Film screening

From Coup to Classroom: Viewing the South Korean film "12.12: The Day (Sŏul-ui pom)"

Date

Saturday 10 May 2025

Address

TBD

This event explores how a pivotal moment in South Korean history continues to shape the country’s political culture and public memory. It features faculty from the BA Korean Studies program discussing 12.12: The Day (Sŏul-ui pom), a powerful dramatization of the military coup that took place on December 12, 1979.

This coup, orchestrated by General Chun Doo-hwan, brought South Korea’s brief democratic opening — the so-called “Seoul Spring” — to an abrupt end and ushered in a new period of authoritarian rule. In light of recent developments, including President Yoon Suk-yeol’s controversial declaration of martial law on December 3 of last year, the film raises urgent questions about democratic backsliding, civil-military relations, and the legacy of authoritarianism in contemporary Korea. Faculty will demonstrate how the BA Korean Studies program engages students in analyzing such developments through interdisciplinary perspectives — combining history, diplomacy, politics, society, and culture. The session is structured as an academic event but especially intended to inform prospective students and their families about the intellectual foundations and career pathways that the Korean Studies degree enables.