Directed by Jong-woo Kim, Shin-Wan Kim, Chul-Young Cho
South Korea | 2026 | Documentary | 71 min | Korean w/ subtitles
Sponsored by CCTV Center for Media + Democracy
Saturday, October 24 | 4:45 PM | FH
On December 3, 2024, South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, accusing the Democratic Party of collaborating with North Korean “communists.” Police vehicles and soldiers blocked the National Assembly, preventing members of parliament from opening a session and repealing the decree, forcing opposition lawmakers to gain entry into the building by any means they could to cast their vote. A riveting feat of editing and journalism, The Seoul Guardians takes you through that night as it unfolded on the streets and inside the National Assembly chamber, with citizens, soldiers, journalists, and parliamentarians navigating a volatile situation as the entire country teetered on the brink of chaos. The Seoul Guardians plays like a war film, or even a disaster film, with helicopters buzzing overhead, a phalanx of troops flooding the streets, and masses of citizens erecting barricades to halt the siege of armed loyalists. This urgent and gripping film provides a galvanizing example of a motivated resistance thwarting a would-be right-wing autocrat. ~OO