11.7 Million Surpasses 'The King and the Man', Plagiarism Allegations Arise... Production Company Says "We Will Take Legal Action"

The movie 〈The King and the Man〉 is currently on a box office run, surpassing 10 million viewers, but has been embroiled in plagiarism allegations, with the production company announcing a strong response, claiming the allegations are unfounded.

According to a report by MBN on the 9th, the family of the late actor Eom Mo, who passed away in 2019, sent a content certification to the production company, demanding clarification, stating that the main settings of 〈The King and the Man〉 are similar to the drama script 'Eom Heung-do' written by the deceased in the 2000s. The family pointed out similarities such as the scene where the exiled King Danjong eats food at the suggestion of Eom Heung-do (the movie features a dish called olgaeng-i-guk, while the script mentions buckwheat jelly), the setup to prevent a leap from a cliff, and the adaptation of multiple historical concubines into a single character named 'Mae-hwa', as well as the adaptation of Eom Heung-do's child into a sole son. The family, who previously submitted the script to a broadcasting company but it was not produced, expressed, "If the original author is indeed my father, I hope his name is included in the work."

In response, the production company Onda Works released an official statement on the 10th, completely denying the plagiarism allegations. The company stated, "This film is a purely original work based on historical facts, and the entire creative process is thoroughly documented and can be proven." They further stated, "While there may be other works claiming similarities based on historical figures and events, there is no pathway or causality in the creative process that involved the said work, and there is absolutely no fact of plagiarism from other works," adding, "The plagiarism claims are unfounded, and we will respond firmly in all processes, including legal procedures."

Directed by Jang Hang-jun and starring Yoo Hae-jin and Park Ji-hoon, 〈The King and the Man〉 depicts the story of the deposed King Danjong Lee Hong-wi interacting with village people, including the village chief Eom Heung-do, during his exile in Yeongwol. After surpassing 10 million viewers on the 31st day of its release on the 6th, it has now exceeded a cumulative audience of 11.7 million as of the 10th, showing an unyielding box office trend. The film industry is focused on how this truth battle, which has emerged amid the film's explosive success, will unfold in the future.