This is funny because I was actually wanting to ask about classic kdramas especially romcoms. Like when do people usually think is that time frame?

I've never seen My Name is Kim Sam Soon (and I don't have any particular interest) but does my choice of My Girlfriend is a Gumiho or Strong Woman Do Bong Soon fall into the classic kdrama romcom area with it?

Are all older romances like this?

Kinda. Tsundere male leads were a staple of Hallyu. My Name is Kim Sam-soon is a rom-com, so classic rom-com recommendations from me would be Full House and My Girl.

Goong (2006)
The greatest Love (2011)
Dal Ja’s spring (2007)
Nine end two outs (2007)

I am sure there are more classics before this time but I haven’t watched them. These are some of my favorites. Of course ‘Coffee Prince’ is a given but I bet most have seen it??

Older dramas are like that and some much more.
Melodramas are a must: Autumn in My Heart, Winter Sonata, Stairway to Heaven, I'm Sorry i Love You, Beautiful Days, Thank You are just some I can remember.
Romcoms: My Girl, Full House, Story of a Bright Girl, You're Beautiful, Coffee Prince, Princess Hours
Fantasy: Queen In Hyun's Man
Sagueks: The Princess' Man,

I started watching Korean in 2003....and these are some of the dramas I still love.
Melodramas: Autumn in My Heart, Winter Sonata, Summwr Scent, Spring Waltz, Glass Slippers, Stairway to Heaven, I'm Sorry i Love You, Beautiful Days.
Legal: Love Story in Harvard, A New Leaf, Prosecutor Princess, Remember: War of the Son
Romance: Hotelier, All About Eve
Romcoms: My Girl, Full House, Story of a Bright Girl, You're Beautiful, Coffee Prince, Princess Hours
Fantasy: Queen In Hyun's Man, Faith, Rooftop Prince, Master's Sun
Historical: The Princess' Man, Queen Seon Duk, Lee San, Wind of Change, Damo, Queen of Seven Days, Jewel in the Palace, Dong Yi, Jumong, Giant, Golden Apple, Capital Scandal

Others have mentioned Stairway to Heaven as an older melo rec, but my favorite is actually Tree of Heaven. Both have the V.C. Andrews style forbidden romance/obsession from the step-brother, but Tree of Heaven goes deeper into the connection between the two step-siblings, and it lacks the amnesia/illness tropes of Stairway (it's also better acted imo - Park Shin Hye is the best part of Stairway and she's the lead in Tree).

If you want a drama where the tsundere ML (Rain!) plots step by step to completely ruin the FL in a melodramatic case of mistaken revenge, only to then breakdown in absolute histrionic tears when he realizes his mistake, try A Love to Kill (2005).

Shining Inheritance (2009) is likely my most-watched drama. I love the absolute wringer that the FL has to go through to get to the end. The FL is a total candy, completely pushed around and semi-abused by the mean ML (before he falls completely in love, obviously) and is also dealing with an abhorrent evil step-mother and misunderstandings with her rich halmoni benefactor, all the while keeping her sunny disposition and winning people over with her work ethic, lol.

Another well-watched favorite of mine is Stars Falling from the Sky (2010). The FL is completely frivolous and shallow in the beginning, but when her parents die, she steps up to care for her (many) siblings - by sneaking them into the basement of the 3-men household where she's been hired to be the housekeeper.

Unpopular opinion: Tsunderes should make a comeback. Not Hyun Bin level in MNIKSS but maybe a mix between the super nice guys we have rn and the terrible red flags we had back then 😂
But what I miss most about that time was the crack potential of dramas. You would want to click the next episode, no matter the genre. They were addicting. There are a few dramas like that now as well but not most. I was watching Chuno the other day and noticed the difference too, also would totally recommend Greatest Love.

Definitely not a rom-com, but "That Winter the Wind Blows" was the first older drama (and first melodrama) I ever watched, and -- whew! -- what an experience. Nothing subtle about the plot, villainy or capital-D drama. It was a trip.

They are certainly better with slow-burn romance and the romantic tension of the more veteran actors are so much better than the current romance. I find that i can finish most of the pre-2010/2015 romantic dramas. Plus, there is reason why I can watch Beautiful Days and Save the Last Dance For Me for more than once.

I think beanies already mentioned everything, so I'll just add Couple or Trouble. ☺️

I hope you have fun with all these shows.

I think Secret Garden qualifies as old school (2010)

Attitudes and feelings, both desirable and sometimes secretive...

The Hong Sisters work has been mentioned a bunch in this thread. They tend to have fun male leads whose self-importance is more tongue in cheek (You're Beautiful, The Greatest Love). Their second leads tend to be dull, though. The first one I saw and still my favorite is My Girl.

I can buy into the cold male lead if they crank of the melodrama meter, like I'm Sorry I Love You and (somewhat in the same vein as A Love to Kill already mentioned), Nice Guy.

But I generally prefer the classics that were a bit different, like as mentioned Coffee Prince, and Ruler of Your Own World. I felt like it was transitioning around the time I saw Arang and the Magistrate. I'd like to see a timeline chart of wrist grab frequency over the years.

Lots of great ones have already been shared, so to this list, I'll add Bride of the Century, which was crack-tastic, popcorn-munching melo-makjang that I couldn't tear myself away from 😂 No spoilers, but there's an unforgettable plot twist that makes you question when and HOW did that happen?? 🤣 My Girlfriend is a Gumiho and The Greatest Love are both gems. Master's Sun is also good.

No all older romances were not like that, but a lot were.

That Fool definitely wasn't. It has been in my top ten list since 2009.

What Star Did You Come From is another of my favorites, more melo-romance and with very unusual leads.

Miss Korea, another favorite, again with unusual leads.

Nine is a favorite of mine too, with leads who feel very much like normal people around you.

Dream High is a lovely classic to watch now too.

For shows with more classic leads, (read: tsundre mls, hard working female leads) 2011 and 2012 were apparently my years, because they contain 4 of my most favorite dramas ever:

Protect the Boss
Scent of a Woman
What's Up
Wild Romance

And 2 that I loved the characters but was indifferent to the story:

The King 2 Hearts
Faith

I feel like shows started to feel a lot more trendy and pretty and different since 2013. When I look at dramas aired in 2013, I love a lot of them, but they feel too trendy to call them classics.

Oh, tsundere - sort of: I feel like most of these guys were simply jerks, not introverts with trust/communication issues - MLs was the last problem with older kdramas! Personally I do not think very fondly of anything made pre-2010, including shows I more or less enjoyed. They weren't as bland as many dramas nowadays are, yes, but heavens, they were SO irritating in other aspects! Don't think that wanting to pull all your hair out in frustration 10+ times in every episode sounds like a good time, but maybe that's just me... I miss OSTs tho.

The Greatest Love is my favorite kdrama classic romance. It's definitely worth the early 2000s aesthetic (and it kind of adds to the charm, honestly)

Some great ones mentioned here that I had forgotten about. Here's two more that almost never get mentioned anymore. They were very enjoyable and fun rom-com watches for me. Charismatic FL's and hot ML's.
Get Karl! Oh Soo Jung and Bad Couple.

My name is Kim Sam Soon is great. It's a pure classic rom-com. I watched it last January for the first time, if I'm not mistaken.

Other old dramas I'd suggest (I have not watched many):

_ Secret Garden (2011). I prefer this Hyun Bin to Sam Soon's Hyun Bin. His character is very funny (I know many people can't stand him, though).

_ Shining Inheritance (2009). I don't know if it's a rom-com, or a rom-makjang, if that exists. I think it was a little bit too long, and the FL is a usual Candy who suffers a lot. SML Syndrome alert.

_ Flower Boy Next Door (2013). It's not really old, but I think its "freshness" and apparent simplicity is more similar to pre-2010 dramas than modern ones. It's not a pure comedy. I still find the script is deep and beautiful.

_ The same can be said about 9 end 2 outs (2007), which I'm currently watching. It's not a rom-com, it's more a "slice-of-life" kind of drama. A group of friends who have just turned 30 and try to find their place. It's a lovely show. Very well written.

I have recently watched I'm sorry, I love you (2004), but I didn't like it so much. And it's not a rom-com, it's a melo.

A lot of these classics are problematic but they are oh-so-fun. Mentioning the ones not mentioned:

Heart to Heart (2015) - doctor-patient relationship, jerk ML. I loved the dynamic of the couple and the FL's non-stop self talk.

My Princess (2011) - the rom and the com is the highlight of this frothy, cute drama. Song Seung-hoon and Kim Tae-hee at their best. Zoom through the dramatics and villainy.

Playful Kiss (2010) - a more digestible version of It Started with a Kiss with a young Jung So-mim. (The Thai one is good).

Miss Kim's Million Dollar Quest (2004) - the first collab between Ji Jin-hee and Kim Hyun-joo. She wears the pants in this relationship. This rom-com has a pre-trendy vibe.

What's Up Fox (2006) - a classic noona rom-com by the writer of Kim Sam-soon. It also explores unconventional relationships.

Soulmate (2006) - this is a classic.

Ex-girlfriends Club (2015) - this is so much fun. Byun Yo-han, Song Ji-hyo, Lee Yoon-ji, Ryu Hwa-young (I miss this actress). The girls together are great!

The Man Who Can't Get Married (2009) - remake of a Japanese dorama with Ji Jin-hee and Uhm Jung-hwa. Psst he's not a jerk but he is infuriating for our FL.

Flower Boy Ramen Shop (2011) - the first of the Flower Boy series. I loved the romance and the SML's role. Do read @javabeans and @girlfriday's recaps to gain more insight into the drama. Jung Il-woo is such a charmer (also watch him in Return of Iljimae, a sageuk as beautiful as Bossam and 49 Days).

Biscuit Teacher Star Candy (2005) - teacher-student relationship between Gong Yoo and Gong Hyo-jin. I liked Gong Yoo's growth in this.

Discovery of Romance (2014) - Eric and Jung Yu-mi reunite in this love triangle with Sung Joon after the intense Que Sera Sera. Eric is electric here and the growth of the characters is good.

High School King of Savvy (2014) - Seo In-guk, Lee Hana, Lee Soo-hyuk. Kang Ki-young, Lee Tae-hwan and Shin Hye-sun in smaller roles. Noona rom-com. I loved the main couple's dynamics.

Witch's Romance (2014) - classy Uhm Jung-hwa with Park Seo-joon.

The first half of Myung-wol the Spy (2011) - good, silly fun till it devolved into something else.

Drinking Solo (2016) - from the writer of A Poem A Day. A+ jerk ML, candy FL in a very fun drama. Enjoy the Noryangjin foolish trio. They're a hoot.

Devilish Joy (2018) - neck breaking romance between Choi Jin-hyuk and Song Ha-yoon.

The first half of Me too Flower (2011) - not a rom-com. Loved the unconventional FL (Lee Ji-ah) and her growing romance with Yoon Shi-yoon.

Goodbye Solo (2006) - a beautiful exploration of loving others and loving oneself by Noh Hee-kyung. Kim Nam-gil plays second lead here (he's also in a blink and you miss role in Kim Sam-soon)

Second to Last Love (2016) - rom-com of an older couple played by Ji Jin-hee and Kim Hee-ae. I liked how they included most tropes but it kept it a little toned down.

Birth of a Billionaire (2010) - enjoyed...