Production
Production
Production
Sales & Festivals
SYNOPSIS
At 10:28 p.m. on December 3rd, 2024, in Seoul, the President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol declares the martial law. It is a self-coup carried out in an attempt to break through a political crisis. A decree banning all political activities and public assemblies is announced, and martial law troops move toward the National Assembly to seize control. Meanwhile, citizens rush to the National Assembly to block the troops, while lawmakers break through police’s barricades at the main gate, climb over the walls to attend the session that lifts the martial law. Large numbers of elite troops are deployed by helicopter and armored vehicles, launching a sudden assault on the National Assembly building. People begin to block the troops’ advance, instinctively invoking the memory of the Gwangju Democratic Uprising 45 years earlier—one of the deepest traumas in South Korea’s history.
FESTIVALS
- International Film Festival Rotterdam 2026
Official Selection - Harbour Section
- Docville International Documentary Filmfestival in Leuven Topic Competition
- Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival World Showcase - Audience Award Competition
Bill Nemtin Award for the Best Social Impact Documentary Competition
- Udine Far East Film Festival
Audience Award Competition
White Mulberry Award Competition for Best Debut Film
- Jeonju International Film Festival
Korea Cinema Jin Motors Documentary Award Competition
AWARDS
- International Film Festival Rotterdam 2026
NETPAC Award Special Mention
DOWNLOAD
Press kit
CREDITS
Writer & Editor
Directors
Cinematographers
Assistant Director
DI
Sound Design
Music
Produced by
Production Company
International Sales
Stacy KIM
Chul Young CHO
Jong Woo KIM
Shin Wan KIM
Chul Young CHO
Myung Kyoon KIM
Sun Young LEE
Yoon Mi CHO
Min Je JEON
Jong Woo KIM
Jeong Min SEO
Do Hyun LEE
HyoungHee KIM (DVcat)
EunHa KO
Yeon Su JANG
Eun Taek CHUNG
Hyun Seung LEE
Sona JO
Shin Wan KIM
MBC
ASIAN SHADOWS
PRESS
"The Seoul Guardians" is a crucial document that demands to be seen by all who love democracy.
- Saskia Wigbold, Vandaagen Morgen
A film that is a necessary act in itself, and which functions as a wake-up call on the fragility of democratic systems around the world.
- Giampiero Raganelli, QUINLAN
“The Seoul Guardians” is exceptional in all aspects and definitely one of the best documentaries (and films) of the year.
- Panos Kotzathanasis, Asian Movie Pulse
“The NETPAC jury jumped out of the common regulations and decided to give, next to the main prize, also a JURY SPECIAL MENTION because we couldn’t resist acknowledging officially one precious film that we feel everybody should watch. The JURY SPECIAL MENTION goes to an intense and gripping film, with a tight, masterfully edited narrative depicting urgent topics of democracy and solidarity- themes relevant on a global scale. The Special Mention goes to the powerful South Korean documentary: The Seoul Guardians by three directors Kim Jong-Woo, Kim Shin-Wan, and Cho Chul-Young.”
- NETPAC Jury, NETPAC AWARD