The oldest drama I have ever watched is "Into the Sunlight" from 1999. I started it mainly for baby Jang Hyuk, but was pleasantly surprised by the story and the rest of the cast. The drama sensitively explored class expectations and prejudices that young people had to deal with, and accomplished it without stepping too much into makjang territory. I would like to watch more older dramas, but the availability is an issue.

Sandglass [1995] is required viewing for anyone who claims to be a Kdrama fan.

The hype and critical acclaim is very much deserved, the production values are a product of its time, but the writing, acting and direction is excellent, its also suprisingly gritty and violent for a broadcast TV drama.

Its excellent though and well worth the watch.

I’m so happy we’re chatting about this! This is a time in kdramas that I know basically nothing about (I haven’t even watched too many Kmovies from this time) but I know it was huge for making them the way we all know and love. Thanks in advance for recommendations (and hopefully availability tips), Beanies!

great topic!

The only kdrama DVD I have is Save the Last Dance for me 2004 with Jisung, Uee and Park? Bo Young. Double amnesia, necklaces, chaebol, adopted orphan, and more.

Jewel in the Palace is the other older kdrma I love. 2003

Thank you for the info about Netflix releasing more of these older kdramas. I have wanted to watch the classic "Sandglass" from the 1990s" and a few others from the '90s.

Feelings, 1994
A lot of feelings... and young Lee Jung Jae (I fell for Min Jong oppa though 😊). And a birth secret, of course. 😁
I watched it later (I found kdramas around 2008, I think) and quite liked it actually.

I have watched a number of others from the early 2000s. Surprising to me the only 1990 dramas I have watched are 4 Japanese ones. I guess they were available.

Ooh! Thank you for this great prompt. What a shot of nostalgia. This thread even smells different. Like a warm home cooked meal. 😊❤🥰 While I started my K-drama journey a mere 20 odd years ago (Hello Full House) in 2004, my first K-drama opened the doorways to all things K-drama.

While the young 'uns would not really realize why we are so moony-eyed over Sandglass or Choi Min-soo but there was a time when I couldn't watch enough of his dramas be it What Is Love? (1991) or Walking to Heaven (1993). Despite the *ahem* quality of the film I was still glued to the screen. So glad that some dramas were remastered and improved the picture quality.

I realized reading this prompt that the only 1990's k-drama I've watched was half of Sandglass. In fact the only 90's Asian drama I've watched all the way through was the 1996 J-drama Long Vacation (which I highly recommend if you like slice-of-life romances). There are other older shows I'd love to check out like Eyes of Dawn or Hur Jun, but I've never found them legally available anywhere.

As a relative newcomer to Kdramas- I’m curious to what built the foundation to Kdramas. How did they get to where they are today.

I took note in an interview with Kim Tae-Ri, her favorite drama was Ruler of your own World.
That was 2002 so it missed the 90’s by a teeny tiny bit, but close enough in my book.
In Kim Tae Ri, I trust.
Someday, I will find a way to watch this

I've never watched Jealousy (1992), but I was obsessed with its OST "Jealousy" by Yoo Seung-beom when it was remade by Twinkling Watermelon and A Good Day to Be a Dog, and you can watch classic MBC dramas on its YouTube channel in HD but without subtitles.

So many goodies from this time! Model (1997 - Kim Nam-joo, Jang Dong-gun), School 1 through 4 (1999 to 2002 - Jang Hyuk, Ha Ji-won, Lee Dong-wook, and soooo many others), Happy Together (1999 - Lee Byung-heon, Song Seung-heon, Kim Haneul, Jeon Ji-hyun, Cha Tae-hyun), The Star in My Heart (Ahn Jae-wook, Choi Jin-shil, Jeon Do-yeon)

I watched alot of 90s kdramas, Stars In My Heart (who can forget Ahn Jae Wook's Forever), Model, Propose, Paper Crane, Purity, Springtime (this drama is very sad with Jang Dong Gun and Kim Hyun Joo) to name a few.

Seoul, 1998. There was one English language TV channel. A couple of the other channels had beautiful costumed dramas. They looked like some of the filming had been done on the old Palace grounds. I didn't understand a word, and I had no way of continuing to watch them once I went home, but it is a vivid memory.
I don't even know what the titles were, but I continue to hope that some old sageuks will appear on my screen one day.

Aigoo, the 90's were not informed by Kdramas for me. It was my bestie coming out to the house, after I gave birth, with a stack of VHS tapes that we watched late into the night. Talking Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Mad Max and so many others.
She and I are having a movie/lunch next week. I so want to see Ne Zha 2 but it will not make it to my local screens. Perhaps the dubbed version?
Hubby and I are contemplating flying out to Oakland CA to see this masterpiece.