Park Jong-hwan, Principal Director of the Privy Council, holds the most influence among court officials. In Captivating the King, Lee Gyu-hoe plays Jong-hwan.
Park Jong-hwan emerges as a key player in the power struggle between the families of the Queen and the Queen Dowager.
Given his status as the Queen Dowager’s brother and Yi In’s uncle, he stands to gain from Yi In’s rise to power.
Initially, Jong-hwan fails to convince Yi In to betray his brother and seize the throne.
However, following the King’s death, when Yi In agrees to claim the throne, Jong-hwan supports him more than anyone in affirming his legitimacy as the rightful heir.
A power-hungry court official
In the years following Yi In’s ascension, Park Jong-hwan goes on to become the most powerful court official, readily exploiting his power.
As the King’s uncle and Principal Director, he holds considerable sway and assists the Queen Dowager in maintaining influence over Yi In’s affairs.
Jong-hwan’s main concern is keeping his power in the court. He even joins forces with people like Yoo Hyun-bo when it benefits him.
With his help, the Queen Dowager becomes the patron of the people Yi In plays baduk with, and Jong-hwan disposes of them when they are no longer useful to him.
Jong-hwan, along with his sister, also continues scheming to eliminate Grand Prince Munseong, who is seen as a threat to Yi In’s reign.
He is eager to send Princess Jangryeong to the Qing as Prince Rui’s bride. However, Hee-soo sends a court maid in her place, much to Jong-hwan’s chagrin.
Jong-hwan is willing to risk another war with the Qing in order to have the Grand Prince and Princess Jangryeong punished for carrying out the substitution, revealing his disregard for the nation’s welfare.
Threats to Jong-hwan’s authority
Jong-hwan starts facing problems when Hee-soo defeats the players he selects to become Gidaeryeong and then rejects the Queen Dowager’s patronage.
Yi In is aware of his uncle’s schemes and has to find ways to protect the people he cares about, such as Hee-soo, from falling prey to his plots.
Jong-hwan attempts to get Hee-soo, disguised as Kang Mongwoo, dismissed. He makes a bet with the King, and Yi In loses, meaning he must dismiss Mongwoo.
However, Yi In comes up with a plan and manages to save Hee-soo from getting dismissed, breaking his promise to his uncle in the process.
Although Jong-hwan is humiliated, he still continues supporting Yi In, as they are family and Jong-hwan benefits from Yi In’s position of power.
Additionally, Master Choam’s appointment as the Inspector General and Jong-hwan’s inability to corrupt him pose a new challenge to Jong-hwan’s authority.
In response, he tries to seize the power of Oh Wook-hawn and Min Ji-hawn, the other two court officials with whom he shares power.
He used them to help Yi In become the King, only to take away their power when his own position is threatened.
On top of that, Yi In appoints the Grand Prince as the Crown Prince, which makes Jong-hwan feel as though he is losing everything he worked so hard for.
It is then revealed that Jong-hwan was the one who poisoned Yi In’s brother and acted as a spy for the Qing.
Yi In endeavors to fulfill his brother’s final wishes and takes every measure to punish his brother’s murderer, leading Jong-hwan to attempt to assassinate Yi In to save himself.
However, Yi In succeeds in exposing Jong-hwan’s crimes. As a result, Jong-hwan is stripped of his authority, subjected to public interrogation and torture, and ultimately sentenced to death.
Also Read: Grand Prince Munseong: Captivating the King character explained