I’ve always been a Korean drama enthusiast, even if I don’t watch as many as I would like to. But over the years, I’ve watched some great K-dramas. Some were so great that I just had to watch them more than once. Now that we’re in quarantine, I’m sure people are reading and watching genres that they’ve probably never explored before. In hopes of getting more people to venture into the world of K-dramas, here’s a list of some of my favorites.
- W
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This one’s probably my favorite K-drama ever. I barely moved while watching it because it’s one of those that keeps you on your toes. This one follows Oh Yeon Joo (Han Hyo Joo), a cardiothoracic resident doctor that is the daughter of Oh Seong Moo (Kim Eui Sung), the famous author and illustrator of the webtoon W. Whenever her father tries to kill off the character Kang Chul (Lee Jong Suk), the protagonist of the webtoon, she finds herself transported into another dimension (the one from the webtoon) and saves Kang Chul every time. This K-drama is filled with action, romance, comedy, and tons of fun, and I recommend it 100%. The chemistry between both protagonists is just outstanding and well… There’s also Lee Jong Suk, who is my favorite Korean actor.
- Guardian: The Lonely and Great God
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This K-drama took the world by storm― everyone and their mother has seen this K-drama and loved it. I have to say, I agree. This one is well-made and features exciting fantasy elements like a Goblin, a Grim Reaper, and more. It follows Eun Tak (Kim Go Eun), who can see ghosts because she is the Goblin’s bride. She’s in a very Cinderella-like situation where she lives with her abusive aunt, but she discovers the Goblin, who all the ghosts talk about, and her world starts to change. She finds herself living with the Goblin while they try to find a way (in his case, the courage he needs) to get a sword out of his chest so he can finally die after being kept alive for centuries. It’s a charming and heart-clenching romance that will have you squealing and sobbing till the very end.
- Strong Woman Do Bong Soon
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This show is about Do Bong Soon (Park Bo Young), a woman that has super-strength just like a superhero. She becomes Ahn Min Hyuk’s (Park Hyung Sik) bodyguard after he sees her use her super-strength to help people. Do Bong Soon and Ahn Min Hyuk get caught up in the middle of a criminal investigation along Guk Doo (Ji Soo), who is a police officer and also Bong Soon’s crush. While trying to catch this criminal, feelings―of love and jealousy―arise. Min Hyuk starts to develop feelings for Bong Soon, and both him and Guk Doo start to feel jealous of each other. I think Min Hyuk and Bong Soon’s relationship and chemistry is just one of the best I’ve watched in a K-drama. If you wanna feel all giddy while watching a show, this is the one to watch!
- Weightlifting Fairy, Kim Bok Joo
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Another really cute K-drama. This one follows Kim Bok Joo (Lee Sung Kyung), a college student that’s part of the weightlifting team. She lives an unbothered life of eating and weight lifting despite not being popular. One day Kim Bok Joo bumps into Jung Joon Hyung (Nam Joo Hyuk), another college student (he’s from the swimming team though), and starts to become friends with him. Her life takes a sudden turn after she meets Jung Jae Yi (Lee Jae Yoon), an obesity clinic doctor, who also happens to be Joon Hyung’s cousin. She experiences falling in love for the first time with the doctor. However, Joon Hyung starts to like Bok Joo after a while, so it ends up being a friends-to-lovers kind of situation (you know… one of the best tropes ever). This drama consists of a look into the life of college athletes while they balance their training with love life. It’s a charming drama full of funny and cute moments.
- What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim
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As the name states, something is wrong with secretary Kim Mi So (Park Min Young), and it is that she wants to quit her job. However, Lee Yeong Joon (Park Seo Joon) is not going to allow that. He doesn’t understand why secretary Kim wants to quit a job she has been doing for so long. He doesn’t want to train a new secretary, because Mi So already knows how to do a perfect job. He tries to get her to stay and, in the process, falls in love with her. It’s an enjoyable office romance that became really popular when it was released and you can easily binge-watch it.
- Her Private Life
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Another drama with the amazing actresses mentioned above. Sung Deok Mi (Park Min Young) is a super fangirl (literally obsessed with her idol), but she hides her fangirl identity to seem more professional at her job as an art gallery curator. She hides being a fangirl with all her might― that is, until Ryan Gold (Kim Jae Wook) appears in her life. He was a painter, but now he’s the new director of the gallery Deok Mi works at, and he starts to become interested in her life. Will she be able to hide her fangirling? This one is an amazingly cute drama with a swoon-worthy couple. A fun drama to watch with amazing actors that have a great chemistry between them.
Now that I’ve given you a list of great dramas, I hope you have an excellent time watching them. I hope they help you get started in the world of K-dramas!