History of Korean television drama

Korean television drama, sometimes known as "K-Drama", refers to Korean-language television shows of the drama genre produced in South Korea.

Korean drama began in May 1956 with the film Death Row Prisoner, directed by Choi-Chang Bong. The genre rose in popularity through the 1960s and 70s with the growth of Korean broadcasting companies, and began showing on colour television in 1981.

In the 1990s and 2000s, youth-oriented, soap-opera style Korean dramas took hold, and pushed the Korean drama genre into the international sphere. They have since contributed to the worldwide spread of Korean culture, known as the "Korean Wave".

Start of Korean drama in 1956

HLKZ-TV drama script

In May 1956, commercial broadcasting company HLKZ-TV opened. Its first film was Death Row Prisoner, directed by Choi Chang Bong, which was based on Holwash Hall's story.

1960s Korean drama

And with the opening of KBS-TV at the end of December 1961, television dramas began to gain momentum. In the early 60s, single-act dramas such as "Friday Theater" and "Continuous Historical Drama" were aired, and daily soap operas were the main ones entering the late 60s.

The most popular drama in the '60s was Sajikgol Old West Room, which aired in 1967, and the first daily soap opera was Snowfall by Dongyang TV in 1968. Meanwhile, The Frog Husband, which aired on MBC in 1969, caused a social stir for the first time in the nation's drama history, based on an affair.

And, Yuho, who is also known as the lyricist of the wise man's song "Moon of Silla," has earned fame as a first-generation drama writer. In 1945, at the age of 25, he began writing radio dramas at Gyeongseong Broadcasting Station, and he also had great success as a drama writer, starting with the TBC drama "First Snow" which opened in 1961. Double-income couples and "You're Here in Straw Century" gained explosive popularity, and the broadcasting station even organized a soap opera called "Yuho Theater" named after the writer.

The drama written by Yoo-ho became a hot topic right after the show aired, and the broadcaster invited viewers to the front of the TV every time, so the broadcaster took him to the point where he provided a car in addition to the manuscript fee and full-time fee. In the 1960s, Yoo-ho showed off his powerful power in the drama industry, calling it "TBC itself."

Another writer of the '60s was Hanunsa. Having made his debut as a full-time writer in 1957 after serving as a novelist and reporter, he quickly became the center of a CBS drama. Starting with the first TV daily drama, It's Snowing, Hello, Seoul, etc., the 60s and 70s were the "era of Hanunsa."

He has shown an outstanding ability as a screenwriter as well as a TV drama. With his work such as To Do This Life, Hyunhae-tan Knows, South and North Red Mahura, and Three Narutors, he has established a solid position across TV and movies.

1970s Korean drama

Tongyang Broadcasting Company logo

In 1972, TBC had a huge impact on the drama industry in the '70s through a work called Yeoro. And in the 70s, the increase in broadcasting companies led to competition among the three broadcasting stations - KBS, TBC, and MBC - to produce dramas. Entering the 70s, three broadcasters—KBS, TBC, and MBC—competed in soap operas.

Broadcast on TBC from 1970, "Ah-SSI" depicts a typical Korean female figure who lives at the expense of herself for her family, with the turbulent period of history ranging from the 1910s to the 70s as the backdrop of the times. In addition, "Yeoro," which aired on KBS in 1972, ran a popular road, drawing sympathy from viewers, with its silly but pure protagonist, frugal marital love and the pain of separated families. Other major dramas in the 70s include "The Investigation Team Leader," "Jang Hee-bin" and "Hometown of Legend."

And in 1971, the drama 'The Investigation Team Leader' was also very popular at that time. "The Investigation Team Leader," which began airing in March 1971, aired a total of 880 episodes until its end in October 1989. The writers alone went through Kim Jung-hwan, Yoon Dae-sung, Shin Myung-soon, Lee Sang-Hyun and Park Chan-sung, while the directors also started with Heo Gyu, followed by Park Chul, Yoo Heung-Ryul, Lee Yeon-Heon, Ko Seok-man and Choi Jong-soo. "The Investigation Team Leader," which began airing in March 1971, aired a total of 880 episodes until its end in October 1989. The writers alone went through Kim Jung-hwan, Yoon Dae-sung, Shin Myung-soon, Lee Sang-Hyun, and Park Chan-sung, while the directors also started with Heo Gyu, followed by Park Chul, Yoo Heung-Ryul, Lee Yeon-Heon, Ko Seok-man, and Choi Jong-soo.

1980s Korean drama

On December 1, 1980, South Korea became the 81st country in the world to open the era of color TV broadcasting. Show programs with colorful stages have sprung up and the genre of dramas has expanded as the amount of outdoor filming has increased. The most popular actresses of the '80s were Won Mi-kyung, Lee Mi-sook, Hwang Shin-hye, Choi Myung-gil and Jang Mi-hee. Even in the 1980s, the work of Kim Soo-Hyun, an undisputedly popular writer, also topped the rating list.

In that time, the best star writer was Kim Soo-Hyun. In 1984, she achieved her heyday with nearly 80% viewer ratings with the drama "Love and Truth," which depicts the fate of her reversed sisters, and once again showed off his potential to write myths with "Love and Ambition" in 1987. It is at this time that the brand "Kim Soo-Hyun Drama" is clearly engraved in the head of the general public.

Sand Castle, which was broadcast in 1988, was an unprecedented hit. "Sanding," an eight-part affair starring Park Geun-Hyung, Kim Hye-ja and Kim Chung-Eun, was a filial work that strengthened the Kim Soo-Hyun era with explosive support from female viewers. After the announcement of the cancellation of the game broadcast during the Olympics, the MBC Drama Bureau received a flurry of protest calls, which eventually led to a normal broadcast.

Kim Soo-Hyun's power was so strong that she was able to penetrate the sky, but rival star writers were born one after another. The main character was definitely Na Yeon-sook. Na Yeon-sook, who gained fame as "Kim Soo-hyun's Rival" in the 1980s, quickly emerged as a hit writer of the time, writing KBS' "Daldongne" and "Normal People."

Among them, none other than KBS 2TV's "Time of Ambition," which aired in 1989. The drama starred Lee Myung-bak in a former president of Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co., boasted huge popularity, together in front of the male viewers TV. Thanks to the drama, Lee Myung-bak is called 'The 9-to-5' and lawmakers, market, and served as president for 15 years. Yu In-chon, who starred in the drama also in charge of the Minister of Culture Lee Myung-bak administration.

Kim Jung-soo, famous for MBC's MBCAll-Won Diary, was also one of the star writers of the 1980s. Having helped turn rural drama Wonwon Diary into a national drama, she went through Winter Fog and Happy Woman to show her writing skills as a drama writer.

It also hinted at the legitimacy of the regime through the "500th Anniversary of the Joseon Dynasty" and "Nationality," and political dramas such as "The First Republic" were also aired. Popular dramas in the '80s are "ordinary people," which contain the joys and sorrows and conflicts of So Si-min through the daily lives of a family. Other popular dramas in the '80s include "Daldongne," "Love and Truth," "Jeonwon Diary" and "Three Han-bung Families."

1990s Korean drama

South Korean actor Jang Dong-gun

Popular TV dramas in the 1980s and 1990s boosted real-time water consumption, which reduced tap water usage and even vehicle operation on the road during each broadcast time. The '90s are the heyday of youth and trendy dramas. Starting with "Our Heaven," "The Last Match" and "Jealousy" have become popular, producing numerous popular stars such as Jang Dong-gun, Choi Jin-sil and Shim Eun-ha. Also, a cheerful home drama was popular. "What's Love?" "Daughter's House" and "Men in a Bathhouse" are representative works. In particular, "What's Love?" which comically depicts the story of a patriarchal, self-confessed family and a peaceful, democratic family, ranked second in viewership ever.

Sandglass, which left the famous line "Am I trembling now," became popular, portraying the gloomy 80s situation realistically. Broadcast in 1999, "The Trap of Youth" took over the small screen, portraying the story of a woman avenging a man who betrayed her. In particular, Shim Eun-ha, who plays Seo Yoon-hee, who left the famous line, "I'm going to destroy everything," which is still talked about, is considered the epitome of the villain's performance.

2000s Korean drama

In the 2000s, soap operas based on stimulated materials began to become popular. In the early and mid-2000s, dramas led the early Korean Wave. Bae Yong-joon and Choi Ji-woo, the main characters of "Winter Sonata," have sparked a Korean Wave craze in Japan and the explosive popularity of dramas has led to a 35.5 percent increase in Japanese tourists in 2004. Daejanggeum, which aired in 2003, was also exported to more than 60 countries around the world as the top contributor to the Korean Wave. Daejanggeum also had a phenomenal audience rating of over 80 percent in Iran, barren land of the Korean Wave. In the 2000s, modern movies such as "Autumn Fairy Tales," "The Little Mermaid," "All In" and "My Name is Kim Sam Soon" were also popular, while historical dramas such as "Queen Myeongseong," "Lady Incheonha" and "Jumong" were also in their prime.

And also, a series of infidelity dramas focused on individual desires appeared. Kim Hee-ae's "My Man's Woman" (2007), who turned into a lion-headed infidelity woman, and "Temptation of Wife" (2009), which gave birth to Min So-hee, who came back from her fortune-telling, have emerged as subjects that women show their desires differently than before.

Furthermore, in the 2000s, the number of viewers of foreign dramas increased and their tastes diversified. In particular, criminal investigations have become popular with the success of American dramas. In Korea, dramas such as "Byul Soon-gum," "Special Crime Scandal," "TEN," "Hit," and "Sign" have been relatively active in Korean genres, crossing cable channels and terrestrial channels. Like the drama "Hit" that actively utilizes the melodrama code and "Sign," which borrows the narratives of American dramas, melodrama and narrative dramas were evaluated as Korean-style genres. In addition, "The Ghost" and "The Chaser" have shattered viewers' hopes for a sweet story. It was notable that realistic narratives were added to the plot of the genre.

2010s Korean drama

A major feature of dramas in the 2010s is that they opened the heyday of the so-called Korean-style romance fantasy genre, combining a world of fantasy, which is far from realistic, but persuasive production, acting, and script. Compared to the previous era, male characters had excellent abilities, but they were boundlessly vulnerable to their own women, and women's characters were not necessarily protected even if they were poor according to the times, but they were more enterprising in talking about their own arguments and solving problems on their own. Just like fantasy tendencies, attempts to reinterpret subjects or characters that were difficult to see in existing romance movies such as supernatural powers, aliens, goblins, and Yoon-hoi were also notable.

Lee Min-ho, Kim Soo-hyun, Song Joong-ki, Kim Woo-bin, Park Shin-hye, and Seo Hyun-jin emerged as new drama stars representing the 2010s, while actors in their 30s and 40s, including Gong Yoo, Lee Dong-wook, Song Hye-kyo, Jun Ji-hyun, Ha Ji-won and Jang Dong-gun, also opened their second heyday through dramas. While the main targets of the Korean Wave were Japan and Southeast Asia until the 1990s and the 2000s, the Korean Wave craze began in China in the 2010s, and drama was at the center of this craze. In addition to the "Chicken and Beer" craze brought by "My Love from the Star," famous lines, famous scenes, fashion, OSTs, and major filming locations in China have caused syndromes there.

However, ignoring the assessment that it is the golden age of drama, the 2010s were the worst Dark Ages for historical period dramas, especially in the field of "Daeha Drama," called traditional historical dramas. In fact, the production of historical dramas has slowed down since the late 2000s, as major dramas dealing with the Three Kingdoms Period and Korea History suffered a series of crushing defeats in ratings and completeness. In addition, as the status of terrestrial broadcasters in the drama market decreased in the 2010s and the market environment was reorganized around the cable and general programming, the atmosphere of avoiding high-quality historical dramas began to form.

And the drama market, which was led by only three terrestrial broadcasters, has changed since the 2010s as general programming and cable channels jumped in. Wearing a televised 'Stars from you' in 2014 is a new Korean history. Japan, unlike huge popularity and profits of scale in China with the center's popularity and opened an era 'The 3.0'. Followed by 'Pinocchio' reached the highest price China was sold for $28 million (about 300 million 1127 million won) per session.

On the other hand, the multichannel era for general service and cable TV breakthroughs. Cable drama 'Reply 1997' and 'Reply 1994' is it offers nostalgic value in the 1990s and the best ratings ever. The work of the pros and cons of being green tvn 'Misaeng' receiving enthusiastic support of the office workers and caused a social sensation.

2020s Korean drama

The 2020s marked a big change in Korean dramas, also known as K-dramas. They became more popular around the world during the 2010s. This happened because of online streaming services like Netflix. They made it easy for people outside of Korea to watch these dramas. This trend continued into the 2020s with shows like Crash Landing on You, Itaewon Class, and Hospital Playlist becoming popular worldwide.

Steaming online platforms such as Netflix, Viu, and Disney Hotstar played a big part in making Korean dramas popular globally. These platforms provided convenient access to a vast library of dramas, contributing to the genre's increasing popularity worldwide. In 2020, Korean dramas started exploring new kinds of stories. They moved away from just romance and melodrama and started doing crime shows, fantasy, historical dramas, and even science fiction. This was to attract more viewers with different tastes.

In 2020, there were also more dramas with strong female characters. They challenged the old ideas about what women could do. For example, "It's Okay Not to Be Okay" had a strong female lead, Ko Moon-young, a successful children's book author with antisocial personality disorder. Moon-young, played by Seo Ye-ji, is depicted as a complex and resilient character who confronts her traumatic past while forging a deep connection with a caretaker at a psychiatric hospital. Another trend was turning popular webtoons into dramas. For example, "My ID is Gangnam Beauty" was based on a webtoon. It followed a girl who got plastic surgery to deal with bullying. She gradually learns to embrace her true self and finds empowerment through her personal growth and relationships.

Notable dramas from 2020 for example Itaewon Class, Crash Landing on You, and The World of the Married couple did really well in term of marketing success and mouth-to mouth success. They were loved by viewers and critics alike. So, the Korean government now sees Korean dramas as a big part of their culture and positioned Korean dramas as a main cultural export on the global stage.

Overall, 2020 was an exciting year for Korean dramas. They told diverse stories, had strong characters, and continued to be popular around the world, despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

2023-Present Korean drama

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, social restrictions and health fears generated changes in behavior and communication. Instead of face-to-face interaction, people used social media and text-based communication to connect through the various lockdowns or stay-at-home orders. People became aware of touching each other. People were quarantining themself from working and studying to avoid infection from others. The lockdown period caused them to stay at their living place more than hang out outside. They cause the stress from the lockdown which is loneliness from social isolation and changes in their routine, such as remote work or homeschooling, can be stressful, as well as the inability to engage in regular activities.

During the COVID-19 period, the majority of people prefer to watch social media and movies in their free time or to relieve stress. K-drama became the most popular choice among people all around the world. The K-Drama industry takes advantage of this awareness situation to create a strong identity for K-Drama by producing various types of series such as adventure, romantic comedies, and family love bonds that will appeal to a variety of fans. Furthermore, with the rise of online publishing and language subtitles, a rising number of viewers are becoming acquainted with K-Drama during the COVID-19 pandemic.

At that time, there were many Korean series that were published during the Covid-19 situation to entertain the people. For example, Happiness tells the story of the events after humans overcome the COVID-19 disease, but a mysterious germ emerges instead, causing the infected to go crazy. When normal people are locked down in an area with a large number of infected people, how can they survive in a dangerous situation? Tomorrow tells the story of the angels of death who go out to help people who are in danger. The main character is a man who has been unemployed for a long time and saved other people's lives in the world between life and death. This series gives important lessons, and have faith to fight the obstacles in life.

According to the increasing number of published online platforms, there was an increased willingness to experiment with unconventional formats and storytelling techniques. Some dramas opted for shorter episode lengths or released episodes in batches, catering to viewers' changing consumption habits and preferences. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the world together to fight a common fear in daily life, and during that time, K-dramas with meaningful messages have given something important to think about. People all around the world mostly spend their time watching K-dramas from their lockdown period till now.

K-Drama is now widely popular across all online platforms. For example, it might become a popular hashtag on numerous social networking platforms, as well as a cosmetics and fashion craze in everyday life. People are becoming more accepting of the quality of K-Drama production, which appears in each year's awards.