One of the most acclaimed Korean films of the year, Kim Mee-jeung's period set thriller Shadows In The Palace is now available to order on English subtitled DVD. Though this is Kim's directorial debut she was a key assistant on the hugely acclaimed - and surprisingly successful at the box office - The King And The Clown and she actually shot her own film using many of the same sets employed for that earlier success. This picture is a detective thriller set in the royal court, an investigation into the apparent suicide of a maid-in-waiting that medical investigator Chun-ryung believes hides something more. The trailers for this are positively gorgeous and the press uniformly glowing, making it very much well worth a look.
I've been on top of this since Variety reviewed this and can't wait to order this one for the reasons you mentioned above!!