The atmosphere this time was more conservative than in the 1950s, partially due to Park Chung-hee's dictatorship.
Examples include Jang huibin ( 장희빈 1961), Naesi ( 내시, 'Eunuch' 1968) or Women of Yi Dynasty ( 이조 여인잔혹사, Ijo yeoinjanhoksa 1969). Sageuk successes of the 1960s were adaptations of works that had previously been successful in other art forms, for example as radio plays, theatrical plays, changgeuk operas or novels. The need for historical films was boosted by the success of such works as Lee Gyu-hwan's Chunhyang adaption (1955), Kim Ki-young's Yangsan Province or Jeon Chang-geun's Gojong hwangjewa uisa An Jung-geun (King Gojong and martyr An Jung-Geun 1959). The period from the 1950s to the 1980s are considered the heyday of Chungmuro, or the Korean Hollywood, when more than 100 films were produced annually. In 1956, Wangja Hodonggwa Nangnang gongju ( 왕자호동과 낙랑공주) adapted the story of Prince Hodong and the Princess of Nakrang, Korea's very own Romeo and Juliet tale. These stories usually preferred the period of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, factual details of which were scarce, thus attention to historical factual accuracy could be avoided. Since these stories focused on human nature, human fate and feelings, actual historical backgrounds were irrelevant. The roots of this can be traced back to theatres: grand changgeuks, or folk operas, had been popular, so much so, that they began to be adapted to film. Īfter the Korean war, romanticism was the ruling school of 1950s historical movies in South Korea, often focusing on female characters. After the second world war ended, filmmakers rather celebrated independence and did not make historical pieces. Many filmmakers fled the country, those remaining had to join the pro-Japanese camp. From 1940, the number of Korean films declined, due to the Japanese colonialist policies forbidding films other than propaganda movies. Some cinematic milestones are also related to it, for example Lee Myeong-woo's Chunhyangcheon ( 춘향전) in 1935 was the first Korean sound film. The story of Chunhyang is a popular element of Korean folklore, recurring in Korean cinema, as well, having produced more than a dozen adaptations both in films and television series.
The first film which can be regarded a sageuk was The Story of Chun-hyang, directed by Japanese filmmaker Koshu Hayakawa (早川孤舟) in 1923.
Popular themes of sageuk include elements from Korean folklore and mythology, famous or notorious princes, kings, national heroes and famous women.įilm still from The Story of Chun-hyang (1923). Some of the significant works from this period are Hur Jun, Damo, Dae Jang Geum and Queen Seondeok.
The 2000s saw the birth of the "fusion sageuk" genre, which changed the historical series genre in South Korea. The 1990s were dominated by contemporary dramas with regards to popularity and viewership ratings, despite having produced a number of quality sageuk. The characteristic series of the 1980s was Joseonwangjo 500 nyeon ('500 Years of Joseon').
In the 1970s, in contrast to the previous decade, historical TV series portrayed national heroes like Yi Sun-shin or Sejong the Great. The first television series, a sageuk, of South Korea aired on state channel KBS in 1962, titled Gukto malli.
As of 2016 June, the highest grossing South Korean film is also a historical drama: The Admiral: Roaring Currents. From the 2000s, sageuk films started flourishing, between 20 Korean cinema produced five sageuk that broke the 10 million viewership record. From the 1990s, Im Kwon-taek's movies, as well as The Legend of Gingko and The Eternal Empire are significant works. In the 1970s, due to the popularity of television, cinema started to decline, and in the 1980s it encountered a crisis, which prompted filmmakers to try to win viewers back with erotic pieces. In the 1960s, historical melodramas were significant, as well as martial arts films. The heyday of Korean cinema began in the 1950s and lasted until the 1980s, with many sageuk films released, like Lee Gyu-hwan's Chunhyang adaptation in 1955. The first Korean sound film was also sageuk. The first known historical film, The Story of Chun-hyang filmed in 1923, was directed by a Japanese filmmaker. In North Korea, South Korean historical dramas are generally called 고전 영화 ( Hanja: 古典 映畫, RR: Gojeon Yeonghwa) or classic film. In English language literature sageuk usually refers to historical films and television series (of South Korea).