12.12: The Day


12.12: The Day is a 2023 South Korean historical drama film directed by Kim Sung-su, starring Hwang Jung-min, Jung Woo-sung, Lee Sung-min, Park Hae-joon and Kim Sung-kyun. The film is set against the backdrop of the December 12, 1979, military coup from the late 1970s to early 1980s. It was released theatrically on November 22, 2023.
The film grossed $97 million worldwide against a $17 million budget, becoming the highest-grossing South Korean film of 2023 and the fourth-highest-grossing South Korean film of all time. It was also selected as the South Korean entry for the Best International Feature Film category for the 97th Academy Awards.

Plot

On the night of October 26, 1979, following the sudden assassination of Park Chung-hee, military leaders, high-ranking government officials, and unit commanders across South Korea are urgently summoned to Army Headquarters. Among them is Major General Lee Tae-shin, who arrives confused and unaware of the unfolding crisis. Soon after, Prime Minister Choi Han-kyu announces the president's death and, as acting president, declares martial law across the country. General Jung Sang-ho is appointed martial law commander and orders an investigation into the assassination, placing Major General Chun Doo-gwang, head of the Defense Security Command, in charge of the probe.
As the official government structure falters due to the power vacuum at the top, Chun begins to consolidate power. He manipulates the investigation, sidelines government officials, and misappropriates state funds. Tensions rise between Chun and Jung, who begins to suspect Chun's intentions. Jung warns against military interference in politics and attempts to counterbalance Chun's growing influence by appointing the principled and apolitical Lee Tae-shin as commander of the Capital Defense Command. Although reluctant, Lee accepts the post out of a sense of duty. Chun, seeing Jung as a threat, secretly plots to remove him by falsely accusing him of being complicit in the president's assassination.
Chun gathers loyal members of the secretive Hanahoe faction, including longtime ally Major General Roh Tae-gun. They conspire to arrest General Jung on fabricated charges, setting their coup in motion for December 12. On the day of the plot, Chun deceives government officials and mobilizes units under Hanahoe's influence to abduct Jung from his residence. Despite fierce resistance and a shootout that injures Jung's aides, Chun's forces succeed in capturing him. Meanwhile, Lee Tae-shin begins to uncover the scale of the coup and rushes to his command to respond.
Lee initiates a counteroffensive by ordering loyal units to block bridges and entry points into Seoul. Though Chun tries to legitimize the coup by obtaining presidential approval, acting president Choi refuses to authorize Jung's arrest without proper procedure. Tensions escalate further when Lee threatens to shell the rebel-held 30th Security Group unless they surrender. Chun's men panic, but at the last moment, Defense Minister Oh Guk-sang, who had been hiding, arrives and orders Lee's dismissal, effectively ending the standoff.
With Lee removed, the tide turns. His forces are disbanded, and Chun regains control. Lee, refusing to back down, approaches Chun alone but is arrested. The Hanahoe faction celebrates their success while the loyalist leaders are tortured or detained. Chun ultimately receives the president's retroactive approval for the coup, securing his path to power.

Production

Background

Director Kim Sung-su revealed at a press conference that he was a senior in high school at the time of the Coup d'état of December Twelfth and was living in Hannam-dong, Seoul, where the incident occurred. He left his house and was walking around the neighborhood, and when he heard a gunshot from the Army Chief of Staff's official residence, he attempted to approach it but was unable to because soldiers almost fully prevented access to the residence. He was scared because he heard gunshots all night and he couldn't approach the official residence, but his curiosity was piqued because he couldn’t get answers to what had happened, and that curiosity ultimately led him to make the film.
The scenes set at the headquarters of the Korean Army were shot at the headquarters of Kyungpook National University in Daegu, North Gyeongsang.
In the film, pseudonyms are used instead of the real persons' names and, although it is based on real events, the film fictionalizes some elements of the story.

Filming

Principal photography began in February 2022 and ended in July 2022.

Reception

Box office

, 12.12: The Day has grossed $34.2 million and sold 4.66 million tickets. It became the biggest film of 2023 in Korea, when it grossed $90.5 million by end of December 2023. By the end of February 2024, it has grossed over $97 million.

Public response

The film is set in the 1980s, but the Korean audience consisted mostly of younger people rather than middle-aged people. Younger viewers even took a heart rate challenge, where people would check their heart rate using their smartwatches while watching the movie, then screenshot it and upload it on social media to show their heightened stress or righteous anger while watching the film.
In Korea, a result of the popularity of the film was an increased interest in other films with a historical bent, such as 5th Republic, which focuses on the Korean Coup d'état of December Twelfth.

Critical response

A review for Screen Daily said that the film was "also entirely accessible to viewers with little knowledge of South Korean politics." "It's not often that a movie that's both so historically accurate and entertaining comes around, which makes 12.12 especially laudable," wrote The Escapist. Other reviews praised the production.

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