# Land of Happiness (행복의 나라)
**Land of Happiness** (행복의 나라) is a 2024 South Korean political courtroom drama directed by Choo Chang-min, based on the real trial of an army colonel involved in the October 1979 assassination of President Park Chung-hee. It stars Cho Jung-seok as defense lawyer Jung In-hoo and the late [Lee Sun-kyun](https://www.edgepedia.org/lee-sun-kyun) as Colonel Park Tae-joo, a character inspired by the real-life Park Heung-joo.[1](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20204271) • [2](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=6133)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director | Choo Chang-min, whose earlier films include *Masquerade* (2012) and *Seven Years of Night* (2018)[2](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=6133) |
| Release | August 14, 2024 (South Korea); limited North American release August 23, 2024[1](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20204271) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/land_of_happiness_2024) |
| Runtime and rating | 124 minutes; rated 12 and older in South Korea[1](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20204271) |
| Production | Papa's Film and Oscar 10 Studio; distributed by Next Entertainment World (NEW)[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/land_of_happiness_2024) |
| Lead cast | Cho Jung-seok (Jung In-hoo), Lee Sun-kyun (Park Tae-joo), Yoo Jae-myung (Jeon Sang-doo)[4](https://www.hkaff.asia/en/film/2024/detail/346) |
| Box office | 710,620 admissions and $4,884,763 gross in South Korea (KOFIC, as of September 12, 2026)[1](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20204271) |
| IMDb rating | 6.0/10 from 271 user ratings[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32933495/ratings/) |
## Spoilers
### Story and historical basis
The film opens with a recreation of the assassination of President Park Chung-hee on October 26, 1979, a watershed moment in modern Korean history. Colonel Park Tae-joo, an aide to the intelligence agency chief, becomes involved in the assassination under orders from his superior, and lawyer Jung In-hoo takes on his defense in what the film presents as South Korea's most notorious political trial.[6](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20240807005200315) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/land_of_happiness_2024)
The protagonist is inspired by Park Heung-joo, a real army colonel who participated in the assassination under his superior's orders. Director Choo Chang-min said the film's central aim is to illuminate the life of this lesser-known figure, whom he found widely praised for his human qualities and military professionalism regardless of political affiliation.[2](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=6133) According to Yonhap, Park Heung-joo was the only military serviceman among the subordinates of [Kim Jae-gyu](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-jae-gyu), the intelligence chief who shot the president, so the single-trial system applied to him and his death sentence was confirmed immediately; the film imaginatively reconstructs that trial.[7](https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20240806153500005)
The lawyer Jung In-hoo is a created character who synthesizes the trial records and the people involved in the actual defense; actor Cho Jung-seok described him as possibly the only entirely fictional character in the film, an observer through whom the audience watches and judges the events.[2](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=6133) The story sits between two events that dominate Korean films about the era: the October 26 assassination and the December 12, 1979 military coup led by General Chun Doo-hwan, the latter depicted in the 2023 hit *12.12: The Day*. Choo said many people know of both incidents but have forgotten the stories that unfolded between them.[2](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=6133)
**Historical texture.** The director based many scenes and dialogues on actual courtroom scenes, records, and documentaries, and used a filmlike, grainy visual texture to evoke the 1970s. He said he tried to maintain a balanced perspective without leaning to one side.[2](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=6133) • [6](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20240807005200315) In selecting the title, Cho said he hoped that, through reflecting on past errors, the nation might someday turn into a land of happiness.[2](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=6133)
## Production and release
The project predates *Masquerade*: Choo said NEW had offered him the scenario years earlier, he declined at the time, and after finishing *Seven Years of Night* he proposed revising the script and directing it himself.[8](https://host.cine21.com/news/view/?idx=2&mag_id=105656) The film was in post-production when Lee Sun-kyun died in December 2023; at that point its distributor said the release date and whether it would open at all were still under discussion.[9](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0cAA2MbfLk) It opened in South Korea on August 14, 2024 on 1,096 screens.[1](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20204271)
Lee Sun-kyun's performance is one of his final film appearances. The 29th Busan International Film Festival included the film in its special program "In Memory of Lee Sun-kyun" in October 2024, and the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival screened it the same year in its Cineaste Delights section.[1](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20204271) • [4](https://www.hkaff.asia/en/film/2024/detail/346) It later screened at the Paris Korean Film Festival (2024) and the Florence Korea Film Fest (2025, K-orizzonti section), and was listed among the Paeksang Arts Awards (2025).[1](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20204271)
## Reception
The film earned 710,620 admissions in South Korea, placing it among the year's mid-scale domestic releases but well behind 2024's leading Korean titles such as *Exhuma* and *The Roundup: Punishment*.[1](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20204271) • [10](https://www.ambitstock.com/films/2024/) On IMDb it holds a 6.0/10 weighted rating from 271 users.[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32933495/ratings/) Rotten Tomatoes listed no critic reviews and fewer than 50 audience ratings.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/land_of_happiness_2024)
Critics divided over the film's dramatization. A Yonhap review praised the courtroom realism, the grainy 1970s texture, and the ensemble of the three leads, set against a period when military might superseded human rights and dignity.[6](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20240807005200315) The cityonfire review rated it 6.5/10, calling Lee Sun-kyun's performance suitably haunting but finding the histrionic finale a sharp turn from the measured approach of most of the narrative.[11](https://cityonfire.com/the-land-of-happiness-2024-review-korean-movie-trailer/) Reviewer Seongyong Cho gave it 2 of 4 stars, finding it tame and bland compared with *12.12: The Day*, which is set in the same period.[12](https://kaist455.com/2024/08/24/land-of-happiness-2024/)
## References
1. [Land of Happiness (2024), KOFIC Korean Film Biz Zone film database](https://koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20204271)
2. ['The Land of Happiness' brings lesser-known historical figures to life, Yonhap via KOBIZ (Aug 2, 2024)](https://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/eng/news/news.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=6133)
3. [Land of Happiness (2024), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/land_of_happiness_2024)
4. [Land of Happiness, Hong Kong Asian Film Festival 2024](https://www.hkaff.asia/en/film/2024/detail/346)
5. [Land of Happiness (2024) Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32933495/ratings/)
6. [(Movie Review) 'The Land of Happiness' weaves gripping courtroom drama with 1979 assassination, Yonhap (Aug 7, 2024)](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20240807005200315)
7. [대한민국 격동 한복판 10·26 재판 속으로…영화 '행복의 나라', 연합뉴스 (Aug 6, 2024)](https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20240806153500005)
8. [[인터뷰] 역사를 발전시키는 것은 물밑에서 움직이는 대중이다, <행복의 나라> 추창민 감독, Cine21 (Aug 15, 2024)](https://host.cine21.com/news/view/?idx=2&mag_id=105656)
9. [이선균 비보에 아내 전혜진 영화 '크로스' 개봉 연기, SBS 뉴스 (Dec 28, 2023)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0cAA2MbfLk)
10. [2024년 개봉 영화 전체 목록 | 관객수 순위와 R 평점, R의 필름공장](https://www.ambitstock.com/films/2024/)
11. [Land of Happiness, The (2024) Review, cityonfire.com](https://cityonfire.com/the-land-of-happiness-2024-review-korean-movie-trailer/)
12. [Land of Happiness (2024) ☆☆(2/4): A tediously fictional presentation of one big trial, Seongyong's Private Place (Aug 24, 2024)](https://kaist455.com/2024/08/24/land-of-happiness-2024/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Drama and biographical films (individual works) › Drama films 2023 and 2024 › Titles H to N*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license