Робот Тхэквон V (1976)

Robot Taekwon V (Korean: 로보트 태권 V) is a 1976 South Korean animated science fiction film directed by Kim Cheong-gi and produced by Yu Hyun-mok. The film follows the protagonist Kim Hoon, a world champion taekwondo practitioner, as he pilots a giant mech called Taekwon V to fight against the evil antagonist Dr. Kaff and his army known as The Red Empire. Released on 24 July 1976, the film immediately gained massive success among audiences, selling 130,000 tickets on the day of its premiere, and consequently inspired a string of sequels afterwards. Robot Taekwon V also served as an important piece of political propaganda for the military regime of Park Chung Hee, conveying ideologies such as nationalism and anti-communism. In 2005, a digital restoration of the original film was released, and since then Robot Taekwon V is considered to be a landmark of the South Korean animation industry, as well as serving as a symbol of nostalgia for Koreans who grew up with the film series.