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The film draws inspiration from the real-life 1981 Burim Case in which Chun Doo-hwan’s government arrested a group of students and workers on made-up charges that they were North Korean sympathizers. Veteran actor Song Kang-ho stars as a lawyer, loosely modeled off former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, in The Attorney. Korean title: 변호인 (Byeonhoin)| Year Released: 2013 | Starring: Song Kang-ho, Kim Young-ae, Oh Dal-su, Im Si-wan, Kwak Do-won The film went on to win a Blue Dragon Award (the Korean equivalent of an Oscar) and remains a powerful allegory for the trauma of South Korea’s recent past. Needless to say, there’s a lot of violence and brutality in A Petal combined with intentionally nightmare-esque cinematography (including documentary footage of the uprising), the movie’s not easy to watch.Ī Petal‘s unfiltered approach shocked South Korea upon its release no other mass media had depicted the Gwangju Uprising with such authenticity and ferocity before. The film focuses on an unnamed girl who sees her mother killed during the Gwangju Uprising, and struggles with the trauma of the event for years afterwards. The film’s director Jang Sun-woo was jailed under Chun Doo-hwan’s regime, and used A Petal to express raw social commentary on the brutality of authoritarian rule. We start with A Petal- perhaps the first feature film to depict the Gwangju Uprising. Korean title: 꽃잎 (Ggotip)| Year Released: 1996 | Starring: Lee Jung Hyun, Moon Sung-keun Without further ado: let’s kick off our learning with ten movies about South Korean democratization. For many in the English-speaking world, these movies also provide an accessible way to learn about a country that’s frequently in the headlines.Ĭonsequently, in this article, we’ll discuss not only the films themselves, but also their social and political significance. Such movies help keep recent history alive in South Korea’s public consciousness, both driving and reflecting the nation’s attempts to grapple with its past. A good number of these films highlight the Gwangju Uprising and its aftermath, while others focus on notable individuals or inflection points on the road of democratization.Īs South Korea enters its third decade of democratic rule, it’s heartening to see the preponderance of cinematic narratives that document the nation’s journey away from authoritarianism. While some films address the Park Chung-hee regime ( The President’s Last Bang, The President’s Barber, The Man Standing Next), most movies about Korean democratization focus on the period between 1980-1987 - arguably when popular movements for democracy enjoyed peak momentum. This paved the way for South Korea’s slow maturation into a full-fledged democracy over the next decade, whereby former democracy activists Kim Young-sam, Kim Dae-jung, and Roh Moo-hyun(all of whom were jailed under either Chun or Park) successively won Presidential elections. Popular discontent with military rule grew until it came to a head during June 1987, when mass protests (now called the June Struggle) brought about direct Presidential elections and freedom for prominent dissidents. The event remains one of the most historically traumatic (and cinematically revisited) events in recent Korean history. May 1980 saw the Gwangju Uprising- a popular rebellion in the city of Gwangju that South Korea’s military suppressed, killing hundreds of civilians in the process. Korea’s transition to democracy started under Chun’s rule. Park ruled until his assassination in 1979, leaving a polarized legacy: while he arguably launched South Korea’s “economic miracle”, he also trampled on civil liberties.Īfter a period of uncertainty following Park’s assassination, Chun Doo-hwan took power in another military coup on December 12, 1979. Next came Park Chung-hee, who launched a military coup on against the nominally democratic government that briefly came in Rhee’s wake. Between 19, the Republic of Korea (South Korea’s formal name) saw a succession of authoritarian leaders.įirst came Syngman Rhee, a staunch anti-communist who led South Korea through the Korean War but resigned in 1960 after intense public outcry against a rigged election. If you’re interested in learning more about Korean history through a more engaging and visual medium, these movies are a great place to start.īefore we dive in, here’s some context.
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We here at Cinema Escapist have highlighted ten of these movies about South Korea’s democratization. While you can certainly read textbooks about this, it might be more entertaining to learn by watching movies.įortunately, South Korea’s film industry has made quite a few movies about the nation’s struggle for democracy. South Korea might be a democracy today, but that wasn’t always the case.