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 "excerpt": "Detective K: Secret of Virtuous Widow (조선명탐정: 각시투구꽃의 비밀) is a 2010 South Korean comedy action detective film directed by Kim Sok-yun, starring Kim Myung-min, Oh Dal-su, and Han Ji-min, adapted from Kim Tak-hwan's novel and drawing 4.79 million admissions.",
 "snippet": "Detective K: Secret of Virtuous Widow (조선명탐정: 각시투구꽃의 비밀) is a 2010 South Korean comedy action detective film directed by Kim Sok-yun, starring Kim Myung-min, Oh Dal-su, and Han Ji-min, adapted from Kim Tak-hwan's novel and drawing 4.79 million admissions.",
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 "markdown": "# Detective K: Secret of Virtuous Widow\n\n**Detective K: Secret of Virtuous Widow** (조선명탐정: 각시투구꽃의 비밀, *Joseon Myeongtamjeong: Gaksitugukkotui Bil*) is a 2010 South Korean comedy action film directed by Kim Sok-yun, starring [Kim Myung-min](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-myung-min), Han Ji-min, and [Oh Dal-su](https://www.edgepedia.org/oh-dal-su), released in South Korea on January 27, 2011.<sup>[1](https://www.filmmakers.co.kr/movies/en/20102414)</sup> It is the first installment of the Detective K series of Joseon-era detective films and was adapted from the novel *Yeollyeomunui Bil* (Secret of Virtuous Widow) by the bestselling historical novelist Kim Tak-hwan.<sup>[2](https://koreafilm.co.kr/movie/tamjung/tamjung_2.htm)</sup> The film drew about 4.79 million admissions and became the first major Korean box-office hit of 2011.<sup>[3](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20102414)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/webzine/sub/feature.jsp?mode=A_VIEW&wbSeq=42&wbTypeCd=690105)</sup>\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Korean title / release | 조선명탐정: 각시투구꽃의 비밀; released January 27, 2011, during the Lunar New Year holiday<sup>[3](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20102414)</sup> |\n| Director and writers | Kim Sok-yun; screenplay by Lee Chun-hyung and Lee Nam-kyu, from Kim Tak-hwan's novel<sup>[1](https://www.filmmakers.co.kr/movies/en/20102414)</sup> |\n| Lead cast | Kim Myung-min as detective Kim Jin, Oh Dal-su as the dog seller Seo Pil, Han Ji-min as the merchant Han Gaek-ju<sup>[5](https://cine21.com/movie/info/?movie_id=29088)</sup> |\n| Running time and rating | 115 minutes; rated 12+ in South Korea<sup>[3](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20102414)</sup> |\n| Box office | 4,786,268 admissions on 632 screens; total gross $26,244,187<sup>[3](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20102414)</sup> |\n| Production and distribution | Generation Blue Films (with Cheongnyun Film and Withers Film); distributed by Showbox<sup>[3](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20102414)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[5](https://cine21.com/movie/info/?movie_id=29088)</sup> |\n| Series position | First of three films; followed by *Detective K: Secret of the Lost Island* (2015) and a 2018 third installment<sup>[6](https://m.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?blbdComCd=601006&mode=VIEW&seq=4380)</sup> |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot and setting\n\nThe story is set in the reign of King Jeongjo of Joseon. The Korean Film Council synopsis places it in the 16th year of his rule, in 1782, while Cine21's synopsis says the 17th year; both describe the same premise.<sup>[3](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20102414)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[5](https://cine21.com/movie/info/?movie_id=29088)</sup> A series of murders breaks out in the capital, and the King suspects they are connected to a conspiracy by high officials to cover up an embezzlement scandal involving tribute payments, the tax revenue that underpinned the state economy.<sup>[3](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20102414)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://koreafilm.co.kr/movie/tamjung/tamjung_2.htm)</sup> He secretly commissions Joseon's most famous detective, Kim Jin, to find those behind the case.<sup>[5](https://cine21.com/movie/info/?movie_id=29088)</sup>\n\nThe investigation nearly ends on its first day when Kim Jin is attacked by assassins; he escapes with the help of Seo Pil, a dog seller who becomes his sidekick.<sup>[3](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20102414)</sup> The two travel to Jeokseong in search of the gaksitugukkot, the wolfsbane flower that holds the key to the case.<sup>[3](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20102414)</sup> There they meet Han Gaek-ju, a business magnate who dominates Joseon's merchant guilds and knows far more about the affair than she first reveals.<sup>[5](https://cine21.com/movie/info/?movie_id=29088)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[7](https://www.viki.com/movies/38618c-detective-k-secret-of-virtuous-widow?locale=en)</sup>\n\n### Franchise\n\nThe film's success established the Detective K series as a recurring Korean film franchise. Kim Myung-min, Oh Dal-su, and director Kim Sok-yun returned for *[Detective K: Secret of the Lost Island](https://www.edgepedia.org/detective-k-secret-of-the-lost-island)* (2015), an original story, and for a third installment released in 2018 based on Kim Tak-hwan's novel *Bangkakgon Murder Incident*.<sup>[6](https://m.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?blbdComCd=601006&mode=VIEW&seq=4380)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[13](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/webzine/sub/interview.jsp?mode=A_VIEW&wbSeq=139)</sup> Kim Myung-min said in a 2015 interview that adapting the first novel had required trimming many events, and that he hoped the series would become a genre of its own.<sup>[13](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/webzine/sub/interview.jsp?mode=A_VIEW&wbSeq=139)</sup> The film remains available on streaming services including Amazon Prime Video, Tubi, and Rakuten Viki.<sup>[14](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/detective-k-secret-of-virtuous-widow)</sup>\n\n## Source novel and production\n\nThe film adapts *Yeollyeomunui Bil* (Secret of Virtuous Widow), the second entry in Kim Tak-hwan's \"Baektappa\" series of mystery novels set in late 18th-century Joseon during Jeongjo's reign, which weave the stories of young practical-science scholars into detective fiction.<sup>[2](https://koreafilm.co.kr/movie/tamjung/tamjung_2.htm)</sup> A scholarly source dates the novel to 2005, published by Hwanggeumgaji and credited to Kim Tak-hwan with Jeon Geon-u; a trade report on the franchise refers to a 2007 work under the English title *Secret of Virtuous Widow* as the basis for the film.<sup>[8](https://journal.kci.go.kr/eih/archive/articlePdf?artiId=ART003076605)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[6](https://m.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?blbdComCd=601006&mode=VIEW&seq=4380)</sup> It was the first film adaptation of Kim Tak-hwan's fiction, and his second collaboration with Kim Myung-min after the television drama *Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin*.<sup>[2](https://koreafilm.co.kr/movie/tamjung/tamjung_2.htm)</sup>\n\nThe production had a total budget of 6 billion won.<sup>[9](https://www.mmca.go.kr/upload/m/data/board/2012/06/19/20120619154007.pdf)</sup> Kim Myung-min cracked a rib during filming, in a scene in which his character rescues slaves; production staff attributed the injury to his habit of immersing himself in his roles.<sup>[10](https://host.cine21.com/news/view/?idx=1&mag_id=63969)</sup>\n\n## Reception and box office\n\nReleased for the [Lunar New Year](https://www.edgepedia.org/lunar-new-year) holiday, the film was the first major Korean hit of 2011. The trade magazine Korean Cinema Today credited its success to the witty pairing of Kim Myung-min and Oh Dal-su and reported 4.76 million admissions for the small production company Generation Blue Films, far ahead of the Korean romantic comedies released in the same late-autumn-to-winter window.<sup>[4](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/webzine/sub/feature.jsp?mode=A_VIEW&wbSeq=42&wbTypeCd=690105)</sup> Final tallies recorded 4,786,268 admissions and a gross of $26,244,187.<sup>[3](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20102414)</sup> By February 2011, admissions had passed 4 million, with ticket revenue estimated at around 13 billion won, roughly double the production budget.<sup>[9](https://www.mmca.go.kr/upload/m/data/board/2012/06/19/20120619154007.pdf)</sup>\n\nCritical response was mixed. Cine21's panel of seven critics gave an average expert score of 5.29 against an audience score of 7.19; reviewers praised the comic characters while faulting the mystery plotting, with comments ranging from \"a cheerful fusion period detective romp\" to \"the mystery wavers, the ending rushes\".<sup>[5](https://cine21.com/movie/info/?movie_id=29088)</sup> On IMDb the film holds a 6.3/10 rating from about 1,300 users.<sup>[11](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1832381/ratings)</sup> A Letterboxd review placed the film alongside [Tsui Hark](https://www.edgepedia.org/tsui-hark)'s *Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame* (2010), arguing that its comedy-driven voice, in the manner of a [Stephen Chow](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-chow) protagonist, distinguishes it from a straightforward blockbuster imitation.<sup>[12](https://letterboxd.com/somekindofaman/film/detective-k-secret-of-virtuous-widow/)</sup>\n\n## References\n\n1. [Detective K: Secret of Virtuous Widow (2010), Korea Film / Filmmakers database](https://www.filmmakers.co.kr/movies/en/20102414)\n2. [조선명탐정: 각시투구꽃의 비밀 개봉 자료, KoreaFilm](https://koreafilm.co.kr/movie/tamjung/tamjung_2.htm)\n3. [Detective K: Secret of Virtuous Widow (2011), Korean Film Council database](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20102414)\n4. [Darcy Paquet, \"2011's box office results,\" Korean Cinema Today](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/webzine/sub/feature.jsp?mode=A_VIEW&wbSeq=42&wbTypeCd=690105)\n5. [조선명탐정: 각시투구꽃의 비밀 상세정보, Cine21](https://cine21.com/movie/info/?movie_id=29088)\n6. [Pierce Conran, \"DETECTIVE K Team Returns for 2018 Threequel,\" Korean Film Council news, July 14, 2017](https://m.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?blbdComCd=601006&mode=VIEW&seq=4380)\n7. [Detective K: Secret of Virtuous Widow, Rakuten Viki](https://www.viki.com/movies/38618c-detective-k-secret-of-virtuous-widow?locale=en)\n8. [발경계인문학 TRANS-HUMANITIES, KCI journal article on yeollyeo (virtuous widow) narratives](https://journal.kci.go.kr/eih/archive/articlePdf?artiId=ART003076605)\n9. [2012 문화예술트렌드보고서, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art](https://www.mmca.go.kr/upload/m/data/board/2012/06/19/20120619154007.pdf)\n10. [\"[씨네스코프] 정조시대 명탐정 납시오,\" Cine21 news, December 7, 2010](https://host.cine21.com/news/view/?idx=1&mag_id=63969)\n11. [Detective K: Secret of Virtuous Widow (2011) ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1832381/ratings)\n12. [Geoffrey Broomer, review of Detective K: Secret of Virtuous Widow, Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/somekindofaman/film/detective-k-secret-of-virtuous-widow/)\n13. [Kim Myung-min interview, Korean Cinema Today Vol. 62](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/webzine/sub/interview.jsp?mode=A_VIEW&wbSeq=139)\n14. [Detective K: Secret of Virtuous Widow streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/detective-k-secret-of-virtuous-widow)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 2010–2014 films › Titles symbols to L*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n",
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 "speakable": "Detective K: Secret of Virtuous Widow is a 2010 South Korean comedy action detective film directed by Kim Sok-yun, starring Kim Myung-min, Oh Dal-su, and Han Ji-min, adapted from Kim Tak-hwan's novel and drawing 4.79 million admissions."
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