12/12: The Day

Since its founding in 1945, South Korea has fallen on hard political times many times, it is a history full of uprisings, coups and violence. In 1961, the democratically elected president was deposed by General Park Chung-hee. The latter allowed himself to be re-elected again and again before finally returning the country to military rule in 1971, followed by a period in which dissidents faced harsh repression. In 1979, Park was assassinated and that is where 12/12: The Day begins, a thrilling and intense political drama by South Korean director Kim Sung-un.

After the assassination of President Park, a power vacuum has emerged that various factions are all too keen to dive into. Not only does a fierce and bloody power struggle erupt between rival army units with General Chun Doo-hwan in a leading role, student protests also break out, which are brutally suppressed. The future of the country is at stake.