Why Is 'The King's Warden' Director Jang Hang-jun Meeting Mountaineer Um Hong-gil in Ulsan?

【Financial News Ulsan = Choi Su-sang】 Ulsan can be considered the place with the second-strongest connection to 'The King's Warden' after Yeongwol, Gangwon Province. Chungui-gong Eom Heung-do recovered Danjong of Joseon's remains and went into hiding in several places, one of which was Ulsan. His descendants later stayed the longest in what is now Geumgok-ri, Sangdong-myeon, Ulju County. After Danjong's restoration, Eom Heung-do's descendants prospered in Ulsan, forming a clan village. Wongang Seowon, which honors Eom Heung-do, is now located in Sangdong-myeon, Ulju County, attracting a steady stream of tourists.
The Ulsan Ulju Mountain Film Festival is held annually in Ulsan, and festival executive committee chairman Um Hong-gil is the 28th-generation descendant of Chungui-gong Eom Heung-do.
Executive committee chairman Um Hong-gil is South Korea's leading mountaineer and the first person in human history to complete all 16 mountains above 8,000 meters. His dedication in leading the Human Expedition in 2004 to recover the bodies of Korean climbers who died on Mount Everest is considered to overlap with Eom Heung-do's actions depicted in the film.
Building on this connection, the festival organizers will hold a special free screening and talk program for 'The King's Warden' on the festival's closing day, the 22nd.
After the screening, director Jang Hang-jun, executive committee chairman Um Hong-gil, and Ulju County Governor Lee Sun-geol, who also serves as chairman of the board of the Ulsan Ulju Mountain Film Festival, will take the stage for a meeting with the audience. They will discuss behind-the-scenes stories from the film, as well as Ulju's historical and cultural value and the significance of mountains, people, and the precious meaning of our lives.
The 11th Ulsan Ulju Mountain Film Festival will be held for five days, from the 18th to the 22nd, around the Yeongnam Alps Complex Welcome Center in Ulju County, Ulsan. This year's lineup consists of 114 films from 35 countries. The opening ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. on the first day, and the opening film will be 'K2 Chasing Shadows.'
[email protected] Choi Su-sang Reporter