A historical film released targeting the Lunar New Year holiday box office is coming to living rooms during the Chuseok holiday. SBS has scheduled 'The Man Who Lives with the King' as its Chuseok special film on the 26th at 9:30 PM. This comes seven months after the film opened on February 4, targeting the Lunar New Year holiday, and marks the first time it will be shown on TV since its theatrical release. The film surpassed 16 million admissions, becoming the second-highest-grossing Korean film of all time. Following a pattern of opening at one holiday and moving to TV at the next, the film has been scheduled for broadcast while its box office success is still fresh.

◆ 1457, Cheongnyeongpo Place of Exile… Focus on Human Connection Over Power Struggles

The film is set in 1457 at Cheongnyeongpo in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province. It is where the young deposed king Yi Hong-wi was exiled following the Gyeyu Coup — Yi Hong-wi being the personal name of King Danjong, the sixth monarch of Joseon. Another figure appears here as well: village chief Eom Heung-do (Yoo Hae-jin), who volunteered for the exile site to save his village. Assigned to monitor the king, he gradually grows concerned as he watches the boy lose his will to live. Eom Heung-do is a real historical figure recorded in history as a Yeongwol resident who tended to Danjong's body.

The story of Danjong has often been told as a narrative of power struggles involving Prince Suyang and Han Myeong-hui. This film took a different direction. Rather than centering Danjong's final days on political intrigue, it unfolds the story through the human connection shared between the people of Gwangcheon Valley and Yi Hong-wi. The axis of the story is not a palace but a village of exile, and not a king and his subjects but a boy and a village chief.

This is also why the film was chosen for holiday programming aimed at multiple generations watching together. SBS stated that it judged the film to be the best fit for the Chuseok holiday, when the whole family gathers.

◆ Yoo Hae-jin's Baeksang Arts Awards Grand Prize and Park Ji-hoon's New Actor Award… Award History Also a Viewing Point

The actors' award history is another reason to revisit the film. Yoo Hae-jin won the Grand Prize at the Baeksang Arts Awards for this work, while Park Ji-hoon received the New Actor Award. Yoo Hae-jin played village chief Eom Heung-do, and Park Ji-hoon played the young king Yi Hong-wi. Yoo Ji-tae appears as Han Myeong-hui, while Jeon Mi-do and Kim Min each appear as Lady Na-in Maehwa. Lee Jun-hyuk and Park Ji-hwan made special appearances. The film was directed by Jang Hang-jun.

Cinematography by director of photography Choi Young-hwan, capturing the seasonal feel of Cheongnyeongpo, and music by Dalparan are also cited as viewing highlights. The terrain of Cheongnyeongpo — surrounded by a river and accessible only by boat — itself serves as a device conveying the isolation of exile.

◆ Holiday Special Film Programming Competition with tvN and EBS1

Broadcasters are placing different weights on special film programming during the same holiday period. tvN is presenting an extended version of 'No Choice' on the 24th, while EBS1 is featuring 'The Sound of Music' on the 25th. SBS has placed this year's biggest Korean box office hit in the prime-time Saturday night slot in the latter half of the holiday.

There are things to check before watching. The runtime and end time of the broadcast version were not confirmed in the materials released by SBS. Checking SBS's official schedule again on the day of broadcast is the accurate approach.

[Exact broadcast information must be confirmed through the official schedule on the day of broadcast. This article is intended to provide information about the work and its programming, and does not encourage viewing of any particular channel or service. AI assisted in part.]