A Single Spark

In the 1980s, Kim Yeong-su, a law school graduate with a history of militant activity, lives in hiding in Seoul while he starts writing the biography of Jeon Tae-il. He uses the project to stay productive and keep his mind focused under pressure. He also holds secret conversations with his wife, Shin Jeong-soon, who is pregnant, about their future.

Shin Jeong-soon, pregnant and determined, begins efforts to form a trade union at her workplace. She faces resistance and the threat of disciplinary action from her employers. Her actions connect to the broader struggle explored in the biography Kim Yeong-su is compiling.

Kim Yeong-su reaches out to Jeon Tae-il's mother and travels around the city to interview Tae-il's friends and former colleagues. He collects testimonies that form the backbone of the biography and illuminate the conditions that spurred Tae-il's activism. The interviews give the project a vivid, ground-level perspective on labor abuses.

Over months, Yeong-su conducts clandestine interviews with activists and workers, gathering details about working hours, abuses, and the social climate. The material is woven into the book, highlighting the jump between the present and the past timelines. The color timeline thus gains its depth and nuance.

Jeon Tae-il moves from selling umbrellas to securing a job at a garment factory in The Peace Market. He witnesses long hours, unpaid overtime, and harsh conditions that reveal systemic abuse in the industry. His early experiences spark a determination to learn the laws that could protect workers.

From his father, Tae-il learns that labor rights exist in law but are not enforced. He starts researching these laws and uses his findings to push for fair treatment at work. He even buys cakes for colleagues who cannot afford proper meals.

Tae-il shares his research with other workers, and they form an activist group called The Fool's Association. They challenge managers and demand compliance with labor laws. The group becomes a catalyst for organized worker action at the market.

Tae-il compiles a formal report for the Ministry of Labour detailing widespread violations. The ministry promises to look into the issues, giving workers a glimmer of progress. Tae-il urges his colleagues to rest, but he is fired from the factory, pushing him toward other forms of activism.

After being fired, Tae-il is sent to a road construction project where the work is just as hard and exploitation remains. He cannot ignore the plight of his fellow workers and decides to return to advocacy for garment workers. He reengages with the protest movement and continues pressing the Ministry for change.

Tae-il meets a journalist who needs concrete facts, so he interviews more workers to document pay, hours, lack of benefits, and dangerous conditions. The exposé published by the journalist draws Ministry attention. A summit with workers, owners, and the Ministry yields promises but reveals limited commitment.

Inspired by student protests, garment workers stage protests in the streets as they await promised reforms. The protests gain momentum but are met with hesitation and repression by authorities. The workers realize that sustained action is required to force change.

Facing persistent abuses and minimal reform, the workers decide to publicly burn a copy of the labour laws to demand real accountability. Tae-il helps organize the bold stance and rallies his colleagues behind the radical plan. The act signals a turning point in the workers' struggle against the system.

Jeon Tae-il douses himself with petrol, lights the book of labour laws, and runs through the street shouting that they are not machines. His sacrifice becomes a powerful symbol for workers' rights and a catalyst for later activism. The tragedy exposes the extremity of abuse and galvanizes the movement.

In the present-day timeline, Kim Yeong-su walks through the former Peace Market and encounters a young man who resembles Tae-il. The young man holds a copy of The Life and Death of Jeon Tae-il by Yeong-su, suggesting that Tae-il's story continues to resonate. The two timelines converge in a quiet, hopeful moment.