Fantasy Showdown Heats Up in ‘Gwigung’ as Yook Sung-jae and Kim Ji-hoon Clash

The high-stakes fantasy-romance drama ‘Gwigung’ is capturing global K-drama fans with its intense storyline and supernatural suspense. As Seoul Broadcasting System’s (SBS) flagship Friday-Saturday drama of 2025, Gwigung weaves a tale of spiritual possession, royal vendettas, and a soul-binding love triangle, raising mystery and chilling Korean folklore to new heights.

Episode 6 left viewers breathless when Kang Chul (played by Yook Sung-jae) and Princess Yeori (portrayed by Kim Ji-yeon), joined forces with King Lee-jeong (Kim Ji-hoon) to combat the menacing Eight-Step Spirit. Though they momentarily gained the upper hand, the malevolent force wasn’t destroyed, continuing to haunt the royal palace.

Later, the blind exorcist Pung San (Kim Sang-ho) unleashes an even darker twist by using the evil spirit Makdol (Kim Jun-won) to target the unborn child of the Queen (Han So-eun), throwing the palace into deeper chaos.

This week’s pre-release stills for Episode 7 reveal a shocking confrontation: Kang Chul and King Lee-jeong locked in a violent standoff in the forest’s shadows. Dressed in plain clothes, the eerie tension between the two escalates when blood-stained Kang Chul grabs Lee-jeong by the collar, while Lee-jeong clenches his fist mid-air in retaliation.

What has driven these two supernaturally linked men to fight? With Kang Chul’s outer form human and inner being an ancient dragon god (Imoogi), the sight of him brawling with the human embodiment of absolute power — the king himself — stuns viewers and breaks every rule of common reality.

According to the Gwigung production team, Episode 7 deepens the stakes. “Kang Chul and King Lee-jeong must form a reluctant alliance to save Yeori and the Queen from Makdol’s deadly spiritual arrow,” they revealed. “Their pride has clashed before, but will they be able to set aside their differences to rescue the women they love?”

As this genre-bending drama unfolds with fantastical twists and emotionally charged relationships, the anticipation for Gwigung continues to build. Episode 7 airs tonight at 9:55 PM KST on SBS.