Series synopsis
Modern Korea, also known as 모던코리아 is a South Korean documentary television series that premiered on KBS1 on October 31, 2019.
The documentary series were made to look back on Korea’s modern history. It tells stories of specific moments in time weaving together relevant video clips from news broadcasts, dramas, shows and other documentaries
Premise
The documentary series were made to look back on Korea’s modern history. It tells stories of specific moments in time weaving together relevant video clips from news broadcasts, dramas, shows and other documentaries
Premise: KBS documentary series composed of archival footage
Cast and characters
Guest cast
- Kim Dae-jung as Self (archive footage)
- Roh Tae-woo as Self (archive footage)
- Kim Yon-ja as Self (archive footage)
- Lee Kun-hee as Self (archive footage)
- Chun Doo-hwan as Self (archive footage)
- Park Sung-ho as Self (archive footage)
- Kim Yong-ok as Self (archive footage)
- Park Chung-hee as Self (archive footage)
- Kim Young-sam as Self (archive footage)
- Yoon Sang as Self
- Lee Jung-jae as Self (archive footage)
- Seo Tai-ji as Self (archive footage)
Episodes
This series spans 4 seasons with 18 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 0 | 2 | September 3, 2020 | September 7, 2023 |
| Season 1 | 7 | October 31, 2019 | September 3, 2020 |
| Season 2 | 5 | March 11, 2021 | September 7, 2023 |
| Season 3 | 4 | October 27, 2022 | November 17, 2022 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
KBS: Doing Our Best, the People’s Network In 1973, Korean Broadcasting System(KBS), which at the time had been a subdivision of Ministry of Culture and Public Information, was reborn as an independent public broadcasting company. Or so it seemed. The network was mostly filled with ‘uptight’ programs aimed to ‘enlighten’ the people ‘in accordance with’ the government’s ideology. |
September 3, 2020 |
| 2 | Episode 2 | September 7, 2023 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Our Only Wish On the surface, democratization had been achieved, but there were still many social problems and complaints in Korea near the end of the 1980s. The suppression that had lasted a very long time finally found an outlet in a unique time and space. |
October 31, 2019 |
| 2 |
Great Expectations The major corporations and financial industry are thought to be the cause of growth in exports and also the danger of the IMF. The realities of the ‘97 Asian Financial Crisis and the IMF bailout are looked into in detail. |
November 7, 2019 |
| 3 |
The Test of Your Life: Birth of K-SAT Education was our hope. The movement between social classes became an important backbone in the establishment of the state and its industries. |
November 14, 2019 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Post Modern Korea In the early 1990s, South Korea started regaining confidence in itself. “We hosted one of the most successful Olympic games ever. We are rich enough.Nobody can look down on us now. We are finally SOMEBODY.” |
March 11, 2021 |
| 2 |
The Man Who Would Be King In January 1992, Chung Ju-yung founded the United National Party and exposed the fact that he had paid billions of won to former presidents. Determined to break the link between politics and economics, he ran in the 14th presidential election. |
March 18, 2021 |
| 3 |
The Age of Beasts In the late 1980s, the expansion of democracy and the rapid economic growth in South Korea caused major changes in the lives of women. Women’s awareness of human rights was also gradually increasing. However, women were not yet the subjects of an equal democratic society. |
March 25, 2021 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Episode 1 | October 27, 2022 |
| 2 | Episode 2 | November 3, 2022 |
| 3 | Episode 3 | November 10, 2022 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | KBS1 |
|---|---|
| First aired | October 31, 2019 |
| Last aired | September 7, 2023 |
| Runtime | 53 minutes |
| Status | continue |