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King and the Clown

Original title: Wang-ui namja / The King and the Clown

“Forbidden desire, sumptuous tragedy.”

2005 · 2 h 1 min
Directed by Lee Joon-ik · South Korea · Contemporary Asian Cinema
DramaHistoryThriller

Cast

Kam Woo-seong Jung Jin-young Kang Seong-yeon Lee Joon-gi Jang Hang-seon Yoo Hai Jin

Credits

Written by: Tae-woong Kim

Plot

Two clowns living in Korea's Chosun Dynasty get arrested for staging a play that satirizes the king. They are dragged to the palace and threatened with execution but are given a chance to save their lives if they can make the king laugh.

Sinekatalog’s take

King and the Clown (2005) is a South Korean drama directed by Lee Joon-ik. It won Best Film at the Grand Bell Awards in 2006. It stars Kam Woo-sung, Lee Joon-gi and Jung Jin-young. It runs 121 minutes. It is listed here for its festival and awards record.Sinekatalog’s own editorial review – not a user or critic quote.

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Awards

Ratings

IMDb: 7.3 / 10 (6,376 votes)
IMDb rating and vote count from the IMDb ratings dataset (October 2026). Scores change over time.