Streaming services like Netflix are being compelled to create or acquire an increasing number of East Asian series and films due to the growing global love with South Korean film and television, particularly in the modern romance, bloody and gruesome horror, and historical genres. The Glory, Squid Game, Alchemy of Souls, Together with the Gods, Kingdom and its unique Ashin of the North, and Under the Queen’s Umbrella are just a few highly regarded titles that witness to that.
For their abundance of exciting political intrigue, exquisite and colourful clothes and hairstyles, swoon-worthy royals, enigmatic, gloomy and fiercely devoted bodyguards, majestic palaces, ethereal scenery and sincere performances, Sageuk period programmes and films in particular are favourably received by fans. Sageuks like Moon Embracing the Sun, Love in the Moonlight, Empress Ki, and Mr. Sunshine continue to be incredibly popular today, regardless of their focus on romance, humour, fantasy, the supernatural, or conflict. But, some of them might not have earned the local or global acclaim they merited when they first aired, so here is a list of additional shows you might possibly like.
Arang and the Magistrate
Arang and the Magistrate is a historical crime thriller with elements of the paranormal, romance, and comedy. Arang (Shin Min-ah) emerges from the grave with no memory of her previous life. She only knows that she was brutally murdered, so she sets out to identify the murderer and seek retribution. Kim Eun-oh (Lee Joon-gi), a nobleman with the capacity to perceive and hear spirits, is forced to serve as a magistrate in order to assist the killer’s prosecution.
Arang “plays with the notion of what it means to be human,” according to a review on the With an Accent website. Although if we can observe the Jade Emperor and the Lord of the Underworld using the inhabitants of Earth as pieces on a Go board, this does not imply that everything that occurs is being directed by higher beings. Humans can only be moved into certain positions and given tools and knowledge by the gods. What a human accomplishes is entirely up to that individual. What makes life worthwhile is having the freedom to make decisions and experience emotions. Without that, the filthy, challenging life on Earth would appear like a dreadful substitute for the bucolic paradise of Heaven, but Arang persuades us as to why characters would continue choosing to live on Earth instead of in heaven.
Lovers of the Red Sky
“You pleaded with me to forget you. But I can’t forget you, just like you can’t undo a brushstroke that has already been painted.
Lovers of the Red Sky is a 2021 period drama involving demons, ghosts, shamans, political deceit, and gods that is based on Jung Eun-book gwol’s of the same name. It features Ahn Hyo-seop as the blind astrologer Ha Ram, who is possessed by a demon and is obsessed with exacting revenge on the royal family, and Kim Yoo-jung as the talented divine artist Hong Cheon-gi. He thinks his father’s exile and murder were planned by King Seongjo (Jo Seong Ha).
My Sassy Girl
2017’s My Sassy Girl is a fun thriller dramedy. Gyeon Woo (Joo Won), a well-traveled scholar beloved by the court and the people, and favoured by the King himself, is stunned by the beauty of a woman (Oh Yeon-seo) when he comes across her on a bridge in the middle of the night. And her horrifyingly shabby inebriation. He carries her around after she vomits and passes out in his arms before deciding to let her sleep next to him in his hotel room.
Unfortunately for him, she accuses him of abuse when she awakens and tries to tarnish his impeccable image. Even worse, he soon learns that she isn’t just any lady—she is the notorious Princess Hye-myung. Her Highness has a reputation for behaving exceedingly impolitely, sneaking out of the castle to socialise with commoners while intoxicated. She commits crimes primarily to conceal her suffering because her mother’s absence as the deposed Queen still haunts her.
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. Particularly outstanding is Lee Dong-portrayal gun’s of the insane Crown Prince Lee Yung/King Yeonsangun, the tenth Joseon emperor.
In the end, Queen Dangyeong was deceived by the very nobility who gave her authority, according to History of Royal Ladies. She was removed from power due to her father. She was a helpless pawn in the struggle for dominance. Queen Dangyeong’s story demonstrates how helpless she was to influence her own destiny, despite the fact that King Jungjong would have two more wives. She passed away alone and basically unremembered. She didn’t get the acclaim she deserved during her lifetime until nearly 200 years after she passed away.
Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung
“Our brushes won’t stop writing even if you slit my throat. If I pass away, another historian will step up. That historian will be replaced if you murder them. You won’t be able to stop us even if you kill every historian in this country and confiscate all the paper and brushes. History will be passed down from person to person, teacher to pupil, and elder to youngster. That is the truth’s power.
In this female historical dramedy by Kim Ho-soo, Shin Se-kyung plays the intrepid and upright historian and scholar Goo Hae-ryung opposite Cha Eun-woo as Yi Rim, a prince who is the offspring of an overthrown king. In order to pass the time while being kept away from the court, the latter travels and publishes unsavoury romance tales under a pen name. Lead character Park Ki-woong, who plays Crown Prince Yi Jin, also appears.
Six Flying Dragons
This 2015 50-episode Sageuk, also known as Roots of the Throne, is focused on the country’s transition from the Goryeo to the Joseon era. It basically follows idealistic noble Lee Bang-won (Yoo Ah-in) on his turbulent and challenging path to become King Taejong. Boon-yi (Shin Se-kyung), a clever and cunning woman from the underclass, has caught his attention in the meantime.
The Throne
The moving film from 2015 Song Kang-ho portrays the Joseon king Yeongjo from the 16th century in Lee Joon-drama ik’s The Throne, which also stars Yoo Ah-in as the crown prince Sado and Moon Geun-young as Lady Hyegyeong. It explores the bond between the King and his son through flashbacks as it counts down the eight days of Sado’s famed and horrific captivity within a wooden rice chest without food.
The directors “split their focus evenly over this vivid historical panorama, skilfully keeping the numerous threads aloft” (including the vitally pertinent rumour that this wasn’t the first time Yeongjo killed one of his own loved ones), according to Variety Magazine.
The Fortress
The Fortress, a 2017 realistic war film directed by Hwang Dong-Hyuk, is not for fans of fast-paced action epics. It is for fans of gloomy, melancholy, tense plays. It is the winter of 1636–1637. Faced with defeat by the Manchu army of the Qing Dynasty, King Injo (Park Hae-il), the 16th Joseon ruler, has sought refuge with his court in the icy northern citadel of Namhansanseong. The king, who is trapped there and has few resources, must choose between resisting and waiting for assistance from his friends, as advised by his adviser Kim (Kim Yeon-sook), and simply surrendering to the Khan, as advised by his Chief State Councilor Choi (megastar Lee Byung-hun).
The King is gradually becoming insane while the soldiers are famished and freezing. The film is based on Kim Hoon’s novel Namhansanseong.
The King Loves
This 40-episode 2017 television series, also known as The King in Love, is a story of power, friendship, and love. Crown Prince Wang Won (Im Si-wan) solely confides in Wang Rin, his childhood friend and bodyguard (Hong Jong-hyun). Their relationship has endured time… Until Eun-san and the other fell for the same attractive woman (Im Yoon-ah). Will they heed the call of duty or give in to their emotions?
The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure
This 2022 period action movie, directed by Kim Jeong-hoon and set in the Goryeo Dynasty, depicts two competing bands of pirates and bandits as they search for a lost and fabled royal treasure. The situation is further complicated when the intrepid pirate captain Hae-rang (Han Hyo-joo) and the masterful swordsman Moo-chi (Kang Ha-neul) fall in love. “Viewers who adore Pirates of the Caribbean will enjoy this Korean swashbuckler,” claims Common Sense Media. The dialogue in The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure is filled with slapstick humour to give the action-packed, fast-paced plot a lighthearted vibe. The film also features impressive special effects, choreographed fight scenes, thrilling battles, and a compelling ensemble. The usual suspects from pirate films are all present, including enormous whales, cuddly penguins and coded maps, plus a K-pop star.
