The Best Sageuk Movies
by ChartreuseGreen | created - 20 May 2018 | updated - 8 months ago | PublicMy all time favorite sageuk (period drama) movies, in no particular order. For Korean gangster movies, please check out my other list, The Best Korean Gangster Movies. For other Korean movie genres you can also throw an eye here, The Best Korean Movies.
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1. The King and the Clown (2005)
PG-13 | 119 min | Drama, History
Two clowns living in Korea's Chosun Dynasty get arrested for staging a play that satirizes the king. They are dragged to the palace and threatened with execution but are given a chance to save their lives if they can make the king laugh.
Director: Lee Joon-ik | Stars: Kam Woo-seong, Jung Jin-young, Kang Seong-yeon, Lee Joon-gi
Votes: 5,987
2. The Throne (2015)
125 min | Drama, History
Set in 18th century Korea, long-ruling King Yeongjo's struggle with his son, Sado, sees the king take extreme measures in order to deal with his heir.
Director: Lee Joon-ik | Stars: Song Kang-ho, Yoo Ah-in, Moon Geun-young, Kim Hae-sook
Votes: 3,120
3. The Book of Fish (2021)
126 min | Drama
The story of Jeong Yak-yong's brother, Jeong Yak-jeon when he was exiled to Heuksando in 1801, and meets an energetic young fisherman.
Director: Lee Joon-ik | Stars: Sol Kyung-gu, Byun Yo-han, Lee Jeong-eun, Min Do-hee
Votes: 854
4. Untold Scandal (2003)
124 min | Drama
In late 1700s Korea, Lady Cho challenges the playboy Lord Jo-won into seducing and sleeping with her husband's coming young, virgin concubine. Lady Cho agrees to sleep with him if he succeeds.
Director: Je-yong Lee | Stars: Jeon Do-yeon, Lee Mi-sook, Bae Yong-jun, Jo Hyeon-jae
Votes: 2,692 | Gross: $0.06M
5. Forbidden Quest (2006)
R | 142 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A noble, high-class scholar starts to write erotic novels in 18th century of Chosun dynasty. He falls in love with a king's woman.
Director: Dae-woo Kim | Stars: Lee Beom-su, Oh Dal-su, Lee Ha-eun, Gyo-jin Hong
Votes: 417
6. The Servant (2010)
Not Rated | 124 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A servant falls in love with a girl whom his master also desires. Although the girl loves the servant, she also longs to improve her station in life.
Director: Dae-woo Kim | Stars: Kim Ju-hyuk, Ryu Seung-beom, Cho Yeo-jeong, Ryu Hyun-kyung
Votes: 1,243
7. Masquerade (2012)
Not Rated | 131 min | Drama, History
A look-alike commoner is secretly hired to take the place of a poisoned king to save his country from falling into chaos.
Director: Chang-min Choo | Stars: Lee Byung-hun, Ryu Seung-ryong, Han Hyo-joo, Kim In-kwon
Votes: 7,445 | Gross: $0.92M
8. Hyeongsa (2005)
108 min | Action, Comedy, Mystery
Set years ago in the era of the Joseon Dynasty, the story follows a young police officer named Namsoon (Ha Ji-won) who, along with her fellow officers, discovers a counterfeit ring ... See full summary »
Director: Lee Myung-se | Stars: Ha Ji-Won, Gang Dong-won, Ahn Sung-ki, Song Young-chang
Votes: 1,437
9. Kundo: Age of the Rampant (2014)
Not Rated | 137 min | Action, Drama
A period action film centered on a militia group who turn against an unjust nobility.
Director: Yoon Jong-bin | Stars: Ha Jung-woo, Gang Dong-won, Lee Sung-min, Cho Jin-woong
Votes: 3,878 | Gross: $0.28M
10. Sopyonje (1993)
112 min | Drama, Music
Despite its falling popularity, a father teaches his two children the Korean musical tradition of Pansori (one singer accompanied by one drummer).
Director: Im Kwon-taek | Stars: Kim Myung-gon, Jung-hae Oh, Kim Kyu-chul, Sae-kil Shin
Votes: 1,115
11. Painted Fire (2002)
Unrated | 120 min | Biography, Drama, History
In a time of political and social unrest in nineteenth-century Korea, an uncouth, self-taught painter explores his natural talent amidst the repressive world around him.
Director: Im Kwon-taek | Stars: Choi Min-sik, Ahn Sung-ki, Yoo Ho-jeong, Kim Yeo-jin
Votes: 2,824 | Gross: $0.06M
12. Chunhyang (2000)
R | 137 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
A governor's son falls in love and marries a beautiful girl, the daughter of a courtesan. Their marriage is kept a secret from the governor who would immediately disown him if he found that his son married beneath him.
Director: Im Kwon-taek | Stars: Hyo-jeong Lee, Cho Seung-woo, Seong-nyeo Kim, Lee Jung-hun
Votes: 1,806 | Gross: $0.80M
13. Jeong (1999)
114 min | Drama
Seventeen-year old Soonie is married to the ten-year old son of the local Korean medicine doctor. Married to a child, Soonie is subjected to the hard life of the traditional daughter-in-law... See full summary »
Director: Bae Chang-ho | Stars: Kim Myung-gon, Yoon Yoo-sun, Kim Jong-goo, Kyeong-a Jeong
Votes: 124
14. The Accidental Gangster and the Mistaken Courtesan (2008)
Not Rated | 103 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Korea, 1724. Once upon a time in the Choson Dynasty, Chun-doong falls in love at first sight with a beautiful woman whilst in the middle of a fight. Her name is Seol-ji and she works as a ... See full summary »
Director: Kyun-dong Yeo | Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Kim Ok-bin, Seok-hun Kim, Seong-joon Bae
Votes: 228
15. A Frozen Flower (2008)
TV-MA | 133 min | Drama, History, Romance
A historical drama set in the Koryo dynasty and focused on the relationship between a king and his bodyguard.
Directors: Shin Jae Myung, Kim Su-Jin-I, Ha Yoo, Park Young-Sik | Stars: Zo In-sung, Ju Jin-mo, Song Ji-Hyo, Cho Jin-woong
Votes: 5,140
16. The Fortress (2017)
Not Rated | 140 min | Action, Drama, History
In 1636, King Injo hides in the mountains to avoid being part of the Qing dynasty.
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk | Stars: Lee Byung-hun, Kim Yoon-seok, Park Hae-il, Go Soo
Votes: 3,387 | Gross: $0.25M
17. The Fatal Encounter (2014)
PG-13 | 135 min | Action, Drama
King Jeongjo (Hyun-Bin) attempts to protect his royal powers from the conflict of two factions: Noron and Soron.
Director: J.Q. Lee | Stars: Hyun Bin, Jeong Jae-yeong, Jo Jung-Suk, Jung Eun-chae
Votes: 1,305
18. The Grand Heist (2012)
Not Rated | 121 min | Action, Comedy, History
In late 18th century ice is a commodity more valuable than gold. When corrupt officials conspire to form a monopoly and fix its price, a gang of 11 professionals is formed to steal all the royal ice blocks in five storage for a night
Director: Joo-Ho Kim | Stars: Cha Tae-hyun, Oh Ji-ho, Min Hyo-rin, Lee Chae-yeong
Votes: 963
19. The Warrior (2001)
R | 158 min | Action, Drama, History
1375. Nine Koryo warriors, envoys exiled by Imperial China, battle to protect a Chinese Ming Princess from Mongolian troops.
Director: Kim Sung-su | Stars: Jung Woo-sung, Ahn Sung-ki, Ju Jin-mo, Ziyi Zhang
Votes: 11,265
20. The Swordsman (2020)
TV-14 | 100 min | Action, Drama, History
Three different swordsmen -- a swordsman who is going blind, the best swordsman in Joseon Dynasty, and the best swordsman in Qing Dynasty who aspires to be the best even in the Joseon Dynasty -- meet each other for their own reasons.
Director: Jae-Hoon Choi | Stars: Jang Hyuk, Kim Hyeon-soo, Joe Taslim, Jeong Man-sik
Votes: 5,430
21. The Great Battle (2018)
Not Rated | 136 min | Action, Drama, History
A historical film about the siege of Ansi Fortress and the epic eighty-eight day battle that Yang Man-chun and his Goguryeo troops fought against 500,000 invading Tang dynasty men to defend it.
Director: Kwang-shik Kim | Stars: Nam Joo-hyuk, Zo In-sung, Park Sung-woong, Sung Dong-il
Votes: 6,085 | Gross: $0.47M
22. Forbidden Dream (2019)
132 min | History, Drama
One of the most important figures of Korean royal history King Sejong develop a 20-year relationship with engineer and inventor Jang Yeong-sil, a truly remarkable scientist based on their common interest in astronomy.
Director: Hur Jin-ho | Stars: Choi Min-sik, Kim Seung-hun, Han Suk-kyu, Park Sung-hoon
Votes: 424
23. The Admiral: Roaring Currents (2014)
Not Rated | 128 min | Action, Drama, History
Admiral Yi Sun-sin faces a tough challenge when he is forced to defend his nation with just 13 battleships against 300 Japanese enemy ships in the Battle of Myeongryang.
Director: Han-min Kim | Stars: Choi Min-sik, Ryu Seung-ryong, Cho Jin-woong, Kim Myung-gon
Votes: 13,066 | Gross: $2.59M
24. The Singer (2020)
119 min | Drama, History
Ten years of King Yeongjo's reign, Hak-gyu, a talented street singer travels all over Joseon in search for his kidnapped wife. By his singing, one by one, people start following to his journey filled in sorrow and joy.
Director: Cho Jung-Rae | Stars: Lee Yu-ri, Park Chul-min, Kim Dong-wan, Kim Min-joon
Votes: 78
25. The Hut (1981)
93 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
An attractive young woman has been called on to help rid a haunted family of its demons - the male heirs all die young, and one is now in a coma - she has to clear the environment where several exorcists have failed before her.
Director: Lee Doo-yong | Stars: Ji-in Yu, Won Namkung, Jeong-sun Hwang, Seong-ho Choi
Votes: 57
26. The Night Owl (2022)
TV-14 | 118 min | Mystery, Thriller
A blind acupuncturist, who strangely, is able to see normally at night, and happens to witness the death of the crown prince.
Director: Tae-Jin Ahn | Stars: Ryu Jun-Yeol, Yoo Hae-jin, Shin Chi-young, Seong-Ha Cho
Votes: 931
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