Seoul 1945 (Korean: 서울 1945) is a 2006 South Korean period television series starring Ryu Soo-young, Han Eun-jung, So Yoo-jin, Kim Ho-jin, and Park Sang-myun. It aired on KBS1 from January 1 to September 26, 2006, on Saturdays and Sundays at 21:30 for 71 episodes.

Set around 1945 right after Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule when the nation was engulfed by ideological turmoil, the story revolves around the rivalry between Suk-kyoung (So), a renowned pianist and daughter of a rich pro-Japanese politician, and Hae-kyung (Han), a headstrong servant; both women love Woon-hyuk (Ryu), whose ambition to become a lawyer gets thwarted due to his political ideology.^[1]

The series takes place during turbulent times in Korea, spanning from the end of the Japanese occupation to the eventual split of the country into North and South. The story revolves around the lives of four young adults who grew up together. Choi Woon-hyuk (Ryu Soo-young) is a child prodigy born into a family of poor miners; Kim Hae-kyung (Han Eun-jung) is the eldest daughter of tenant farmers; Lee Dong-woo (Kim Ho-jin) is the heir to a wealthy, well-connected family; and Moon Suk-kyung (So Yoo-jin) is the only child of an affluent and powerful political ally of Japan. In a blend of personal choices and circumstances beyond their control, each individual embarks on different paths that reflect the chaotic nature of the time as well as their true character. As their paths collide, love, friendship, loyalty, vengeance, moral conscience, and ideology become driving forces to irrevocably change the course of their lives.

At a press conference held in June 2006, 254 right-wing conservative groups accused the state-run KBS network of distorting history. They complained that Seoul 1945 had a left-wing bias, with its portrayal of Syngman Rhee as "a Japanese collaborator whose lust for power leads him to abandon a unified Korea, while characters of the Left are usually portrayed as considerate and concerned for the future of the nation," and that the drama accuses Rhee and others of involvement in the assassination of the center-left leader Lyuh Woon-hyung. They asked for a halt to the broadcast and threatened a campaign to boycott the television subscription fee.^[2]

In July 2006, Rhee In-soo, adopted son of South Korea's first president Syngman Rhee, and Jang Byung-hye, daughter of former prime minister Jang Taek-sang, filed a lawsuit against the producers of Seoul 1945, claiming that the drama distorts history and belittles the achievements of their late fathers.^[3]

In May 2007, Seoul Central District Court dismissed the lawsuit, stating that since the drama is based on fiction rather than historical facts, KBS is not responsible for defamation of character. In its ruling, the court said, "Such a description is part of artistic expression, which should be respected in producing soap opera that is based on fiction rather than facts." The court also said since there are historical documents that support the idea that former President Rhee was pro-Japanese and pro-American, the drama did not seriously distort facts.^[4]