Myers-Briggs® Personality Types of the Characters of the Oriental Palace

Netflix’s The Eastern Palace combines supernatural horror, palace intrigue, Korean folklore, and heartfelt character development in one addictive series. My oldest daughter and I have binge-watched this show for the past week, constantly on the edge of our seats trying to figure out what’s going to happen next, or who is really to blame for everything going wrong in the creepy Eastern Palace. I personally loved it and recommend it to anyone who wants to get a taste of supernatural K-Drama.

As always, these are my best guesses based on the characters’ cognitive functions, motivations, and decision-making styles—not simply their stereotypes or surface behavior. If you’ve seen the series, I’d love to hear if you agree or disagree!

Check out the Myers-Briggs personality types of the characters in The East Palace on Netflix. #MBTI

Not sure what your personality type is? Take ours personality questionnaire here. Or you can take the official MBTI® here.

Myers-Briggs® personality types of the characters The Eastern Palace

Saeng gang – ISTJ

Saeng-Gang from the Eastern Palace is an ISTJ

Saeng-gang seems stiff and formal at first, but beneath his warm exterior is someone who cares deeply and is loyal to those who mean well. Like most ISTJs, he relies on careful observation, hands-on experience, and a quiet sense of personal conviction. As an ISTJ, you naturally trust what you can control. She approaches every mystery methodically, preferring to gather evidence before jumping to conclusions, and is extremely good at noticing details that others overlook.

Duty determines almost every decision. He respects protocol, follows established procedures, and believes that people must do their duty, no matter how difficult. Even after overseeing Gu-cheon, he never takes the task lightly. He remains focused on completing the mission rather than thrill-seeking or acting on impulse.

Her dynamic with Gu-cheon highlights the difference between her dominant Introverted Sensing (Si) and his exploratory Ne-driven approach. While he enjoys improvising, questioning assumptions, and straying into unknown territory, Saeng-gang wants a reliable procedure. He often asks practical questions first: What is really happening? What do we know? What should we investigate further? He trusts the accumulated knowledge before he makes a guess.

However, it is not inflexible. Healthy ISTJs do not reject new information (contrary to stereotypes). they simply want good evidence before they change course. As the investigation progresses, Saeng-gang gradually adjusts many of his assumptions while remaining grounded and realistic. When he sees evidence that contradicts his previous beliefs, he is perfectly willing to revise them.

Your Tertiary Introverted Feeling (Fi) shows up in subtle ways. Although he does not wear his emotions on his sleeve, he is very loyal to the people and values he believes in. Much of his internal struggle revolves around reconciling his sense of duty with the growing awareness that the people he has sworn to serve may not deserve that loyalty. Instead of giving an emotional speech, let your convictions guide your actions.

Gu-cheon – INTP

Gu-Cheon from the Eastern Palace is an INTP

Gu-cheon is the last person anyone would expect to become the kingdom’s reluctant hero. Sarcastic, disrespectful and seemingly allergic to responsibility, he would rather avoid the palace altogether than risk his life to solve someone else’s problems. But behind the dry humor is an analytical, questioning mind that is constantly trying to understand the workings of the spirit world.

Instead of following the rules because they are already established, Gu-cheon questions almost everything. He wants to understand the mechanisms behind spirits, curses, and the Gwi realm, rather than accepting typical Buddhist or shamanic rituals. His first instinct is analysis, not obedience, the hallmark of dominant introverted thinking (Ti).

His Helpful Extraverted Intuition (Ne) gives him an unusually flexible approach to problem solving. He improvises quickly, considers several options at the same time, and often combines ideas that others would never think of combining. While Saeng-gang works through the problems step by step, Gu-cheon jumps between theories and adapts as new information emerges.

One detail that particularly stood out to me was how often you assume that others already understand information that is obvious to you. INTPs can get so wrapped up in their own internal framework that they forget that everyone else is not made up of the same conclusions. His explanations are often short, because the logical connections are self-evident in his head.

His reluctance to help is not so much laziness as exhaustion. Every journey into the spirit realm comes at a huge personal cost. He drowns, sustains horrific injuries, and repeatedly puts his life on the line for people who often respond with suspicion, threats, or demands. His cynicism to me feels less like a lack of compassion and more like someone who is tired of sacrificing himself for those who feel entitled to his pain without giving him the slightest bit of respect.

Despite his aloof demeanor, Gu-cheon’s inferior extraverted feelings gradually emerge throughout the series. At first, he treats the mission as an imposed obligation, but as his relationship with the Saeng gang deepens and he uncovers the truth behind the curse, his motivations become more personal. He never becomes an overtly sentimental person, but his increasing willingness to risk himself for others reveals the compassionate values that have always existed beneath his sarcastic exterior.

Queen Dowager – ESTJ

The Queen Dowager embodies many of the strengths and dangers of dominant extraverted thinking. She is decisive, commanding and perfectly takes control in difficult situations.

He always seems to be focused on preserving the monarchy. He sifts through every decision that he believes will ensure the future of the kingdom, even if those decisions require great personal sacrifice from others. Unlike the King, whose plans are often directed towards reshaping the future, the Queen Dowager places enormous importance on preserving tradition and legitimacy. His complementary introverted perception reinforces his respect for hierarchy, lineage, and established institutions. For him, the survival of the royal bloodline means the continuation of everything the kingdom is built on.

He has little patience for incompetence, indecisiveness, or emotional appeals. He expects people to perform their roles effectively and becomes openly angry when they do not meet his expectations.

The King – ENTJ

Over the course of the series, my opinion of this man changed dramatically. One minute I hated him and thought he was a pig-headed fool, then I was questioning my assumptions, wondering if I had misread him, then I hated him again.

It constantly evaluates people according to their utility, placing them like pieces on a chessboard to achieve long-term goals. Even when she is desperate to save her remaining son, her decisions are driven more by strategy than emotional transparency.

Dominant extraverted thinking makes it extremely decisive. Once you define a course of action, you expect others to follow it without question. He wastes no time explaining himself, and is perfectly willing to use intimidation or violence if cooperation fails—as Gu-cheon quickly discovers.

Your helpful introverted intuition keeps you focused on the bigger picture. Instead of reacting emotionally to each new development, he is constantly thinking about how each event will affect the stability of his reign and the future of the royal bloodline. Even as the supernatural begins to challenge his worldview, he refuses to abandon his larger strategic goals.

Like many unhealthy ENTJs, he compartmentalizes emotions. There are moments when genuine concern for his family emerges, but vulnerability rarely affects his decisions for long. Instead, he buries his feelings under control, believing that maintaining authority means more than expressing personal grief.

This makes most of the series difficult to read. Is it motivated by love, ambition, fear or survival? The answer is often all four at once, filtered through a personality that instinctively prioritizes results over emotional expression.