I Am the King
I Am the King is a 2012 South Korean historical comedy film, starring Ju Ji-hoon, Park Yeong-gyu, Baek Yoon-sik, Byun Hee-bong, Kim Soo-ro and Lee Hanee. Inspired by Mark Twain's 1881 novel The Prince and the Pauper, the film is set in the Joseon period with Ju playing the dual role of a king and a beggar. It was released on August 8, 2012 and ran for 120 minutes.
Background
The movie depicts the three months before Choong-nyung becomes king. The Annals of the [Joseon Dynasty], which follow the history of the Joseon period between 1413 and 1865, leave out records of this crucial period. While to future generations King Sejong would stand as a legendary figure for his creation of the Korean alphabet and advancing the country's scientific research and law, as Prince Choong-nyung he was known to be a bit of a reclusive bookworm.Plot
When his older brothers Yangnyeong and Hyoryeong fail to impress their father King Taejong, the king makes a royal command for Choong-nyung to become the next ruler of the kingdom instead. The prince, who strongly refuses to become the king and just wants to live a happy and stress-free life buried in his books, chooses to escape the palace before his coronation ceremony.After hours of contemplation, Choong-nyung escapes by climbing over the palace wall. There he runs into a bad-tempered drunken slave named Deok-chil, who happens to be at the palace to save the love of his life who was captured by government officials and put in prison for being the daughter of a suspected spy.
Deok-chil perfectly resembles the prince, so Choong-nyung instantly grabs the chance to disguise himself as a slave and they exchange clothes with each other. In a terrible twist of fate, when Choong-nyung wakes up after being knocked unconscious, he is mistaken for a slave and Deok-chil gets put on the throne. As Choong-nyung ventures outside the palace walls, he begins to open his eyes to the people living in extreme poverty and experiences the life of the common man.
Cast
- Ju Ji-hoon as Grand Prince Choong-nyung / Duk-Chil
- Baek Yoon-sik as Hwang-Hee
- Byun Hee-bong as Shin-Ik
- Park Yeong-gyu as King Taejong
- Im Won-hee as Hae-Koo
- Lee Hanee as Soo-Yeon
- Kim Soo-ro as Hwang-Koo
- Baek Do-bin as Grand Prince Yang-nyung
- Im Hyung-joon as Jang Young-shil
- Kim Eung-soo as an old butcher
- Kim So-hyun as Sol-Bi
- Han Yeo-wool as a virgin
- Lee Mi-do as the Crown Princess Consort
- Yoon Kyung-ho as Geun-Bae
- Kwon Hyuk-soo as Soo Yeon-boo
- Lee Dae-gwang as Tteok seller 1
- Lee Jung-hoon as Tteok seller 2
- Kim Wang-geun as Lee-Bang
- Yang Myung-hun as Hwang-Hee's warrior
- Jang Tae-min as a Slave
- Byun Joo-hyun as a Royal officer
- Jung-Woon as Yang-nyung's group
- Ham Jin-sung as Yang-nyung's group
- Lee Chul-hee
- Im Hak-soon