U are the true seonbae of k-dramas! Why not write an editorial only about older korean dramas? I think it would…
OMG! That's such a cool presentation! I was actually about to write in that one forum (https://kisskh.at/discussions/community-tasks/29624-mdl-writers-article-ideas-discussion?page=161) to ask if my idea pitches are good, I'm still contemplating the exact title, topic and all. Maybe I'll start writing in the next 1 or 2 days... either way I'm excited, and that ppt is going to be starred! Thank you so so much!
As someone who knows the salespeople stories and the companies they worked for well, heres to me hoping that everything is represented properly like it was and that theyre accurate! As Kim Sung Ryung and Park Sun Young were both young people in their 20s-30s during the 90s, they might be able to really bring it how it was. Ill look forward to this!
Oh Choi Eun Hee was HOT. That body doesnt come with the dress, ma'am!
Kang Sun Hee was an absolute cutie too. Almsot looking too innocent to be a prostitute. Would have loved to see her more in here... but shes the one that gets the happy ending. So who cares haha
U are the true seonbae of k-dramas! Why not write an editorial only about older korean dramas? I think it would…
Haha I wish I could! I also think I'm pretty good at writing, butI have never done an editorial or an article before, and I'm sadly not very familiar with the formatting and formal requirements on here. I have found a few pages, but ultimately, where even *is* the "Submit Article" button? Hahaha. But thank you so much for your encouraging words!
I wish I could write an editorial about K-dramas that came out in one year in the 90s - I feel like every year had at least 2 break-out hit dramas that gave us the foundation of the kdrama industry today. You could literally name me a yeara nd I could give you 3-4 Kdramas that are special from that year. But I know way too less about the j-drama and c-drama worlds to also include them like in these ones.... How sad...
If I had to choose one year, how abaout 2009- 2012? There's something very nostalgiac about dramas from those years.
I've noticed the average number of movies the elder actors have listed are up to 16, sometimes more, a year prior…
I don't think they loved working in the industry... it was still a very wild west atmosphere. About child actors back then, most of them were the sole providers for their mostly poor families. Especially in the years aftr the war when every oppurtunity to make money was precious. Once they became teenagers, they could play children and adults (ew but what can we do), were in their "prime years" (again ew), and they were basically guaranteed a stable adult acting career.
This specific case... this actress, Jo Mi Ryung, was born in 1929 in Masan, North Kyungsan Province. She debuted in a theatre troup at age 8 (!!!!), but her movie debut happened in her mid-20s. She's not necessarily a child actress, but she's from the countryside, which means one movie of hers could earn her family more than they could in a year. So I am not surprised she felt responsible to feed the family and work as much as she could. It is sad indeed, but it's the 50s-60s. She lived through the war. She's seen things.
Her life story is pretty interesting, actually. Her debut movie, "Hae Yeon", was the first movie to be made in an independent, post-War Korea. She was basically Korea's first heroine. She was 18. As she continued in movies, she was said to be one of the few actors that could match up to the popularity of the leading ladies of the 60s, Choi Eun Hee and Kim Ji Mi (who have really crazy life stories too), especially in war and post-war films where she portrayed the innocent, simple country girl as opposed to Choi Eun Hee and Kim Ji Mi's more western, city girl, glamourous roles that were popular.
Her first husband was producer Lee Cheol Hak who produced the above listed "Arirang" and "Chunhyang jeon" (funnily enough, his name means "philosophy" in Korean) but he died of a heart attack. She fell in love with a Korean-American soldier who was stationed in Korea with the US Army, but was sued for adultery by his wife who found out they were living together but not married.
(military guys and cheating. Ugh. Name a more obvious combo)
He divorced his wife in 1968, she retired in 1969, married him and moved to Hawaii to live with him. She runs an antiquities shop there, although she returned to movies in 1981 once but hasn't done anything since. She is still alive at 95 years and in 2015 they screened the movie once more where she was present at the screening - I wonder how many people in her circles know of her past?
I hope you enjoy! You dont need to watch all the dramas I mentioned, and obviously there are WAY more genres. It's a whole decade, and the three broadcast stations made SURE that "their " talents (the official name for drama actors in the 90s, different from movie actors, that change only happened in the late 2000s) become as succesful as possible.
For example, Horror dramas were especially beloved during summers, it seems (don't even ask me why idk but it was just the way it was), so "M" starring THE mid 90s it girl Shim Eun Ha is a big hit in that genre.
Oh, and a LOT of dramas gave us IRL actor couples that we know and love today. "Love In Your Arms" is probably the benchmark "rich boi in love with poor girl" Kdrama - to the point where all the tropes in that one sound so corny because we are so used to them. But back then though, it was a novelty, and Cha In Pyo, who rose to fame after the first episode, not only bagged trophies, but also a lovely wife!
Yep, 2015 is new to me as well, since I started watching dramas at around 2005?BTW, I gotta admit, that 90's are…
Oh great! Buckle UP because there's a lot.
First thing I would recommend is the 500 Years Of Joseon Series. It's a traditional sageuk, so it strictly portrays the lives of the Kings and Queens and important figures of the Joseon Dynasty. Many actors and actresses we love today, such as Jeon In Hwa ("Queen Inhyeon"), Choi Soo Jong ("Lady Hyekyung's Memoirs") and Kim Hee Ae ("King Of Chudong Palace", "Dae Won Gun") got their big breaks/hits through this series. Here is a list for all the installments : https://kisskh.at/list/4q6rgJQ1
If you're through with that hell of a history lesson, I think another must is "Tears Of The Dragon" (https://kisskh.at/9135-tears-of-the-dragon). It has often been praised for it's quality and historical accuracy. Plus it is probably Yoo Dong Geun's biggest drama to date.
KBS in general is the home of Dae Ha Sa Geuk, or "traditional epic tales". Here's a list of all Daeha sageuks in KBS History (that are available on MDL) : https://kisskh.at/list/1XzGQwb3
After that, you can check out various other adaptations of popular stories, such as 1993 Jang Hee Bin played by Kim Hye Soo or the 1995 Jang Hee Bin with Lim Won Hee (https://kisskh.at/12182-jang-hee-bin). There's also the 1995 version of Jang Nok Soo with Yoo Dong Geun (https://kisskh.at/43739-jang-nok-soo).
Yep, 2015 is new to me as well, since I started watching dramas at around 2005?BTW, I gotta admit, that 90's are…
I can give some! What's your type of drama? Family, comedy, "teen drama", sageuk... the 90s kdramas really have it all (except english subs. LMAO). I would say, if you want to do a "time travel", 1993-1997 are absolutely goated years for K-dramas.
Every year had at least two dramas that crossed 50% ratings and had some sort of cultural impact. 1991 had "What Is Love" and 1992 had "Jealousy", but 1993-1997 is where SBS jumped into the game and started doing some really great dramas.
And all our favourite middle-aged kdrama actors and actresses were the it-boys and it-girl "talents" (drama actors/entertainers) in that era. It is so fascinating to see their humble beginnings and the things they went through to be the sunbaes they are today.
Yep, 2015 is new to me as well, since I started watching dramas at around 2005?BTW, I gotta admit, that 90's are…
Sandglass is an absolute GOATed K-drama! It must be available with subs somewhere, because it's raw and unsubbed on YouTube. The Last Match was more of the "trend" kind of craze than a truly quality story. It's also raw on YT.
MBC was the final boss for more youth-oriented dramas back then and pioneered the 16-episode length of the k-drama we know today, they called it "miniseries". Daily dramas like "Love Blooming On A Tree" or "High Schooler Diaries" used to go for years and years, family dramas like "Sons And Daughters" were more than 50 episodes long, and sageuks were longer than that.
KBS used to do 1 day specials and long sageuks, such as the 500 Years Of Joseon series or more contemporary historical pieces like "Eyes Of Dawn", or "Years Of Ambition". They also launched a lot of actors while MBC gave them more popularity and employment. SBS was formed in 1991, so they only started to pick up between 1994-95. "Sandglass" was their defining hit drama and they haven't managed to top that yet.
Talking about 90s dramas, some names one should have heard are :
- What Is Love, 1991 family drama that has the 3rd highest ratings in history and really set the golden standards on scriptwriting, portrayal of relationships, comedy, and a family-friendly portrayal of society.
- Star In Your Heart, being the absolute Hallyu monster it is.
- Jeon Won Diary, which ran for 22 years and portrayed the countryside life as a means to connect the city people with the countryside people. It ran from 84 to 2002.
- Eyes Of Dawn, another masterpiece about the Korean War and it's effects on the people.
- Tears Of The Dragon. THE sageuk of the 90s.
There are a lot more recommendations I can make, but imma just leave this here, if you need recs, hit me up!
Saw someone watching this on the train and damn, THIS BRINGS BACK MEMORIES! My first ever South Korean drama back…
Right!! Almost a love quadrangle, even, with that teacher/sunbae of Ha Kyung's joining in. Lee Eung Kyung as the "side girl" was such a funny choice considering she got to play such roles a lot more in the future. Choi Soo Jong and Choi Jin Shil's chemistry was off the damn charts. They really sold us that fantasy that we could fall in love with our best friends LMAOOO
Adding some more : - The Way This Man Lives (1994) - Yoo Dong Geun and Jeon In Hwa (married) - President (2010) - Choi Soo Jong and Ha Hee Ra (married) - In The Name Of Love (1996) - Son Ji Chang and Oh Yeon Soo (married)
Kang Sun Hee was an absolute cutie too. Almsot looking too innocent to be a prostitute. Would have loved to see her more in here... but shes the one that gets the happy ending. So who cares haha
If I had to choose one year, how abaout 2009- 2012? There's something very nostalgiac about dramas from those years.
This specific case... this actress, Jo Mi Ryung, was born in 1929 in Masan, North Kyungsan Province. She debuted in a theatre troup at age 8 (!!!!), but her movie debut happened in her mid-20s. She's not necessarily a child actress, but she's from the countryside, which means one movie of hers could earn her family more than they could in a year. So I am not surprised she felt responsible to feed the family and work as much as she could. It is sad indeed, but it's the 50s-60s. She lived through the war. She's seen things.
Her life story is pretty interesting, actually. Her debut movie, "Hae Yeon", was the first movie to be made in an independent, post-War Korea. She was basically Korea's first heroine. She was 18. As she continued in movies, she was said to be one of the few actors that could match up to the popularity of the leading ladies of the 60s, Choi Eun Hee and Kim Ji Mi (who have really crazy life stories too), especially in war and post-war films where she portrayed the innocent, simple country girl as opposed to Choi Eun Hee and Kim Ji Mi's more western, city girl, glamourous roles that were popular.
Her first husband was producer Lee Cheol Hak who produced the above listed "Arirang" and "Chunhyang jeon" (funnily enough, his name means "philosophy" in Korean) but he died of a heart attack. She fell in love with a Korean-American soldier who was stationed in Korea with the US Army, but was sued for adultery by his wife who found out they were living together but not married.
(military guys and cheating. Ugh. Name a more obvious combo)
He divorced his wife in 1968, she retired in 1969, married him and moved to Hawaii to live with him. She runs an antiquities shop there, although she returned to movies in 1981 once but hasn't done anything since. She is still alive at 95 years and in 2015 they screened the movie once more where she was present at the screening - I wonder how many people in her circles know of her past?
I hope you enjoy! You dont need to watch all the dramas I mentioned, and obviously there are WAY more genres. It's a whole decade, and the three broadcast stations made SURE that "their " talents (the official name for drama actors in the 90s, different from movie actors, that change only happened in the late 2000s) become as succesful as possible.
For example, Horror dramas were especially beloved during summers, it seems (don't even ask me why idk but it was just the way it was), so "M" starring THE mid 90s it girl Shim Eun Ha is a big hit in that genre.
Oh, and a LOT of dramas gave us IRL actor couples that we know and love today. "Love In Your Arms" is probably the benchmark "rich boi in love with poor girl" Kdrama - to the point where all the tropes in that one sound so corny because we are so used to them. But back then though, it was a novelty, and Cha In Pyo, who rose to fame after the first episode, not only bagged trophies, but also a lovely wife!
First thing I would recommend is the 500 Years Of Joseon Series. It's a traditional sageuk, so it strictly portrays the lives of the Kings and Queens and important figures of the Joseon Dynasty. Many actors and actresses we love today, such as Jeon In Hwa ("Queen Inhyeon"), Choi Soo Jong ("Lady Hyekyung's Memoirs") and Kim Hee Ae ("King Of Chudong Palace", "Dae Won Gun") got their big breaks/hits through this series. Here is a list for all the installments : https://kisskh.at/list/4q6rgJQ1
If you're through with that hell of a history lesson, I think another must is "Tears Of The Dragon" (https://kisskh.at/9135-tears-of-the-dragon). It has often been praised for it's quality and historical accuracy. Plus it is probably Yoo Dong Geun's biggest drama to date.
KBS in general is the home of Dae Ha Sa Geuk, or "traditional epic tales". Here's a list of all Daeha sageuks in KBS History (that are available on MDL) : https://kisskh.at/list/1XzGQwb3
After that, you can check out various other adaptations of popular stories, such as 1993 Jang Hee Bin played by Kim Hye Soo or the 1995 Jang Hee Bin with Lim Won Hee (https://kisskh.at/12182-jang-hee-bin). There's also the 1995 version of Jang Nok Soo with Yoo Dong Geun (https://kisskh.at/43739-jang-nok-soo).
You can also check writer Lim Chung's dramas (https://kisskh.at/list/4KoggJE4), who has written a lot of sageuks.
I hope that's enough lmao!
Every year had at least two dramas that crossed 50% ratings and had some sort of cultural impact. 1991 had "What Is Love" and 1992 had "Jealousy", but 1993-1997 is where SBS jumped into the game and started doing some really great dramas.
And all our favourite middle-aged kdrama actors and actresses were the it-boys and it-girl "talents" (drama actors/entertainers) in that era. It is so fascinating to see their humble beginnings and the things they went through to be the sunbaes they are today.
MBC was the final boss for more youth-oriented dramas back then and pioneered the 16-episode length of the k-drama we know today, they called it "miniseries". Daily dramas like "Love Blooming On A Tree" or "High Schooler Diaries" used to go for years and years, family dramas like "Sons And Daughters" were more than 50 episodes long, and sageuks were longer than that.
KBS used to do 1 day specials and long sageuks, such as the 500 Years Of Joseon series or more contemporary historical pieces like "Eyes Of Dawn", or "Years Of Ambition". They also launched a lot of actors while MBC gave them more popularity and employment. SBS was formed in 1991, so they only started to pick up between 1994-95. "Sandglass" was their defining hit drama and they haven't managed to top that yet.
Talking about 90s dramas, some names one should have heard are :
- What Is Love, 1991 family drama that has the 3rd highest ratings in history and really set the golden standards on scriptwriting, portrayal of relationships, comedy, and a family-friendly portrayal of society.
- Star In Your Heart, being the absolute Hallyu monster it is.
- Jeon Won Diary, which ran for 22 years and portrayed the countryside life as a means to connect the city people with the countryside people. It ran from 84 to 2002.
- Eyes Of Dawn, another masterpiece about the Korean War and it's effects on the people.
- Tears Of The Dragon. THE sageuk of the 90s.
There are a lot more recommendations I can make, but imma just leave this here, if you need recs, hit me up!
- The Way This Man Lives (1994) - Yoo Dong Geun and Jeon In Hwa (married)
- President (2010) - Choi Soo Jong and Ha Hee Ra (married)
- In The Name Of Love (1996) - Son Ji Chang and Oh Yeon Soo (married)