Cho Jung Seok x Lee Sun Kyun x You Chae Myung star in the shocking suspense film PENG SOO's ”Happy Country” to be released nationwide on August 22nd under the Japanese title ”Presidential Assassination Trial: 16 Days of Truth”

The latest film by Joo Chang-min, director of “The Man Who Became King” and starring Jo Jung-suk (The Smart Doctor), Lee Sung-kyun (Parasite) and Yoo Jae-myung (The Gourmet of Solitude), “The Land of Happiness” will be released under the Japanese title “The 16-Day Truth of the Presidential Assassination Trial” in August 22nd at Shinjuku Musashiseikan, Human Trust Cinema Yuricho, Yebisu Garden Cinema and other theaters nationwide! The film will be released at Shinjuku Musashino Theater, Human Trust Cinema Yurakucho, YEBISU GARDEN CINEMA, and other theaters nationwide on August 22nd (Fri.)!


President Park Chung-hee seized power in a military coup and wielded so much power that he was criticized as a dictator. He was assassinated on October 26th, 1979 by his close associate, Kim Jae Kyu, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA), who was rumored to be the country's number two. This film is based on historical fact, with some fiction, about the trial of this sensational case and the three men involved in one of the most significant historical events in modern Korean history, from the assassination of the president on October 26th to the military coup of December 12th.

The protagonist, Jeong In-hoo, an ace in the bar association that handles many troublesome cases, takes on the defense of Park Tae-joo, the accompanying secretary to the head of the Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA), who is involved in the assassination of the president. He is the only one who is subjected to a military tribunal because he is a soldier, and his sentence is determined by a single verdict.

The actual trial that took place at the time was so unfair that memos were delivered to the courtroom in secret on numerous occasions, leading to what is known as the 'memo trial'. The trial of Colonel Park Hoon-joo, the model for Park Tae-joo, was also called a “hasty trial” because he was the only military officer among the accused, and the single-trial system was applied, resulting in a final verdict only 16 days after the first trial.

This trial is said to be the worst trial in Korean history, and the director of the hit film 'The Man Who Became King' starring Lee Byung Hun, Joo Chang-min, dramatized the trial from the viewpoints of those who defended, those who were judged, and those who manipulated behind the scenes. The director of 'The Man Who Became King', a smash hit starring Lee Byung-hun, Joo Chang-min, demonstrates the same skill he showed in the previous film in this film, vividly depicting the unvoiced, heartrending cries of the people who lived at that time.

To enhance the film, leading actors from the Korean film and drama industry have gathered together. The role of Jeong In-hoo, a lawyer who will stop at nothing to win, is an original character in the film, and is played by Cho Jung-suk, a popular actor in dramas such as “The Wise Doctor's Life”. As Jung Sand-du, the leader of the joint investigation team that maneuvers the trial behind the scenes, is Yoo Jae-myung, a renowned actor who has shown a variety of performances in such films as “The Gourmet of Solitude” and "Itaewon Class.

Yoo Jae-myung won the Best Supporting Actor Award in the film category at the 61st Baeksang Arts Awards for this role modeled after former President Jeong Doo-hwan. I will never forget that night. I will be happy today as I remember my friends who have passed away before me and think about the people I worked with to make this film," he said, bringing tears to the audience's eyes.

Korea has produced numerous masterpieces of fiction films based on historical facts in the past, including the assassination of President Park Chung-hee in “KCIA: Director of Namsan”, the military coup in “Seoul Spring”, and the Gwangju Incident in “Taxi Driver”. This film reveals the backstage of the worst political trial in Korean history, which has never been depicted before.

Presidential Assassination Trial: 16 Days of Truth" opens in theaters nationwide on August 22 (Fri.) at Shinjuku Musashino Theater, Human Trust Cinema Yurakucho, YEBISU GARDEN CINEMA, and others.



Cast: Jo Jung-suk (“The Wise Doctor's Life”), Lee Sung-kyun (“Parasite: Half a Family”), Yoo Jae-myung (“Gourmet of Solitude,” “Itaewon Class”)
Director/Screenplay: Joo Chang-min (“The Man Who Became King”)
2024 / Korea / 124 min / Color / Scope / 5.1ch / Original title A Happy Land / Subtitle Translation: Tomoko Fukudome / Distributor: Show Gate
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From August 22nd (Fri), Shinjuku Musashino Theater, Yurakucho, YEBISU GARDEN CINEMA, and other theaters nationwide!