General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20265 min read

Kingdom: Ashin of the North

Kingdom: Ashin of the North (Korean: 킹덤: 아신전; original title Kingdom: Ashin-jeon) is a 92-minute South Korean special episode, or prequel, to the Netflix zombie period series Kingdom, released on July 23, 2021. It tells the story of Ashin, the mysterious figure who appears in the season two finale of Kingdom, and traces the origins of the resurrection plant and the plague that revived the dead king and devastated the Joseon kingdom.¹^•²

Key fact	Detail
Release	July 23, 2021, on Netflix; TV-MA rating; Korean language¹
Runtime	92 minutes²
Director / writer	Kim Seong-hun (director); Kim Eun-hee (screenwriter)¹
Lead cast	Jun Ji-hyun as Ashin; Park Byung-eun as Min Chi-rok; Kim Si-a as young Ashin; Kim Roi-ha as Tahab; Koo Kyo-hwan as Aidagan³
Setting	The northern frontier between Joseon and Jurchen territory, during the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910)²
Reception	100% Tomatometer from 5 critics and 83% Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes; 6.9/10 on IMDb from 16,000 votes¹^•⁴
Production	Netflix Original co-produced with Baram Pictures; producers also include BA Entertainment and Studio Dragon⁵^•⁶

Spoilers

Story and place in the series

The episode follows Ashin, described by the streaming synopsis as a woman whose tragedy, betrayal, and a mysterious discovery fuel her vengeance for the loss of her tribe and family.⁷ Ashin is the heiress to a northern Jurchen town who briefly appeared in the season two finale of Kingdom.⁶ Her father Ta Hab leads a small settlement of the Seongjeoyain people, Joseon sympathizers caught between the kingdom and the semi-nomadic Jurchen tribes beyond its borders; the settlement becomes a casualty of war and Ashin is its only known survivor.⁸

The special explains the origins of the purple resurrection plant, the zombie plague it causes, and the motivations of the villain Ashin becomes.⁹ Screenwriter Kim Eun-hee, the writer of the Kingdom series, said she chose Ashin, a person with a tragic personal story and peripheral social background, as the central figure because she is closest to the secret of the resurrection plant, and described the episode as a stepping stone to season three.² Director Kim Seong-hun, who also directed the series' first two seasons, said the episode was made not merely as a bridge between seasons two and three but as a complete work in its own right, and noted a ten-year gap between the events of the special and the main series.¹⁰^•¹¹

Production

Kim Seong-hun wanted the northern frontier to feel real, so the production scouted locations far south of the setting, filming on Jeju Island and at Saemangeum, and worked from costume to art direction to combine historical research with imagination.¹⁰ The child Ashin was played by Kim Si-a, selected through four rounds of auditions; the director praised her restrained expression of grief and said Jun Ji-hyun conveyed Ashin's emotions through near-wordless acting, since the adult Ashin has very little dialogue.¹⁰

The episode centers on the Korean emotion of han, a collective feeling of anguish or sorrow. Kim Seong-hun explained that the Kingdom story incorporates human history, hunger, the greed for power, and this concept of han.⁸ Kim Eun-hee said she felt it would be more audience-friendly to tell Ashin's long, complex story, which follows her from childhood, as a separate tale rather than within the series.⁸

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the episode holds a 100% Tomatometer from 5 critics and an 83% Popcornmeter from more than 100 audience ratings.¹ IMDb users give it 6.9/10 from 16,000 votes.⁴ Critics praised the character and the visuals. Hidzir Junaini of NME called it a thrilling antihero's tale that even viewers who have never watched Kingdom can enjoy, rating it four of five stars, and noted that the bleak northern scenery, from the Manchurian expanse to coniferous forests and snowscapes, deepens the depiction of Ashin's sorrow.⁹ Kate Sánchez of But Why Tho? gave it 9/10, calling it a breathtaking special episode that situates the creation of the undead within a larger history.¹

Recurring criticisms concerned pace and tone. Jae-Ha Kim rated it 2.5/4, finding it entertaining but not of the same storytelling caliber as the first two seasons.¹ The Esquire Philippines review described the pace as glacial, with few zombies beyond a chilling opening sequence and the vengeance at the end, and observed that Ashin, deadened by her experiences, is as monstrous as the zombies and difficult to cheer for.⁸ Austin Burke of Flick Fan Nation wrote that the tale of vengeance overcomes its pacing with a compelling story, rating it 7.5/10.¹

Availability

The episode streams on Netflix, where it is listed as a special in the thriller and mystery categories.¹² As of October 2026 it was available on Netflix in India, the United States, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, and Germany.³

References

Kingdom: Ashin of the North, Rotten Tomatoes
(Yonhap Interview) 'Kingdom' screenwriter says Netflix series is all about politics, Yonhap News Agency
Kingdom: Ashin of the North (2021): Where to Watch & Stream Online, Movie To Watch
Kingdom: Ashin of the North (TV Movie 2021) – Ratings, IMDb
Studio Dragon analyst report, November 2021
Kingdom: Ashin of the North (2021), FilmAffinity
Kingdom: Ashin of the North – stream online, JustWatch
Kingdom: Ashin of the North Delves Into the Despair of a Doomed Zombie World, Esquire Philippines
'Kingdom: Ashin Of The North' review: epic K-zombie prequel delivers vengeful origin story, NME
[[쿠키인터뷰] 새로운 '킹덤'을 열다…'아신전' 김성훈 감독, Kukinews](https://www.kukinews.com/article/view/kuk202107300267)
[[인터뷰] '킹덤:아신전' 김성훈 감독 "모든것이 딱 맞아 떨어졌다", Seoul Economic Daily via Daum](https://v.daum.net/v/kSFKBOs5fl)
Kingdom: Ashin of the North, Netflix Media Center

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026