The East Palace Ending Explained: Netflix’s eight-episode Korean historical fantasy thriller 동궁 blends palace politics, supernatural horror and an emotional mystery into one gripping story. Directed by Choi Jung-kyu and written by Kwon So-ra and Seo Jae-won, the series stars Nam Joo-hyuk as the reluctant spirit slayer Gu-cheon, Roh Yoon-seo as princess Saeng-gang, alongside Cho Seung-woo, Jang Young-nam, Tae In-ho, Hwang Young-hee, Kwak Dong-yeon, Hong Seo-joon, Lee Hong-nae, and others.
The East Palace Ending Explained
Who Was Really Behind the Pond Spirit?
As kdrama The East Palace begins, everyone in the palace is convinced that the mysterious pond spirit has killed all the royal princes and laid a curse on the royal family that has been haunting them for decades. As per the legend spread throughout the palace, the spirit belonged to the court lady who was the favourite of the king. She had fallen in love with the king and became pregnant, but since the Queen Dowager could not bear the fact that a commoner could have the love of her husband, she framed her for having an affair with a royal guard.
Both were put under unbearable pressure, and hence they confessed in court. After being cursed by her lover, she lost her child and died at the royal palace pond, vowing to take revenge on the royal family before she died. But then Gu-cheon and Saeng-gang come to understand that the reality is much more complex than what they initially suspected. When they catch up with the spirit of the royal guard, they learn that his confession was not truthful and that it had been prompted by the threat of punishment from the Queen Dowager.
Most importantly, the royal guard had kept secret the very shirt that the court lady had made for her child in order to prove her innocence. With the help of this shirt, Gu-cheon manages to free the pond spirit from the Realm of Gwi and releases her from the resentments that had held her captive. As her spirit leaves in peace, Prince Yeongan gets back on his feet; it seemed that the nightmare was over at last. However, the apparent victory does not last long since the death of Prince Yeongan shortly afterwards revealed that the pond spirit was not the one behind all the deaths in the palace.
Who Killed Saeng-gang’s Mother?
Saeng-gang thinks that her mother is yet another innocent person who has become a casualty of the plots hatched by the palace’s politics, and she is sure that the Queen Dowager is the one behind her mother’s death. In years past, her mother had been wrongfully accused because of coming up with some evidence about the criminal activities of the palace, which made the king exile her mother and daughter from the palace. A little while later, the mother of Saeng-gang dies under mysterious circumstances, after having eaten something that had been poisoned.
The poisoned food was associated with the Queen Dowager, who had framed Saeng-gang’s mother previously, making it clear who was behind it all. Even the Queen Dowager herself later confesses to plotting the entire accusation game against the royal favourite and framing Saeng-gang’s mother. Reality, however, is much more heart-wrenching. Near the end of the drama, Saeng-gang finds out that the real killer of her mother was her grandmother, Sukbin. Several decades ago, Sukbin had conspired to poison the royal princes so that the crown prince, her son Ju-sang, would become the next king after all the royal children died in mysterious circumstances.
Unfortunately for Saeng-gang, her own mother knew about this conspiracy and assisted her mother and the future king in killing them. As soon as Sukbin accomplished her goal, Saeng-gang’s mother became a dangerous witness who knew all the secrets of how the royal family rose to power. In order not to let anyone find out about this terrible crime, Sukbin killed her mother using the same poison with which the princes were poisoned.
Then she killed all other people who were involved in the conspiracy to make sure that the palace keeps blaming the deaths on ghosts and curses rather than on people’s greed. For Saeng-gang, this information is heartbreaking because, not only does she find out that her grandmother had killed her mother, but also finds out that her own mother was involved in creating a tragedy of the palace.
Why Did the King Kill the Crown Prince?
The most shocking aspect of The East Palace Korean drama is the fact that the Crown Prince did not die because of a curse or the evil schemes of the palace members; he died because he was poisoned by his father, King Ju-sang. In their investigation into the past of the royal house, Gu-cheon and Saeng-gang learn that the Crown Prince had the unique ability, just like his father, to communicate with ghosts. Using the voices of ghosts that were trapped in the palace, the Crown Prince discovered the horrific truth that had remained hidden for many decades.
The grandmother of the Crown Prince, Sukbin’s consort, had poisoned the legitimate princes to make sure that her own son would ascend the throne. The Crown Prince knew that his father knew about these murders and kept the matter a secret. Thinking that he was only following the path that was laid out for him, the Crown Prince poisoned his two older brothers to become king himself. Because of the long-standing belief in a curse within the royal family, people did not have any doubts about who had done it.
King Ju-sang immediately realised what his son did since he was aware that there had never been any curse responsible for all the deaths of the earlier kings. He understood that the Crown Prince had committed the same atrocities as the reason why he became a king decades ago. King Ju-sang was not able to let the next generation gain the throne through murder; thus, he secretly killed his son by poisoning him before he became the next king. Instead of telling the truth, however, King Ju-sang covered everything with another story of the pond spirit and let everybody know that yet another prince had succumbed to the curse of the palace.
The Crown Prince died without knowing why his father refused to give him the throne after gaining the throne through bloodshed. Such great injustice and betrayal were enough to make him feel very resentful, and consequently, he turned into an ak-gwi. After that, he started killing other members of the royal family, as he wanted to make sure that nobody else would be inheriting his throne.
Did Gu-cheon and Saeng-gang Defeat the Ak-gwi?
Yes, but fighting against the Crown Prince’s ak-gwi would force Gu-cheon and Saeng-gang to stake their lives. At this point, the Crown Prince is not the vengeful spirit who can set himself free through solving the problem of his grievances because he is now fully possessed by anger and becomes an ak-gwi who needs nothing else except death. After taking possession of Saeng-gang and escaping with his own body, he became even more formidable.
Additionally, he called upon the spirits of the villagers who were killed according to King Ju-sang’s order during the plague, and through their anger and rage, he made one last attack against the palace. Realising that an exorcism was not going to help in this situation, Gu-cheon was looking for another solution, while at the same time, Saeng-gang was trying to face the Crown Prince, even risking her life. During the fight, the ak-gwi continuously used Saeng-gang as a human shield and threatened her with death each time Gu-cheon attempted to attack him.
Understanding that he had no other option left in the ending of The East Palace, Gu-cheon made a frantic deal with the Primordial Gwi-mae to get the only weapon that would help him destroy the ak-gwi once and for all. At the very same time, King Ju-sang decided to take responsibility for the killings that had stained his rule. He apologised to numerous spirits that died as a result of the cruelty of his family and agreed to bear this guilt forever.
His confession weakened the Crown Prince, who used anger and injustice as a source of his power. Realising that this is his chance, Gu-cheon attacked the ak-gwi with a weapon given by the Primordial Gwi-mae and destroyed his soul forever. Before he ended this fight, Gu-cheon transferred all of his remaining Yang energy to Saeng-gang in order to make sure that she could return home safely. Thus, Gu-cheon and Saeng-gang finally broke the circle of revenge that had haunted the palace for many years.
Did Gu-cheon Become an Ak-gwi at the End of The East Palace?
Gu-cheon indeed does end up being an ak-gwi, but what makes him different from all the rest of the corrupt spirits in The East Palace is that his transformation happens because of sacrifice rather than hatred. In the final battle between Gu-cheon and the Crown Prince, Gu-cheon finds out that the only way to get rid of the Crown Prince’s ak-gwi for good is by using a banned weapon from the Primordial Gwi-mae. The thing about the said weapon is that its use comes at a great price.
The Crown Prince actually tells Gu-cheon that those who kill their ak-gwis will end up becoming ak-gwis themselves in due time. Still, Gu-cheon does not hesitate since the well-being of Saeng-gang and putting an end to the bloody war that has been raging on for decades are more important to him than his future. The Primordial Gwi-mae takes his due, and Gu-cheon turns into an ak-gwi confined to the spirit realm. At first glance, it seems that Gu-cheon has lost his humanity forever and will never return from there. To the surprise of both Gu-cheon and Saeng-gang, he wakes up in the human world after some time, but the king lets him go at last.
Nevertheless, he pays a heavy price for his freedom. Even though he physically looks just like himself, he is spiritually chained to the Realm of Gwi. In other words, he is still bound to the spirit realm, which is shown by an invisible chain visible only to him. The series deliberately makes his fate unclear, and it can be said that Gu-cheon managed to survive in the palace, but the price he had to pay cannot be forgotten.
Did Gu-cheon and Saeng-gang End Up Together?
Yes, we can say that Gu-cheon and Saeng-gang are together at the end of The East Palace, even though their relationship remains a promising start rather than an outright love story. Over the course of the movie, the pair become closer and closer as they keep putting themselves in harm’s way to learn the truth about the misfortunes of the palace. As their unlikely friendship evolves to complete trust, it becomes clear that Saeng-gang is the only one who keeps believing in Gu-cheon no matter what, whereas Gu-cheon keeps exposing himself to risks in order to help Saeng-gang.
Their relationship hits its peak of devotion when Gu-cheon gives up his future life to protect Saeng-gang from any dangers in the final fight scene. In return, Saeng-gang is ready to face the Crown Prince’s ak-gwi on her own without letting Gu-cheon carry all responsibilities. In The East Palace Episode 8, after the Crown Prince is defeated and peace once again reigns at the palace, King Ju-sang keeps his promise and releases Gu-cheon to his freedom. Saeng-gang does not stay at the palace, but rather follows him in order to get away from her past. With the faithful and adorable Ggeomeoksali by their side, both leave the palace to further their travels.
However, there is another twist to this ending of The East Palace. The fact is that, unknown to Saeng-gang, Gu-cheon is attached to the Realm of Gwi through the invisible chain after he became an ak-gwi in the last battle. Though he lives and can accompany her, that chain suggests that his freedom will not last for long. The future is left ambiguous by the creators, but one thing is sure: their relationship has become one built on.
Also Read: The East Palace Review: Mystery, Folklore, and Political Betrayal Make for a Thrilling Watch
