The Great Queen Seondeok Ep 1 Jun 2026

(2009) sets the stage for a decades-long power struggle in the ancient Korean kingdom of Silla by introducing the formidable Lady Mishil and a world-altering prophecy. The Reign of King Jinheung

The attendant, Seo-ri (Lee Moon-sik), is given the horrific task. As he carries the infant through the palace’s secret underground waterways (a recurring visual motif representing the hidden underbelly of power), we witness the first act of abandonment. The baby is left in a basket, floating down a river, with only a jade pendant as proof of her identity. The King’s tears, forbidden for a ruler, fall silently. The tragedy is sealed. the great queen seondeok ep 1

A central mystical element is introduced by the Hwarang field marshal (2009) sets the stage for a decades-long power

The infant is handed to a loyal eunuch, Seolwon. Unable to kill the child, he leaves her in a small wooden box on the bank of the Nam River, attaching a jade pendant bearing the royal phoenix. A village woman (a silkworm farmer) finds the crying baby and raises her as her own, naming her Deokman . The baby is left in a basket, floating

We see her history in flashes: a woman who used her beauty and intellect to seduce kings and generals, clawing her way up from a concubine to the most powerful political figure in Silla. By the time the episode begins, she controls the Hwarang (the elite warrior corps) and strikes fear into the King himself. The narrative establishes early that Mishil represents "Power by Force," while the soon-to-be-born Seondeok represents "Power by Virtue."

Mishil’s spies report a village girl who resembles the princess. Mishil sends assassins to the farm. That night, Deokman’s adoptive mother is killed. Before dying, she whispers: “Go to the palace… Your name is not Deokman. You are a princess of Silla.” Deokman escapes into the forest with the jade pendant.

In one of the most emotional sequences of the pilot, the queen orders a loyal court lady, Lady Sohwa , to take the infant Deokman out of the palace under the cover of night. The baby is wrapped in a royal blanket, and Lady Sohwa is given one instruction: "Run. Do not let anyone know she is royal. Let her live as a commoner."