While assuming the role of the king at his first official appearance, Ha-sun begins to ponder the intricacies of the problems debated in his court.

Even Heo Gyun and the Chief Eunuch are moved by Ha-sun's genuine concern for the people, and realize he is a better ruler than Gwang-hae.

However, his chief opposition, Park Chung-seo (Kim Myung-gon), notices the sudden shift in the king's behavior and starts to ask questions.

He also tried his hand at other reforms and reconstruction to try to make the nation prosperous, including an emphasis on the restoration of documents, but met with opposition and was later deposed and exiled to Jeju Island.

[27][28][29] Called by one review as one of the best South Korean costume dramas in years,[30] the film drew praise for being beautifully written and emotionally involving, as well as for its accomplished acting, sure-handed direction, ambitious scale and commercial appeal.

[37][38][39][40][41][42][43] At the end of its theatrical run it was listed as Korea's all-time third highest-grossing film with 12,319,542 tickets sold nationwide (as of April 2015, it is currently sixth).

[45] As part of the promotion for the play, Lee, Bae and Kim were featured in a photo spread in the inaugural issue of Grazia Korea, published on February 20, 2013.