Newstapa

Witnesses 2026 presents two short documentaries produced by Newstapa. Defiance: The Refusal to Kill traces the legacy of state violence committed under South Korea's first martial law after the 1948 Yeosu–Suncheon Uprising. Through the memories and belongings of survivors and bereaved families, it restores a forgotten history. Living with Invisible People follows Yuseon, who spends her days drawing the "invisible people" that haunt her small room, accusing, threatening, and gradually consuming her everyday life.

In 1992, KIM Bok-dong, reported herself as a victim of the sexual slavery, "comfort women" during World War Ⅱ. She wanted to receive the proper apology from the Japan government but they denied its responsibility. In 2011, commemorating the 1000th Wednesday demonstration, Statue of Peace was installed in front of the Embassy of Japan. The fight over Japan confronts a new stage.

Public Broadcasting has changed over the last ten years and now it is on the wrong track.

The 100 years of history of the Chosun Ilbo and the Dong-A Ilbo show that wrong press can be a social weapon.

YU Wooseong who had been working as a civil servant is on trial for espionage following his sibling’s confession. A reporter who has been laid off begins following the traces of a spy story manipulated by a government agency. The clues lead to a confession and false evidence that society and the press have turned their back on.

One year after the Korean War, the conflict had reached a stalemate. The two opposing forces began to search for a way to end the grueling war of attrition, eventually settling on a modest village called ‘Pan Mun Jom’ near Gaeseong as the designated site for negotiations. Despite initial hopes for a quick resolution, the negotiating parties encountered obstacles that prevented an agreement. Disputes over the military demarcation line and the repatriation of prisoners of war thwarted their efforts. The film peels back the layers to reveal the untold story of Pan Mun Jom, shedding light on a history that has remained hidden until now.

In July 1951, all the sides to the Korean War sought a ceasefire. For a ceasefire, the Allied and Communist forces began to hold talks at Naebongjang, located northeast of Kaesong. However, they only sharply opposed each other and didn't make progress in the negotiation. In October 1951, the two sides met again in the small village of Neolmun-ri below Gaeseong. They set up tents there to negotiate and named the place Panmunjom. The name Panmunjeom is a combination word of Panmun, meaning Neulmun-ri, and “Jom,” of an inn.

The Seongdong area of Seoul has been home to many small and medium-sized manufacturers. The once iconic red brick factories have given way to redevelopment, making way for galleries, cafes, and upscale restaurants. As a result, Seongdong has seen the largest increase in land rental prices in South Korea. Regrettably, this transformation also reveals a harrowing story: for the past five decades, hundreds of shoemakers have worked tirelessly for up to 18 hours a day, making shoes for wages below the minimum standard. Each day, these workers leave their homes for work, not knowing if it will mark their final day in this relentless cycle.

The story revolves around an elderly farmer tending her fields on the border between the two Koreas. Living on the other side of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), she struggles to reclaim the land that was taken from her by the local government. The aged protagonist has already experienced the heartache of losing her homeland to the ravages of war. A poignant memory from seventy years ago resurfaces - during the Korean War, American soldiers suddenly entered her village. The subsequent division of the Korean peninsula and the course of development took away everything she held dear.

The film follows the 2023 raid by the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on investigative outlet Newstapa. Director Kim Yongjin, its former head, traces a pattern of political prosecutions against critical journalists—from reports on Yoon Suk-yeol to Cho Kuk and Kim Keon-hee. Combining on-site footage, journalist testimonies, and legal records, the film reveals how special funds were used to pressure the media, silence dissent, and manipulate public opinion. It is a powerful reminder of the ongoing struggle to protect press freedom and democratic values in South Korea.

A total of 17 journalists have been fired since 2008, the beginning of LEE Myung-bak’s presidential term. They fought against the companies that they worked for succumbing to power and are now frustrated at reality where censorship of the press by authority has now become a norm. Can they continue their activities as journalists?

"Was it the President who ordered the rivers to be six meters deep?" In 2008, under President Lee Myung-bak's administration, South Korea's Four Major Rivers Restoration Project turned the country's beautiful rivers into scenes of devastation. What were once pristine first-grade waters became lifeless rivers, choked with toxic green algae emitting foul odors. Crops irrigated with this contaminated water are now served on the table of Korean people. The government disguised a grand canal project as river restoration, and the media turned a blind eye — together enabling one of the greatest environmental destructions in Korean history. The consequences of this deception will be borne by future generations. To ensure that future generations can once again run freely along the rivers, we must act—now. We must make Korea's rivers flow again.

Serial murder examines how seemingly rational choices can perpetuate inequality, challenging viewers to reconsider workplace structures and their societal implications. The Footprints of the Invisible Man Walking on the Sand explores diverse mourning processes, documenting memories, testimonies, and funerals of those for whom death is as close as life. Chores of one's own revisits a construction site 31 years later, exploring the impact of a young worker's death.

The names of the two ‘fathers’ encapsulate Korea's contemporary history. The older priest is known as ‘Father Gang’, symbolizing his fight against corrupt authority. The younger priest, on the other hand, is known as ‘Father Red’ for his advocacy of Korean reunification and for crossing the armistice line. These two figures were pivotal in challenging Park Chunghee's authoritarian regime, participating in the pro-democracy movement against military rule, advocating Lim Sukyung's visit to North Korea, protesting against U.S. military bases, addressing the Yongsan disaster, and standing up against the Jeju Gangjeong village incident. Their church provided solace to the vulnerable and marginalized.

Witnesses 2025 is an omnibus of two short documentaries. 1948, 사라진 병사들 traces the truth of the Yeosu–Suncheon Rebellion, which began on October 19, 1948, when soldiers of the 14th Regiment refused orders for the Jeju April 3rd suppression, declaring they “could not kill their own people.” 얼굴, 얼굴들 follows the life and legacy of a friend who dedicated himself to uncovering the truth behind state-sanctioned suspicious deaths.

Documentary filmmaker Sun Hobin takes a bold step into the world of investing by launching his own stock-focused YouTube channel. Riding the wave of a post-pandemic bullish market, Hobin, who has enjoyed effortless financial gains, decides to invest in shares of a company called ‘Sajo Industry’. However, this seemingly lucrative venture unravels a hidden facet of the Korean capital market, exposing Hobin to the shadowy underbelly that exists beneath the surface.

Wan-soon, a 9-year-old girl living on the island, managed to survive a massacre that took place 75 years ago. The lingering effects of this unresolved ordeal are emphasized, and the girl embarks on a journey to depict the vivid red fragments that remain in her memory, using a red colored pencil as her means of expression.

We discard our trash every day, but do we really understand where it goes? In bustling metropolitan areas, tens of thousands of pieces of waste are discarded every day, yet most of us are unaware of how these materials are handled. While some waste is carefully sorted and recycled, the vast majority is incinerated or ends up in landfills. This film delves into the hidden processes of waste management that lie beneath the surface of modern society, shedding light on the intricacies of a process that often goes unnoticed.