Will Jang Hangjun Really Fulfill His "Pledge"? Here's His Solution Ahead of 10 Million Viewers

The Man Living with the King Nears 10 Million Admissions
Director Jang’s Pledges for Plastic Surgery and Name Change Go Viral
Jang Hangjun: “Coffee Truck Event as a Realistic Alternative”

As the film The Man Living with the King is on the verge of surpassing 10 million viewers, attention is turning to whether director Jang Hangjun will deliver on the “10 million pledge” he made in the past.

According to distributor Showbox on March 5, Director Jang will hold a coffee truck event for citizens at noon on March 12 at the Seoul Shinmun Square in Jung-gu, Seoul. Jang himself will attend to serve drinks and interact with the audience in person.

Jang Hangjoong, Director. Photo by Yonhap News

This event has been prepared as a gesture of gratitude for the film’s box office success. Previously, ahead of the film’s release, Jang drew attention by jokingly pledging on a radio show that if the movie surpassed 10 million admissions, he would do things like change his name, undergo plastic surgery, or hold a cruise party. At the time, these remarks were made under the assumption that hitting 10 million would be nearly impossible, but the film’s unexpected success has changed the situation. In reality, The Man Living with the King has now exceeded 9.59 million cumulative viewers, making it highly likely to reach the 10 million mark within this week.

In a recent recorded broadcast of SBS Radio’s “Bae Sungjae’s Ten,” Jang explained, “The first day’s audience turnout was lower than expected, so I just wanted to break even and made those comments to be funny. Now that 10 million admissions are actually within reach, I feel overwhelmed.” He added with a laugh, “I have received hundreds of joking messages from friends saying, ‘This is my last farewell before you change your name and phone number.’ As for plastic surgery, it wouldn’t be a minor touch-up—it would be a complete reconstruction, which would be too much to handle.”

Director Jang Hangjun of the film The Man Living With the King plans to hold a coffee truck event. Showbox

Jang Wonseok, CEO of the film’s production company BA Entertainment, who appeared alongside him, commented, “We never even imagined reaching 10 million viewers, so those pledges were just said in jest. If there had been even a slight chance of achieving it, we would never have made such promises in our right minds.” He went on to explain that, as a realistic alternative, Director Jang decided to hold the coffee truck event for the public instead. Finally, Jang remarked, “Who in the world fulfills every single pledge they make? I wanted to express my gratitude to the audience, so I prepared the coffee truck event.”

Meanwhile, The Man Living with the King is a historical drama set in Cheongnyeongpo in 1457, depicting the story of a village chief who voluntarily chooses exile for the revival of his village and a young dethroned king. Riding a wave of positive word-of-mouth and repeat viewings, the film has established itself as the biggest box office hit of the year, signaling the birth of a new 10-million-viewer film.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.