a spectrum of unique ghostly figures — such as the Palcheok-gwi, Susal-gwi, and Okim — based on traditional Korean folk monsters. Director Yoon Sung-sik said the drama aimed to transcend the horror genre, combining romantic comedy and human drama elements to reach broader audiences.

“We didn’t frame ghosts as objects of fear or danger,” Yoon said. “Instead, we approached them with empathy and compassion. This helped us dismantle genre stereotypes and create a fresh appeal for viewers.”

“The Haunted Palace” also made waves overseas. According to global OTT platform Viu, the show ranked No. 1 for two consecutive weeks in Hong Kong and Thailand and landed in the top three in all five major Southeast Asian markets, including Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia.

Yoon said the international response reflects the show’s ability to tap into shared cultural themes while presenting a uniquely Korean perspective. “While ‘The Haunted Palace’ is deeply rooted in traditional Korean folklore, the emotions and conflicts of the spirits we portray — especially the concept of han, or unresolved grief — have universal resonance,” he said. “Many Asian cultures share spiritual traditions linked to Buddhism and Taoism. Our show stood out precisely because of its specificity within a shared worldview.”

SBS’s previous success with “Revenant” laid the groundwork for this continued occult storytelling boom. Airing in June 2023, the drama followed Goo San-young (Kim Tae-ri), a woman possessed by a vengeful spirit, and Yeom Hae-sang (Oh Jung-se), a man who can see ghosts, as they investigated a series of mysterious deaths. Written by Kim Eun-hee of “Kingdom” fame, the series was praised for pioneering a Korean-style occult mystery format.

Instead of relying on familiar Western tropes such as Catholic exorcisms or demonic hauntings, “Revenant” drew inspiration from Korean folklore, folk religion and ethnographic studies. Kim reportedly met with academics and cultural heritage officials to build a grounded, authentic narrative. The show went on to win a bronze medal in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror category at the 2024 New York Festivals TV & Film Awards.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.