Korean dramas on Netflix
A while back, we compiled a list of 20 international shows and docuseries on Netflix, but none of them were from South Korea. While there are sites such as Viu and WeTV that are more frequently associated with Asian drama series, you can find a number of entertaining Korean dramas that came out this year on Netflix.
We’ve put together a list of 8 Korean dramas on Netflix released in 2020 that are worth checking out, and we even slipped in a bonus recommendation.
1. Record of Youth – trying to make it in the entertainment industry
Image credit: @recordofyouth_official
Main cast:
- Park Bo-gum as Sa Hye-jun
- Park So-dam as An Jeong-ha
- Byeon Woo-seok as Won Hae-hyo
Record of Youth is still airing, but it’s already garnered devoted fans – which can possibly be explained by the cast that includes Park So-dam, who played Ki-jung/Jessica in the phenomenally successful Parasite (2019).
The show centers on a trio of young people in South Korea’s competitive entertainment industry – models Hye-joon and Hae-hyo who have big dreams of becoming actors, and make-up artist Jeong-ha. Follow them as they strive to achieve their goals while grappling with the often harsh reality of an unequal society.
Video credit: Netflix Asia
2. Hospital Playlist – the friendship of five successful doctors
Image credit: @tvndrama.official
Main cast:
- Cho Jung-seok as Lee Ik-joon
- Yoo Yeon-seok as Ahn Jeong-won
- Jung Kyung-ho as Kim Jun-wan
- Kim Dae-myung as Yang Seok-hyeong
- Jeon Mi-do as Chae Song-hwa
Medical dramas are definitely not new, but Hospital Playlist is a fresh addition to the genre as it focuses on the bond between five doctors – Ik-joon, Jeong-won, Jun-wan, Seok-hyeong, and Song-hwa – who have been friends since they started university two decades earlier.
They each have different personalities, but they all share one thing in common: they take their life-saving jobs very seriously and are well-respected at their workplace. Despite their demanding schedules and own personal problems, they make time to revive their old cover band – hence the name Hospital Playlist. The show is both fun and touching, making it totally binge-worthy.
Video credit: Netflix Asia
3. It’s Okay to Not Be Okay – a love story between a healthcare worker and a cold-hearted bestselling author
Image credit: @tvndrama.official
Main cast:
- Kim Soo-hyun as Moon Kang-tae
- Seo Ye-ji as Ko Moon-young
- Oh Jung-se as Moon Sang-tae
Life isn’t easy for Gang-tae, a healthcare worker who has to relocate frequently – forcing him to job-hop from one hospital to the next despite being well-liked by colleagues and patients. He is also responsible for Sang-tae, his autistic older brother who is obsessed with the picture books of the successful yet cold writer Moon-young.
It’s Okay to Not Be Okay follows the complicated romance that slowly blossoms between Gang-tae and Moon-young, and it is later revealed that the three main characters have crossed paths in the past. This unconventional romantic series that also touches upon trauma and mental health may interest those of you who are looking for something different from your usual sappy stories.
Video credit: Netflix Asia
4. Was It Love? – a single mother faces her four suitors
Image adapted from: Netflix
Main cast:
- Song Ji-hyo as No Ae-jung
- Son Ho-jun as Oh Dae-o
- Song Jong-ho as Ryu Jin
- Koo Ja-sung as Oh Yeon-woo
- Kim Min-jun as Koo Pa-do
We all need a dose of light romantic drama to cheer us up every now and then, and Was It Love? is definitely one of them. We’re introduced to Ae-jung, a single mother who works as a movie producer, and has not been in a relationship for over a decade. Things start to change for her when four men from different backgrounds make their way into her life.
Suddenly presented with four suitors – novelist Dae-o, actor Ryu Jin, CEO Pa-do, and PE teacher Yeon-woo – Ae-jung is prompted to wonder about the possibility of finding love again.
Image credit: Netflix Asia
5. Mystic Pop-up Bar – late-night snacks and drinks with wandering spirits
Image credit: Netflix
Main cast:
- Hwang Jung-eum as Weol-ju
- Yook Sung-jae as Han Kang-bae
- Choi Won-young as Manager Gwi
Fans of shows with a tinge of the supernatural should definitely check out Mystic Pop-up Bar. The mysterious bar, which is owned by a woman named Weol-ju, is at the heart of this series. Its patrons range from humans to wandering spirits.
Things get interesting when Kang-bae, a good-natured young man who has the ability to make people blurt out the truth when he touches them, crosses paths with Weol-ju. The story comes full circle once the nature of the relationship between the two, and Gwi – a former member of the “Afterlife Police” responsible for catching ghosts – is revealed.
Video credit: Netflix Asia
6. Extracurricular – a desperate high schooler turns to crime to earn money for university
Image credit: Netflix
Main cast:
- Kim Dong-hee as Oh Ji-soo
- Park Joo-hyun as Bae Gyu-ri
- Jung Da-bin as Seo Min-hee
Extracurricular is definitely not about innocent after-school activities. Desperate to earn money for university, top-performing high school student Ji-soo gets more than he bargained for when he secretly becomes a security service provider protecting sex workers in an illegal prostitution business.
Fellow students Min-hee and Gyu-ri eventually find out what Ji-soo is up to, and things slowly develop from bad to worse. You’ll most probably find yourself squirming in your seat as things descend into chaos.
Video credit: Netflix Asia
7. Itaewon Class – an ambitious young man takes on a mammoth food company
Image credit: Netflix
Main cast:
- Park Seo-joon as Park Sae-ro-yi
- Kim Da-mi as Jo Yi-seo
- Yoo Jae-myung as Jang Dae-hee
- Kwon Na-ra as Oh Soo-ah
Itaewon Class is a show that truly deserves all the hype it got because it’s a unique tale of revenge in a hierarchical society. Seemingly random events take place that show how interconnected the main characters really are.
As a teenager, Sae-ro-yi lost his father in an accident caused by school bully and wealthy chaebol (conglomerate family heir) Geun-won, the son of Jangga Group’s CEO. Sae-ro-yi’s father happened to work at Jangga Group until he was unjustly fired before his death. In a fit of rage, Sae-ro-yi assaulted Geun-won and went to prison when he got caught as a result.
Several years later, Sae-ro-yi established his own restaurant and planned to dethrone Jangga Group, the country’s most popular food company, to avenge his father’s death in his own way.
Video credit: Netflix Asia
8. Stranger 2 – the prosecutor and detective duo strikes back
Image credit: @tvndrama.official
Main cast:
- Cho Seung-woo as Hwang Si-mok
- Bae Doo-na as Han Yeo-jin
Following its first season’s success in 2017, the ongoing Stranger 2 is packed with more slow-burn episodes that will keep crime show fans glued to their screen. Cold and logical prosecutor Si-mok and detective Yeo-jin – a recent police academy graduate and a rare female cop in the criminal section – who teamed up in Season 1 are back with their crime-solving skills.
The main conflict of this season is the tension between prosecutors and the police, which was sparked by the death of a police officer which was dubiously ruled as a suicide. While watching the first season beforehand will give you a better grasp of the show’s universe, you can also jump right into Season Two without feeling lost.
Video credit: Netflix Asia
Bonus: Reply 1988 – a story of friendship and growing up
Image adapted from: Netflix
Main cast:
- Hyeri as Deok-sun
- Ryoo Joon-yeol as Jung-hwan
- Ko Gyung-pyo as Sun-woo
- Lee Dong-hwi as Dong-ryong
- Park Bo-Gum as Taek
Yes, we know this series was released in 2015, but it’s so wholesome that it just has to be included in this list.
Reply 1988 takes us back to the 1980s, where we are introduced to the lives of five longtime friends in their late teens – Deok-sun, Jung-hwan, Sun-woo, Dong-ryong, and Taek – as they go about their days in the Seoul neighborhood of Ssangmun-dong.
Those of you who grew up in a tight-knit komplek, where everyone’s daily lives somehow intertwine, would be able to relate to the situations in which the characters find themselves. Falling into the slice-of-life genre, this popular series covers themes of friendship, family, as well as the joys and challenges of growing up.
You can also watch Reply 1988 on Viu.
Video credit: Viu Philippines
Korean dramas on Netflix
These Korean dramas on Netflix need to make it into your to-watch list. Even though you might be new to the world of Korean pop culture, you’re bound to find a series that you’ll totally get hooked on.
Also read:
- Korean food fans can enjoy “halal soju”
- College graduate dances to Blackpink’s “How You Like That”
- 8 online streaming websites & apps available in Indonesia
Cover image adapted from: Netflix, Netflix, Netflix, Netflix
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