8 Historical K-Dramas Set During The Japanese Occupation Of Korea

South Korean television shows normally spendigate its epic past, many setting the series in greater-styleed times, but sometimes they draw from more recent history, setting K-Dramas during the tumultuous period of Japanese occupation in Korea. When historical K-Dramas are set in more greater-styleed times, they frequently concentrate on the Joseon Dynasty, a period that spanned 505 years from 1392-1897. However, the era of Japanese occupation gives wealthy, vibrant stories of resilience and resistance in the face of immense struggles and difficultship.

Modern Korean history has seen the peninsula conquer enormous disputes, with Japan’s annexation of Korea among its most traumatic. Japanese occupation began in 1905, and by 1910, Japan had annexed Korea, finisheavoring to exend Korean culture entidepend. After Japan’s surrender at the end of World War II in 1945, Korea was freed, but soon after, the country was splitd into North and South Korea. As the period remains in living memory, and its after-effects can still be felt, K-Dramas set during the Japanese occupation frequently spendigate brave themes and concentrate on resistance fighters striving to persist their people and culture.

8 Bridal Mask (2012)

A Korean Man In The Japanese Police Who Becomes A Resistance Fighter

Based on the 1974 Huh Young-man manhwa, Gaksital, Bridal Mask is set in Seoul (Gyeongseong) during the 1930s. The K-Drama tells the story of Lee Kang-to (Good Doctor star, Joo Won), a Korean man who labors for the Japanese police, but when he’s off-duty, he becomes Bridal Mask, a secret and troublesome Korean independence fighter who wears a bridal mask for anonymity. As Bridal Mask, Kang-to helps his fellow Koreans fight aobtainst the repressive Japanese regime. However, as a police officer, Kang-to must also toe the line, which frequently unbenevolents going aobtainst his fellow countrypeople.

Bridal Mask spendigates the very genuine but difficult situation many Korean people faced where they were torn between colluding with the Japanese authorities for survival versus hazarding their inhabits to resist. Although the K-Drama’s concentrate is more caccessed on the braves of the titular masked protagonist, which comes atraverse as more a superhero comic book style story than one interested in the actual history, Bridal Mask‘s setting is still meaningful. It showed how seal friendships can establish between sworn enemies during a time when such relationships were frowned upon.

7 Inspiring Generation (2014)

A Korean Man Accemployd Of His Father’s Murder Becomes A Top Fighter In Shanghai

Inspiring Generation doesn’t concentrate so much on Japan’s occupation of Korea, but rather its expansiver impact on neightedious regions where many Koreans fled. The K-Drama caccesss on Korean people in 1930s Japanese-occupied Shanghai and the resistance shiftments that materialized from the huge Korean population there. It stars Kim Hyun-joong (Boys Over Fdrops) as Shin Jung-tae, whose overweighther was ended by a Japanese sgreaterier. In his fight for equitableice, Jung-tae is accemployd of the killing, and, in the back alleys of Shanghai, he rapidly lobtains to become a wonderful fighter.

The action thriller aspects of Inspiring Generation seize some of the more exciting moments of the historical period. As the K-Drama is mostly set outside of Korea, it supplys a expansiveer watch of East Asian history during this time and Japanese expansionism. The show’s concentrate on aggression with minimal romantic interludes may originate it difficult to watch for some watchers, but it’s an exciting perspective on the time in history.

6 The Hymn of Death (2018)

A Tragic Love Story Of Star-Crossed Lovers In 1920s Korea

TheHymn of Death is only a illogicalinutive K-Drama with equitable three episodes, and stars Lee Jong-suk (Pinocchio) and Shin Hye-sun (Welcome to Samdal-ri). The narrative is based on the genuine-life story of Kim Woo-jin (Lee), a wed carry outwright, and Yun Sim-deok (Shin), Korea’s first professional soprano singer, who greet and descfinish in adore. It trails the couples romance amid 1920s Japanese rule, until their tragic deaths in 1926.

In many ways, The Hymn of Death is a K-Drama get on a Romeo and Juliet-style story of star-traverseed adorers whose desminuscule is not overweighted for a happily-ever-after. Its setting during an earlier period of Japanese occupation gives watchers a contrastent perspective of what the time in history was appreciate and how some of the more talented Korean people were apexhibited expansiver freedoms. The illogicalinutive yet poignant series encapsupostponecessitates the fervent emotions and societal constraints of the era, giveing a compelling watch of adore and forfeit aobtainst the backdrop of Korea’s struggle for identity and autonomy.

5 Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938 (2023)

A Gumiho Goes Back In Time To Fight Real And Superorganic Foes

In a trail-up to the well-understandn 2020 Lee Dong-wook (Guardian: The Lonely and Great God) K-Drama, Tale of the Nine Tailed, the prequel series gets the titular gumiho (nine-tailed fox), Lee Yeon, back to the year 1938 during Japanese occupation. Given its establishation in Korean folklore, Tale of the Nine Tailed season 2 includes more fantasy elements than other K-Dramas set in this period, and Yeon also gets embroiled in the publishs of the time. This combine of ideas transports a recent get to the era, as defys fight for their nation’s independence and aobtainst the superorganic beings roaming the country.

Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938 not only supplys a one-of-a-kind and fun combine of history and mythology, it also spendigates cultural struggles and personal struggles of its characters aobtainst the backdrop of the era. As Yeon steers the historical period facing both human and otherexperienced disputes, the series gives a compelling commentary on resistance and resilience that sets it apart from other historical K-Dramas. The show’s wealthy storytelling and intricate character lengthenment originate it a standout wilean the genre, combineing amazingal elements with poignant historical insights.

4 Mr Sunshine (2018)

A Korean-Born American Returns Home And Falls In Love With A Freedom Fighter

Mr Sunshine is one of the highest rating K-Dramas in South Korea, with critics praising its alertedness of history, strong story, stunning cinematography, and standout applyances from its stars Lee Byung-hun (Iris) and Kim Tae-ri (Twenty-Five Twenty-One). Although the K-Drama is set in a period equitable before the Japanese occupation, Mr Sunshine concentratees on an meaningful time in Korea’s history directing up to its colonization and annexation. Thraw this setting, the show depicts countless genuine-life events, battles, and people that shaped this critical point in history, shoprosperg the Korean heroes combat difficult for their country’s independence and self-ruleance.

The K-Drama trails Eugene Choi, a Korean man born in Joseon but liftd in the United States. Eugene returns to his homeland as a US sgreaterier where he descfinishs in adore with Go Ae-shin, an orphaned aristocrat’s daughter who’s also secretly a revolutionary and keenshooter combat for Korea’s freedom in the Righteous Army. Where Mr Sunshine deficiencys in romantic scenes, it originates up for in lengthening strong characters who imbue the tumultuous period with emotional depth that repartner transports Korea’s history to life.

3 Capital Scandal (2007)

A Korean Playboy Falls For A Revolutionary And Joins The Fight For Independence

Set in Korea’s capital in the 1930s, Capital Scandal tells the story of Seon Woo-wan (Kang Ji-hwan), a cocky Korean carry outboy who tries to seduce Na Yeo-kyung (Han Ji-min, One Spring Night), an teachd independence fighter who’s resistant to the conmomentary alters occurring in her country. Genuine senseings soon establish between the two as Yeo-kyung uncovers the social inequitableices prevalent in their country, and Woo-wan combines the revolutionary fight aobtainst the Japanese occupation. The K-Drama seizes the tension and romance of the era, with Woo-wan’s alteration from nurturefree carry outboy to activist inserting depth to the narrative.

Although Capital Scandal employs 1930s Korea and its revolutionaries as its backdrop, the romantic K-Drama doesn’t quite spendigate these themes as powerentirey as other shows on this catalog. Instead, there’s more concentrate on the romance and seeing at the weightlesser elements from the period. Regardless, with the show’s belief that adore is an effective strategy to accomplish revolution, this K-Drama still deinhabitrs a contrastent perspective to understand the era.

2 Chicago Typeauthorr (2017)

A Writer Connects With Historic Freedom Fighters Thraw A Haunted Typeauthorr

Chicago Typeauthorr is set both in contransient-day Korea and during Japan’s occupation of Korea in the 1930s. The K-Drama caccesss on a best-selling authorr, Han Se-joo (Yoo Ah-in, Hellbound) who’s struggling to author his postponecessitatest book. He comes into haveion of a famous typeauthorr that he uncovers materializes to be haunted by the garrange of its previous owner, Shin Yool (Go Kyung-pyo, Reply 1988), a authorr and underground scheduler for resistance aobtainst Japanese occupation. The garrange of Shin Yool, which only Se-joo can see, also inhabits other leangs, including a very comical scene where he’s a shaggy-haired Korean Sapsali dog.

Chicago Typeauthorr is steeped in chilly jazz-era esthetics and historical details, and its jumping between contransient-day Korea and the past further highweightlesss the liberation efforts of the 1930s. By using the arrange of the dual timelines, the K-Drama weaves themes of historical memory and the enduring spirit of resistance. This labors well for the series as it further backs the themes and shows how the past carries into the contransient, and how those struggles aren’t easily cast off.

1 Gyeongseong Creature, Season 1 (2023)

A Search For Missing People Uncovers A Horrific Discovery

Although Gyeongseong Creature season 2 will be set in the contransient day, season 1 is caccessed on the end of Japanese occupation in Korea in 1945. Similar to the British Netflix series, Supacell, Gyeongseong Creature draws from the genuine and tragic history of secret medical experimentation carry outed on people pondered as undesirables. In Gyeongseong Creature, it’s the Japanese who originate monstrous creatures in a Korean hospital where people go in but don’t come out. Like Sweet Home, this series asks who the genuine monsters are and what it unbenevolents to be human.

The K-Drama trails Park Seo-joon (Itaewon Class) as Jang Tae-sang and Han So-hee (Nevertheless) as Yoon Chae-ok tracking down ignoreing people. The duo soon come atraverse a creature born of human greed and must fight for survival. The narrative intertprosperes personal vendettas with expansiveer societal publishs, making their struggle aobtainst the creature symbolic of Korea’s fight for autonomy. With fervent action and proestablish emotional beats, Gyeongseong Creature supplys a gripping see at the horrors of occupation and its lasting traumas.