From music to fashion to skin care, South Korea has become a cultural powerhouse. The country’s extraordinary growth of international influence can only be labeled as the ‘Korean Wave’. Bands like BTS and Blackpink are revolutionizing music while Korean dramas take over television. Nearly all streaming services, including Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video, have added Korean dramas to their platforms. With 100s of options to choose from, it can be daunting to choose a show to start. To offer some guidance, here is a list of the top Korean dramas.
Squid Game
Arguably the most successful TV show of all time, this drama set the standard for television achievement. Ranked #1 in over 91 countries, the drama redefined what it means to go viral. The show features acting by Jung Ho-yeon, Lee Jung-jae and Wi Ha-joon in a dystopian series about income inequality. As a societal critique, writer and director Hwang Dong-hyuk contrasted the light-heartedness of children’s games with the desperation of low-income people to become rich, no matter the consequence.
Itaewon Class
South Korea is a largely homogenous country; this drama offers a fresh, diverse take on South Korean society. In the colorful neighborhood of Itaewon, Park Seo-joon plays ex-con Park Sae-ro-yi. Alongside his friends, Sae-ro-yi strives to open a restaurant and become more successful than the family who destroyed his life. With the representation of mixed-race Koreans and LGBTQ people, the drama offers a cast that many viewers can connect with and relate to.
What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim
One of the greatest —and cheesiest— dramas, the show follows narcissistic businessman Lee Young-joon and his capable secretary Kim Mi-so. After patiently and diligently working as Young-joon’s secretary for 9 years, Mi-so decides to resign and focus on self-improvement. What follows is a series of misunderstandings between the two leads and a budding relationship that can only be characterized as a stereotypical office romance. With unlimited talent from lead actors Park Seo-joon and Park Min-young, this drama is sure to rope viewers in and leave them wanting more.
Descendants of the Sun
What could be more entertaining than romance amidst the dangers of a battleground? Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo star as Yoo Shi-jin, a special forces officer, and Kang Mo-yeon, a trauma surgeon. After ending their relationship due to work-related tensions, Shi-jin and Mo-yeon reunite in the fictional country of Urk, where Shi-jin was deployed and Mo-yeon leads a medical team. Not only offering humor and action, the drama contrats the innocence of love with the reality of loss, sacrifice and separation. With plot twists, heartbreaks and unexpected actions, this drama will keep viewers on the edge of their seats until the last second.
Crash Landing on You
Emerging as one of 2020’s top 10 dramas on Netflix, the show depicts a love that transcends barriers. Son Ye-jin stars as Yoon Se-ri, a South Korean heiress who lands in North Korea after a paragliding accident. She is rescued by North Korean army officer Ri Jeong-hyeok, played by Hyun Bin. Crafted as a modern Romeo and Juliet, viewers cannot help but root for the lead couple. The love between the two characters is made sweeter knowing that, in real life, the actors are married and expecting their first child.
Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon
Another office romance, this drama follows Do Bong-soon and An Min-hyuk, played by Park Bo-young and Park Hyung-Sik. Bong-soon is a woman born with superhuman strength, a gift bestowed upon females in her family. After witnessing her unbelievable strength, Min-hyuk, CEO of a gaming company, hires her as his personal bodyguard. With a love triangle, mysterious crimes and comic-relief characters, this drama can easily be watched in one sitting.
It’s Okay to Not Be Okay
An emotional story about overcoming obstacles and childhood trauma, this drama follows a children’s book author and a psychiatric hospital nurse. Kim Soo-hyun stars as Moon Gang-tae, a nurse who is the sole caretaker of his autistic brother, Sang-tae. The two struggle because of Sang-tae’s traumatic nightmares of their mother’s murder. Seo Yea-ji portrays author Ko Moon-Young, a woman who suffers from a scarring past and bad relations with her parents. Romance slowly develops as the two main characters work to overcome their traumatic issues, leaving viewers to cheer for their romantic dynamic and personal growth.
Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo
Featuring the internationally famous Lee Ji-eun, more commonly known as IU, and singer and actor Lee Joon-gi, this drama takes viewers back 1,000 years. IU stars as Ha-jin, a girl who travels back to the Goryeo Dynasty and finds herself trapped in another person’s body. Ha-jin witnesses love, politics and betrayals that thrust her into the vicious fight between the contenders for the throne. The ending will certainly leave viewers hoping for a potential second season.
Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (Goblin)
A fantasy romance-drama about an immortal, cursed goblin and a mortal girl with a traumatic past, this story is both heart-wrenching and endearing all at once. Gong Yoo and Kim Go-eun star as Kim Shin and Ji Eun-tak. With contrasting personalities, the intense and lonely Shin becomes more fun and carefree as he gets to know the bright and cheerful Eun-tak. Unfortunately, the real, heartbreaking reason that Kim Shin approaches Eun-tak is quickly revealed. The drama takes the audience on an emotional journey of love, loss and letting go.
