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| ▲ This photo provided by Plus M Entertainment shows a scene from "12.12: The Day." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Dec. 4 (Yonhap) -- Tuesday night's declaration of martial law and its swift repeal have brought renewed focus to the film "12.12: The Day," also known as "Seoul’s Spring," which depicts the Dec. 12 military coup.
Calls for a theatrical re-release of the film have been growing, with many drawing parallels between the movie's narrative and the recent political turbulence. Social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) are flooded with posts criticizing the martial law declaration, many quoting iconic scenes and lines from the film.
One viral post featured a clip of Jeon Dugwang (played by Hwang Jung-min), a character inspired by former President Chun Doo-hwan, scolding his co-conspirators during a coup meeting, declaring, “If we fail, it’s treason. If we succeed, it’s a revolution.” The post questioned whether 12.12: The Day was a documentary rather than a fictional film, garnering over 8,000 likes and 2,000 retweets.
Another user shared the film’s ending scene, where the coup leaders take a triumphant group photo, adding, “I never thought I’d experience 12.12: The Day in real life.” This post has similarly received nearly 10,000 likes.
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| ▲ A moviegoer walks past the poster of film "12.12: The Day" in a local cinema in Seoul. (Yonhap) |
Parody posters demanding a theatrical re-release of the film have also surfaced online.
The movie has surged in popularity on streaming services. On the film app WatchaPedia’s “Hot Rankings,” which ranks films based on user searches, 12.12: The Day jumped to 18th place, despite not being ranked previously.
Directed by Kim Sung-soo, 12.12: The Day portrays the intense seven hours of conflict between Jeon Dugwang, who stages a coup with his military allies, and Lee Taeshin (played by Jung Woo-sung), the commander of the Capital Defense Command resisting the uprising.
The film, released in November last year, drew an audience of 13 million and recently won Best Film at the 45th Blue Dragon Film Awards.
Calls for its re-release reflect not only its cultural impact but also public concern over political instability in contemporary Korea.
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