'Princess Hours' remake: Where are the original cast now?

‘Princess Hours’, also known as 'Goong', was released in 2006 to great domestic and international success. It starred Yoon Eun Hye, Joo Ji Hoon, Song Ji Hyo and Kim Jung Hoon as main characters.

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The story follows commoner Shin Chae-Kyeong (played by Yoon Eun-Hye), who finds her life changed forever upon the discovery that she has been betrothed to the crown prince of Korea, Lee Shin (played by Joo Ji-Hoon). Love triangles and palace politics prevail in the series.

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According to Soompi, the popularity of the drama majorly contributed to the Korean Hallyu Wave of that period and gave Korea global (pop) cultural influence.

There is also a Thai remake of the series with the same name that aired on True4U in 2017.

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In 2010, Korea Times reported that ‘Princess Hours’ was being adapted into a stage musical thanks to its popularity. Acclaimed producer Song Byung-Joon and the original scriptwriter for the drama series, In Eun-ah, collaborated to bring audiences a great musical show.

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Yoon Eun-Hye started off her career as a member of one of the first-generation K-pop girl groups, Baby V.O.X, from 1999 to 2005. Turning her focus to acting, she is also known for other popular television dramas such as ‘The Vineyard Man’, ‘Coffee Prince’, ‘My Fair Lady’ and ‘Missing You'.

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In 2015, Yoon Eun-Hye was accused of plagiarism when she won first place for her white coat design on Chinese fashion design survival programme 'Goddess’ Fashion'.

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According to Soompi, Korean fashion designer Yoon Choon-Ho accused the actress of copying one of his designs from his Fall/Winter collection. He posted a comparison of their designs on Twitter and found several similarities between the two. Further evaluation by the public of her other pieces on the programme showed similarities between her designs and those of BCBG and Dolce & Gabanna.

The actress has since apologized for the controversy.

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She last appeared in MBC’s 2-part documentary ‘My Dear Youth – Coffee Prince’ to commemorate the drama’s 13th year anniversary.

At present, she is appearing in guest roles on Korean variety programmes 'My Fantasy House' and 'Wild Wild Quiz'.

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The success of Princess Hours turned Ju Ji-Hoon into a household name.

Other popular shows Ju Ji-Hoon starred in include ‘The Devil’, ‘Antique’, ‘Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds’, ‘The Spy Gone North’, and ‘Kingdom’.

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In 2009, Ju Ji-Hoon was arrested on suspected drug charges. According to MEA WorldWide, he confessed to having consumed ecstasy and ketamine and was sentenced to six months of jail time, a fine of 360,000 won, and 120 hours of community service.

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This incident severely impacted his career, and he was banned from appearing on prominent Korean broadcast stations KBS and MBC. The ban was only lifted 4 years later when he was cast as Han Seung Jae in MBC’s new drama ‘Medical Top Team’ in 2013.

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According to Korea Times, Ju Ji-Hoon is set to star in the drama titled ‘Jirisan’ this year.

Soompi reports that Ju Ji-Joon is also to appear in a new fantasy film ‘Silence’ which is expected to air in 2021.

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Kim Jung-Hoon started off his career as a singer by debuting in Korean music duo UN. He decided to turn to acting after UN disbanded in 2005. Other popular dramas he has appeared in include ‘Witch Yoo Hee’, ‘I Need Romance’, ‘Love in Her Bag’ and ‘God of War, Zhao Yun’.

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In 2019, Soompi reported that Kim Jung-Hoon was being sued by his ex-girlfriend for allegedly failing to provide her with 10-million won he had promised in a private agreement, before cutting off contact with her. He purportedly also urged her to have an abortion upon finding out about her pregnancy to maintain his reputation as a celebrity.

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When the scandal broke out, Kim Jung-Hoon had just finished participating in the romance variety show ‘Taste of Love’ in which he allegedly told producers that he had not dated anyone in two years.

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His image took a big hit in the eyes of the public for not only deceiving fans but also for pressuring his then-girlfriend to have an abortion.

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Given that Kim Jung-Hoon was dating his on-screen partner from ‘Taste of Love’ Kim Jin-Ah during when the scandal broke out, their relationship was hurt by the news and they did not last as a couple. This came as disappointing news for many who were rooting for the two in ‘Taste of Love’.

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His last project was his participation in 'Taste of Love' in 2019, in which he was paired up with the non-celebrity Kim Jin-Ah. The programme required him to date her for 100 days before deciding whether to continue the romantic relationship.

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Song Ji-Hyo began her career as a cover model for ‘Kiki Magazine’ before she debuted as an actress in ‘Wishing Stars’. Other popular films and shows she has starred in include ‘A Frozen Flower’ and ‘Emergency Couple’.

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Apart from her role as an actress, Song Ji-Hyo is also well-known for being one of the main cast members of the popular South Korean variety show Running Man from 2010 to the present.

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In December 2016, Soompi reported that cast members Song Ji-Hyo and Kim Jong-Kook would be leaving ‘Running Man’. They were allegedly forced off the show by the production team that were intending to make changes to the cast line-up to revamp the programme.

The controversy began because the two of them only found out about the situation through the news and not from their agencies or the production team of ‘Running Man’.

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According to Koreaboo, the massive fan backlash to this news was so negative that they announced that they would be ending the show permanently in 2017 rather than revamping the show into a second season as originally planned.

Thankfully, ‘Running Man’ soon reversed that decision due to fan pressure and decided to continue the programme with the original cast line-up.

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Song Ji-Hyo last starred in the Netflix drama ‘Was it Love?’ and the mystery thriller film ‘Intruder’ in 2020. She is also still a permanent cast member on the popular variety show on SBS’ ‘Running Man’.

In February 2021, Soompi reported that Song Ji-Hyo was confirmed to play the lead role in ‘Come to the Witch’s Restaurant’.

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According to Soompi, ‘Princess Hours’ is going to get a remake. Jaedam Media, which manages the manhwa that the drama is based on, has signed an official contract for the remake with Group8, the same production company behind the 2006 hit series.

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At present, no details have been provided in terms of the casting or release date.

But we hope to see original cast members of the 2006 drama series return for a cameo in the remake!

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