Historical film tells story of Joseon tyrant

Actress Lim Ji-yeon plays the role of a court lady who serves “Yeonsangun,” the most atrocious tyrant in the history of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) period in an upcoming film “The Treacherous.” / Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment

By Baek Byung-yeul

As seen in last year’s box office hit “Roaring Currents,” some of the hottest items in recent Korean cinema have been period dramas.

Analyzing the popularity of films reconstructing historical events, critics say such flicks draw attention because they make audiences think about the sort of ideal leaders they’d like to see in the real world.

Director Min Kyu-dong said this was the point he wanted to tackle in his new film, “The Treacherous.”

As shown in the title, Min said he had put his focus on the king’s treacherous subjects wearing “the mask of faithfulness” in his historical film, set in the 16th century Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), the last kingdom in Korean history.

“I have always been interested in historical events,” Min said introducing his film at a theater near Konkuk University in Seoul on April 14. “And the reason why I have focused on the old story is because I wanted to talk about ongoing social issues through historical events.”

Min, known for directing romance films “Five Senses of Eros” (2009) and “All About My Wife” (2012), said he chose Joseon’s 10th king, Yeonsangun (played by actor Kim Kang-woo), who is regarded as the cruelest tyrant in Korean history, and his insidious subject Im Sung-jae (played by actor Ju Ji-hoon) as the movie’s protagonists.

“Im Sung-jae and his father Sa-hong are known for abusing their authorities, maneuvering the king by resorting to all sorts of trickery,” Min said. “Though Yeonsangun has been featured in many dramas and films, I wanted to feature it from new a perspective if I focus on the relationship between the king and his subject.”

As Min explained, Yeonsangun is notorious for his tyranny, slaughtering a slew of elite scholars during his 12-year reign (1494-1506). Also, before he was dethroned in 1506, he had seized more than a thousand women to serve as court ladies, which consequently resulted in a bigger tax burden on the people.

Unlike previous dramas and films that focused on covering political massacres during Yeonsangun’s reign, Min has concentrated on political conflict between the king and the subject who tried to maneuver the king by offering countless beauties from the provinces.

Actor Kim Kang-woo said he felt lucky to play the role of Yeonsangun, comparing it to Shakespeare’s tragedy “Hamlet.”

“Yeonsangun is the role that I was eager to play because I thought the Joseon king is quite similar to Hamlet,” he said. “But I still can’t shed the worry that I may be too young to play the king.”

To give him an edge on previous actors who played Yeonsangun, Kim said he concentrated on depicting the king’s artistry.

“Though he was a tyrant, I thought he just seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he said. “To show his own artistic vision, I tried to depict a king who’s good at drawing and composing a poem.”

Lim Ji-yeon, 24, an up-and-coming actress who received the Best New Actress award at last year’s Daejong Film Awards for her role in the 2014 romance film “Obsessed,” features as one of the court ladies, along with actress Lee Yoo-young.

The film will screen nationwide in May.