International Festival Premiere | In Competition
South Korea, 2026, 117’, Korean
Directed by: Chang Hang-jun
Screenplay: Hwang Sung-goo, Chang Hang-jun
Cinematography (color): Choi Young-hwan
Editing: Heo Sun-mi, Han Young-gyu
Production Design: Bae Jung-yoon
Music: Dalparan
Producers: Lim Eun-jung, Billy Acumen, Charlie Shin
Cast: Yoo Hai-jin (Heung-do), Park Ji-hoon (Danjong), Yoo Ji-tae (Han Myeong-hoe), Jeon Mi-do (Mae-hwa)
Date of First Release in Territory: February 4th, 2026
Political storms are raging in the kingdom of Joseon in the year 1457. But the tiny village of Yeongwol is so remote from the capital, life goes on unaffected. All of that changes one day when village chief Heung-do (Yoo Hai-jin) finds out that a neighboring village has hit upon an unexpected source of wealth. Chosen to host a court minister exiled from the capital, the town becomes the destination for shipments of food and other gifts from favor-seekers who anticipate that before long, the official will inevitably return to power. The village becomes so rich, they can even eat white rice.
Eager to secure a similar windfall for his own people, Heung-do launches a campaign to promote Yeongwol as an ideal destination for exiled officials. And against expectations, he succeeds in convincing the shady government operative Han Myeong-hoe (
Oldboy’s Yoo Ji-tae) to send Yeongwol its own dignitary. Yet Heung-do’s triumph is short-lived. Some time later a pale-faced, sickly young man arrives on a palanquin with a single female servant. No shipments of gifts stream into the village. It’s only then that the townspeople realize who is living in their midst: the deposed king Danjong, banished from the capital by his vengeful uncle, the new king.
Like several hit films of recent years, including
King and the Clown (2005) and
Masquerade (2012), the narrative setup for
The King’s Warden can be found in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty (
sillok), a collection of official court records compiled throughout the centuries by scholars at the end of each king’s reign. For each of the abovementioned films, very brief passages in the annals (sometimes only a single sentence) served as inspiration for screenwriters to fashion dramatic new stories about well-known historical figures.
As such, most of the events depicted in
The King’s Warden are entirely fictional, with no basis in actual history. Nonetheless, the film has struck a chord with the Korean public and led to a surge of interest in Danjong’s fate. Director Chang Hang-jun (
Rebound) presents this story as a heartwarming and often comic tale of people from radically different backgrounds thrown together and forced to rely on each other. As events progress and the situation grows more precarious, Director Chang balances the actors’ performances to bring about a highly emotional conclusion.
All the cast members of
The King’s Warden deserve praise, but three stand out in particular. Yoo Hai-jin as Heung-do is the performance that powers the film, bringing every scene to life with his comic timing, spirited delivery and emotional intensity. It’s hard to imagine this film succeeding so well with any other actor in the lead role. Singer-turned-actor Park Ji-hoon, meanwhile, elicits an unusual level of sympathy from the audience in his first major big screen role as Danjong. Finally, veteran actor Yoo Ji-tae brings an understated malevolence to the well-known historical figure Han Myeong-hoe, who despite having been depicted in many previous films and TV dramas, comes across as entirely fresh and new in this portrayal.
The King’s Warden was not billed as a major release, and it opened in early February with modest commercial expectations. Nonetheless, popular momentum grew from week to week, until eventually the entire nation was talking about this film. In just over a month, it became the 25th film in local box-office history to sell 10 million tickets. At the time of this writing, it has an outside chance of setting a new all-time box-office record. For an industry that has felt abandoned by its audience ever since the start of the pandemic, this film’s connection to its audience has been a godsend.
Chang Hang-jun
Chang Hang-jun made his directorial debut with the 2002 comedy Break Out (a.k.a. Spark the Lighter), and followed that up quickly with a second comedy Spring Breeze (2003). In the coming years he continued to be active as a director, screenwriter, script doctor, actor and well-known TV personality. His features Forgotten (2017) and Rebound (2023) both screened at the FEFF, and in 2025 he also took part in the ambitious omnibus project The Killers. The King’s Warden marks his biggest commercial success to date, with well over 10 million domestic admissions.
FILMOGRAPHY
2002 – Break Out
2003 – Spring Breeze
2017 – Forgotten
2022 – Open the Door
2023 – Rebound
2024 – The Killers
2026 – The King’s Warden