Documentary Captures Unlikely Solidarity at Winter Solstice Rally

By Lee Minji

SEOUL, May 19 (Yonhap) -- In South Korea, "dongji" or winter solstice, is the longest night of the year when people share bowls of red bean porridge soup as they wait for nights to become shorter and days to become longer.

On the night of dongji two years ago, farmers and young women in their 20s and 30s gathered near Namtaeryeong, a remote hill that sits between Seoul and Gyeonggi Province and is usually empty except for a lone convenience store and cars passing by.

The documentary "The Longest Night: Namtaeryeong" captures the unlikely solidarity that emerges between tractor-driving farmer activists and young women equipped with K-pop light sticks, as they rally together through a freezing winter night.

The symbolic rally, which peacefully ended after 28 hours, took place on Dec. 21, just weeks after former President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law imposition on Dec. 3.

The documentary revisits the event and the repercussions of the rally by weaving together interviews with different participants -- some who wish to remain anonymous or only known by their online identities -- and how the experience has reshaped their lives.

In recognition of how X, formerly Twitter, played a powerful role in spreading news on the rally and amassing participants, the film incorporates actual posts by young users to portray how the series of events unfolded that particular night.

The speedy edit of X posts, coupled with bubbly sounds of new messages appearing on timelines on the social media platform, helps viewers focus on the film that lasts nearly two hours.

The film begins with a young woman who took part in a series of protests, known for always bringing her "introvert" flag for fellow introverts taking part in the rallies.

It goes on to introduce other key participants, such as a young woman farmer who first wrote about how police are blocking farmer activists and another young woman who makes catchy K-pop music playlists for rallies and "What's in my bag" videos of items to bring to protests.

At the other side of these tech-savvy, mostly young female participants are farmer activists who have rallied for decades on agricultural issues, but know little about terms like "feminism" and "non-binary."

As they rally together through a freezing night, chanting slogans and dancing, with K-pop songs like Girls' Generation "Into the New World" and aespa's "Whiplash" blaring in the background, they form an unlikely bond that continues beyond Namtaeryeong.

In the course of the event, the documentary also sheds light on a myriad of people who take part in the rally, such as Korean residents living abroad who rent a "heating bus" for rally goers to stay warm, taxi drivers who drop off people seeking to join the protest free of charge and delivery workers who deliver food to the hungry protesters in the middle of the night.

It also shows how the rally transforms into a plaza for social discussions, as an array of participants speak up about social issues affecting them, ranging from sexual violence to property scams.

The latter part of the film follows how the new-born bond between the farmer activists and the young female protesters transcend their age and areas of interest.

They call each other "dongji," which also means comrade in Korea, and learn to understand each other and stand up for social issues -- even if it does not necessarily impact their lives.

"I hoped Namtaeryeong would not simply remain as a beautiful memory but become an attitude that we should have," director Kim Hyun-ji said in a press conference during the Jeonju International Film Festival, where the documentary premiered.

"The Longest Night: Namtaeryeong" hits local theaters on Wednesday.