Documentary backdrop image for Dark Beginnings (2026)

Documentary backdrop image for Dark Beginnings (2026)

2026121 minPG-13documentary

Dark Beginnings

2026121 minPG-13documentary

In December 2024, South Korea's political landscape fractured under emergency martial law, revealing deep societal divisions marked by extreme hatred and violence.

Genres

Director

Synopsis

In December 2024, South Korea's political landscape fractured under emergency martial law, revealing deep societal divisions marked by extreme hatred and violence.

People

Mun Jeong-hyun

Mun Jeong-hyundirector

Mun Jeong-hyun

Mun Jeong-hyunwriter

Kim Young-sikcast

Park Soo-namcast

Synopsis

In December 2024, the 20th President of the Republic of Korea declared emergency martial law. Korean society has once again split into left and right, engaging in extreme hatred and violence. I wanted to explore this sentiment of hatred that is pervasive throughout our society.

Comments

What are people saying?

Play More Like This

Inside North Korea: The Next Leader (2020)

Inside North Korea: The Next Leader

2020•44m•★6.8TMDB

Over 70 years of dynastic rule by the Kim family shapes North Korea's leadership and influences potential successors to Kim Jong-un.

Inside North Korea: The Next Leader

1950-1953: The Forgotten Horrors Of The Korean War (2024)

1950-1953: The Forgotten Horrors Of The Korean War

In the summer of 1950, Korea becomes a battleground as the United States and the Soviet Union engage in a proxy conflict during the early Cold War.

1950-1953: The Forgotten Horrors Of The Korean War

The Korean War: No Peace in Sight? (2025)

The Korean War: No Peace in Sight?

Korea remains divided into two opposing states, with senior officials from North and South Korea, the United States, Russia, and China discussing the ongoing conflict and prospects for reunification.

The Korean War: No Peace in Sight?

North Vs South Korea: A Hundred Years of War (2025)

North Vs South Korea: A Hundred Years of War

The ongoing division of Korea into North and South highlights stark societal differences, personal stories, and the looming threat of nuclear conflict as tensions rise.

North Vs South Korea: A Hundred Years of War

Seoul: The Bloody Back And Forth Battle For South Korea's Capital | Battlezone (2023)

Seoul: The Bloody Back And Forth Battle For South Korea's Capital | Battlezone

Seoul was captured four times during the Korean War, facing destruction and significant civilian suffering from June 1950 to January 1951.

Seoul: The Bloody Back And Forth Battle For South Korea's Capital | Battlezone

What Happened At The Outbreak Of The Korean War? | Battlezone (2023)

What Happened At The Outbreak Of The Korean War? | Battlezone

The Korean War's outbreak is marked by the communist invasion, the defense by South Korean and United Nations forces, and the retaking of Seoul.

What Happened At The Outbreak Of The Korean War? | Battlezone

North Korea In The Age Of Trump (2020)

North Korea In The Age Of Trump

200,000 military personnel parade in Cumulus Sun Square, signaling a potential shift in North Korea's approach amid rising tensions with the United States.

North Korea In The Age Of Trump

Feminism Is Dividing This Country (2023)

Feminism Is Dividing This Country

In South Korea, men oppose feminism, impacting women's rights and political landscapes.

Feminism Is Dividing This Country

Korea: The Forgotten War (Part 1) (2023)

Korea: The Forgotten War (Part 1)

In 1950, North Korea's invasion of South Korea marked the beginning of a three-year conflict influenced by Cold War tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States.

Korea: The Forgotten War (Part 1)

Family of Fear: How the Kims Hold a Nation Hostage (2026)

Family of Fear: How the Kims Hold a Nation Hostage

North Korea's ruling Kim Dynasty employs a strategy of constant threats across three generations, shaping the nation's geopolitical landscape and global relations.

Family of Fear: How the Kims Hold a Nation Hostage

Explore Dark Beginnings

Cast & Crew FAQ

Browse more like this

Inside North Korea: The Next Leader (2020)

Inside North Korea: The Next Leader

2020•44m•★6.8TMDB

Over 70 years of dynastic rule by the Kim family shapes North Korea's leadership and influences potential successors to Kim Jong-un.

Inside North Korea: The Next Leader

No digital watch option in your country

The Korean War: No Peace in Sight? (2025)

The Korean War: No Peace in Sight?

Korea remains divided into two opposing states, with senior officials from North and South Korea, the United States, Russia, and China discussing the ongoing conflict and prospects for reunification.

The Korean War: No Peace in Sight?

No digital watch option in your country

North Vs South Korea: A Hundred Years of War (2025)

North Vs South Korea: A Hundred Years of War

The ongoing division of Korea into North and South highlights stark societal differences, personal stories, and the looming threat of nuclear conflict as tensions rise.

North Vs South Korea: A Hundred Years of War

No digital watch option in your country

Family of Fear: How the Kims Hold a Nation Hostage (2026)

Family of Fear: How the Kims Hold a Nation Hostage

North Korea's ruling Kim Dynasty employs a strategy of constant threats across three generations, shaping the nation's geopolitical landscape and global relations.

Family of Fear: How the Kims Hold a Nation Hostage

No digital watch option in your country

Our President (2017)

Our President

2017•1h49m•★7.9TMDB

In 2002, South Korea's Democratic Party held a plebiscite for the presidential nomination for the first time, leading to Roh Moo-hyun's unexpected rise as a frontrunner.

Kim Dae Jung Must Not Die (2024)

Kim Dae Jung Must Not Die

2024•2h6m•★8.2TMDB

Four parliamentary elections and three presidential campaigns marked Kim Dae Jung's struggle for democracy in South Korea, culminating in his presidency in 1997.

Kim Dae Jung Must Not Die

This is the President (2023)

This is the President

2023•1h55m•★8.7TMDB

Five years of Moon Jae-in's presidency in South Korea are marked by his passive leadership style, including moments spent gardening at the Blue House.

This is the President

North Korea: Dark Secrets (2018)

North Korea: Dark Secrets

2018•1h24m•★6.5TMDB

Three generations of the Kim regime have pursued nuclear ambitions while the North Korean people faced famine, labor camps, and public executions.

North Korea: Dark Secrets

The Birth of Korea (2024)

The Birth of Korea

2024•1h41m•★4.0TMDB

Syngman Rhee, South Korea's first president, played a crucial role in founding the Republic of Korea, amid ongoing discussions about his controversial legacy.

The Birth of Korea

Ran 12.3 (2026)

Ran 12.3

2026•1h37m•★9.0TMDB

An unexpected declaration of martial law in South Korea leads to a tense confrontation between special forces and civilians defending the National Assembly.

Search and Seizure: The Rise of Insurrection (2025)

Search and Seizure: The Rise of Insurrection

2025•1h51m•★7.8TMDB

In 2023, South Korea's Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office raided Newstapa, an investigative outlet, amid rising political prosecutions of journalists.

Search and Seizure: The Rise of Insurrection

The Korean War: Fire and Ice (1999)

The Korean War: Fire and Ice

1999•2h56m•★6.5TMDB

Over two million casualties resulted from the Korean War, which lasted from 1950 to 1953 and involved significant military engagement under the United Nations.

The Korean War: Fire and Ice

Browse more by Mun Jeong-hyun

View all films →

Grandmother's Flower (2009)

Grandmother's Flower

2009

All that saves us (2025)

All that saves us

2025

Repatriation (2004)

Repatriation

2004

Fluid Boundaries (2016)

Fluid Boundaries

2016

Is this your film?

If you made this film or hold the rights to it, we'd like to talk. We can license it and pay you a share of what it earns.

License it with us →