Opinion: PM Koo is the best character in K-drama The King: Eternal Monarch
PHOTO: Netflix
However, despite Min Ho being perfect in his role as the regal monarch of the Kingdom of Corea Lee-gon, Go-eun being a badass by taking down bad guys as police detective Jung Tae-eul, and Do-hwan killing it by portraying both Jo-yeong and Jo Eun-seob and providing so much comedic relief, the character that stood out to me the most was Jung Eun Chae’s confident and sophisticated Prime Minister Koo Seo Ryung.
Elegant and poised, but armed with a sharp tongue and always ready with a stinging remark, the scheming and manipulative Seo-ryung may not be the most pleasant person to be around, but you can’t deny that she’s tough as nails and a go-getter who fought hard to get to where she’s at in a man’s world. Here are six reasons why I think she’s the best character in The King: Eternal Monarch.
Opinion: PM Koo Is The Best Character In The King: Eternal Monarch
She worked her way to the top
Seo-ryung came from humble beginnings. Her mother runs a fish cake shop at the market and her father was a drunkard.
However, despite her hardships, she studied hard and made it to university. She succeeded in becoming an announcer and became the main news anchor of the station in just four years.
After making her foray into politics, it only took her seven years before she became appointed as the Kingdom of Corea’s youngest and first female prime minister.
Her achievements are impressive especially since she didn’t have everything handed to her on a silver platter and had to slowly climb her way up from the bottom.
She’s decisive and makes tough decisions
Vetoing the decision to raise the salaries of the Congress members in order to improve their image in the eyes of the public even though she knew the members would get extremely upset? She did that.
Despite working in a male-majority environment, she climbed through the ranks and is not afraid to make tough decisions that could potentially step on people’s toes. That’s a real leader!
Her outfits are always on point
Seo-ryung is undoubtedly the best-dressed person in the entire show. She might be a politician, but her dressing is anything but dull and drab.
Despite being in a male-dominated environment, she dresses in chic and elegant formal outfits for work, which she accentuates with gorgeous oversized jewellery for a more feminine touch. When she’s off-duty, she wears trendy outfits that are stylish and fashionable.
From flowy dresses and casual slacks and dress shirts to sharp pantsuits and trench coats, Seo-ryung is always dressed for the occasion and looks her best every single time.
She doesn’t get intimidated
Seo-ryung isn’t exactly well-liked and she has to constantly deal with backhanded comments, taunts and questions about her abilities. However, she doesn’t back off and isn’t afraid to put people who insult her in their place.
When a congressman was upset that she vetoed raising their salaries and asked her condescendingly if she thought that the prime minister position was too much for her, and all she’s been doing is putting on more makeup, she coolly replied: “Mr. Park, If this position can be kept by dressing up and putting on makeup, then you can do the same as well.”
She then stands up, calmly explains the reasoning behind her decision, proclaims to the room that she’s the prime minister and not their party’s representative before walking out.
She’s unapologetic about what she wants
People may call her cold-hearted and greedy but it’s refreshing to see a woman being so unapologetic about fighting for what she wants.
When her ex-husband asked her if she was really trying to be queen, she said, “Why not? Greed is the most sincere emotion. What’s so bad about that?”
Becoming queen is her next goal since a queen has a limitless term unlike a prime minister’s five-year term limit. She’s confident in herself because she has been able to achieve all the things that she wanted and truly believes that being the Kingdom of Corea’s queen is not an unattainable goal for her.
She’s extremely capable
Say what you will about her ruthlessness, but you can’t run a country by playing nice. Unlike Gon whose main duties are to be in the public eye by gracing events, Seo-ryung is occupied with the day-to-day running of the country.
She always has to be on top of what the different ministries are doing, managing politicians who don’t always agree with or understand her decisions, and dealing with people who are trying to bring her down by mocking her background, capability as a female leader or attacking her appearance.
Frequently being the only or one of the few women in rooms full of men, Seo-ryung has to continually prove herself and assert her authority, while making sure that they are delivering the results that she wants.