[News Terms] The '12·12 Military Coup' Highlighted by the 'Seoul Spring'

The film ＜Seoul Spring＞, which deals with the 12·12 Military Coup (12·12 Incident), is drawing attention to the historical event and its background as it approaches 2 million cumulative viewers just five days after its theatrical release.

The 12·12 Military Coup refers to the military rebellion led by the new military faction centered around the secret military organization 'Hanhwae' within the military, led by former Presidents Jeon Du-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, on December 12, 1979.

At the time, Jeon Du-hwan, the commander of the Security Command who was in charge of the Joint Investigation Headquarters for the October 26 Incident in which President Park Chung-hee was assassinated, claimed that Army Chief of Staff and Martial Law Commander Jeong Seung-hwa had received money from Kim Jae-kyu, forcibly detained him, and took control of the army command. Although Capital Defense Commander Jang Tae-wan and Special Forces Commander Jeong Byeong-ju resisted against the new military faction, then-President Choi Kyu-hah approved Jeong Seung-hwa’s detention after the fact, handing over all leadership to Jeon Du-hwan.

Movie 'Seoul's Spring' Poster [Photo by Plus M Enter]

After the military coup succeeded, the new military faction declared martial law, controlled the media, suspended democratic governance, and attempted to revert to military rule. Many citizens and politicians launched resistance movements, and on May 17, 1980, martial law was expanded nationwide. This led to the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement that began the following day.

The new military faction quickly consolidated power. On May 24, those involved in Park Chung-hee’s assassination, including Kim Jae-kyu, were executed by summary trial following the Supreme Court’s final ruling. In August, President Choi Kyu-hah resigned under pressure from the new military faction. Jeon Du-hwan was promoted to general, then director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and inaugurated as the 12th president in March 1981. Roh Tae-woo also rose to key positions such as general and Minister of the Interior, with many new military faction members involved in the coup occupying important posts.

After assuming the presidency, Jeon Du-hwan enforced media consolidation and the Samcheong education campaign, continuing his authoritarian rule. The cover-up and fabrication of the death of soldier Park Jong-cheol triggered the June Democracy Movement, leading to the acceptance of a direct presidential election constitutional amendment in the June 29 Declaration. However, the failure of candidate unification between Kim Young-sam and Kim Dae-jung resulted in the next administration passing to Jeon’s successor, Roh Tae-woo.

Until early 1993, during Roh Tae-woo’s presidency, the 12·12 Military Coup was justified by the ruling powers, but it was only under the Kim Young-sam civilian government that it was defined as a coup d’?tat caused by insubordination. In 1995, Jeon Du-hwan and Roh Tae-woo were indicted for participating in the military coup and bribery, sentenced to prison and fined in 1997, but were granted a special pardon on December 22 of the same year. Both passed away in 2021 due to old age and chronic illnesses, respectively.

The film ＜Seoul Spring＞ focuses on the intense nine hours on December 12, 1979, when South Korea’s history changed, and is the first film inspired by the 12·12 Military Coup. Actor Hwang Jung-min plays Jeon Du-gwang, the Security Command commander plotting the coup, and actor Jung Woo-sung plays Lee Tae-shin, the Capital Defense Commander trying to stop it. The film has been praised for its fast-paced depiction of the tense confrontation between the rebel and suppression forces, with appearances closely resembling the real figures.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.