"The Throne" is a Korean film, released in 2015, and it stars Song Kang-Ho as King Yeongjo and Yoo Ah-In as Crown Prince Sado. It is based on true historical events surrounding the father and son during the Joseon Dynasty.
- Memorable Quote: “In the palace, parents think of their children as enemies.”
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The public is divided on what really happened between the king and his son. Most agree that their relationship was tense and often contentious. But isn't that often how it is between the older generation that wants to hold on to customs and traditions and the younger generation who dare to think differently?
Many believe that other royals, powerful nobles, and court officials who were happy with their comfortable lives schemed to be rid of the crown prince because ... what's wrong with the customs and traditions that have lasted for 400 years? How dare he challenge the status quo? If the crown prince's suggestions or reforms were implemented, they could lose “their place in line”. Commoners and slaves could get in and might get ahead of them because they are treated equally? That can NOT happen.
One fact that nobody disputes is that the Crown Prince Sado suffered a horrible, cruel, and inhumane death. And to think that it was his own father who buried him alive by nailing him into a rice chest. No matter how many times and how many ways I hear this story – via movies, TV series, documentaries, written articles, etc. - it's still hard to digest.
NO THRONE IS WORTH YOUR CHILD'S LIFE.
NO COUNTRY IS WORTH YOUR CHILD'S LIFE.
PLOT SUMMARY:
“The Throne” (2015), directed by Lee Joon ik, is a devastating historical drama that examines one of Korea’s most infamous royal tragedies: the death of Crown Prince Sado, ordered by his own father, King Yeongjo. The film opens with a shocking moment—Sado attempting to assassinate his father. Though the attempt fails, it sets the tone for a story steeped in tension, fractured loyalty, and generational trauma.
The narrative unfolds through interwoven timelines, shifting between Sado’s final days trapped inside a wooden rice chest and flashbacks that reveal how the father-son relationship deteriorated. As a child, Sado is portrayed as bright, artistic, and emotionally expressive—traits that clash with the rigid expectations of King Yeongjo, a ruler obsessed with scholarly perfection and Confucian discipline. The king’s affection for his son is genuine but conditional, rooted in the belief that a prince must embody flawless academic and moral virtue. When young Sado admits he studies only “once or twice a year,” Yeongjo interprets this as rebellion rather than honesty, planting the seeds of resentment.
As Sado grows older, the pressures of royal life intensify. He becomes increasingly unstable, torn between his desire to please his father and his inability to conform to the suffocating expectations placed upon him. The film suggests that political factions within the court exploit this tension, further isolating Sado and deepening Yeongjo’s mistrust. Meanwhile, Sado’s wife, Lady Hyegyeong*, and his mother attempt to shield him from the king’s wrath, but their influence is limited within the palace’s rigid hierarchy.
- *Later, the crown princess defied customs and traditions and wrote her memoirs. One can only believe she wanted to set the record straight about her husband, if only so that her son knew what happened. He was very young when his father was put to death.
The film’s emotional core lies in the tragic miscommunication between father and son. Yeongjo, shaped by his own traumatic past—including accusations of fratricide and witnessing palace murders—believes harsh discipline is the only way to protect the throne. He famously remarks that royal parents “think of their children as enemies,” revealing how deeply fear and paranoia have shaped his worldview. Sado, on the other hand, longs for empathy and freedom, turning to painting and socializing as escapes from the suffocating court life.
When Sado is accused of treason—partly due to political manipulation and partly due to his deteriorating mental state—Yeongjo faces an impossible dilemma. Executing his son would brand him the father of a traitor, destabilizing the monarchy. Sparing him could embolden political enemies. Ultimately, Yeongjo orders Sado to take his own life. When Sado’s loyalists intervene, the king commands that he be sealed inside a rice chest, where he suffers for eight agonizing days.
Inside the chest, Sado hallucinates, reliving childhood memories and confronting the emotional wounds inflicted by his father. These scenes are some of the film’s most haunting, blending psychological horror with historical tragedy. By the time Sado dies, the audience understands that both father and son are victims of the monarchy, of political machinations, and of their own inability to bridge the emotional chasm between them.
This film ultimately portrays a royal family destroyed not by treason, but by expectations, fear, and the crushing weight of tradition. It is a deeply human story wrapped in the grandeur and brutality of Joseon Era politics.
(NOTE: This movie is very hard to watch.)
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SOURCES:
Contributors to Wikimedia projects. “The Throne (Film).” Wikipedia, 4 Mar. 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Throne_%28film%29.
“The Throne.” BaiduWiki, https://baike.baidu.com/en/item/The%20Throne/1412280.
“The Throne.” KoreanDrama.Org, https://www.koreandrama.org/movie/the-throne/.
“The Throne.” The Movie Database, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/315439.
