The Best Korean Dramas To Binge This Weekend

While many legal K-dramas offer dramatic, action-packed storylines that delve into the murky world of courtroom law, breakout drama Extraordinary Attorney Woo presents a different and distinctive spin to the genre. The K-drama follows Woo Young-woo (Park Eun-bin), a rookie lawyer and the first attorney in Korea with autism spectrum disorder. While she faces prejudicial treatment at work, in court, and in her daily life, she has no trouble with building strong legal defences and effortlessly finding legal loopholes for her clients.

Extraordinary Attorney Woo was hailed for its ingenious storyline and stellar acting performances, especially by Park. This heartwarming show will surely bring you to tears and laughter at different moments – don’t miss out.

Based (very loosely) on the famous 1868 novel of the same name by Louisa May Alcott, this 12-episode Korean hit drama is a thrilling watch with multiple plot-twists that will keep you guessing until the end. Slickly produced (with an honourable mention to the beautiful scenes shot here in Singapore), Little Women features an extremely well-written plot that shows the power dynamics between different social classes in Korea, as well as exceptional acting by cast members the likes of Kim Go-eun, Nam Ji-hyun and Uhm Ji-won.

Rather than the four March sisters in the original novel, the Korean adaptation follows three Oh sisters who, similar to the book, grew up in poverty. Each sister has to persevere through domestic and economic hardships while leaning on each other.

For a heart-fluttering romantic drama with a sprinkle of comedy, check out Twenty-Five, Twenty-One. The K-drama is a coming-of-age 90’s love story starring popular actors Kim Tae-ri (Na Hee Do) and Nam Joo-hyuk (Baek Yi-Jin).

Set against the backdrop of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the heartfelt series explores the upheavals and changes in society and culture and the impact it has on the different characters, who form raw and real relationships after learning to lean on each other.

Full of nostalgia and emotions, Twenty-Five, Twenty-One was a huge commercial hit; it’s currently one of the highest-rated dramas in Korean cable television history.

Can’t get enough of zombie shows? Check out Netflix horror drama All of Us Are Dead.

An adaptation of a popular Korean webtoon of the same name, All of Us Are Dead follows a group of students trapped in a high school during a zombie apocalypse that started due to a failed science experiment.

Starring largely newcomers, including Park Ji-hu, Yoon Chan-young and Cho Yi-hyun in lead roles, the Korean drama debuted in January 2022 and quickly became one of the top trending shows of the year due to the hair-raising plot with nail-biting moments. In fact, the Korean zombie thriller is one of the most popular foreign language series in Netflix history outside of Squid Game and the Spanish Money Heist series.

Believe it or not, Netflix’s latest South Korean horror drama, Hellbound faired better than the popular Squid Game according to recent reports. Yes, you read that right. After its release, the show was ranked as the most-watched Netflix television series by 20th November 2021, ranking number one in more than 80 countries within the first 24 hours — which just goes to show how well received the show was. But how is it any different from Squid Game you might ask?

Directed and written by Yeon Sang-ho, also known as the mastermind who directed the cult classic Korean film, Train To Busan, the show is centred on a group of otherworldly beings who appear out of nowhere to issue a decree and condemn individuals to hell. The culmination of all the supernatural events then cause great mayhem and enable the religious group, The New Truth, to grow in influence. However, a group of people also start to become more suspicious about its activities and begin investigating its involvement in mysterious events.

In the action noir K-drama, My Name, centres on the murder of Ji-woo’s father, which she witnesses without seeing the perpetrator’s face. She goes to an old friend of her father’s – underworld boss Moo-jin (Park) – and seeks his help to take revenge and reveal the murderer behind her father’s death. Under his direction, she infiltrates the police force with a new identity as a cop under the drug investigation unit of the police department, with her partner Detective Jeon Pil Do.

Fans of the zombie genre, this one’s for you. The popular hit series, Kingdom, is well-loved by many for good reason. Set in the Joseon period, here, the show starts out with the king falling ill to smallpox. Then, rumours start to spread that he has actually died. Meanwhile, Crown Prince Lee Chang is labelled a traitor by the Haewon Cho Clan, the clan of the current pregnant Queen and her father, Cheif State Councilor Cho Hak Joo.

While trying to uncover the mystery of what happened to his father, the Crown Prince goes with his guard, Moo Young, to Dongnae to look for Physician Lee Seung Hui who treated his father, only to be stuck with Assistant Physician Seo Bi and the mysterious man, Young Shin, in a village plagued with a mysterious disease.

With two seasons to boot, the show also released a special third season titled Ashin of The North, where it delves into Ashin’s origin story and her experiences growing into a scorned woman that turned against the Kingdom of Joseon.

If you like shows like Japanese science fiction suspense-thriller drama, Alice in Borderland, then Squid Game will be right up your alley. While the two shows may be similar in their own aspects, the latter has recently been massively popular on social media for good reason. In fact, it could possibly be one of Netflix’s most popular Korean series ever. But if you haven’t jumped onto the bandwagon and you haven’t watched it, then it’s about time you should.

The nine-episode survival series follows a group of 456 desperate contestants who accept a mysterious invitation to participate in a survival game in which they are locked into a secret location and play a series of traditional children’s games where the stakes are life and death. While winning 45.6 billion won may sound really attractive, these contestants have to literally fight for their spot to be the last man standing.

Not only is the show known for its shock value of gore and mayhem, but the show’s premise is brought to life through spectacular sets and striking costumes that are simply amazing.

Related article: ‘Squid Game’ Season 2 Gets The Green Light—Here’s What to Know

Based on a web comic named Living Together, the rom-com K-drama tells the story of a gumiho (nine-tailed fox) Shin Woo-yeo (Jang Ki-yong) who has been living discreetly in the human world for centuries, waiting for the time when he can become a human permanently. However, his fox bead is accidentally swallowed by Lee Dam (Lee Hye-ri) and they are forced to live together while searching for a solution.

A new romance eventually blossoms between them, but the handsome and wealthy Gye Sun-woo (Bae In-hyuk) also has a crush on Lee Dam, leaving Woo-yeo feeling anxious for the first time in more than 900 years.

Park Jae-Eon (Song Kang), a cheerful university student who isn’t the least interested in romance, unexpectedly meets a schoolmate Yoo Na-bi (Han So-hee) who begins to change his outlook on love.

He thinks relationships are a bother but wants to flirt, while she doesn’t believe in love but still wants a relationship. Can they both get what they want?

Crime and action meet comedy and romance with this upcoming series starring Song Joong-ki as Park Joo-Hyeong, who grew up in Italy after getting adopted at the age of eight. Going by the name of Vincenzo Casano, he works as a consigliere to an Italian mafia, but has to return to South Korea after a series of mafia wars. Back in Korea, he meets Hong Cha-young (Jeon Yeo-bin), an attorney who will do anything to win a case, and falls in love.

But he also encounters some odd neighbours and gets embroiled in a fight against a formidable opponent. The pair develop a romance while pursuing justice together.

Based on a popular 2017 web novel called Sunbae, Don’t Put On That Lipstick, the storyline of this office rom-com revolves around the marketing team of a cosmetics brand, and in particular, the relationship of Yoon Song-A (Won Jin-a) and her younger colleague, Chae Hyun-Seung (Ro Woon aka Kim Seok-woo).

He’s drawn to her, but she rebuffs his advances as she’s not typically into younger men. Will he finally win the heart of his sunbae (senior)?

If you’re bored of the same ol’ romantic K-dramas, this new series might just excite you if you’re a true thriller junkie. Unlike any zombie horror series out there, Sweet Home paints the kind of world where violence and gore echo the banality of survival. Here, you’ll witness that the scariest monsters are human beings themselves — where survival becomes the essence of existence.

The show starts off with Cha Hyun Soo, a loner, who moves to a new apartment following the death of his family. His life is soon disturbed by strange incidents that begin to occur in his building. The series follows Hyun Soo and other residents on their quest of survival while facing the trials and tribulations of their insatiable desires that cause them to transform into monsters.

“Start Up” tells the tale of the razor-thin margins between ultimate success and abject failure. Taking place in the fictional Sandbox Company, the story tells the journey of young entrepreneurs aspiring to launch their virtual dreams into reality.

One of the notable characters is Seo Dal Mi, played by Suzy Bae, who takes on the role of a part-time worker who is not society’s idea of a successful woman. She is also obsessed with finding her “pen pal” who helped her through a difficult time in her elementary school, not realising that her pen pal was made up by her grandmother who wanted her to have a friend to talk to.

The drama then reveals the success and love in the cutthroat world of Korea’s high-tech industry — of which anyone who’s going through a tough time might find solace and inspiration from.

Created by Kim Soon Ok, the screenwriter behind Temptation Of Wife, this just might be one of the most dramatic K-drama series of 2020.

Set in a luxury penthouse apartment with over 100 floors, the Hera Palace houses residents that are said to have dark secrets and hidden ambitions. Here, Shim Su-Ryeon is known as the queen of the Penthouse, while Seo Jin, is known as the famous and ruthless opera singer, and Oh Yoon-Hee is Seo Jin’s rival.

Basically, it’s a show that witnesses the battle for wealth, power, and prestige at Seoul’s most coveted penthouse that will make you want to fight for injustice.

You know you can’t go wrong with a Park Seo Joon drama. This highly-raved series was well-loved by many for good reason. Following the life of an ex-convict, whose father was killed in an accident, Park Sae-ro-yi tries to put his life back together by working hard to turn his bar into a franchise and overtake a food company, whose CEO is linked to his father’s death.

At its core, Itaewon Class is all about revenge, finding family amongst the people around you, and about fighting against greed, power, discrimination, and inequality in social class. A truly inspiring show that will have you hooked in no time.

If there’s one thing we’re certain of, this series is a coming-of-age kind of drama, but more for people who are at the crossroads of their career. Even if you’re not, you’d probably start recalling the difficulties you went through early on in your career. The drama starts off with Sa Hye Joon — a smart and handsome model who decides that he really wants to become an actor. Despite having auditioned for many roles, he hasn’t had much success and doesn’t have much presence as an actor. The show also features Ahn Jung Ha, a makeup artist who’s bright and cheery on the outside but lonely on the inside. She’s known to fan-girl over her idols as an outlet for her to vent out her frustrations.

Starring two fan favourite drama leads, this highly-anticipated series premiered on April 17, 2020 with high ratings.

The drama unfolds as a Korean emperor during the time of constituional monarchy meets a detective in modern-day Korea upon crossing his parallel world. Played by Lee Min Ho, the emperor aims to close the door between the two worlds, while the detective, played by Kim Go Eun, tries to save lives.

It’s also been said that the show was written by Kim Eun Sook, whose projects include hit series Secret Garden (2010), Descendants of the Sun (2016) and Mr Sunshine (2018).

If you love a good star-crossed romance story, this highly-rated romantic comedy drama is right up your alley. South Korean heiress Yoon Se-ri (Son Ye-jin) accidentally lands in North Korean territory after a paragliding mishap, and falls straight into the arms of North Korean caption Ri Jeong-hyuk (Hyun Bin).

Romance blossoms inevitably, but how will they survive this cross-border relationship?

Related article: K-Drama ‘Crash Landing On You’ Is Set To Become A Musical

The much raved about drama features Sung Deok Mi, portrayed by Park Min Young (Kim Mi So in What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim), as an art gallery curator with a secret.

She is a dedicated fangirl of Shi An, an idol group member – an obsession that has impacted several of her past relationships.

Things take a more complex turn when Ryan Gold (Kim Jae Wook) becomes the new Art Director at the gallery, and rumours spread about Deok Mi and Shi An dating.

A competitive and workaholic bachelorette ponders her direction in life meets a gifted composer for video games at an arcade. Characterised by successful women and the web portal business, this is an unconventional one that has surprised many with its inspirational qualities (on top of its romance).

A one-of-a-kind drama, When The Camellia Blooms combines the unlikely genres of thriller and rom-com. It follows Oh Dong Baek, a single mother in Ongsan, who runs a bar-restaurant.

Locals may gossip about Dong Baek, but a local policeman by the name of Hwang Yong Sik still falls in love with her, unreciprocated but also undeterred – all while a serial killer sets his sights Ongsan, and maybe even Dong Baek.

Take swoon-worthy with a fantastical spin. A tragic accident leaves a talented ballerina blind and broken, until she is met with a trouble-maker angel on his last mission. If he finds true love for her, he regains entry to heaven – but in a divine twist of fate, he falls in love with her instead.

If you can’t get enough of Park Seo-Joon after ‘Itaewon Class’, this show should be right at the top of your next ‘must-watch’ list if you’re a fan of his.

Everyone loves an underdog and it doesn’t get any better than this. Ko Dong-man, played by Park Seo-Joon, is a former taekwondo champ who missed his chance at fame. Choi Ae-ra, his childhood best friend dreams to be an announcer but settles for a job at a department store. These two are willing to do anything to get what they want and soon come to realise that everything they needed to be happy, may have been in each other all along.

Baek Seol-hee, the innocent and sweet one of the group of childhood friend is hopelessly in love with her boyfriend of six years, Kim Joo-man. The brain of the group, his love for Seol-hee is pit against his own ambitions and dreams.

This ragtag group of four have big dreams that seem impossible to achieve, especially with their predicaments. But you’ll get drawn into this K-drama that you’ll root for them as they navigate hardships and overcome hurdles to achieve their dreams.

Related article: Actor Park Seo-Joon From ‘Itaewon Class’ May Be In ‘Captain Marvel’ Sequel

Also known as Guardian: The Great And Lonely God, this fantasy-romantic-comedy was one of the most highest rated drama series in TVN’s history until Crash Landing On You broke its record.

Starring a bevy of talented stars such as Train To Busan‘s Gong Yoo and Kim Go Eun, this fan favourite series  sees modern-day goblin (Gong Yoo) seeking a human bride (Kim Go Eun) to end his cursed immortal life, has everything from comedy to melodrama and supernatural elements.

The drama that sparked off a real-life romance, Descendants of the Sun is a Korean military romance featuring Shi-Jin as the captain of the special forces.

He was injured and meets Dr. Mo Yeon and the two fall desperately in love in spite of their difficult circumstances.

This article originally appeared on Her World.