Korean Cinema

Early History 

The best place to start the history of Korean cinema would be 1910, when Korea becomes an annex of Japan. Japanese culture is known worldwide for its strict rules and traditions, so it is only obvious that when they decided to lead Korea that some of their behaviors would be passed down into society. The government then, wanted to ensure that these behaviors would remain a part of society, and that no parts of old Korean culture would in any way incite rebellion. This leads to the idea of the censorship and control of all forms of entertainment, including cinema.  

For a film to be shown in a screening house, owned by Japanese businesses, the film must first be shown to government panels, who would determine if there were any signs of unwanted behavior or themes in the film. Even after this, cinemas still had armed police officers at the screenings to watch for signs of rebellion in the films, and to ensure the general behavior of the public was calm and engaging with the material. 

Because of these strict rules and regulations applied to Korean cinema, the 1930’s mainly consisted of melodrama, costume drama and pro-Japanese films. These small selections later also included propaganda films when Japan went to war with China, until 1942 when Korean language films were outright banned in all cinemas across the country. 

Rennaissance 

The 1950’s, while a dark time for Korea, due the Korean war, it also led to a resurgence of cinema at the end of all the fighting, due to no longer being an annex of Japan and being separated into the North and South. Thanks to the help of foreign aid and tax initiatives, the Korean film industry for the first time would be able to stand on its own two legs, especially during the 1960's. The beginning of its life span in this golden age saw a popularity in melodrama and action films, with these genres taking center stage. This is likely a result of the student uprising in 1960, which toppled the authoritarian government at the time. 

It is then around this time where the Korean action film became rooted in as a classic staple of Korean cinema and would hold popular to this very day. The industry would continue to ride this wave until it hits a dip in the 70’s, coinciding with when President Park created a new constitution, which enabled him similar power to a dictator, potentially causing a rift in the Korean film industry.