IPTV viewership of the military coup film "12.12: The Day" shot up by 1,200 percent after President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration, data showed Wednesday.

A total of 1,261 views via IPTV services, such as SK Btv, LG UPlus tv, Genie TV, were counted for Dec. 4, the day after Yoon’s martial law declaration, according to the Korean Film Council (Kofic)'s integrated computer network for the online box office on Wednesday.


The number was 1,200 percent higher than the 97 views counted on Dec. 3, the night that martial law was declared.

The film also climbed up 20 spots on Kofic's online box office chart, standing at No. 3 on Dec. 4. The previous day it was No. 23. It is currently standing at No. 4 as of Wednesday.

The film’s number of views has showed a steady increase since Dec. 4, with 1,000 views on Dec. 5, 1,395 on Dec. 6 and 1,893 on Dec. 7. It is generally rare for a film to return to the online box office's top rankings more than a year after its initial release.

The film was released on Nov. 22, 2023. It shares its high ranking with recent films such as “I, The Executioner,” “Love in the Big City,” and “Amazon Bullseye,” all of which premiered this year.

The film also entered Netflix’s Top 10 list in Korea at No. 2, as of Wednesday. It was not on the list during the previous week from Nov. 25 to Dec. 1.

“12.12: The Day” follows nine hours on Dec. 12, 1979, when a military coup d’état broke out in Seoul. Directed by Kim Sung-su, the film features veteran actors Hwang Jung-min and Jung Woo-sung.

The film garnered more than 13 million moviegoers, ranking No. 9 on the all-time box office chart for cumulative viewers in Korea for all films. It recently won Best Picture at the 45th Blue Dragon Film Awards on Nov. 30.

Yoon declared emergency martial law to eradicate “antistate forces” on Dec. 3. After the declaration, 190 lawmakers gathered at the National Assembly to vote on a motion to lift it. The motion was passed unanimously by lawmakers. Six hours after Yoon’s declaration, the Cabinet approved the motion, ending martial law.

A vote to impeach the president was held on Saturday, which was later dismissed in the National Assembly. A total of 195 ballots were cast, five short of the 200 needed to open counting. The secret ballot vote did not stand, as presidential impeachment requires two-thirds of all lawmakers, or 200 out of 300, to pass.

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]