The King's Letters (2019 Film)
The King's Letters (Korean: 나랏말싸미; RR: Naratmalssami) is a 2019 South Korean historical drama film directed by Jo Chul-Hyun. The film explores the historical development of the Korean alphabet, Hangul, focusing on the efforts of King Sejong the Great to create a writing system accessible to his people.
Plot
The narrative centers on King Sejong (played by Song Kang-Ho), who seeks to develop an original alphabet to improve literacy among the Korean populace. The film portrays his collaboration with others, including the monk Shinmi (Park Hae-Il), to overcome societal and political resistance during the creation of the script.
Cast
The film features an ensemble cast portraying historical figures and fictionalized roles:
- Song Kang-Ho as King Sejong
- Park Hae-Il as Monk Shinmi
- Jeon Mi-Sun as Queen Sohun
- Kim Joon-Han as Crown Prince Moonjong
- Cha Rae-Hyoung as Prince Sooyang
- Yoon Jung-Il as Prince Anpyeong
- Tang Joon-Sang as Hak-Jo
- Keum Sae-Rok as Jin-A
- Im Sung-Jae as Hak-Yeol
Production
The film was directed by Jo Chul-Hyun, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Lee Song-Won. Principal photography commenced on October 17, 2018, and concluded on January 31, 2019. It was distributed by Megabox Plus M and released in South Korea on July 24, 2019, with a total runtime of 110 minutes.