Lovely commentary! I think kdrama are a perfect way to package history

I think it helps that them kings are always somehow pretty hot ? (even Yeonsangun in SDQ) but I've got to say that Kdramas have made me much more interested in history... And I'm not even Korean.

SDQ is the first sageuk that I am enjoyinh thoroughly prvided that I did only try a few fusion sageuks earlier but I do think I might end up liking authentic sageuks because till date my favorite drama has been a Turkish historical. In kdramas the 1930s era is way more appealing to me than sageuks. I have always felt some sort of withdrawl while watching sageuks. Surprisingly this doesnt happen with any other country but Korea alone and I wonder why.

Sageuk ? , discovering Korean history with Six flying dragons last year was awesome !

I love historical dramas!

I've always been a history geek, I fell in love with it when I went on a school trip to a fort that was built in 1711, I couldn't stop thinking about it so I started reading about it, and its story blew me away!

I love learning and discovering about other countries' histories, too, I never start a Sageuk without reading about its era and its kings, it adds so much to the watching experience! My best Sageuks so far: Tree with Deep Roots and Six Flying Dragons!

Yes to this! Growing up, my parents would always try to convince me to watch whatever hot new sageuk was on, and I remember completing shutting them down - I mean, the makeup was always a bit off (everyone's beard was so obviously pasted on/wigs had visible demarcation lines), the pacing seemed super slow, and everyone was constantly "mama-ing" this and that...I never understood why anyone found them interesting. But then I started watching dramas on my own as an adult, and after all the hype Sungkyunkwan Scandal got, I figured that I should just take a chance and watch it...which totally changed my entire drama-watching life! I guess I should have already known that adding in historical context and details would add depth to a love story about a cross-dressing scholar, but I didn't *fully* get it until I watched it. Now, I still haven't fully transitioned to a full-on regular sageuk, but I'm not ruling it out now.

For me it's the reverse, the ones I've always watched were sageuks since the first one was Hwang Jini and it was good. It took me a long time to be able to foray into dramas set in the modern/current world. Heh. If anything I've always been a sucker for period dramas may it be Asian or non-Asian dramas. Case in point: going through 100+ episodes of the Turkish series Muhtesem Yuzyil/Magnificent Century. Watching historical series made me realise there are a number of similarities in the world no matter where a person may be. (If you think King Yeongjo's decision in putting Sado inside the rice box was too much, well Suleiman had his first-born son strangled. And his other son had his brother killed and they are not even half-siblings.)

It is true though that sageuks have changed a lot. Before, for some unexplainable reason sageuks seem to have been cut out from the same mould. Now there's a vast array of them that finding one that can really hook you from the get-go has become quite difficult.

i do love history since elementary school and my childhood was filled by watching my own country historical based drama,,so i can't find it hard for loving saeguk.
when i watch saeguk i always want to know history behind it. for example in jumong and queen seondeok, i know about three kingdom,and i want to know who was hwang jin yi,dong yi and jang hee bin,jang nok soo in history as i watched their drama adaptation,how the story about queen in hyun;king jungjong in daejang geum,king sejong invented hangul in deep rooted tree,how prince sado was executed,jang young shil invention,joseon formation in six flying dragon etc.
and my current saeguk obsession,queen seven days leads me to re-read about king jungjong' queens,,even relate it with dae jang geum which was in king jungjong era,, i know that jang geum was in queen mun jeong era,the successor of queen jang gyeong (myung hee in QSD),,
not only history that leads me loving saeguk,,i really love the hanbok used and scenery in it,?

Wow, I'm the opposite! My early days of kdramas were almost entirely sageuks, namely with Queen Seon-deok and Dong Yi. I guess it made all the difference though that it was a family thing where we all sat together and watched, because now I can't see myself watching one. I watched My Only Love Song, but there was a lot of modern slang in that and to my knowledge they played fast and loose with history, so that it doesn't seem historical so much as a modern piece set in period scenery. Also, it's a very short drama. I've tried and failed to watch 7DQ, and I don't know if I ever will, despite hearing all the good things about it. I hope one day my time of enlightenment will come too, and I can finally enjoy this genre again. Drama gods, let it be soon!

I didn't like to watch saeguk dramas before, I'd say I'd be really choosy when it came to historical drama. Before MDBC and MLSHR, I only watched Arang & Magistrate, Gu Family Book and Queen Inhyun's Man (basically fantasy dramas in historical period). But now, I think I do enjoy watching saeguk as much as other genres. I also think I learned a lot about Korean history by watching historical dramas. I'd definitely do some research about the King/Queen/Prince just to learn about their backgrounds.

I also love watching Reply series!! They're not only funny and give us some values in life, it also tells me about the things happened in that year in S.Korea. And recently, I fell in love with 1930s period drama because of Chicago Typewriter. The settings are so nice and it also gives a glimpse of history regarding Japanese occupation.

Aww I love this! Both because of the commentary about musing over one's own history as time goes on, and also because of the obvious (k-drama) loving relationship between father and daughter. That's so awesome and precious!!!

Thanks, girlfriday!

I've been a history nut since high school, and with one or two more courses could have had a minor in history to go with my double major. But I just wanted to graduate and get on with Real Life(TM). ;-)

It was actually sageuks that first grabbed my interest in Kdrama. Aside from the thrill of watching ridiculously handsome warriors hacking and slashing their way across the small screen, I'm a sucker for the idea that there are common aspects of humanity that transcend time and place. I'm also firmly convinced that uncomfortable truths are sometimes easier to deal with by analogy when they're couched as someone else's history and culture.

What has made history even more interesting to me is doing my own genealogical research. The more I learn about the times and places when/where my ancestors lived, the more interesting abstractions such as the "Highland Clearances" and the "Inclosure Acts" become.

Watching REBEL: THIEF WHO STOLE THE PEOPLE piqued my interest in Confucianism enough to make me track down and read excerpts of translations of foundation writings. Considering how profoundly the philosophy has influenced (and continues to shape) such a large part of the world and its people -- and for how long -- it behooves me to pay attention. But doing it via Kdramas is a lot more fun than reading dry text books. ;-)

How has my taste in Kdrama evolved? I started watching shows set in modern times, even mushy rom-coms. Am I a changeling? Did I get struck by lightning and somehow not notice?? Maybe it's all COFFEE PRINCE's fault. -- More likely it's attributable to discovering DramaBeans, and engaging in many a fine conversation with many a fine kindred spirit. Between the recaps and reviews, I've gotten a tremendous amount of food for thought, along with enthusiastic recommendations for dramas and films. And it tickles me to pieces to know that Kdramas have such passionate fans all around the world. Forget the United Nations. Kdrama is my kind of common ground. ;-)

Like girlfriday, I, too, have had the disconcerting experience of hearing the soundtrack of my teenage years referred to as "golden oldies." If you live long enough, it'll happen to you. You'll also get "ma'am'd" / "ahjumma'd" if you're of the female persuasion. Garans. ;-)

I learnt everything on Korea's history and historical culture from sageuks. This made me read up on real facts. It helps that I am interested in history.

Oh the folly of youth! I used to avoid it too. But learned to love it. Thanks to The Princess' Man, Queen InHyun's Man, Arang and the Magistrate, Seven Day Queen, wt al.

I love history and always have so it shouldn't surprise me that my gateway in Korean dramas wasn't BOF, Coffee Prince or Goong but rather a fusion sageuk. It didn't take me long before I was googling names to find out which characters were real and which were fictional. I don't love them all (oddly could never get into The Moon That Embraces the Sun), and I slowly dipped my toe in the 50 plus style dramas but eventually the good reviews had me giving A Jewel in the Palace a try.

I think taken with a grain of salt, entertainment can be a way to get many interested in history so love this article since it was my favorite subject in school (unlike girlfriday). I will say though I've learned not to research characters anymore; it can really ruin the viewing experience.

As a child of the 80s and 90s, I completely identify with what you said toward the end, and this was really lovely to read.

At first I had a severe allergy for sageuk. I can't watch anything with sageuk mixed into it, not even a trendy fusion or fantasy drama which I usually love. But then come Queen In-hyun's Man which technically only half-sageuk, and only reading the recaps didn't feel enough anymore. So I jumped into the wagon and decided to watch it, and I don't regret it. Since then, thankfully my allergy has been cured. I'm still not a fan of sageuk, but at least now I can enjoy it in small doses.

What a wonderful read! From someone who loves Sageuk(especially Fusion Sageuks) eversince. And same here, my main at the moment is Seven Day Queen regardless of the big possibility of a tragic ending.

I was very uninterested in historical dramas during my first year of watching too but after visiting South Korea this summer and seeing the palaces and trying on hanboks, I am suddenly very interested in watching a few and I watched Sungkyunkwan Scandal which I enjoyed but fast-forwarded through most parts not involving our Fab Four. I am now watching Seven Day Queen and really enjoying it...and now I've put a few more historicals on my watch list :D

My first foray into kdramas was Dae Jang Geum - shown on local tv. Having only known Western shows before I was mesmerised. It opened up a whole new world I didn't even know existed. I was immediately hooked.
Second series, also shown on local tv, was Coffee Prince. Never looked back since. It's been kdramas only for me since then. And what a ride!

My dad also wanted me to appreciate history but instead of watching dramas all he made me do is to do useless tasks like reading books. After experiencing volumes of pain pouring through annals of history as a child, I am still nowhere near calling myself a historian or a book critic.

Girlfriday, Your dad sounds awesome and kudos to your success!

Love this post <3

" how a series of decisions can shape a life or a country, and who the hell writes this stuff down, because how you choose to write a thing is just as important as what you write about. " so true girlfriday, so true. It's something I've always thought, who writes down the events? When I was reading the fallen series (I didn't like it much, just read it because of all the rage) , there was a sentence , "the winners write history" ; That changed my whole perspective of history...

Awww. Thank you for this lovely article, girlfriday! There's a thug in my heart when you started talking about loving history on your own, growing old, and clinging to the past.

I didn't even realized that I had this same changing tastes experience until I was midway your article! Remembering Answer Me series, fills me with lots of different emotions!

Girlfriday, you're such a f*cking good writer!!
Loved reading your commentary and now I'm this close to rewatching all eleventyfive episodes of Gaksital. So, thanks, I guess! :)

So, dads are good for more than just Dad Jokes?

I dunno if I love or hate the fact that I have grown up enough now to totally identify with what you wrote! I may not have become a compulsive sageuk watcher yet but have been extremely obsessed about history for few months now that I have been ignoring my fiction!

There was a time when fictions were my oxygen and non fiction simply did not exist to me. Now all I need is facts, history, years, how it happened, why it happened, why is it still happening and so on!

Lol sorry for the personal rant on post about dramas.

Can't wait for other posts on changing tastes!!

I'm still in that stage where I just can't get into sageuks for one reason or another. I really want too, but whenever I read about them I just can't develop enough interest to take the plunge. The only sageuk I've been able to watch (and enjoyed immensely!) was Sungkyungwan Scandal.

I really want to get into Seven Day Queen, everyone is raving about how great and well-written it is. And I'm a complete sucker for well-written scripts. However, knowing the sad/tragic outcome of the story is proving to be a huge deterrent.

My parents were addicted to Jumong so that was kind of my first taste of the power of sageuk. I think my first was Chuno, a pretty excellent start to my own addiction.

I've grown up watching historical dramas thanks to the popularity of TVB in the 90s. There was just something spectacular and gorgeous about them. When I first tried watching sageuks, I was just bored out of mind. I hated the politics, since it was never ending and didn't seem to progress much. I could watch bits and pieces of the ministers talking and get the general gist, then just skip to the parts I did enjoy. The politics just really dampened my enjoyment of sageuks because I never felt they were used effectively.

However, that was in the past. These days I feel like writers are better at incorporating politics into the drama, which has definitely been a change for the better.

My experience with sageuk changed after MLSHR!
Before MLSHR, I don't really enjoy sageuk. Something like Sungkyunkwan Scandal or Jackpot (The Royal Gambler) are just passing by. Affected by my biggest bias LJG, I enjoy watching Arang, Scholar Who Walk The Night, Joseon Gunman, The King and the Clown. And not to mention great sageuk from other actors as well, Rebel, SFD, Saimdang (despite the crappy ending).
I even start to dig old sageuk with good review like Empress Ki, Faith (not liking it tho..), Jang Yeong Sil.
My recent sageuk hook would be 7DQ and enjoying every moment watching it.

I must be into sageuk that much that when I finally got to visit South Korea, I spent the entire week looking into the palaces, museums and the historical sites. Gyeongju fascinated me the most after seeing Empress Ki's real crown. Jeonju Hanok Village was by far the most romantic with the bamboo trees where Eunuch Raon met Crown Prince Lee yeong from Moonlight Drawn Over Clouds; who could forget Moon Jae Shin's Tree from Sungkyungkwan Scandal? The magnificent palaces, they were so real that I could almost see history replaying in front of me, imagining the King, the Queen, the Prince and the Princess even the Eunuchs and the Maids, walking in their beautiful robes going on with their daily lives; all the while wearing a hanbok. Yes, it was a very memorable experience for me. Thanks to sageuk and history.

'Jewel in the palace' was my first saguek, but it wasn't until I watched 'Damo' that I got sooo curious of Korean ancient culture/rules and I read on Korean culture/history. Nowadays, I'm afraid I know more of Korean history than my own country's history >.<

I didn't appreciate history until I was older. Growing up, I watched a lot of period Chinese dramas but I didn't necessarily learn that much about actually history. When I starting watching dramas, it was rom com and then sageuks. I watched Yi San, Damo and later Dong Yi. I watched dong Yi many many times.

I can understand the fudging off history to suit a drama as extremely off putting. Even watching currently airing 7dq reminds me of watching JOj LIL. We already know the ending due to history. But nonetheless, I now like getting into the characters in any particular time period. I seem to gavitate toward Joseon period politics and royals. Lol they are look so pretty and handsome.

I hear you loud and clear, girlfriday! I love sageuks mainly because they beautifully illustrate history in a way that draws me fully into it. I fell madly in love with Faith and Gaksital and then watched Tree With Deep Roots four years ago and found myself weeping when it was over. Why, for god's sake? Because TWDR made me fall in love with an entire nation and its history...to the point that when I went to Seoul for the first time two years ago I burst into tears at the foot of the Great King Sejong's statue. I'm going back to Seoul for ten days next week (July 10-20) and am taking my best friend with me. I've gotten her hooked on k-dramas and k-pop. Where are we going first? To the feet of King Sejong, that's where! Sageuks have made me fall in love with a country's history. ALL of it.

Sageuk and period dramas has always been a favorite of mine. Come to think of it, I think most of the dramas that I watched are sageuk. Be it a serious one, or fantasy or fusion, I always gravitate towards them. I lost count already how many I have watched. I love the thrill, the politics, the suspense the beautiful clothes, the palaces, etc.
My favorites would have to be: (in no particular order)
Queen Seon Deok (Mishil is queen imho), Arang and the Magistrate (so underrated!), The Princess' Man (my absolute FAVORITE), Queen In-Hyun's Man, Gaksital (Gaaaaaaksitaaaal!!!!), Hwang Jinyi (so pretty!), Tree with Deep Roots (if you like an intellectual one), Cruel Palace: War of the Flowers (where the evil queen robs your heart and makes you feel for her), Hong Gil Dong (funny and well, Dong Yi, Sungkyunkwan Scandal.

I feel conflicted about sageuks because the role of women in the joseon era was so dismissal. I often feel bad, because women had such a submissive role in society (needn't learn, couldn't be head of household) that it detracts from my enjoyment of any possible romance.
But then I'm currently watching sungkyunkwan scandal and enjoying it immensly, so who am I to talk :)