Empress Ki (South Korean Television Series)

Empress Ki (Korean: 기황후; RR: Kihwanghoo) is a South Korean historical television series that aired on MBC from October 28, 2013, to April 29, 2014. The drama consists of 51 episodes and was broadcast on Mondays and Tuesdays at 22:00. The series explores the life, political maneuvers, and romantic entanglements of a woman from Goryeo who rises to power within the Yuan Dynasty.

Production

The series was directed by Han Hee, with a screenplay written by Jang Young-Cheol and Jung Kyung-Soon. During its development, the project was initially known by the working title Hwatu, which translates to "flower cards." The first script reading sessions were held on September 13 and 14, 2013, at the MBC Dream Centre in Ilsan, South Korea, with each session lasting approximately four hours. Production included international location filming, with a crew shooting at the Hengdian World Studios in Hengdian, China, between October 12 and October 23, 2013.

Promotional poster for Empress Ki — Promotional poster for the drama series Empress Ki.

Broadcast Schedule Adjustments

The series occupied the MBC Monday and Tuesday 21:55 time slot, succeeding Jung-Yi, The Goddess of Fire and preceding the series Triangle. Throughout its run, the broadcast schedule experienced several adjustments due to special programming and external events:

Episodes 19 and 20, originally slated for December 30 and 31, 2013, were delayed due to year-end award ceremonies and rescheduled for the first week of January 2014.
Episode 29 was broadcast at 22:15 rather than the standard 22:00 time due to coverage of the Winter Olympics.
Episode 30 was postponed from February 11, 2014, to February 17, 2014.