''The King's Face'' (;

Hanja Hanja (; ), alternatively spelled Hancha, are Chinese characters used to write the Korean language. After characters were introduced to Korea to write Literary Chinese, they were adapted to write Korean as early as the Gojoseon period. () ...

: 王의 얼굴) is a 2014 South Korean television series starring Seo In-guk, Jo Yoon-hee,

Lee Sung-jae Lee Sung-jae (; born August 23, 1970) is a South Korean actor. Among his notable works include the films ''Art Museum by the Zoo'' (1998), ''Attack the Gas Station'' (1999), ''Kick the Moon'' (2001), and ''Public Enemy (2002 film), Public Enemy ...

, Kim Gyu-ri and Shin Sung-rok. It aired on

KBS2 KBS 2TV is a South Korean free-to-air Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen ...

from November 19, 2014, to February 5, 2015, on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 23 episodes.

Plot

Gwanghae, the child of a

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal relationship, interpersonal and Intimate relationship, sexual relationship between two people in which the couple does not want to, or cannot, enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarde ...

, becomes the Crown Prince of

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

. For the next 16 years, the illegitimate prince lives through turbulent times, enduring death threats and possible dethronement. Gwanghae has a contentious relationship with his father King Seonjo, and the two eventually become rivals in politics and love. Using

physiognomy Physiognomy () or face reading is the practice of assessing a person's character or personality from their outer appearance—especially the face. The term can also refer to the general appearance of a person, object, or terrain without referenc ...

as a weapon and means to gain power, Gwanghae enlists a face-reading fortuneteller to help him become the next King.

Cast

* Seo In-guk as Prince Gwanghae * Jo Yoon-hee as Kim Ga-hee ** Jeon Min-seo as young Kim Ga-hee *

as King Seonjo * Kim Gyu-ri as Lady Gwi-in of the Kim clan * Shin Sung-rok as Kim Do-chi * Go Won-hee as Queen Inmok * Im Ji-eun as Queen Uiin * Kim Hee-jung as Deposed Queen Yu * Choi Seung-hoon as Deposed Crown Prince Yi Ji *Park Joo-hyung as

Prince Imhae Prince Imhae (; 20 September 1572 – 3 June 1609; personal name Yi Jin, childhood name Yi Jin-Guk), was a Joseon Royal Prince as the eldest son of King Seonjo and the elder brother of King Gwanghae. He was known for such a violent and arrogant ...

*Yoon Bong-gil as Im Young-shin *

Im Ji-kyu Im Ji-kyu (born March 7, 1978) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his leading roles in the independent film, indie films ''Who's That Knocking at My Door?'', ''Milky Way Liberation Front'', and ''Magic''. Im also played supporting rol ...

Heo Gyun Heo is a family name in Korea. It is also often spelled as Huh or Hur, or less commonly as Her or Hue. In South Korea in 1985, out of a population of between roughly 40 and 45 million, there were approximately 264,000 people surnamed Heo. The na ...

*Jo Won-hee as Kim Du-seo *Kim Hyun-sook as Lady Park * Ahn Suk-hwan as Yi San-hae *Song Min-hyung as Yoo Seung *Lee Chung as Yoo Ja-shin *Kim Bang-won as Kang Jin-yeol *Ji Seo-yoon as Hong Sook-yong *Won Deok-hyun as Prince Sinseong *Seo Hyunseok as Prince Jeongwon **Park Joon-mok as young Prince Jeongwon * Joo Jin-mo as Jeong Cheol *

Lee Byung-joon Lee Byung-joon (; born January 27, 1964) is a South Korean actor. Active in film, television and theater since 1985, Lee is best known for his supporting roles in '' A Bloody Aria'' (2006), '' Highway Star'' (2007), and ''Eye for an Eye'' (2008) ...

as Kim Gong-ryang *Min Song-ah as Court Lady Park * Lee Soon-jae as Baek Kyung * Kim Myung-gon as Eunuch Song * Lee Ki-young as Go San * Choi Cheol-ho as Jeong Yeo-rip *Yoon Jin-ho as Seo Yong *Lee Sang-in as Jin Young *Im Soo-hyun as Song Wol *Park Jae-min as Bong Du *Choi Kang-won as Oh Gil *Jung Moon-yup as Sam Gil *Oh Eun-ho as Court lady Oh *Go In-beom as Jang Soo-tae *Baek Jae-jin as Mu Cheol *Yoon Bit-na as Kyung San *Kim Yeol as Kap-yi *Kim Seo-jung as Yeon-joo

Awards and nominations

Plagiarism controversy

On August 25, 2014, Jupiter Film, the production company of the 2013 film '' The Face Reader'', filed for an

injunction An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a special court order compelling a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. It was developed by the English courts of equity but its origins go back to Roman law and the equitable rem ...

in court for infringement of copyright and unfair competition against KBS, asking that the network not be allowed to air their unauthorized

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same s ...

. According to Jupiter Film, they own the rights to the original script for ''The Face Reader'' with a " one source multi use" clause, for the express purpose of producing a film, a book series, and a television series based on the story about a face-reading fortuneteller who gets caught up in a political battle for the throne. The film sold 9 million tickets in 2013, and two books in the series (backstories for the characters in the film) have been released thus far. Jupiter Film said they approached KBS Media in 2012 about a 24-episode TV drama adaptation of ''The Face Reader'' and handed over scripts and outlines, and mentioned '' War of Money'' screenwriter Lee Hyang-hee as a good candidate for penning the remake. But KBS Media and Jupiter Film could not agree on terms and negotiations fell through. Jupiter Film alleged that after KBS Media backed out of the deal, the latter took the idea and made their own version, including hiring the screenwriter they'd suggested. KBS in turn issued the following statement: "''The King's Face'' is a totally different drama in people, era, and setting, with different plot and conflict structure, and mode of expression from ''The Face Reader''." While waiting for the court's final decision, KBS decided to go ahead with the production and made casting announcements. The court ruling in November 2014 was in KBS's favor, stating that there was no plagiarism involved.

International broadcast

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

– MRTV-4 (2015) *

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

- RTV (April 23, 2016) *

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

– Channel 3 (January 10, 2017)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:King's Face 2014 South Korean television series debuts 2015 South Korean television series endings Korean Broadcasting System television dramas Gwanghaegun of Joseon South Korean historical television series Television series by KBS Media