The hidden story of Danjong, the first in Korean film, is revealed.
On the 19th, at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, a production briefing was held for the film "The Man Who Lives with the King." Director Jang Hang-jun and actors Yoo Hae-jin, Park Ji-hoon, Yoo Ji-tae and Jeon Mi-do attended the briefing and spoke.
The film "The Man Who Lives with the King" is set in 1457 at Cheongnyeongpo and tells the story of a village headman who volunteered for exile for the revival of the village and the young dethroned king who was exiled. It is the first Korean film to focus on the hidden story of Danjong.
At the event, director Jang Hang-jun explained "The Man Who Lives with the King," saying, "This work is set in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province. It is a story about a small village led by Yoo Hae-jin and others. Something happens in Hanyang and someone is exiled there; the villagers wait with half expectation and half worry, and I think it's a story about the village headman and the friendship between the village headman and Danjong Yi Hong-wi."
Director Jang mentioned his wife, writer Kim Eun-hee, when explaining why he took on directing "The Man Who Lives with the King," saying, "To be honest, I hesitated a lot when I first received the offer. The film industry situation wasn't good at the time, and I hesitated because of the particularities of a historical drama, and no one had ever handled Danjong before. I thought it might be good to try, so I told my family and was told to 'do it,'" referring to his wife, writer Kim Eun-hee.
Director Jang laughed, "She has good intuition. Then I should do it. You tend to listen to people who are successful. If we're going to do it anyway, I wanted fresh casting that people wouldn't expect, someone who truly acts well."
Yoo Hae-jin also said he decided to appear for a similar reason. Yoo said, "It deals not only with the Danjong known from history but also with the exile life that wasn't recorded in history books. I liked that there was a story about people with friendship and devotion woven into it," he said.
Yoo Hae-jin said he did not know about the figure Um Heung-do, whom he plays, before filming, and confessed, "While talking about a new project with an acquaintance I know, I mentioned 'the Um who served Danjong,' and they asked, 'Are you talking about Um Heung-do?' That person was from the Um family, and in the Um household he is a greatly revered ancestor. There was nothing special for Um Heung-do; I tried to think about the emotions of the character as drawn in the script."
Yoo Hae-jin added, "The main stage is the actual exile site, Yeongwol. I traveled around Yeongwol a lot and visited Jangneung (Danjong's tomb) to gain inspiration. In front of Jangneung there is a statue of Um Heung-do. It was made so realistically that I tried to remember that gaze."
Park Ji-hoon, who also takes on the role of Danjong Yi Hong-wi, said, "Since Danjong is not thoroughly known historically, I wanted to approach the script purely. How would the young king, Nosan-gun, have felt these emotions? I didn't want to overthink it; I considered how to express the emptiness and lethargy of this young person. I wondered what kind of feeling he would have," and recalled, "I read countless times with the director, consulting a lot about tone, speech and posture to set the framework."
Director Jang explained why he cast the two, saying, "When the role of Um Heung-do first existed, not only I but the producers could only think of one person," and expressed trust in Yoo Hae-jin, saying, "Yoo Hae-jin shows a natural, humane side and has depth. He has both qualities, so he was our first essential choice."
He continued, "For the role of Danjong we cast Park Ji-hoon; honestly I didn't know Park Ji-hoon well. But someone told me to watch Weak Hero. Watching Yeon Si-eun I thought, 'That's Danjong.' He wasn't weak; there was a good look in his eyes. At that time he appeared very overweight, it was strange," he said, drawing laughter.
How was the chemistry between the two who met as Danjong Yi Hong-wi and Um Heung-do? Yoo Hae-jin said, "I'm very grateful. Park Ji-hoon influenced me a lot. Sometimes I even felt pity for him; I didn't know much either, but at the end there is a sad scene and I think that play came out because it was Park Ji-hoon, so I'm thankful," and Park Ji-hoon confessed, "I'm almost ashamed to mention my senior's name, but I feel a lingering effect. Acting with my senior made me think of a father; it's poignant and I miss it."
Park Ji-hoon said he lost a tremendous amount of weight for this role. He said, "To conclude, I lost about 15 kg. When thinking how to externally express lethargy at such a young age, weight loss came to mind first. I barely ate; I wanted to give a pitiful, emaciated feeling," and added, "Expressions of anger and sadness seemed less about ideas and more about immersion. On set I thought about the director's directions and stayed true to the script."
Yoo Ji-tae, who plays Han Myeong-hoe and contrasts with Park Ji-hoon, appeared with an imposing presence. Yoo drew attention with an image opposite the nickname 'original milk man,' and explained the reason for showing a different visual: "When I met our director and production team, they said they wanted to create a different Han Myeong-hoe. Reading the script, I felt a strong energy. So I immediately wanted to join the project. Previously known Han Myeong-hoe was depicted as a civil or military official by Prince Suyang, a strategist visually appearing weak with emphasis on scheming, but this Han Myeong-hoe has a large physique and I wanted to show a Han Myeong-hoe who could appeal to women."
Regarding his visual change, Yoo Ji-tae said, "I first asked ChatGPT about Han Myeong-hoe, and the AI depicted him as a very burly figure behind Prince Suyang. I thought that might be the right portrayal. And I think director Jang Hang-jun understands the hearts of ordinary people, so I'm even more looking forward to 'The Man Who Lives with the King.'"
Jeon Mi-do plays Maehwa, a palace attendant who serves Danjong Yi Hong-wi, and shows a wide range of acting. Jeon said of her character Maehwa, "In records about Danjong, there is an account that palace attendants followed when Danjong went into exile. I thought of her as a representative of those attendants, and although she is not a bodyguard, she volunteered to go into exile, so I intended for her to serve Yi Hong-wi like a bodyguard."
Jeon Mi-do, who will act opposite Yoo Hae-jin and Park Ji-hoon, said of their chemistry, "When we first did the script reading, the director said he wanted Maehwa to show not the typical palace attendant image but also a human side. Although I serve Yi Hong-wi, the character who speaks in the play is Heung-do. I thought it would be human if emotions and traits she didn't know she had popped out, so I took that idea to the set. Senior Hae-jin spontaneously accepted ideas, which enriched the scenes and brought out comedic elements."
Park Ji-hoon, who acted with her, expressed gratitude toward Jeon Mi-do, saying, "I don't have an older sister, but if I did, I think she would have cared for me like this in that situation."
In addition, many actors such as Lee Jun-hyuk, Park Ji-hwan and Ahn Jae-hong joined forces in "The Man Who Lives with the King." Jang Hang-jun said, "For the role of Yeongwol county magistrate we cast Park Ji-hwan; actually I didn't expect him to do it. I hoped the Yeongwol magistrate played by Park Ji-hwan would be a rather cute and less harmful corrupt official, and I think he did much better than I imagined," adding, "Lee Jun-hyuk also accepted without hesitation to play Geumseongdaegun. We really needed the upright, archetypal noble aura. Ahn Jae-hong seemed to have a lot of fun filming. He kept coming up with ideas and that aspect was fun; even in editing everyone said they did very well."
Asked how he tried to make historical verifications while preparing his first historical drama, director Jang said, "From the planning stage we had several historians advising us. We met each of them, asked questions, and received papers and materials in person. I went to bookstores to read books on customs and tried to depict how people in the Joseon era in Yeongwol woke up, what they ate for lunch, how much rice they ate, and other aspects of daily life in Yeongwol."
Director Jang also said, "I think everyone has a first time, and the most important thing in a historical drama is the staff. The art and other staff create the quality. It was a top priority to hire those with the most experience in Korea who can produce good quality. After that we continued to simulate the visuals and build them," adding, "I didn't know historical dramas involved so much work. It felt like I worked a lot after a long time, and I think my mindset changed a bit through 'The Man Who Lives with the King.'"
Hearing this, Park Kyung-rim said, "Jang Hang-jun's film career will probably change before and after 'The Man Who Lives with the King,'" and director Jang shouted, "Please!" drawing laughter from the scene.
Meanwhile, the film "The Man Who Lives with the King" is scheduled to be released on Feb. 4, 2026.
[Photo] Reporter Lee Dae-seon
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