Sageuk (Korean: 사극; Hanja: å ²åŠ‡; listen (help·info)) in Korean
denotes historical dramas, including traditional drama plays, films or
television series. In English language literature sageuk usually
refers to historical films and television series (of South Korea).. In
North Korea, South Korean historical dramas are generally called ê³ ì
„ ì˜ í™" (å ¤å…¸ æ˜ ç•« gojeon yeonghwa) or classic film.The first
known historical film, The Story of Chun-hyang filmed in 1923, was
directed by a Japanese filmmaker. The first Korean sound film was also
sageuk. 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. In the 1960s, historical melodramas were
significant, as well as martial arts films. 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. From the 1990s, Im Gwon-taek's
movies, as well as The Legend of Gingko and The Eternal Empire are
significant works. From the 2000s, sageuk films started flourishing,
between 2012 and 2015 Korean cinema produced five sageuk that broke
the 10 million viewership record. As of 2016 June, the highest
grossing South Korean film is also a historical drama: The Admiral:
Roaring Currents.The first television series, a sageuk, of South Korea
aired on state channel KBS in 1962, titled Gukto malli. In the 1970s,
in contrast to the previous decade, historical TV series portrayed
national heroes like Yi Sun-shin or Sejong the Great. The
characteristic series of the 1980s was Joseonwangjo 500 nyeon ("500
Years of Joseon"). The 1990s were dominated by contemporary dramas
with regards to popularity and viewership ratings, despite having
produced a number of quality sageuk. The 2000s saw the birth of the
"fusion sageuk" genre, which changed the historical series genre in
South Korea. Some of the significant works from this period are Hur
Jun, Damo, Dae Jang Geum and Queen Seondeok.
denotes historical dramas, including traditional drama plays, films or
television series. In English language literature sageuk usually
refers to historical films and television series (of South Korea).. In
North Korea, South Korean historical dramas are generally called ê³ ì
„ ì˜ í™" (å ¤å…¸ æ˜ ç•« gojeon yeonghwa) or classic film.The first
known historical film, The Story of Chun-hyang filmed in 1923, was
directed by a Japanese filmmaker. The first Korean sound film was also
sageuk. 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. In the 1960s, historical melodramas were
significant, as well as martial arts films. 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. From the 1990s, Im Gwon-taek's
movies, as well as The Legend of Gingko and The Eternal Empire are
significant works. From the 2000s, sageuk films started flourishing,
between 2012 and 2015 Korean cinema produced five sageuk that broke
the 10 million viewership record. As of 2016 June, the highest
grossing South Korean film is also a historical drama: The Admiral:
Roaring Currents.The first television series, a sageuk, of South Korea
aired on state channel KBS in 1962, titled Gukto malli. In the 1970s,
in contrast to the previous decade, historical TV series portrayed
national heroes like Yi Sun-shin or Sejong the Great. The
characteristic series of the 1980s was Joseonwangjo 500 nyeon ("500
Years of Joseon"). The 1990s were dominated by contemporary dramas
with regards to popularity and viewership ratings, despite having
produced a number of quality sageuk. The 2000s saw the birth of the
"fusion sageuk" genre, which changed the historical series genre in
South Korea. Some of the significant works from this period are Hur
Jun, Damo, Dae Jang Geum and Queen Seondeok.
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