SOUTH KOREAN HISTORICAL DRAMA: GENDER, NATION AND THE HERITAGE INDUSTRY Yun Mi Hwang A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of St Andrews 2011 Full metadata for this item is available in St Andrews Research Repository at: http://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/ Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10023/1924 This item is protected by original copyright This item is licensed under a Creative Commons Licence SOUTH KOREAN HISTORICAL DRAMA: GENDER, NATION AND THE HERITAGE INDUSTRY YUN MI HWANG Thesis Submitted to the University of St Andrews for the Degree of PhD in Film Studies 2011 DECLARATIONS I, Yun Mi Hwang, hereby certify that this thesis, which is approximately 80,000 words in length, has been written by me, that it is the record of work carried out by me and that it has not been submitted in any previous application for a higher degree. I was admitted as a research student and as a candidate for the degree of PhD in September 2006; the higher study for which this is a record was carried out in the University of St Andrews between 2006 and 2010. I, Yun Mi Hwang, received assistance in the writing of this thesis in respect of language and grammar, which was provided by R.A.M Wright. Date …17 May 2011.… signature of candidate ……………… I hereby certify that the candidate has fulfilled the conditions of the Resolution and Regulations appropriate for the degree of PhD in the University of St Andrews and that the candidate is qualified to submit this thesis in application for that degree. Date …17 May 2011… signature of supervisor …………..…… In submitting this thesis to the University of St Andrews I understand that I am giving permission for it to be made available for use in accordance with the regulations of the University Library for the time being in force, subject to any copyright vested in the work not being affected thereby. I also understand that the title and the abstract will be published, and that a copy of the work may be made and supplied to any bona fide library or research worker, that my thesis will be electronically accessible for personal or research use unless exempt by award of an embargo as requested below, and that the library has the right to migrate my thesis into new electronic forms as required to ensure continued access to the thesis. I have obtained any third-party copyright permissions that may be required in order to allow such access and migration, or have requested the appropriate embargo below. The following is an agreed request by candidate and supervisor regarding the electronic publication of this thesis: Access to all of printed copy but embargo of all of electronic publication of thesis for a period of five years on the following ground: Publication would preclude future publication. The request for restricted access to the electronic copy of the thesis for a period of 5 years from the date the thesis is submitted to the University Library has been approved by Dr Sian Lewis, Pro Dean of Arts and Divinity (Postgraduate) on 30 March 2011. Date 17 May 2011 signature of candidate ………… signature of supervisor ……….… ABSTRACT From the dynamic landscape of contemporary South Korean cinema, one trend that stands out is the palpable revival of the historical drama (known as the „sageuk‟ in Korean). Since the early 2000s, expensive, visually striking, and successful costumed pieces have been showcased to the audience. Now rivalling the other mainstream genres such as gangster action, romantic comedy, and the Korean blockbuster, the sageuk has made an indelible impact on the national film industry. Even so, the cycle has yet to receive much critical attention. This thesis addresses the gap, driven by the question, what is the impetus behind the surge of the „historical‟ witnessed in recent sageuk films? For this, I first take a diachronic view of the historical context of the genre, which later serves as the reference point for the genre memory. Adopting a synchronic approach, I then examine the industrial, political, and social contexts in Korea at the turn of the new century that facilitated the history boom. While national memory and transnational politics fuelled Koreans‟ interest in their past, the popular media – cinema, television, publishing industry, and performance theatre – all capitalised on this drive. The government also took part by supporting the „culture content industry‟ as a way to fashion an attractive national image and accelerate the cultural export system. Collectively, these efforts translated to the emergence of history as a commodity, carving a unique space for historical narratives in the national heritage industry. As such, different agents – the consumers, the industry, and the state – had their stakes in the national mobilisation of history and memory with competing ideological and commercial interests. Ultimately, the sageuk is the primary site in which these diverging aspirations and desires are played out. i In chapters that follow, I engage with four main sub-types of the recent historical drama, offering textual and contextual readings. The main discussion includes the „fusion‟ sageuk (Untold Scandal), the biopic (King and the Clown and Portrait of a Beauty), the heritage horror (Blood Rain and Shadows in the Palace), and the colonial period drama (Rikidozan, Blue Swallow and Modern Boy). While analysing the generic tropes and narrative themes of each film, I also pay attention to contemporary discourses of gender, and the cultural treatment of masculinity and femininity within the period setting. Such investigation, in turn, locates the place of the historical genre in New Korean Cinema, and thus, offers a much-needed intervention into one of the neglected topics in the study of cinematic trends in South Korea. ii TABLE OF CONTENT ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................... i LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ......................................................................................... v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................... vi A Note to the Reader .................................................................................................. viii INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 1 The Sageuk: The Question of Genre .......................................................................... 4 Literature Review .................................................................................................... 14 Methods of Research ............................................................................................... 29 Chapter Breakdown ................................................................................................. 32 PART I CONTEXTS .................................................................................................... 35 CHAPTER ONE The Sageuk in a Historical Context ................................................. 36 Folkloric Adaptations in the Colonial Period: 1923 – 1939 .................................... 39 The Golden Age of the Sageuk: 1955 – 1967 .......................................................... 44 National Heroes on Screen: 1973 – 1979 ................................................................ 53 Erotic Period Drama: 1982 – 1987 .......................................................................... 58 A Decade of Hiatus: The 1990s ............................................................................... 66 Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 69 CHAPTER TWO Mapping the Field: The Sageuk in the 2000s ................................. 71 New Historical Drama: Fusion Sageuk and Faction Films ...................................... 73 Politicised Histories: At Home and Abroad ............................................................. 86 Consuming the Past: The Co-evolution of Historical Fictions ................................ 94 Korea Creative Content Agency and the Heritage Commodity Cycle .................. 106 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 123 PART II HERITAGE AND INDUSTRY ................................................................... 125 CHAPTER THREE Imagining a New (Cinematic) Heritage: Fusion Sageuk .......... 126 Untold Scandal ...................................................................................................... 128 Rupturing the Cinematic Heritage of the Sageuk .............................................. 134 Theorising Fusion Sageuk: Well-made, High Concept and Heritage ................ 144 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 161 CHAPTER FOUR Recycling A Historical Life: The Biopic..................................... 162 King and the Clown ............................................................................................... 169 Portrait of a Beauty ............................................................................................... 187 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 204 PART III TRAUMA AND MEMORY ....................................................................... 208 CHAPTER FIVE