"The Presidential Assassination Trial: 16 Days of The Truth" - A thrilling courtroom drama [Enokido Ichiro's Films Akasatana Vol. 85]

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2025.08.22Enoki Doichirou

"Presidential Assassination Trial: 16 Days of The Truth" (24) is a courtroom drama that depicts a dark side of modern Korean history. Last year, " Spring in Seoul " (23) garnered a lot of attention. Its popularity led to a small "military purge coup" craze in Japan in the summer of 2024. Well, it's a movie, so it's "fiction based on historical fact," but it was incredibly powerful. And because it was so entertaining, I ended up rewatching Lee Byung-hun's " KCIA: The Chiefs " (2020) on Amazon Prime.

"Presidential Assassination Trial: 16 Days of The Truth" is a film set between these two films, " The Chiefs of Namsan " and " Spring in Seoul ." It tells the story of the short period following the assassination of President Park Chung-hee on October 26, 1979, and the "military purge coup" led by Army Major General Chun Doo-hwan and the Hana Society on December 12 of the same year. The mastermind behind the assassination was KCIA Director Kim Je-gyu, but an active-duty soldier followed his orders, shooting and killing security guards. While the real-life name of the assassin is Colonel Park Hoon-ju, in "Presidential Assassination Trial: 16 Days of The Truth" he is named Park Tae-ju. As the only soldier among the perpetrators, he faces a court-martial. The lawyer chosen to defend Park Tae-ju is Jeong In-hoo, a cunning and philistine lawyer. What's interesting is that Jung In-hoo, who usually works for his own gain, is involved in this case, rather than being a righteous human rights lawyer.

Lee Sun-kyun plays Colonel Park Tae-ju, and Jo Jung-suk plays lawyer Jeong In-hu. These two drive the story. Well, Jo Jung-suk is the "main character" in the usual sense, but unfortunately this film was Lee Sun-kyung's last work (there is a eulogy at the end of the film), so Lee Sun-kyun's acting is definitely not to be missed. Also, his role is that of a "soldier tormented by guilt." The acting is restrained and the performance is passionate and full of emotion. Lee Sun-kyun's last role was "a man who accepts his duties and destiny."

In the story, Colonel Park Tae-ju and lawyer Jeong In-hoo have repeated meetings. At first, they seem like oil and water. Colonel Park Tae-ju responds with a detached attitude. He only tells the truth and refuses any legal tactics. Unable to let the situation stand, Attorney Jeong desperately racks his brains. At first, he tries to take the case to a regular trial rather than a military court-martial (which would be concluded quickly). When that proves impossible, he tries to push the case forward in court, arguing that "he was simply following the orders of his superiors as a soldier. There was no criminal intent involved." As he works diligently for Colonel Park, Jeong transforms into more than just a human rights lawyer—a "fighting lawyer" who works tirelessly for social justice and ideals.

This transformation occurs over a very short period (from October to December). The film's key theme is its portrayal of the atmosphere between two major events in Korean history: the presidential assassination and the military coup. The presidential assassination was a stroke of good fortune for Chun Doo-hwan, who quickly prepared and usurped the state through a coup. In "Presidential Assassination Trial: 16 Days of The Truth," he appears under the name Jeong Sang-doo, the head of the joint investigation team. He is a truly evil character, wiretapping Colonel Park's trial, pressuring the judge, and constantly giving and controlling instructions through memos. Of course, attorney Jeong In-hoo is also threatened and beaten. The trial is closed to the public, and the death sentence is imposed with surprising speed. The atmosphere changes during that brief period. The period when Jeong In-hoo could easily crack jokes shifts from the period when he was oppressed and bruised all over his body, all in a single moment. It's incredibly scary.

But Chun Doo-hwan, or Jeong Sang-doo in this film, is a truly vicious character. He was played by Hwang Jung-min in " Spring in Seoul " and Yoo Jae-myung in this film, and this role would be a challenging one for any actor. He rose to the presidency through a military coup, wielded great authority, and made South Korea the furthest thing from a "country of happiness" (the original Korean title of "The Presidential Assassination Trial: 16 Days of The Truth"). Kobe University professor Kimura Kan's critical biography, " Chun Doo-hwan: The Number is Lucky Seven " (Minerva Shobo), begins with a striking opening line:

"'Murderer Chun Doo-hwan dies without remorse'" (Hankyoreh, November 23, 2021)

In society, there are special terms that are used only when a person dies. For example, in English, when the direct expression "die" is disliked, "pass away" is used. There is also a special word, "demise," which corresponds to the Japanese word "shugyo" (death).

Of course, the same is true in Korean. For example, the word used to describe the death of an "extraordinary person" such as a great politician, religious leader, or even an artist is "passing away." On the other hand, the word used to describe the death of an ordinary "superior" is "another life." (Omitted)

Additionally, when a well-known person passes away, the person's name is often followed by the main job title they held while alive, without the characters "former" or "former." In other words, expressions such as "President Kim Dae-jung passes away" or "Secretary of State Powell passes away" are used. (Omitted)

That is why, in South Korea, the term used when a person dies clearly reflects how the deceased is viewed at that time. The title shown at the beginning of this article is the title used by the Hankyoreh, South Korea's leading liberal newspaper, when it reported on the death of Chun Doo-hwan, South Korea's 11th and 12th president, on November 23, 2021. (From the introduction, "Evaluation of the Dead: South Korea's Most Hated Former President.")

In this film about modern Korean history, the way Chun Doo-hwan is portrayed and played is a point of interest. Well, most of the time he's terrifying enough to make you shiver. Yoo Jae-myung's portrayal of "Cheon Sang-du" was also intense.

Text: Ichiro Enoki

Born in 1959. Born in Akita Prefecture. Debuted in a commercial magazine with ``Takarajima'' in 1980 while studying at Chuo University. Since then, he has serialized columns and essays in various magazines, and continues to this day. Also active on radio and television. Twitter @ichiroenokido

Pre-order "The Presidential Assassination Trial: 16 Days of The Truth" now.

"The 16-Day The Truth Behind the Presidential Assassination Trial"

August 22nd (Friday) Shinjuku Musashinokan, Human Trust Cinema Yurakucho, YEBISU GARDEN CINEMA and other theaters nationwide

Distribution: Showgate

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