TV comedy in South Korea can traced back to 1969 with the comedy show , which aired on
MBC. The show was based on the performances of musical play troupes known as
akgeukdan (). comedian Gu Bong-seo recalled in 1999 how "if a doctor appeared in a comedy, the medical association would protest, and if a pottery piece was broken, antique dealers would object." In 1977, it was decided that all comedy shows would be canceled, as they were deemed low quality; within a day of the announcement, however, it was decided that weekly shows would remain on the air. The first "gag" (개그, equivalent to slapstick comedies) comedy was the show
Smile a Little (살짜기 웃어예) aired on
TBC in 1974. The show reflected the comedy trends that were popular in South Korean universities. In the 1980s, there were debates among comedians who base their comedy in comedy plays and the aforementioned "gag" comedians, with gag comedians often being derided as lacking creativity and "stuff that would be more fitting for a school talent show". However, after the 1980s, comedy styles birthed by the gag comedians became the mainstream style of comedy, in the form of comedy skits in shows such as
Gag Concert and
Comedy Big League.
Political cartoons depicting
satirical depictions of current events are also common in newspapers, though due to economic issues and the rise of
webtoons, political cartoons have seen a decline. ==Comedy in North Korea==