''The King's Letters'' (
Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
: 나랏말싸미,
RR: ''Naranmalssami'';
Middle Korean
Middle Korean is the period in the history of the Korean language succeeding Old Korean and yielding in 1600 to the Modern period.
The boundary between the Old and Middle periods is traditionally identified with the establishment of Goryeo in 91 ...
: 나랏말ᄊᆞ미,
Yale
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...
: ''Nalasmalssomi''; ''Language of the Country'') is a Korean
historical drama
A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romance film, romances, adventure f ...
film released on 24 July 2019. Set in the early
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...
, it depicts
Sejong the Great
Sejong of Joseon (15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), personal name Yi Do (Korean: 이도; Hanja: 李祹), widely known as Sejong the Great (Korean: 세종대왕; Hanja: 世宗大王), was the fourth ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. Initial ...
and
Shinmi as main characters in creating
Hangul
The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The let ...
. The film was directed by Jo Chul-hyun, and stars
Song Kang-ho
Song Kang-ho (born January 17, 1967) is a South Korean actor. Song made his film debut in '' The Day a Pig Fell into the Well'' (1996), and came to national prominence with a series of critically acclaimed performances, including ''No. 3'' (1997 ...
,
Park Hae-il
Park Hae-il (born 26 January 1977) is a South Korean actor. He began his acting career in theater, but soon gained the film industry's attention in 2003 with ''Jealousy Is My Middle Name'' and ''Memories of Murder''. Park's film career took off, ...
,
Jeon Mi-seon
Jeon Mi-seon (December 7, 1970 – June 29, 2019) was a South Korean actress. Though best known as a supporting actress in films and television series such as '' Memories of Murder'' (2003), ''Moon Embracing the Sun'' (2012), and ''Hide and See ...
,
Choi Deok-moon
Choi Deok-moon (born 1970) is a South Korean actor.
Filmography
Television series
Film
Theater
References
External links
*
*
* Choi Deok-moonat Daum Choi Deok-moonat Naver Movies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Choi, Deok-moon
1970 births
Livin ...
, and
Jung Hae-kyun
Jung Hae-kyun (; born August 16, 1968) is a South Korean actor. He is known for his roles in '' The Villainess'', '' Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds'' and ''Confession of Murder
''Confession of Murder'' (; lit. "I Am the Murderer") is a 2 ...
. It grossed worldwide.
Plot
In the mid-
15th century
The 15th century was the century which spans the Julian dates from 1 January 1401 ( MCDI) to 31 December 1500 ( MD).
In Europe, the 15th century includes parts of the Late Middle Ages, the Early Renaissance, and the early modern period.
M ...
C.E., the king of Korea, Sejong the Great wants to create a simple writing system so the general population can obtain literacy. Up to this point, the
Joseon dynastic kingdom has been using
Chinese characters
Chinese characters () are logograms developed for the writing of Chinese. In addition, they have been adapted to write other East Asian languages, and remain a key component of the Japanese writing system where they are known as ''kanji' ...
.
Sejong calls upon a
Buddhist monk, Shinmi, and his fellow monks to develop a new
alphabet
An alphabet is a standardized set of basic written graphemes (called letters) that represent the phonemes of certain spoken languages. Not all writing systems represent language in this way; in a syllabary, each character represents a syll ...
. The monks have unique insights due to their knowledge of
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
and other languages that use phonetic writing systems. Sejong promises to build a Buddhist temple if the monks accomplish the task.
Queen Soheon
Queen Soheon (소헌왕후 심씨, 12 October 1395 – 19 April 1446), of the Cheongsong Sim clan, was a posthumous name bestowed to the wife and queen consort of Yi Do, King Sejong and the mother of Yi Hyang, King Munjong and Yi Yu, King Sejo ...
is secretly a Buddhist and welcomes the monks to the palace. Due to the tensions between Buddhists and the dominant
Confucians
Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or a ...
, the servants are sworn to secrecy and the monks are disguised as
court eunuchs.
The difficult project worsens Sejong's fragile health, as he suffers from
diabetes
Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...
. He loses sight in his right eye and is urged by his doctors to avoid stress. The king relocates to a health spa in the mountains. In the remote location, he simultaneously receives eye treatments and the monks continue to work in total secrecy. They soon complete the writing system, now known as the
Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl.
The king returns to the palace and contends with the power struggle between Buddhists and Confucians. Both groups want credit for the writing system's creation within a published manual. The Buddhists expect Sejong to hold up his end of their deal. The Confucians are desperate to keep their power and remain on good terms with
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. The king gives in to the Confucians and sends the Buddhist monks away.
In order to reunite the Sejong and Shinmi, the queen starves herself to death. Sejong is grief-stricken and decides to fulfill his wife's final wishes. Shinmi is recalled to the royal palace and there is a reconciliation. The king builds the promised Buddhist temple and Shinmi leads a funeral for the late Queen Soheon.
King Sejong notes he has been king for thirty years and will leave only one book as his legacy. Shinmi replies with an allegory that suggests Sejong's one book will have an incalculable effect upon Korean society.
Cast
*
Song Kang-ho
Song Kang-ho (born January 17, 1967) is a South Korean actor. Song made his film debut in '' The Day a Pig Fell into the Well'' (1996), and came to national prominence with a series of critically acclaimed performances, including ''No. 3'' (1997 ...
as
King Sejong the Great
Sejong of Joseon (15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), personal name Yi Do ( Korean: 이도; Hanja: 李祹), widely known as Sejong the Great ( Korean: 세종대왕; Hanja: 世宗大王), was the fourth ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. Initi ...
*
Park Hae-il
Park Hae-il (born 26 January 1977) is a South Korean actor. He began his acting career in theater, but soon gained the film industry's attention in 2003 with ''Jealousy Is My Middle Name'' and ''Memories of Murder''. Park's film career took off, ...
as
Buddhist monk Shinmi
*
Jeon Mi-seon
Jeon Mi-seon (December 7, 1970 – June 29, 2019) was a South Korean actress. Though best known as a supporting actress in films and television series such as '' Memories of Murder'' (2003), ''Moon Embracing the Sun'' (2012), and ''Hide and See ...
as
Queen Sohun, King Sejong's wife
*
Choi Deok-moon
Choi Deok-moon (born 1970) is a South Korean actor.
Filmography
Television series
Film
Theater
References
External links
*
*
* Choi Deok-moonat Daum Choi Deok-moonat Naver Movies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Choi, Deok-moon
1970 births
Livin ...
as
Jung In-ji
*Nam Moon-chul as
Choi Man-ri
*
Jung Hae-kyun
Jung Hae-kyun (; born August 16, 1968) is a South Korean actor. He is known for his roles in '' The Villainess'', '' Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds'' and ''Confession of Murder
''Confession of Murder'' (; lit. "I Am the Murderer") is a 2 ...
as Go Yak-hae
*Jung In-kyum as Kim-Moon
*Kim Joon-hak as
Moon-Jong, Sejong and Sohun's eldest son
*Cha Rae-hyung as
Soo-Yang, Sejong and Sohun's second son
*Yoon Jung-il as Ahn-Pyung, Sejong and Sohun's third son
*Tang Joon-sang as Hak-Jo
*
Keum Sae-rok
Keum Sae-rok (born 6 September 1992) is a South Korean actress. She is known for her prominent roles in ''The Fiery Priest'' (2019) and ''Youth of May'' (2021).
Personal life
Keum graduated from the Seoul Institute of the Arts with a degree in ...
as Lee Jin-ah
*Im Sung-jae as Hak-Yul
*Oh Hyun-kyung as Noh-Seung
*Park Dong-hyuk as Jung Chang-son
*Song Sang-eun as Pyung-Nyu
See also
*''
Forbidden Dream
''Forbidden Dream'' () is a 2019 South Korean historical drama film directed by Hur Jin-ho and written by Jung Bum-shik and Lee Ji-min. Based on a true story, it portrays Sejong the Great (Han Suk-kyu), king of the Joseon dynasty of Korea, a ...
''
*
Hunminjeongeum
''Hunminjeong'eum'' () is a document describing an entirely new and native script for the Korean language. The script was initially named after the publication but later came to be known as hangul. Originally containing 28 characters, it was c ...
References
External links
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:King's Letters
2019 films
2010s historical films
2010s Korean-language films
South Korean historical drama films
Films set in the Joseon dynasty
Films about language
2010s South Korean films