Without question Six Flying Dragons and Empress Ki (and I thought JC W surpassed himself as the emperor). Then The Tree with Deep Roots. The story of Hangul will always stay with me. The more recent Bloody Heart was satisfying at a whole new level. But there's a film that I'll never forget and that's The Throne, that terrible story of the salt chest that is scored into the brain of every Korean. And then at the end is the dance with his father's fan by So Ji-sub. No words for the brilliance. There's so much history and it's all so dramatic. Another one is The Admiral: Roaring Currents and I'm still waiting to see the second film in the trilogy. I can't draw a line between dramas and film when it comes to fabulously engaging k-history

The Princess's Man - what's not to love about a smash up of Romeo & Juliet, The Count of Monte Cristo and Richard III.

I'm usually not in the mood for sageuk these days, but when I started watching kdramas I'd eat that stuff up: Faith, Dr. Jin (one episode), Rooftop Prince... Most of my favorites have been mentioned by others already, so following the rule of you-can-only-pick-one-that-no-one-has-mentioned-yet, Shine or Go Crazy.

It's 'Nokdu Flower' all the way for me. I came for Jo Jungseok but end up loving the story and most the casts. (I may like the upcoming "Sejak" too because he will be in it).

However, I can't actually pick one. There are other dramas that I like very much:
Dae Janggeum's "Jewel in the Palace" for its story
"Dongyi" because of Ji Jin Hee
"Mr Queen" for the comedy
And lastly, "Under the Queen's Umbrella" for the mother's passion.

My vote goes to one not mentioned as yet, Yi San, Wind in the Palace, an oldie but a goodie.

Picking just one is pretty much impossible - although its not really true (yet) I feel like I've watched hundreds of sageuks, and liked most of them. But beanies here have added a lot to my watch next list!

Still, the ones that have made the deepest impression on me are those that draw out some aspect of Joseon or earlier culture/society/institutions beyond the political story, even if it means a bit of confabulation of real history to achieve!

So I really enjoyed Rookie Historian for the whole annals creation stuff; Deep rooted tree as the best of the bunch dealing with the creation of Hangul (and hard to go wrong with Han Suk-kyu as the lead!); Under the Queen's Umbrella for its female perspective (and of course the fabulous Kim Hye-soo), and Red Sleeve for the palace staff perspective.

Yi San covers more or less the same events as Red Sleeve, and although I love Red Sleeve, in many ways I think Yi San is better (mind you with 77 episodes in total it had a lot more time to develop things). You get a fascinating backdrop on the role of musicians and artists in the service of the State, as well as the Palace Inspector ladies and so forth. The stuff on relations with China was great too. The leads were great, and so were many of the secondary characters - the overambitious friend of King Jeongjo, Hong Guk-yeong played by Han Sang-jin (Kang Hoon, who I'm now a huge fan of thanks to Secret Romantic Guesthouse, played the same role in Red Sleeve) was particularly memorable, as was the actor who played Yeongjo (Lee Soon-jae).

But there are so many great ones - I loved Bossam, Iljimae, Arang, Royal Gambler, Moonlovers...).

Queen Seondeok would be mine. I favor the older over the “fusion” , although Mr. Queen is worthy of mention.

The C drama Go Princess Go, the source material for Mr. Queen, is certainly worth the watch, be aware, it’s pure “trash” and that is what makes it so much fun.

I absolutely adore sageuks, and they're easily one of my favorite Kdrama genres. I started watching them because I love historical Korean fashion, especially the elaborate gowns of the Royal Court and aristocracy throughout various dynasties. Korean and Chinese historical garb, particularly the ceremonial gowns, are two of the only global fashion histories where I appreciate both men's and women's fashion, so I got hooked on the modern-day portrayals/interpretations in Kdramas and Korean films.

I also came to appreciate the historical educational elements of sageuks as well. Some follow true historical reality better than others, but having grown up and being educated in the U.S., I relied on these Kdramas and the internet to get a more colorful perspective on Korean life throughout history. Thankfully, there's better access to Korean history books in English now, even in the U.S.

Like many historical dramas, sageuks have been intense viewing, so I really have to be in an intellectual mood to start one. Historical Korean Royal Courts were no less intense, refinely violent, and drama-filled as those of the more famous European or the lesser-known (at least in Western society) Chinese Courts, so I usually can't watch them without intellectualizing them. They're usually pretty good insights into the sociocultural psyche of their Eras, especially the ones based on socioeconomic themes.

So many good ones have already been named, and for me, it'd be literally impossible to pick one so I'll throw one out that hasn't been mentioned yet. JangYungShil was a great one, one of the sageuks with themes centering around technological innovation, socioeconomic, and historical cultural issues under King Sejong's reign. It used to be available with English subtitles some years back on OnDemandKorea.com though not sure where now with English subtitles. There's so many other great ones, but my favorite top must-see sageuks to truly appreciate the genre would probably include:
- Dae Jang Geum
- Painter in the Wind
- Goddess of Fire
- Saimdang (although not a traditional sageuk, great narrative about a strong FL and the art of historical East Asian paper-making)
- Haechi
- The Royal Tailor
- Queen Seonduk
- Hwangjini
- Tree with Deep Roots
- Jang Ok Jung

Kingdom...no kidding. I don't like the zombie genre but somehow the story captivated me. Great cinematography and the actors: Ju Ji-hoon, Bae Doona, and others were wonderful. That young actress who played the badass young queen consort was also wonderful. Is season 3 coming out, yet?

Here's my List:
1. Empress Ki-Hajiwon is my alltime favorite actress.
2. Damo
3. Queen seunduk
4. Mr. Queen was really funny
5. The Red Sleeve Cuff
6. Jumong
7.Under the Queens Umbrella
8. Alchemy of Souls Part 1 only because of Somin
Can i include Mr. Sunshine? Tho it's not around that tl

I'm sorry, I am very late to this but ONLY ONE SAGEUK?
That's absurd. I object to this entry for this topic more than most others.
You could make a decent argument for this being like asking "you can only pick one drama ever..."
They're not even remotely in the same league as other genres or sub genres or classifications you've had in the past; they're in a league and class of their own!
All the more power to and reason for this Article Theme just becoming "List Your Faves in this Arbitrary Topic" :P

Hands down! Chuno, aka The Slave Hunters. A week after seeing it, I would remember....and cry - in public! It's a birthday rewatch every year. I didn't there even WERE slaves during the Joseon period and my mind was immediately blown with their plot line. Of course, there was Jang Hyuk's gut-wrenching performance. I became not only his fan and also of almost all the cast members. I cried over the despicable assassin bowing goodbye, alone, before his mother's door. The unforgettably beautiful (and innovative) soundtrack haunted me. The cinematography? Breathtaking. I'm getting ready for the next rewatch.

A bit late to the party, but I had to put my thoughts in. Sagueks are my husband's favorite genre and we end up watching quite a few of them. Most of the ones we watched are recent ones (unless they are horror, so Kingdom was out after two episodes). The one that struck a chord somewhere deep was Our Blooming Youth. I absoloutley loved the meaningful love story between Yi Hwan and Min Jay Yi. I loved their bickering, their flirting, the sass, the 'hand tied behind the back' ache of loving someone totally out of reach. I loved its feminist hero. I loved how each relationship was given ample time to develop. The second couple is one of my favorites out of any drama (close to Business Proposal I think, High Society does not count). The backstory hit a raw nerve. It brought home many points of unfairness that we struggle around the world even today - whether it's not having agency as a woman, or people being pawn in the larger scheme of things where love has no place, or greed for power that vanquishes an entire population without remorse and gloats for more. I loved its shovel metaphor (one of the most genuinely hilarious scenes ever that I have watched in any show across the world) and how it was used to define the uphill battle against the class struggle in the end. But above all, I loved that this story was about trust, friendship and a willingness to make the right choices, even though it is difficult. It is not perfectly crafted, but it has so much heart that it checks many boxes that make a drama endearing. Oh, and did I say I am in love with its background score and all the OSTs? It's on my Spotify loop.
VERY honorable mentions:
Under the Queen's Umbrella (LOVED this)
Mr Queen
The red sleeve
The moon embraces the sun
The King's affection (only and only for Park Eun Bin and a truly formidable villain).

Moon Embracing the Sun.

I loved and understood every character and lived for them (except the female lead's acting 😩). Simply beautiful.

I also loved Under the Queen's Umbrella, Gu Family Book (I brayed in tears like a donkey for this one), 100 days My Prince (지금 나만 불편하는가 😂), Mr. Sunshine (another tearjerker), Love in the Moonlight 💓 and Rooftop Prince