KJCKorea
Journal Central

ince the first historical drama <10,000 Ri of Territory> was aired in 1964, about 60 years have passed while historical dramas have repetitively called or reinterpreted historical figures and events. Nevertheless, the reason why each historical drama has been interpreted in a different way each time is attributed to different political, social and cultural situation of the time. Of course, calling 'a certain time and figure' amid thousands of years of history accumulated with a numerous number of historical figures and their lives is completely the responsibility of author and producer. However, imposing the present meaning on the selected historical figures or events is the responsibility of viewers. Therefore, if the figures or events called on historical dramas don't deliver the present meaning of the time when viewers live, the dramas come to lose the meaning of existence so that viewers' historical consciousness for historical figures and events is important. Like this, it is the destiny of historical drama to interpret the past based on the current meaning. This study was designed to analyse changes in the genre of Korean TV historical drama in 2000. At the very first, the trends of Korean TV historical dramas shown until the year 2000 were summarized, and then the dramatic imaginations of 20 historical dramas produced in the year 2000 were classified in terms of 'consciousness' and 'sentiment' into five categories: 'Raising national consciousness', 'awakening political consciousness', 'raising revolutionary consciousness', 'emphasizing passionate sensitivity','stimulating restoration sentiment. TV dramas that realized a dramatic imagination for raising national consciousness are <Jumong>, <Tae Wang Sa Shin Gi>, <Comrades> and <Road Number One>, those for awakening political consciousness are <The Great King Sejong>, <Deep-Rooted Tree>, <Yi San> and <Queen Seon-Deok>, those for raising revolutionary consciousness are <Damo>, <Sungkyunkwan Scandal>, <The Return of Iljimae> and <Slave Hunter>, those for emphasizing passionate sensitivity are <Dae Jang Geum>, <Capital Scandal>, <The Princess' Man> and <The Moon Embracing the Sun>, those for stimulating restoration sentiment are <East of Eden>, <Giant>, <Baker King, Kim Tak Goo> and <Lights and Shadows>. As a result of analysing dramatic imaginations of historical dramas in 2000, it was found that 'history from the view of possibility' based on 'recorded history', or 'story from imagination based on historical time and space had been focused to result in the expansion of TV drama genre.

Korean TV historical drama in 2000, history from the view of possibility, story from imagination based on historical time and space, raising national consciousness, awakening political consciousness, 'raising revolutionary consciousness, emphasizing passionate sensitivity, stimulating restoration sentiment.