12.12 The Day is a Korean movie adaptation of a true story. The synopsis of 12.12 The Day focuses on the 12.12 Military Uprising, which took place on December 12, 1979 in Seoul. At the time, Major General Chun Doo-hwan, who was the Commander of the Defense Security Command, took action without the approval of Acting President Choi Kyu-hah.
He issued an order to arrest General Jeong Seung-hwa, who served as Chief of Staff of the ROK Army. This action was taken due to allegations that he was involved in the assassination of former President Park Chung-hee. The story was later adapted into a movie and starred Hwang Jung-min, Jung Woo-sung, Lee Sung-min, and Park Hae-joon.
1. 12.12 The Day Synopsis
The movie “12.12 The Day” was inspired by real events that took place in 1979, when a military coup shook South Korea after the assassination of President Park Chung-hee. In December 1979, Seoul experienced extreme cold weather.
After the tragic incident of the president’s assassination, martial law was imposed. Chun Doo-kwang (Hwang Jung-min), who is the Commander of the Defense Security Command as well as the founder of the secret military club Hanahoe, leads the 12.12 Military Uprising along with a group of officers who support him.
Chun Do-kwang’s coup d’état was opposed by Capital Defense Commander Lee Tae-shin (Jung Woo-sung), who is known as a stubborn soldier but sticks to his principles. Chun Doo-gwang issued an order to arrest a general without first asking permission from the president.
However, Lee Tae-shin rejected the decision, arguing that the military should not be involved in political affairs. Tae-shin also fought against Doo-gwang to stop the action.
Tensions between the two sides escalated further when military leaders started taking charge. The situation in the country became increasingly chaotic, especially after the death of the Minister of Defense. Conditions in South Korea at the time became very unstable and tense.
Star-studded, here’s a complete list of the cast for one of South Korea’s best movies:
- Hwang Jung-min as Jeon Doo-gwang
- Jung Woo-sung as Lee Tae-shin
- Lee Sung-min as Jeong Sang-ho (Chief of Staff)
- Kim Sung-kyun as Kim Jun-yeop (Military Police Inspector)
- Park Hae-joon as Noh Tae-goon (9th Division Commander)
- Kim Eui-sung as Oh Guk-sang (Minister of National Defense)
- Jung Dong-hwan as Choi Han-gyu (President)
- Ahn Nae-sang as Han Young-gyu (1st Corps Commander)
- Jung Hae-in as Oh Jin-ho (Special Forces Major)
2. South Korea’s representative at the 2025 Oscars
The film 12.12 The Day won the Daesang trophy at the Baeksang Arts Awards, a prestigious film award event in South Korea. The movie will also represent South Korea at the 2025 Oscars. In addition, 12.12 The Day recently dominated the 2024 Blue Dragon Awards with Exhuma.
12.12 The Day officially aired in South Korea on November 22, 2023 and managed to sell more than 13.1 million tickets. With these numbers, the movie is now the sixth highest grossing Korean film of all time.
With a historical-action genre, the film is under the direction of Kim Sung-su, who is previously known for his works such as City of the Rising Sun (1998), Please Teach Me English (2003), The Flu (2013), and Asura: The City of Madness (2016).
In this project, several South Korean filmmakers contributed, including music director Lee Jae-jin, cinematographer Lee Mogae, and editor Kim Sang-beom. The cast includes Hwang Jung-min, Jung Woo-sung, Lee Sung-min, Park Hae-joon, and Kim Sung-kyun.
The movie, also known as Spring in Seoul, was produced by Hive Media Corp and distributed by Megabox Plus M. The total duration of the movie is 2 hours and 21 minutes.
If you haven’t seen the movie yet, 12.12 The Day is now available on iQIYI and Vidio.
