“Princess Hours” cast, crew, and fans marked the 20th anniversary of the hit South Korean drama on Jan. 11, 2026, by recalling notable moments from the 2006 series that helped popularize K-drama globally and shaped the modern royal-romance genre.
The romantic drama, which originally aired on MBC from Jan. 11 to March 30, 2006, followed high school student Shin Chae-kyung, played by Yoon Eun-hye, who entered an arranged marriage with Crown Prince Lee Shin, portrayed by Ju Ji-hoon.
Producers adapted the series from Park So-hee’s manhwa “Goong,” which presented a fictional contemporary Korean monarchy and placed its characters in a palace setting that mixed traditional royal protocol with modern youth culture.
The series featured an enemies-to-lovers storyline between Chae-kyung and Lee Shin, as the initially reluctant couple gradually developed romantic feelings amid family expectations and national attention.
Song Ji-hyo played Min Hyo-rin, Lee Shin’s first love and a ballerina who pursued her career ambitions, while Kim Jeong-hoon portrayed Prince Yul, Lee Shin’s cousin and second male lead who complicated the central love triangle.
The production used elaborate palace sets and costumes to depict a reimagined Korean imperial household, combining hanbok-inspired attire with Western-style royal fashion to distinguish the fictional monarchy from contemporary Korean society.
“Princess Hours” contributed to the spread of the Korean Wave or Hallyu in the mid-2000s, as networks in Asia, the Middle East, and other regions acquired broadcast rights and introduced local audiences to Korean scripted series.
The show’s success boosted the careers of its lead actors, with Yoon Eun-hye, Ju Ji-hoon, Song Ji-hyo, and Kim Jeong-hoon receiving increased casting offers, endorsements, and regional recognition following the drama’s conclusion.
Anniversary retrospectives highlighted iconic scenes such as the couple’s early confrontations in the palace, their evolving relationship in school and royal settings, and the moments when Lee Shin publicly acknowledged his feelings for Chae-kyung.
The 20th anniversary observances also revisited previous discussions about adaptations and remakes, as earlier reports in the 2010s and 2020s mentioned plans by studios to develop new versions of “Princess Hours” for contemporary audiences.