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Film History

A Short History of Korean Film
1903-1945: Korea Under Japanese Rule
1903 -- First public screening of a film in Korea.
1910 -- Korea is formally annexed by Japan.
1919 -- First film, a kinodrama (play with motion picture inserts)
named Uirijeok Gutu.
1923 -- First silent film, Plighted Love Under the Moon directed
by Yun Baek-nam.
1926 -- Arirang by Na Un-Kyu.
1935 -- First sound film, Ch'unhyang-jon directed by
Lee Myung-woo.
1937 -- Japan invades China; the Korean film industry is
converted into a propaganda machine.

1945-1955
1945 -- Japan surrenders to the Allied Forces; Korea regains independence,
but is soon divided in two.
1949 -- Korea's first color film, The Women's Diary by Hong Sung-gi.
1950 -- War starts on the Korean Peninsula.
1953 -- Cease-fire agreement signed at P'anmunjom.

1955-1969: A Golden Age for Korean Cinema

1960 -- The Housemaid, directed by
Kim Ki-young.
1961 -- Obaltan, (pictured left) directed by
Yu Hyun-mok.
1961 -- The Houseguest and My Mother,
directed by Shin Sang-ok.

The 1970s
1973 -- Establishment of Korean Motion Picture Promotion Corporation (KMPPC).
1974 -- Establishment of Korean Film Archive.
1979 -- Military dictator Park Chung-Hee is assassinated.

1980-1992

1980 -- Kwangju Massacre.
1981 -- Mandala, directed by Im Kwon-taek.
1988 -- Hollywood studios granted direct distribution
rights in Korea.

1992-1999
1992 -- Marriage Story is the first film produced by
a member of the chaebol.
1993 -- Democratically-elected government led by
Kim Young-sam succeeds military
dictatorship.
1993 -- Sopyonje, directed by Im Kwon-taek.
1997 -- Opening of Seoul Cinema Complex in
Kyonggi-do.
1999 -- Shiri, directed by Kang Jae-Gyu,
becomes best-selling film ever.

History of the Korean screen quota
-Introduced in 1966 but took effect in 1993

-In 1993 the Korean government allowed Hollywood films to be distributed directly by meeting most of the demands of US-Korean film...