By Mheryll L. Alforte
Streaming giant Netflix has recently released an extended trailer teaser for Kingdom: Ashin of the North where the viewers get a glimpse of the origins of the resurrection plant, which caused the downfall of the South Korean kingdom.
The special standalone episode unveils the backstory of a younger Ashin and how the character is related to the mysteries surrounding the resurrection plant, which is believed to be where the infectious disease originated from. The trailer hints Ashin’s terminally ill mother as the primary reason for her plans to find the resurrection plant that supposedly brings the dead back to life.
At the end of the second season, the main series teased Ashin, a mysterious woman played by Jun Ji-hyun (My Sassy Girl, Love from the Star, and Legend of the Blue Sea), whose character introduction had its viewers all excited.
Last Feb. 25, Kingdom writer Kim Eun Hee and director Kim Seong Hun shared exciting details about the series’ spin-off in a panel discussion on Netflix’s See What’s Next Korea virtual event.
“I thought that it would be more apt to tackle that in the special episode, a spin-off, rather than incorporating that into the regular seasons, just to make it more interesting,” Kim said during the event.
Director Kim also said that Kingdom: Ashin of the North serves as a building block of the foundation of the Kingdom universe.
Kingdom is the first original South Korean series by Netflix which premiered on Jan. 25, 2019.
The special episode is set to be released simultaneously in 190 countries on July 23.