Director Jang Hang-jun's film 'The Man Who Lives with the King' has surpassed 9 million viewers, and the inclusion of the late actor Lee Sun-kyun's name in the end credits has captured public attention.
Recently, a user on the online platform X shared a photo of the end credits from the film 'The Man Who Lives with the King.' The credits include a section that reads, 'The production team would like to specially thank the following individuals,' with Lee Sun-kyun's name listed below.
The post also included a sentence stating, 'Lee Sun-kyun is mentioned in the end credits of Jang Hang-jun's film The Man Who Lives with the King,' along with a photo of Jang Hang-jun and Lee Sun-kyun together.
It has not been officially confirmed whether the mentioned individual is indeed the late actor. However, given the close friendship between Jang Hang-jun and Lee Sun-kyun, many believe the inclusion was intended as a tribute.
The two first collaborated on the 2014 film 'A Hard Day,' where Jang was responsible for adaptation and Lee played the lead role. They continued their friendship, appearing together on the 2023 tvN variety show 'Very Private Southeast Asia' and Lee later appeared on Jang's YouTube content 'You Were a Director.'
In April 2023, as Jang was preparing for the release of his film 'Rebound,' Lee was seen visiting Jang's studio on the MBC variety show 'The Manager.'
Lee Sun-kyun was found unconscious in a parked car near a park in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on December 27, 2023, and passed away at the age of 48.
Following the tragic news, the Cultural Artists' Solidarity issued a statement titled 'The Demands of Cultural Artists Facing the Death of Actor Lee Sun-kyun.' Jang Hang-jun, along with fellow artists including director Bong Joon-ho, participated in a press conference calling for a thorough investigation.
By Min-kyung Lee, TenAsia Reporter 2min_ror@tenasia.co.kr