From 'The King: Eternal Monarch' to 'The Remarried Empress': Why fictional royalty keeps captivating K-drama fans

Crowns, palaces, emperors and empresses may seem far removed from modern life, but they remain irresistible subjects in Korean dramas. Ordinary people can become members of the royal family overnight, emperors can rule in modern-day Korea and an empress can even demand the right to remarry after her husband asks for a divorce. Because these royal worlds exist only in fiction, the possibilities are virtually endless. From romantic fantasies to political intrigue and parallel universes, Korean dramas have repeatedly reinvented royalty in imaginative ways. Here are four series that bring fictional royal families to life, each with its own take on life behind palace walls. 'The Remarried Empress’ "The Remarried Empress" follows Navier (Shin Min-a), the empress of the Eastern Empire, whose husband, Emperor Sovieshu (Ju Ji-hoon), demands a divorce after falling for Rashta (Lee Se-young), an escaped slave. Rather than fighting to save her marriage, Navier accepts the divorce on one condition: She wants to remarry Heinrey (Lee Jong-suk), a prince of the Western Kingdom. Set in the fictional Easte