“The Fatal Encounter” is a 2014 Korean movie, a hidden gem, streaming on Tubi, categorized as Action, Historical, Political, Costume, and Period; based on the true history of the assassination attempt on King Jeongjo in 1777. ♦ Kill the King! In “The Fatal Encounter”, King Jeongjo was traumatized as a child. His grandfather and his mother bowed to the political pressure of the Noron faction and his father died a cruel death. But they did it to save his life. Even though the Norons got their way, they were not pleased with King Jeongjo. For one thing, he told his court officials to stop nitpicking him about learning the teachings of Confucius and start applying the rules of Confucian ethics to real-life situations. He wanted to implement reforms that would help slaves and children of concubines. (No wonder they wanted to kill him.) Why the Assassination Failed The Norons carefully planned the assassination and received the blessings of the Queen Dowager to carry it out. For years, they had taken
