'The King' shows rise and fall of the powerful

By Kim Jae-heun

There have been many Korean films that deal with power, corruption and political scandals and prosecution has always been a regular feature.

Previous movies, such as “The Unjust” (2010) and “A Violent Prosecutor” (2015), achieved critical success commercially with scenarios that feature prosecutors as leading characters and won a number of awards and each collected over 9.7 million audiences in the theaters.

“The King” (2017), directed by Han Jae-rim, deals with a story of a young prosecutor Tae-soo (Jo In-sung), who rises to power in a short period of time but collapses suddenly.

Tae-soo decides to become a prosecutor after growing up in a poor family and realizes that power is the most important matter in life. Although he graduates from a prestigious law school and passes the national law exam to finally reach his goal, he learns that ordinary prosecutors are no different from salaried men. Tae-soo finally grasps power after meeting the powerful prosecutor Han Kang-shik (Jung Woo-sung) and joins his clique and enjoys the taste of authority but also experiences the cruel side of it.

The ultimate difference between this political crime film and others like it is that it is narrated in first person.

“I really wanted the audience to see the world of ambition and power through Tae-soo in the movie,” said Han during the press conference for his upcoming film at Lotte Cinema in Gwangjin-gu, eastern Seoul, Thursday. “Also people don’t know much about the world of authority and it is easier to follow if the film adopts a documentary style and the narration is in first person.”

The director inserted past news clips of important issues in Korean history, such as when Roh Moo-hyun was impeached or when he committed suicide in Bongha village, South Gyeongsang Province, in 2009. Han wanted to make the movie feel more subjective and, at the same time, different by inserting the real-life videos in between scenes.

“Of course, there have been movies about prosecutors and gangs but I believe none of them have dealt with a prosecutor’s ambition in detail from the start. It all begins with one person in this movie and it was important to show how Tae-soo approached the powerful as if he would meet a king in the movie,” said Han.

The director added that he is one of the people of his generation who witnessed how comfortable life can be to those with power in Korean society. And Han wanted to see the irrationalities of society, not through the eyes of the victims, but through the eyes of men in power. Han wanted to depict their mechanisms.

The movie’s ultimate goal is to talk about hope and Han mentioned owner spirit, extending his motive and message of the story to the recent president’s scandal over her confidante Choi Soon-sil meddling in the political scene.

“News ignited a small fire and angered people to walk out into the streets to protest. I wish the audience can feel a similar emotion while watching the movie and learn that we can change the world,” said Han.

“This movie is not about good triumphing over evil. If it was a fact, then Tae-soo would have won the election or shown his will to become a politician but when he said he is not interested in politics, it was intended,” added Han.