Jeong Do-jeon received solid ratings and was hailed by critics as one of the most "authentic and realistic" Korean historical dramas in the new millennium.

Those times were marked by abuse of power, corruption and political chaos, as government officials and scholars dream of a new dynasty and a new era.

Jeong Do-jeon was an aristocrat and politician who assisted Yi Seong-gye (later King Taejo) when he seized power and established a new dynasty, Joseon.

Deciding all policies from military affairs, diplomacy, and down to education, he laid down Joseon's political system and tax laws, replaced Buddhism with Confucianism as national religion, moved the capital from Kaesong to Hanyang (present-day Seoul), changed the kingdom's political system from feudalism to highly centralized bureaucracy, and wrote a code of laws that eventually became Joseon's constitution.

Hoping that the drama can simultaneously entertain and retain historical integrity, Jang Seong-hwan, a KBS executive said during the press conference, "We have been eager to produce this project for a long time.

Some cultural observers noted that the current political situation in Korea - with liberals and conservatives locked in power games - was quite similar to the setting of Jeong Do-jeon.

The history talk show invites not just historians as panel members, but also poets, film directors and pop culture critics.