Series synopsis
5th Republic, also known as 제5공화국 is a South Korean drama television series that premiered on MBC on April 23, 2005. It ended on September 11, 2005. It was created by 林泰佑. It stars Lee Duck-hwa, Seo In-seok, Lee Jae-yong and Lee Jeong-kil.
5th Republic is a controversial political drama about the Fifth Republic of South Korea, one of the most turbulent times in modern Korean history. The 41-episode television series covered the key aspects of the period from President Park Chung-hee's assassination to general Chun Doo-hwan's military coup and his bloody rise to power, as well as the ensuing conflicts between the pro-democratic movement and Chun's military regime and the behind-the-scenes power struggles that ultimately led to Roh ...
Premise
5th Republic is a controversial political drama about the Fifth Republic of South Korea, one of the most turbulent times in modern Korean history. The 41-episode television series covered the key aspects of the period from President Park Chung-hee's assassination to general Chun Doo-hwan's military coup and his bloody rise to power, as well as the ensuing conflicts between the pro-democratic movement and Chun's military regime and the behind-the-scenes power struggles that ultimately led to Roh Tae-woo's presidential succession in 1987.
Given the sensitive nature of the subject matter, 5th Republic tread a fine line between fact and fiction, and faced many challenges even before the start of the production - one of which was pressures from actual political figures who threatened to sue the network for defamation if the script was not modified. Moreover, there was concern over the possible glorification of the drama's lead character Chun Doo-hwan played by Lee Deok-hwa whose strong charisma helped draw in big audience during the drama's initial broadcast on MBC in 2005.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Lee Duck-hwa as Chun Doo-hwan
- Seo In-seok as Roh Tae-woo
- Lee Jae-yong as Lee Hak-bong
- Lee Jeong-kil as Kim Jong-pil
- Kim Yong-geon as Kim Young-sam
- Song Ok-suk as Kim Ok-sook
- Kim Yeong-ran as Rhee Soon-ja
- Kim Byeong-gi as No Shin-young
Supporting cast
- Jung Ho-keun as Cha Ji-chul
- Park Young-ji as Yoo Hak-sung
- Kim Ki-hyeon as Jang Tae-wan
Guest cast
- Lee Chang-hwan as Park Chung-hee
- Kim Hyeong-il as Kim Jae-gyu
Episodes
This series spans 1 season with 41 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 41 | April 23, 2005 | September 11, 2005 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Shot of Destiny on October 26th (I) | April 23, 2005 |
| 2 | Episode 2 | April 24, 2005 |
| 3 | Episode 3 | April 30, 2005 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | MBC |
|---|---|
| First aired | April 23, 2005 |
| Last aired | September 11, 2005 |
| Runtime | 50 minutes |
| Status | Ended |