Unless viewers are already in the know, what The Seoul Guardians does is look back at a crisis that took place in South Korea on December 3, 2024, when then-President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law and attempted a self-coup. He accused the political opposition of collaborating with North Korea, and in order to prevent lawmakers from entering and voting to lift martial law, he ordered police and military forces to seal off the National Assembly.
To an outsider, this was a moment that changed how the world looked at this nation. Whether outsiders reacted with xenophobia or something much worse, there are insights to be had. Broadcast journalists turned directors Kim Jong-woo, Kim Shin-wan, and Cho Chul-young documented everything, cinéma vérité style, and what’s presented is bold. The people with the power to lift martial law were scaling walls and roofs. A quorum must be made in order to get anywhere, and when push comes to shove, that’s when this work starts to earn its wings.
As I’m not here to say what is right or wrong, all I can say is that history can be made public record, and that’s what this work does, hopefully showing the world how mistakes can be made and what humanity can do to fix itself if it’s examined properly. When footage is compiled from several sources, making the narrative work requires skillful video editing that makes the punches land where they should, perhaps turning the narrative into something more than it would be otherwise.
Many other reviewers and observers have said this recount flows like a thriller.
And being super objective must be tough. I can’t help but be reminded of the Tiananmen Square incident in Beijing. Is it the same? Both events share the high-stakes backdrop of emergency martial law declarations, citizens and students mobilizing en masse to defend democratic freedoms, and dramatic street-level standoffs against military forces. However, there are significant differences in how those two crises played out. One ended tragically with heavy casualties. In the other, no one was killed.
Both events fundamentally highlight the immense courage of ordinary citizens rushing into the streets when they feel their rights are under direct threat.
Is history doomed to repeat itself? After viewing this film, I’d say most likely. Even from a documentarian’s point of view, trying to stay objective and not be too tied to the causes, it’s still possible to lean one way more than the other. When a standoff doesn’t have the singular, photographic moment that the Chinese incident had, this work is not likely to cause the world (or even a country) to completely change overnight. But as for the resilience of democratic institutions surviving, that’s where the story is, and all I have to say is a part two is expected.
When compared to my own problems with a certain telecom company, I firmly believe the people have the right to demand change. No grandstanding is needed here. For the people of South Korea, the story is not over. It’s just begun.
3½ Stars out of 5
The Seoul Guardians Movie Trailer
