Sales company Asian Shadows has acquired international rights to South Korean documentary “The Seoul Guardians,” directed by MBC journalists Jong Woo Kim, Shin Wan Kim and Chul Young Cho.
The feature-length documentary will have its world premiere at the 55th International Film Festival Rotterdam.
“The Seoul Guardians” chronicles six tense hours inside and outside South Korea’s National Assembly following the declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024. The film captures the dramatic events as citizens, lawmakers, soldiers and police officers converged on the Assembly, with memories of the 1980 Gwangju Democratic Uprising resurfacing amid the chaos.
At 10:28 p.m. on Dec. 3, 2024, then-President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, accusing the Democratic Party of collaborating with North Korean communists. The decree banned all political activities and public assemblies, with martial law troops moving to seize control of the National Assembly. Citizens rushed to block the troops while lawmakers broke through barricades and scaled walls to reach the chamber for voting.
Journalists from MBC’s “PD Notebook” program, including director Jong Woo Kim, immediately headed to the National Assembly after hearing the news. The film documents how citizens, journalists, YouTubers, lawmakers and aides spontaneously blocked the troops’ advance, invoking memories of the Gwangju Democratic Uprising 45 years earlier.
President Yoon was subsequently impeached, and Lee Jae Myung became South Korea’s new President.
The documentary is produced by Sona Jo and Shin Wan Kim for MBC (Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation), one of South Korea’s leading television and radio broadcasters. Jo’s recent credits include “Free Chol Soo Lee,” which won the 2024 Emmy Award for Outstanding Historical Documentary.
The film was written and edited by NYC-based editor Stacy Kim and co-director Chul Young Cho. Kim is a former senior editor at Vice Media.
Co-director Jong Woo Kim has created nonfiction television programs and documentaries at MBC, including the “Meeting You” series, which won the ABU Documentary Award. Co-director Shin Wan Kim has primarily produced talk shows and current-affairs documentaries, with focus on education issues. Co-director Chul Young Cho has produced nature documentaries and current-affairs programming, with credits including “Bear,” which won an award at the Houston International Film Festival.
“‘The Seoul Guardians’ is one of a kind film,” said Maria Ruggieri, head of sales and acquisitions at Asian Shadows. “When we discovered it, we were captivated by its depiction of the tension and the chaos that follow the declaration of martial law in Seoul and by the reaction of common citizens rushing to the National Assembly to allow the democratic law to be protected. This film allows us to observe the Seoul Guardians in action while guarding the soul of the country from the consequences of a martial law, and it shares with us the fear and the danger we are living in these times of worldwide uncertainties. We are proud to represent the first feature length film by journalists-turned-directors Jong Woo Kim, Shin Wan Kim, Chul Young Cho, who didn’t hesitate to take the camera that night and to film history in progress.”
Founded in 2014, Hong Kong-based Asian Shadows represents documentaries focusing on social and historical issues. The company’s slate includes works by Wang Bing, Soda Kazuhiro and Wang Xiaoshuai, among others.