A popular metric for a hit movie in South Korea is the 10m viewers mark, or roughly 20% of the entire population watching the movie in the theaters. The King’s Warden 왕과 사는 남자 became the latest movie that cracked the mark on March 6, becoming the 25th-ever “10m Movie 천만영화” and seventh since the COVID-19 pandemic that decimated theater attendance.
The movie is based on the true story of King Danjong 단종, the sixth king of the Joseon Dynasty 조선왕조. Grandson of King Sejong the Great 세종대왕, Danjong ascended to the throne at the age of 12 after his father Munjong 문종 unexpectedly passed away. Danjong barely ruled for three years, from 1452 to 1455, when his uncle Prince Suyang 수양대군 - later King Sejo 세조 - usurped the throne in a coup known as Gyeyujeongnan 계유정난 (“the political unrest of the Gyeyu year”). Exiled to Yeongwol, Gangwon-do Province 강원도 영월, Danjong passed away at age 17.
The movie’s depiction of a simple yet sincere village chief Eom Heung-do 엄흥도 (played by veteran actor Yu Hae-jin 유해진) who seeks to protect the deposed boy king (played by former K-pop idol Park Ji-hun 박지훈) against the usurpers’ assassination attempts has resonated with the public, as the movie portrays Gyeyujeongnan from the perspective of the Joseon people and their spiritual connection to the monarch, rather than a mere palace intrigue.
Thanks to the movie, Yeongwol’s Cheongryeongpo 청령포, Danjong’s residence in exile, has attracted more than 111k visitors this year, on pace to overtake the number of all 2025 tourists by April. Meanwhile, on popular map apps such as Naver Map, dozens of users left negative reviews on Gwangreung 광릉, the royal tomb of King Sejo.
