[Sports Seoul | Reporter Yoon Dong-eon] Actress Um Ji-won drew attention after revealing she is a descendant of Um Heung-do.
On the 27th, Um Ji-won posted a video on her social media with the caption, "I'm Um Ji-won — I'm going to tell the story that I'm a descendant of Mr. Um Heung-do."
In the clip, when someone asked, "They say you're a descendant of Um Heung-do from Man Who Lives with the King," she replied, "The Um clan traces back to a single ancestral line, so we're all family — the Yeongwol Um clan — we're all relatives," and confirmed, "Yes, I'm a descendant."
Recalling her childhood, she said, "When I studied family history and our genealogy as a kid, I wondered, 'Why don't we have any famous relatives?' My dad would always say, 'We have Mr. Um Heung-do,' and I would ask, 'Who's Um Heung-do?'"
She added, "So, while studying our family history, I already knew that Um Heung-do had recovered King Danjong's body." She continued, "My father is the 30th-generation descendant; I'm the 31st. Our founding ancestor is Um Im-ui, so the most notable ancestor in our family is (Grandfather) Um Heung-do. I'm deeply moved by all the love — here I am, his granddaughter Um Ji-won."
She also mentioned other well-known figures who share the surname: "Our family includes many notable people, such as anchor Um Ki-young, mountaineer Um Hong-gil, Um Yong-su, singer-actress Um Jung-hwa, and Um Aeng-ran."
Meanwhile, the film Man Who Lives with the King, set in 1457 at Cheongryeongpo, tells the story of village head Um Heung-do — who chose exile for the sake of his village — and a deposed young king. The film has surpassed 15 million cumulative viewers and continues to draw crowds. hellboy321@sportsseoul.com
