The production team for the movie “The King’s Warden”‘ has completely denied the plagiarism allegations that have surfaced recently.
Onda Works, the film production company, stated on 10 March that the film is a purely creative work based on historical facts and that, “The entire creative process is recorded in detail and can be proven.”
A report from the day before stated that the bereaved family of the late “Mr A”, a 31st generation descendant of Eom Heung-do, raised suspicions of plagiarism. They cited similarities between the draft of the drama script for “Eom Heung-do” written by Mr A and the content of the said movie.
Accordingly, the bereaved family reportedly sent a request to the production company to list the deceased Mr A, who died in 2019, as the original author of the project. They also sent a certified letter requesting an explanation about the circumstances of the scenario’s creation and the sources of the materials.
Onda Works has denied the allegations, saying, “Since it is based on historical figures and events, there may be creative works that claim similarities. But there was no causal relationship or access to the work in question during the creative process, and there was absolutely no plagiarism of other works during the planning, development, and production processes.”
The company stressed that the accusations are groundless and that they reserve the right to take legal action.
The film, written and directed by Jang Hang-jun, explores the domestic life and psychological isolation of the deposed King Danjong during his exile in 1457. Park Ji-hoon plays the role of the king, while Yoo Hae-jin stars as Eom Heung-do.
(Photo Source: Chosun, Korea Times)