1979年10月，韩国总统朴正熙被韩国中央情报组首领金载圭枪杀事件，触发了全国的军事政变，及後发展为南韩最动盪的时期「光州事件」。MBC电视剧大作《第五共和国》就是有关当年朴总统被行刺，以及将军全斗焕发动军事政变而令第十届总统崔圭夏下台的因由，剧中还涉及民主党与军人政府的权力竞争。以《第五共和国》为题，内容更讲述第11届总统全斗焕成立新宪法民主政府，至1988年汉城奥运会的开幕，至後来由直接选举选出的第13届总统卢泰愚解为人知的幕後一面。

在筹备的期间，编剧除了在史实与剧情之间取得平衡之外，剧组工作人员更在韩国政府的干预下，千辛万苦才完成拍摄，官方甚至威胁剧组必须修改剧本，否则控告电视台。剧中由《女人天下》的李德华扮演全斗焕，亦成为一时佳话。

這部電視劇用重建和資料畫面相結合的手法，敘述自1979年10月26日朴正熙被暗殺到1988年2月25日盧泰愚就任總統為止的韓國歷史。如同劇名，劇中大部分描述的是韓國的第五共和國時期（即全斗煥擔任總統時期）的事件。

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.

제5공화국의 흥망성쇠를 생생하게 다룬 본격 정치 드라마. 1979년 10·26 사건부터 12·12 쿠데타, 5·17 쿠데타, 1980년 광주 민주화 운동, 제5공화국, 1987년 6월 항쟁, 6·29 선언, 제6공화국의 성립, 김영삼 정권 당시 전두환·노태우 구속수감, 그리고 대한민국 제15대 대통령 선거 당시 전두환·노태우 특별사면까지 다뤘다.