At first I just wanted to get a feel for modern Korean dramas, so I wasn't going in specifically for the zombie genre. For example, I've never watched "Train to Busan", and never been interested in supernatural-themed shows. But I'm now curious: why aren't people more willing to explore a kind of zombie psychology? I mean, from the perspective of the writers and the screenplay. Sometimes I feel like the exploration of consciousness has become somewhat a mainstream in popular culture, but by looking at this, it doesn't quite seem that way either. There's some brief medical or pathological explanation of this, but the nature of zombies as a phenomenon never really gets treated with any meaningful depth. There are two instances in the drama depicting interactions between zombies and humans (aside from the king), that attempt to evoke sympathy or an emotional response from the audience, but they still come across as very shallow.
However, some observations:
1. the King as a zombie retains more memories than an ordinary zombie. And he is always calmer.
2. when the physician's disciple blocked zombies at the entrance of the secret passage (while already infected), he wanted to save people by his body. The effect of a slower rate of infection could be explained by his will.
The show emphasizes portraying the Crown Prince's morally leftist side, yet I find myself completely uninterested and unmoved by it. Personally I was very impressed by the physician Sophia who fits my definition of nobility and even royalty.