On the night of 3 December 2024, people in Seoul hit the streets to protest the declaration of martial law. The Seoul Guardians brings you into the crowd and inside the National Assembly, where South Korea once again fought for democracy and freedom.
An unadorned, urgent piece of political cinema. A testimony of how important it is to remember and not let certain moments in history be repeated; a testimony of how important it is to stand up for the protection of democracy.
On 3 December 2024, at 22:27 KST, President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, accusing the Democratic Party of collaborating with North Korean communists and compromising state security. Police vehicles and soldiers blocked the National Assembly, preventing members of parliament from opening a session and repealing the martial law. What they totally underestimated was the collective memory of the Gwangju Massacre and its aftermath. People, along with the press, poured onto the streets and stood up against the armed martial law troops.
The Seoul Guardianstakes you into the mass of citizens, soldiers, police officers, and inside the National Assembly with its members and employees. The film’s immediate, reportage-style approach allows you to become part of the crowd, conveying the nervousness, the chaos and the realisation that history is being written.