Action thriller film “Escape,” starring actors Lee Je-hoon and Koo Kyo-hwan, has been sold to 163 overseas markets, includingTaiwan, the Philippines, Australia, Britain, France and Germany, the film’s distributor, Plus M Entertainment, said Tuesday.

“Escape” will premiere in North America on July 5 right after it hits the Korean theaters on July 3.

“Escape,” directed by Lee Jong-pil, is about a North Korean soldier who tries to flee the country for a new life in the South. Lee Je-hoon plays the North Korean soldier, and Koo takes the role of the North Korean military major chasing after the runaway.

"'Escape' is a tense, thrilling depiction of the power of hope and the lengths to which human beings will go in pursuit of freedom and the ability to chart their own course in life,” Doris Pfardrescher, president and CEO of Well Go USA Entertainment, the film’s North American distributor, said in a news release. “We expect enthusiastic support from Korean cinema fans when the film hits North American theaters this July.”

The film’s German distributor, Splendid Film GmbH, also expressed enthusiasm for the upcoming film.

“We are eager to release the intense action thriller ‘Escape’ with Koo from ‘Parasite: The Grey’ and ‘Peninsula’ (2020) as a ruthless North Korean major on the hunt for Lee Je-hoon for ‘Taxi Driver’ (2021-23),” Splendid Film GmbH said in the news release.

To find out more about Korean films, visit Celeb Confirmed!

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]