Fans of Korean dramas, rejoice – for the 2023 schedule is packed with promising new titles. Some of the shows slated for release this year are second instalments of popular and critically acclaimed series, while others are original dramas with new stories and concepts.
There’s something for every palate, whether you’re a fan of action-packed shows with gripping storylines, fantasy period dramas, or a light-hearted comedy romance.
Below, some titles that we’re most looking forward to.
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The plot: By day, Kim Mo-Mi (who is portrayed by both Go Hyun-jung and Nana) is a modest office worker grappling with insecurities about her appearance. However, as the sun sets, she becomes an enigmatic internet personality, masked and anonymous, captivating audiences in the digital realm.
Kim is satisfied with hiding behind her mask as an armour, until one day, when a chain of unexpected, ill-fated events causes her life to take a twist.
When: The show is slated to air from August 18.
Where to watch: Netflix
The plot: Acting veterans Han Hyo-joo, Zo In-sung and Cha Tae-hyun return to the small screen as part of an ensemble cast for supernatural drama Moving. Adapted from the popular webtoon by Kang Full, this series chronicles the journey of three high school teenagers and their parents as they unravel the mysteries of their superhuman abilities. As they prepare to face the world, the series delves into the complex dynamics between power, secrecy, and the unbreakable bonds of family.
When: The show has started streaming since August 9.
Where to watch: Disney+
The plot: What would you do in a zombie apocalypse? In Zombieverse, ten participants are put to the test to find out.
This unique hybrid immersive reality series, produced by Kakao Entertainment, adds another gem to Netflix’s growing collection of Korean unscripted content, a category that already boasts successes like Physical 100.
The show’s contestants, ranging from K-pop idols to viral YouTubers, are introduced to a world where there’s an actual zombie apocalypse taking place.
They have to collaborate and team up in order to survive against a relentless wave of zombies. Their ultimate objective? Reaching safety on Wolmi Island (located 35 kilometers from Seoul) to board an evacuation vessel. However, getting bitten equals transformation into a zombie and an exit from the high-stakes game, and so participants have to make their choices carefully as survival is unscripted and every choice matters.
When: The show has started streaming since August 8.
Where to watch: Netflix
The plot: The Uncanny Counter has unveiled its highly anticipated second season, titled The Uncanny Counter 2: Counter Punch. This season marks a slightly shorter run of twelve episodes instead of sixteen, and joining the cast is actor Yoo In Soo, Kim Hyun Wook, Kang Ki Young and actress Kim Hieora.
Cho Byeong Kyu will once again reprise So Mun to life, while Yoo Joon Sang returns as Ga Mo Tak. Other ensemble cast members set to return include Kim Se Jeong as the spirit-sensing Do Ha Na, Yeom Hye Ran as Chue Mae Ok, a healer with an unwavering compassion, and Ahn Suk Hwan as the enigmatic Choi Jang Mool.
The first season of The Counters concluded on an exhilarating note, as our heroes embarked on expanding their network throughout South Korea. The second season holds the promise of witnessing So Mun’s continued evolution as a crucial figure in the ongoing battle against darkness. Anticipate the introduction of new Counters hailing from different corners of the world, alongside a deeper engagement from So Mun and his comrades as they face more powerful and terrifying demons.
When: The show has started streaming since July 29.
Where to watch: Netflix
The plot: Anticipation is high for the return of military police drama D.P., and rightfully so – the first season was a resounding success, having spent weeks in the top position of Netflix’s top 10, and ended on a series of jaw-dropping events.
Jung Hae-in is set to reprise his role as An Jun-ho, a young soldier assigned to apprehend deserters, together with Corporal Han Ho-yeol (Koo Kyo-hwan). Season 2 will likely see him on his journey from being the hunter to the hunted, and we can’t wait to see what’s in store.
When: The show has started streaming since July 28.
Where to watch: Netflix
The plot: In Celebrity, the thirst for validation is put to the ultimate test. Over the course of 12 episodes, the series takes a deep dive into the lives of trendy individuals, entangled in a world of cutthroat competition and Instagram-driven intrigue.
Portrayed by the talented rising actor Park Gyu-young (who was also recently announced as part of the cast for Season 2 of Squid Game), A-ri is an ordinary cosmetic salesperson whose life takes an extraordinary turn when she becomes an overnight social media sensation. As she amasses a rapid following and comes to terms with her newfound celebrity status, her overwhelming success reveals the darker side of fame and consequences concealed beneath the glitz.
When: The show has started streaming since June 30.
Where to watch: Netflix.
The plot: Actor Lee Sung-min returns as veteran detective Kim Tae-rok in Shadow Detective 2. The first season saw his character drawn into a gripping murder mystery after a strange phone call from an anonymous “Friend”, with the mysterious caller disappearing and never identified.
In this new season, Tae-rok postpones his retirement and is transferred to the police force’s Women and Juveniles Unit. Soon, he finds himself drawn into a new investigation, and one has to wonder – is “Friend” back?
When: The show has started streaming from July 5.
Where to watch: Disney+.
The plot: Singer-actor Taecyeon from 2pm returns to the small screen as a half-human, half-vampire who longs to become fully human. Unfortunately, he misses his opportunity, which only comes once every 100 years. But destiny has its way, and he ends up living with Joo In Hae (Won Ji-An), a seemingly cold-hearted woman who, despite being fully human, seems to lack any sense of humanity.
When: The show has started streaming since June 26.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video.
The plot: Need a dose of rom-com? Check out this classic enemies-to-lovers romance drama featuring Lee Jun-ho from Korean boy band 2pm, and Yoona from Girls Generation. Gu Won (Junho), a wealthy chaebol heir to a luxury hotel empire, he crosses paths with Cheon Sa Rang (Yoona), a hotelier working in one of his family’s hotels. Gu Won immediately dislikes her, for Sa Rang constantly has a smile on her face due to the nature of her job, and he believes that she conceals her true self behind fake smiles. When their paths cross, well…you can probably guess what happens next – cue the romantic music and flower blossoms dancing across the screen.
When: The show has started streaming since June 17.
Where to watch: Netflix.
The plot: Netflix’s latest action K-drama follows promising boxers Kim Geon-woo (Woo Do-hwan) and Hong Woo-jin (Lee Sang-yi), who are best friends. As they look to pay off Geon-woo’s mother’s debt, the duo dive head-first into the murky underground world of money-lending and private loans in South Korea. Packed with thrilling action, the drama sees the duo partnering with a benevolent moneylender (Park Sung-Woong) to take down a callous loan shark together.
When: The show has started streaming since June 9.
Where to watch: Netflix.
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The plot: Actor Lee Dong-wook returns as Lee Yeon, a gumiho (nine-tailed fox), in the Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938, which serves as the second season to the 2020 series Tale of the Nine Tailed. The new series is a prequel of sorts to the former, where Lee Yeon is dragged back in time to the year 1938 during the Japanese Occupation of Korea.
Lee Yeon meets his younger brother, Lee Rang (Kim Bum), and Ryu Hong-joo (Kim So-yeon), who was once a guardian spirit of a mountain in the west but is now the owner of a high-end restaurant. As Lee Yeon struggles to go back to the present day where his eternal first love lives, he embarks on an eventful adventure – especially when he crosses paths with Ryu Hong-joo, whom he once confessed his feelings to a long time ago but was rejected, once again.
When: The show has started streaming since May 6.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
The plot: The well-loved medical drama returns for its highly anticipated third season, which promises to be as thrilling and heartwarming as the previous two seasons. Actor Han Suk-kyu returns as the lead role Dr. Kim Sa-bu. Ahn Hyo-seop and Lee Sung-kyung, who played GS specialist Seo Woo-jin and CS specialist Cha Eun-jae, respectively in the second season, will be reprising their roles as well.
Season three follows Dr. Kim’s long-time wish to set up Doldam Hospital’s Trauma Center, which increases the scale of incidents and accidents that the hospital has to deal with. Coupled with new doctors in the team, a new antagonist, and heart-fluttering romance, the drama is definitely making a strong return.
When: The show has started streaming since April 21.
Where to watch: Disney+.
The plot: Netflix’s latest original political drama offering, Queenmaker, stars actress Kim Hee-ae as Hwang Do-Hee. She’s a strategic planning team manager who experiences a crisis of conscience and joins the Seoul mayoral election campaign of human rights lawyer Oh Seung-sook, played by Moon So-ri.
Hwang Do-hee and Oh Seung-sook are both headstrong and often butt heads with different opinions, but despite their differences, the two women come together to achieve justice.
When: The show has started streaming since April 14.
Where to watch: Netflix.
The plot: Actor Kim Woo-bin takes on his first action role on a small screen since his recovery from cancer. Set in the year 2071 where pollution has become so severe that people can’t survive without respirators, Kim stars as the legendary delivery knight 5-8. As Korea undergoes desertification, the remaining 1 per cent of humanity left is increasingly stratified, and delivery knights have come to play an extremely important role in society.
When: The show has started streaming since May 12.
Where to watch: Netflix.
The plot: Song Hye-kyo returns to the small screen with The Glory, a thrilling revenge-based show that’s vastly different from her usual melodramas. The storyline follows a former victim of brutal school violence (played by Song) who hatches an elaborate revenge scheme against her childhood bullies who have traumatised her.
When: The Glory first debuted on December 30; part 2 of the series is expected to be released starting March 10.
Where to watch: Stream it on Netflix.
The plot: Revenge is complicated in Call It Love, which stars Lee Sung-kyung and Kim Young-kwang. Kim, who plays a Cinderella-esque role, is kicked out of her home by her father’s mistress after his death. She decides to take revenge by approaching Dong-jin (played by Kim), the son of her father’s mistress, but her plans fall apart when she falls in love with him.
When: The show is slated to air on February 22.
Where to watch: Stream it on Disney+.
The plot: First aired in 2021, Taxi Driver features actor Lee Je-hoon as Kim Do-Ki, a deluxe taxi driver for the Rainbow Taxi Company, which offers a special revenge service to its patrons who have been wronged. Most of the incidents that take place on the show are inspired by actual real-life heinous crimes committed in Korea, and the highly-anticipated season 2 is expected to take an even darker turn.
When: The show has started streaming since February 17.
Where to watch: SBS
The plot: ZE:A boyband member and actor Park Hyung-sik stars as an arrogant crown prince in this mystery-thriller and romance sageuk (the term for Korean period dramas). He crosses paths with noblewoman Min Jae-yi (Jeon So-nee) when her entire family is suddenly murdered, and she is framed as the killer. The prince offers to help her, on the condition that she helps him break a mysterious curse.
When: The show has started streaming since February 6.
Where to watch: Stream it on Prime Video and Viki.
The plot: It’s survival of the fittest on Physical 100, Netflix’s first Korean reality survival series. 100 contestants, ranging from athletes, fitness instructors, social media stars and actual Olympians, will be put through gruelling tests of strength and endurance with the hope of being the sole survivor of the fittest. The “final physique standing” wins 300 million won (about $300,000 SGD).
Contestants include Korean-Japanese mixed martial artist Choo Sung-hoon (AKA Sarang’s father, for fans of The Return of Superman), K-pop star Sunmi’s backup dancer and Single’s Inferno contestant Cha Hyun-seung, actor Kang Han and former Korean Navy SEAL and sniper Agent H.
When: The show has started streaming since January 24.
Where to watch: Stream it on Netflix.
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The plot: Popular stars Park Seo-Joon and Han So-Hee feature in Netflix’s Gyeongseong Creature, which is set in the spring of 1945. Centred in the city of Gyeongseong (the colonial name for the city of Seoul while South Korea was under Japan’s rule), the series follows their struggle for survival while fighting monsters born out of human greed.
When: Scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2023. Exact date TBA.
Where to watch: Netflix.
This article originally appeared in Her World.
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