Lee Hwi-hyang Makes Her First Big-Screen Leading Role in 44 Years With ‘Family Trip,’ Set for Release in September—Main Poster Revealed!

Actor Lee Hwi-hyang steps into her first big-screen leading role with the upcoming film 〈Family Trip〉, confirmed for release this September. 〈Family Trip〉 is a “dongsang-imong” road movie with one destination and five hidden feelings—telling the story of a family that sets off on a trip with no plans and no answers, falling short of what other families might manage. 

Now in her 44th year in acting, Lee Hwi-hyang began her career after passing the MBC 14th open casting call in 1982. From acclaimed dramas that once sparked syndrome-level popularity—[Susabampan], [General Hospital], [Daughter and the House of Wealth], [Stairway to Heaven], [Ahyun-dong Madam]—to more recent works such as [Gentleman and Lady], [Golden Mask], and [Filial Heart’s Separate Living], she has consistently kept working, earning love from audiences as the matriarch of the living-room screen. In this film 〈Family Trip〉, Lee plays her first big-screen leading role as “Soon-im,” a mother-in-law who has been diagnosed with dementia, meeting viewers with added significance. 

Meanwhile, actor Kim Jung-tae, who has helped lead Korean film by landing the “ten million” actor title through 〈Seven Days of Gifts〉, appears in 〈Family Trip〉 as “Chang-wook,” an incompetent husband who chases only dreams. He joins with director Jeong Jong-seob, who wrote the script, for co-direction, taking his first steps from actor to director. Director Jeong Jong-seob is a storyteller who came up through the directing team of director Gwak Kyung-taek’s film 〈Friend〉 and built solid on-set experience. Teaming up with Kim Jung-tae, he created a warm, grounded family drama. 

Joining the lineup is Seo Young-hee, who showcases outstanding acting power across genres, including Netflix original series [What Education], the drama [Love, My Beloved Thief], and the film 〈Gwisee〉. She appears as “Young-ju,” a daughter-in-law who becomes the de facto breadwinner within the story, delivering a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law chemistry with Lee Hwi-hyang that’s every bit as special as kinship. Her father-in-law “Man-cheol,” played by Nam Kyung-eup, a Vietnam War veteran, anchors the center of the drama with a weighty presence—after being selected for this year’s “20 Actors Who Shine at the Baeksang Arts Awards: Korean Musicals.” Finally, teen daughter “Yoon-jin,” a girl so deeply obsessed with vampires that she’s beyond control, is played by Hong Jeong-min, who has built a solid filmography as a child actor through films such as 〈Last Homework〉〈The Kids Are Happy〉, the drama [The Gold Spoon], and the Netflix series [Annalas of a Familiar Strange]. She brings energy to the project. 

The released main poster draws attention to a family scene in which each member shows different emotions beneath the line, “One destination, five separate thoughts. Is this trip really going to be okay?” Dementia-stricken mother-in-law “Soon-im” (Lee Hwi-hyang) looks delighted with a bright face. Next to her, “Young-ju” (Seo Young-hee) watches warmly with a tender smile. Inside the old Bongo van—the family’s only means of transportation—husband “Chang-wook” (Kim Jung-tae) wears a flustered expression as he doesn’t know what to do. Father-in-law “Man-cheol” (Nam Kyung-eup), wearing a Vietnam War veteran’s military uniform, and teen daughter “Yoon-jin” (Hong Jeong-min), caught in a vampire cosplay obsession, also observe them with blank, unswayed faces. Even though they’re together in one body, each person is thinking different thoughts inside. None of them is ordinary. The poster sparks curiosity about what will happen to this family after they suddenly head to Busan for an impromptu trip. 

With Lee Hwi-hyang’s first big-screen leading role in her 44-year acting career and with Kim Jung-tae’s director debut, the movie 〈Family Trip〉 is set to open in September.