"New Trial" follows the story of a teenager whose name will be entangled in the murder of a taxi driver. The upcoming film is based on actual events of an ongoing murder trial in Korea.
Korean actor Kang Ha Neul takes the role of Hyun Woo, who was sentenced to a 10-year imprisonment for allegedly murdering a taxi driver. He will be assisted by Attorney Park Jun Young (Jung Woo), who will offer his pro bono legal service in hopes to redeem his reputation from his previous case.
While looking into the murder case, Jung Woo's character will discover some irregularities in terms of facts and pieces of evidence. Hence, the attorney will be driven to help Hyun Woo in clearing his name.
Although the upcoming film is inspired by a true story, Director Kim Tae Yoon emphasized that the story of "New Trial" is different from the ongoing case. According to Korea Times, the director added he did not plan to produce another investigative film after directing "Another Family" in 2013.
However, Kim Tae Yoon said he got interested in the Yakchon Junction murder case, giving him the idea to give investigative film another shot. Just like him, Jung Woo did not hesitate to take the role of Attorney Park Jun Young.
"Although it is obvious that I never experienced such a situation like that of the lawyer, I was engrossed in the character and I felt such a strong power in the scenario," he said.
The 36-year-old actor added he had the chance to meet the person behind his character. "His characteristics made my role fresh and helped me deviate from the typical image of lawyers," Jung Woo shared.
In a press conference for "New Trial," the actor revealed he suffered from a serious injury while filming for the upcoming courtroom movie. Allkpop cited Jung Woo hurt himself while doing a ritual before they began the production.
The Korean actor narrated he nearly died when a glass window broke and fell on top of him. Jung Woo sustained injuries on his hands and forehead. "I got ten stitches [for my hands], and I hurt my forehead very badly. I got 40 to 50 stitches [on my forehead]," he added.
"New Trial" is slated to hit the theaters on Feb. 16.
