[History through films] Korea’s turbulent politics of 1970s depicted in ‘Kingmaker’

The 1970s is an important era in South Korea's contemporary history, a turbulent time that shaped the country's politics.

Set in the 1960s and 1970s, director Byun Sung-hyun's “Kingmaker” follows a group of politicians who attempt to replace the dictatorship with a democracy.

Kim Woon-beom (played by Sol Kyung-gu) is an opposition party politician who dreams of becoming a president, despite having failed in four consecutive parliamentary elections.

He comes across naturalized North Korean Seo Chang-dae (played by Lee Sun-kyun), who offers to help him achieve his goal. Woon-beom is chosen as his party's presidential candidate for the 1971 election through Chang-dae’s smart, strategic moves behind the scene.

But as Woon-beom's political star rises, Chang-dae’s complaints grow and so does his desire to distinguish himself by abandoning his nickname “shadow.”

The friction in the relationship between the two men as they clash over ethical and moral values is the highlight of the film.

The 123-minute running time is filled with realistic scenes depicting the politics of 1970s Korea. Byun achieves this by inserting presidential candidates’ campaign speeches, scenes at the voting stations and news on black-and-white television.

“Kingmaker” is based on real historical events, with Kim Woon-beom, a politician of principle and an idealist, inspired by the late former president Kim Dae-jung, who would eventually become the country’s eighth president in 1998. Seo Chang-dae was inspired by Um Chang-rok, a political strategist and a relatively lesser-known figure in Korean politics.

Lee’s portrayal of Chang-dae, a character mix of fictional elements, was well-delivered and his portrayal of the slick schemer resonates with the audience, throwing the question, "Can the use of unjust methods be justified to achieve a just goal?"

Byun, who is known for his stylish mise-en-scene, created using different lights and colors for each character’s backdrop, intentionally shoots Woon-beom and Chang-dae with different lighting -- Woon-beom in bright light to illustrate his good intentions and Chang-dae in darker tones.

“Kingmaker” is available on Tving, Wavve and YouTube.

The article is the third installment of the eight-part series that looks into Korea’s modern and contemporary history through films released between 2000 and 2020. -- Ed.