The Seoul Guardians
On the night of December 3, 2024, South Korea pushed back against its own president. The Seoul Guardians puts you on the streets and inside the National Assembly chamber as it happened.
Director Chul-Young Cho scheduled to attend.
Tickets
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Saturday, May 9, 2026
- Limited Availability
- On Standby
- Matinee
Sunday, May 10, 2026
- Limited Availability
- On Standby
- Matinee
When South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law on the night of December 3, 2024, accusing the opposition of collaborating with North Korean communists, the country pushed back. Fast. The Seoul Guardians takes you into that night as it unfolded: on the streets, inside the National Assembly chamber, beside citizens, soldiers, journalists, and parliamentarians all navigating the same volatile hours in real time. Behind that resolve was a living memory, the Gwangju Massacre, and the film draws on that history to show how citizen resistance, military restraint, and the preservation of civil order can converge to shape a nation's future. The editing is precise and purposeful, showing what was at stake without breaking the tension of the night itself. Together, it amounts to more than a technical achievement: it is a close examination of a pivotal moment in democratic history, one that will matter long after the news cycle has moved on. If you care about what real democracy looks like when it's tested, this one is not to be missed.
—Shailaja Rao
- Director: Jong-woo Kim, Shin-Wan Kim, Chul-Young Cho
- Premiere Status: US
- Country: South Korea
- Year: 2026
- Running Time: 71 min.
- Producer: Sona Jo, Shin-Wan Kim
- Screenplay: Stacy Kim, Chul-Young Cho
- Cinematographers: Myung-Kyoon Kim, Sun-Young Lee, Yoon-Mi Cho, Min-Je Jeon, Jong-Woo Kim
- Editors: Stacy Kim, Chul-young Cho
- Music: Yeon-Su Jang, Eun-Taek Chung, Hyun-Seung Lee
- Website: Official Film Website
- Awards: Rotterdam International Film Festival 2026 (NETPAC Jury Special Mention)
- Filmography: Jong-woo Kim: Debut Feature Film; Shin-Wan Kim: No one can stop the parents (2024); Chul-Young Cho: Debut Feature Film
- Language: Korean
- Has Subtitles: Yes
- International Sales: Asian Shadows
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