KDrama Based On True Story

Fictional characters set during the period of the 1894 Donghak Peasant Revolution - also known as Donghak Peasant Movement, Donghak Rebellion, Peasant Revolt of 1894, Gabo Peasant Revolution etc. The Donghak Peasant Revolution (11 January 1894 – 29 March 1895) was an armed rebellion in Korea led by aggravated peasants and followers of the Donghak religion, a panentheistic religion viewed by many rebels as a political ideology.

Based loosely on real-life incidents.

Based on webcomic "Songgot” by Choi Gyu-Seok (first published from December 16, 2013 via comic.naver.com/webtoon/). The webcomic is based on a true story of the incident occurred from July, 2007 at an Emart retail store. A large discount store owned by a giant conglomerate fired its contract employees only to replace them with outsourced workers so they could bypass a law that required employees be given regular-worker status after a certain period of time, which caused a sit-in protest that lasted for 510 days.

D.P. director Han Jun Hee revealed in an interview that the neverending news on incidents inside the military bases is proof that the show is based on true stories. He pointed out, “Just because we don’t see it with our own eyes (or have it happen to us) does not mean these incidents are not real.”

Kim Bo Tong, the webtoonist behind the original D.P. Dog Days who actually completed his service as a part of the D.P. unit, also shared via a social media post that “D.P. came to life as a way to challenge the idea that ‘things have gotten better since.’ It came to life to help those who are still fighting in the dark by themselves.”

- Koreaboo -

Some parts are based on real stories.

Inspired by the life of Crown Prince Sado.

Inspired by the life of Boohwal founder and rock musician Kim Tae Won. 

Inspired by the "Hwaseong serial murder case" which occurred from 1986 to 1991 in the Taean Neighborhood of Hwaseong, South Korea. Ten women were raped and murdered during that time period.

Based on the story of young Yeongjo (given name: Yi Geum). "Haechi" or "Haetae" is an imaginary animal, able to discern the innocent from the guilty.

- AsianWiki - 

Not based on a specific story, but Hwarang actually did exist as important members of society durimng the Silla period. Hwarang was made up of elite young men, the group's purpose was to prepare these young men to become highly educated politicians and administrators.

- Soompi -

While the relationships are fictional, the characters in this drama are based off of actual people. Empress Ki did exist and her story is quite infamous in Korea. Ki was born in Korea during the Goryeo dynasty, but was later sent to Mongol Yuan as a concubine for the emperor. As the drama depicts, she rose in the ranks and eventually became Empress. However, with her newfound power, she ended up invading Korea with Yuan’s troops. Even though some considered Empress Ki as a leader for the Koreans living in Yuan, others call her a traitor for trying to invade her own country.

- Soompi -

Based on a true story of a weapons lobbyist who shook up the French political world.

Based on the true story of Korea's first soprano singer Yun Sim Deok and Kim Woo Jin, back in Korea 1920's.

Remake of the Japanese series written by Tomoko Yoshida, which was inspired by a real event. As the story goes, there was a man who posted in an online forum with a question that said "My wife is having an affair this week; what shoul I do?" The question went viral, which in turn brought up about its transformation to the screen.

- Soompi -

Based on a nonfiction essay called Things Left Behind written by Kim Sae Byul. Evidently, both the book and the drama are based on real-life traumatic events.

Inspired by the life of the Korean independence fighter Hwang Ki Hwan. He served in the Western European front as an American soldier in World War I to participate in the American war effort, at a time when the March 1st Movement and the establishmen of the Korean Provisional Government were taking shape.

Hwan Ki Hwan quote:
"Koreans are spilling blood to gain absolute independence of Koreans for Koreans by Koreans."

Read more HERE

Loosely based on the true story of Cho Bong Haeng, a Korean drug lord who ran a large drug trafficking organization in Suriname between the late 1990s and early 2000s.

- Korea JoongAng Daily -

Based on a true story of Queen Dangyeong/Lady Shin (7 February 1487 – 27 December 1557) who was the wife and Queen Consort of King Jungjong of Joseon, the 11th monarch of the Joseon Dynasty. Lady Shin married Prince Jinsung in 1499. In 1506, Prince Jinsung became the king and Lady Shin became the queen, but 7 days later, she was removed from her position and expelled from the palace. While her title was restored later after her death, her story still remains famous due to her having such a short reign as queen.

- Wikipedia -

While “Reply 1988”  isn't centered around an exact story from that time period, the drama became popular due to it's accurate attention to detail. Set during the '88 Olympic games in Korea, the show perfectly captures the life of an avarage youth in the late 1980's. One character, Choi Taek (Park Bo Gum) was inspired by an actual Baduk player named Lee Chang Ho, who became famous at the young age of 13 for his expert skills at Baduk. 

- Soompi -

Inspired by historical events.  A notable aspect of the series is its handling of the 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement, an event during which the head of the military junta (which had taken over South Korea after the assassination of President Park Chung-hee), General Chun Doo Hwan, sent paratroopers into Gwangju to put down the uprising resulting in a massacre of hundreds of civilians. A taboo subject during the airing of the series, the violent scenes (based on individual accounts) resulted in shock and grief for the South Koreans at that time. (The mid-90s South Korea had not come to terms with what happened after government muzzled free speech.) After the drama aired, there was a visible output of movies dealing with the subject (such as A Petal (1996) and Peppermint Candy (2000)). It even influenced the prosecution of ex-President Chun Doo Hwan responsible for the massacre (he was finally jailed, decades after the incident).

- Wikipedia -

The main characters of “Six Flying Dragons” are both historical and fictional. This drama shows the stories of six different people at the end of the Goryeo dynasty in the late 1300's. Out of the six dragons, Lee Bang Won, Jeong Do Jeon and Lee Seong Gye are all real people that existed during that time period. Lee Bang Won is the main character who later became the third king of Joseon after helping his father, King Taejo, establish the Joseon Dynasty.

- Soompi -

Based on novel "Ms. Hammurabi" by Moon Yoo Seok, published 2015 in daily newspaper The Hankyoreh. 

Based on the true story of Shin Jeong Ah who once worked as a professor of art at Dongguk University and chief curator at Sungkok Art Museum. She was then elected as artistic co-director for the 2008 Gwangju Biennale (one of Korea's biggest art events). It was then revealed that Shin Jeong Ah forged her college credentials (a bachelor's degree from the University of Kansas and a Ph.D. from Yale University) and was fired from her positions. Shin Jeong Ah served 18 months in prison. She was also romantically linked to former presidential aide Byeon Yang Kyoon, who helped Shin Jeong Ah gain employment at Dongguk University. 

- AsianWiki -

Based on real-life cases like the Park Choroung Bitnari kidnapping and the Hwaseong Serial Murder case. In real life, Hwaseong is the most infamous case in Korean history and it still remains unsolved to this day. It was the producer’s hope that those crimes would never be forgotten by the public and never be repeated again.

Based on the webtoon The Deluxe Taxi (Red Cage) by Carlos and Lee Jae-jin. Inspired by actual real life heinous crimes committed in Korea.

This drama is about the takeover of the Korean government in 1979 by Chun Doo Hwan, the South Korean President who is most infamous for the Kwangju Massacre.