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5 votes
5th Republic is a controversial political drama about the Fifth Republic of South Korea, one of the most turbulent times in modern Korean history. The 41-episode television series covered the key aspects of the period from President Park Chung-hee's assassination to general Chun Doo-hwan's military coup and his bloody rise to power, as well as the ensuing conflicts between the pro-democratic movement and Chun's military regime and the behind-the-scenes power struggles that ultimately led to Roh Tae-woo's presidential succession in 1987. Given the sensitive nature of the subject matter, 5th Republic tread a fine line between fact and fiction, and faced many challenges even before the start of the production - one of which was pressures from actual political figures who threatened to sue the network for defamation if the script was not modified. Moreover, there was concern over the possible glorification of the drama's lead character Chun Doo-hwan played by Lee Deok-hwa whose strong charisma helped draw in big audience during the drama's initial broadcast on MBC in 2005.
Creator
Status
Ended
Type
Scripted
Seasons
1
Episodes
41
41 episodes

Kim Young-sam
Deep Rooted Tree is a 2011 South Korean television series starring Jang Hyuk, Shin Se-kyung and Han Suk-kyu. Based on the novel of the same title by Lee Jeong-myeong, it aired on SBS from October 5 to December 22, 2011 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 24 episodes. Taking its name from the poem Yongbieocheonga that says that trees with deep roots do not sway, the series tells the story of a royal guard investigating a case involving the serial murders of Jiphyeonjeon scholars in Gyeongbok Palace while King Sejong comes to create the Korean written language.