The rising global obsession with South Korean cinema and television, especially the modern romance, violent and gory horror, and historical genres, has prompted streaming services like Netflix to produce or acquire more and more East Asian series and films. Highly rated titles like The Glory, Squid Game, Alchemy of Souls, Along with the Gods, Kingdom and its special Ashin of the North, and Under the Queen’s Umbrella certainly attest to that.
Period series and flicks in particular, known as Sageuk, are well received by fans for their profusion of thrilling political intrigue, intricate and colorful costumes and hairdos, swoon-worthy royals, mysterious, moody, and fiercely loyal bodyguards, gorgeous palaces, ethereal landscapes, and heartfelt acting. Whether romance, comedy, fantasy, supernatural, or war-oriented, and be they gentle or brutal, Sageuks like Moon Embracing the Sun, Love in the Moonlight, Empress Ki, and Mr. Sunshine remain vastly popular to this day. Some of them may not have received the local or worldwide recognition they deserved when they aired, though, so here is a selection of other titles you might also enjoy.
10 Arang and the Magistrate
Arang and the Magistrate is a balanced blend of crime thriller, supernatural, romance, and dramedy in a historical setting. Arang (Shin Min-ah) returns from the dead with no recollection of her past. She only knows she was brutally killed, and starts a quest to find the mysterious culprit and finally get her revenge. She coerces Kim Eun-oh (Lee Joon-gi), a nobleman who has the ability to see and hear ghosts, to become a magistrate and help her bring the killer to justice.
Per a review on the With an Accent website, “Arang plays with the question of what it means to be human. We see the Jade Emperor and Lord of the Underworld playing with people and events on Earth as pieces on their Go board, but that doesn’t mean that everything that happens has been dictated by higher powers. The gods can only maneuver humans into certain positions, and give them tools and knowledge. What the human does is up to that person alone. That ability to choose and to feel emotions is what makes life worth living. If it weren’t for that, the grubby, difficult life on Earth would seem like a terrible alternative to the bucolic paradise of Heaven, and yet, Arang convinces us why characters would keep making the decision to remain on Earth rather than in heaven.”
9 The King Loves
“This is the story of how I loved you more than myself.”
Also known as The King in Love, this 2017, 40-episode series is a tale of love, friendship, and power. The ambitious and headstrong Crown Prince Wang Won (Im Si-wan) only trusts his childhood friend and bodyguard, Wang Rin (Hong Jong-hyun). Their bond has stood the test of time… Until they both fall for the same beautiful lady, Eun-san (Im Yoon-ah). Will they choose duty or surrender to their feelings?
8 My Sassy Girl
My Sassy Girl is an enjoyable 2017 thriller dramedy. When Gyeon Woo (Joo Won), a well-traveled scholar adored by the court and the people, and favored by the King himself, stumbles upon a woman (Oh Yeon-seo) on a bridge in the middle of the night, he is taken aback by her beauty… And her shocking state of inelegant inebriety. After she throws up and faints in his arms, he carries her around, then decides to let her rest beside him in his hotel room.
Unfortunately for him, when she wakes up, she accuses him of abuse and attempts to ruin his spotless reputation. To make matters worse, he soon finds out she is no ordinary lady, but none other than the infamous Princess Hye-myung. Her Highness is known for acting very unladylike, by sneaking out of the palace and getting drunk with commoners. The real goal of her misdemeanors is to hide her pain, because she is haunted by the disappearance of the dethroned Queen, her mother.
7 Lovers of the Red Sky
“You asked me to forget you. But I cannot forget you, just as how a brushstroke already drawn cannot be undone.”
Adapted from the titular novel by Jung Eun-gwol, Lovers of the Red Sky is a 2021 period drama with demons, ghosts, shamans, political treachery, and gods. It stars Kim Yoo-jung as the gifted divine artist Hong Cheon-gi, and Ahn Hyo-seop as the blind astrologer Ha Ram, who is possessed by a demon and is obsessed with getting his revenge on the royal family. He believes King Seongjo (Jo Seong Ha) was the mastermind behind the exile and murder of his father.
6 The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure
Set in the Goryeo Dynasty and directed by Kim Jeong-hoon, this 2022 period adventure film follows two rivaling groups of pirates and bandits on the quest to find a lost and mythical royal treasure. To further complicate the matter, the bold captain leading the pirates, Hae-rang (Han Hyo-joo), and the bandits’ skilled swordsman, Moo-chi (Kang Ha-neul), fall in love. Per Common Sense Media, “Viewers who like Pirates of the Caribbean will enjoy this Korean swashbuckler. The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure has plenty of slapstick comedy dialogue to add a breezy feel to the epic, fast-paced story with big special effects, well-choreographed fights, exciting battles, and a charismatic cast. Lots of favorite pirate movie tropes are here—giant whales, adorable penguins, coded maps—plus a K-pop star!”
5 Six Flying Dragons
Also known as Roots of the Throne, this 2015, 50-episode Sageuk centers around the transition of the nation from the Goryeo into the Joseon era. It essentially follows the idealistic, then conflicted noble Lee Bang-won (Yoo Ah-in), and his tumultuous and difficult journey toward becoming King Taejong. Meanwhile, he has eyes for Boon-yi (Shin Se-kyung), a witty and resourceful woman from the lower class.
4 The Throne
The heart-wrenching 2015 movie The Throne is directed by Lee Joon-ik, and stars Song Kang-ho as the 16th-century Joseon monarch Yeongjo, Yoo Ah-in as Crown Prince Sado, and Moon Geun-young as Lady Hyegyeong. It counts down the eight days of Sado’s cruel and infamous imprisonment inside a wooden rice chest, deprived of nourishment, while detailing the relationship between the King and his son through flashbacks.
According to Variety Magazine, “The filmmakers divide their focus evenly across this vivid historical panorama, deftly keeping the various threads aloft (including the highly relevant rumor that this wasn’t the first time Yeongjo struck down one of his own loved ones).”
3 Queen for Seven Days
Based on the tragic real story of Queen Dangyeong (Park Min-young) of the Joseon Dynasty, who was stripped of her title after a seven-day rule and forced to spend the rest of her life away from her King and true love (Yeon Woo-jin), this poignant 2017, 20-episode drama explores the themes of political schemes, treason, forbidden love, and the descent into madness. Lee Dong-gun in particular gives a stellar performance as the mad Crown Prince Lee Yung/King Yeonsangun, the 10th Joseon monarch.
According to History of Royal Women, “In the end, Queen Dangyeong was betrayed by the very nobles who put her in power. Because of her father, she was deposed. She was an innocent pawn in the power struggle. While King Jungjong would have two more wives, Queen Dangyeong’s tale shows how powerless she was to control her own fate. She died a lonely and largely forgotten woman. It was not until almost two hundred years after her death that she finally received the recognition she was deprived of in life.”
2 Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung
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“Even if you slash my throat, our brushes will not stop writing. If I die, another historian will take my place. If you kill that historian, another will take their place. Even if you kill every historian in this land, and take away all the paper and brushes, you won't be able to stop us. From mouth-to-mouth, teacher to student, elder to child, history will be told. That is the power of truth.”
Written by Kim Ho-soo, this feminist period dramedy features Shin Se-kyung as free-spirited and righteous historian and scholar Goo Hae-ryung, opposite Cha Eun-woo as Yi Rim, a prince who is the son of a deposed king. The latter is being kept away from the court and passes the time by traveling and publishing taboo romance manuscripts under a nom de plume. Also starring is lead protagonist Park Ki-woong as Crown Prince Yi Jin.
1 The Fortress
Directed by Hwang Dong-Hyuk, the realistic 2017 war movie The Fortress is not for quick-paced action epic aficionados. It is for lovers of atmospheric, somber, tension-filled dramas. The time is winter 1636-1637. King Injo (Park Hae-il), the 16th Joseon monarch, facing defeat by the Manchu army of the Qing Dynasty, has taken refuge with his court in the glacial northern fortress of Namhansanseong. Trapped there with few resources, the monarch must decide whether he should resist and wait for help from his allies, as per the insistence of his adviser Kim (Kim Yeon-sook), or simply surrender to the Khan, as per his Chief State Councilor Choi (megastar Lee Byung-hun).
Meanwhile, the soldiers are freezing and starving, and the King is slowly losing his mind. The movie is based on the novel Namhansanseong by Kim Hoon.