The South Korean film and TV industry have been around for over half a century now, but it was the last two decades in particular when we saw their rise and global recognition. Popular for romantic-comedies, historical fiction, and sci-fi, Korean dramas are very popular among the youth, especially among the girls. Since we are all working from home, we have an option to binge-watch series and there goes the solution: Korean dramas. What makes K-Dramas so interesting? It is that every single episode ends on a maddening cliffhanger.
Are you looking to dip your toes into the Korean series, or are you already a fan seeking more options? Here are the top 10 trending Korean Dramas to watch this lockdown.
- Descendants of the Sun: In a war-torn country, Uruk (a fictitious state), a love story is bloomed between Captain Yoo Shi Jin (Song Joong‑ki) of Korean Special Forces, and Doctor Kang Mo Yeon (Song Hye‑kyo), a surgeon at Haesung Hospital. They both have to deal with life and death situations daily and the series shows their struggles. This K-drama will make you think about the sacrifices health and military officials have to make in order to protect the country. Descendants of the Sun is worthy of all the buzz and high ratings it received.
- My Love From The Star: If you are a fan of fantasy melodrama then you should definitely check out this one. The series tells the story of a centuries-old alien, Do Min‑joon (Kim Soo‑Hyun), who has superpowers. He is trapped on Earth and is working as a university professor. He gets entangled in the life of a former actress Cheon Song-yi (Jun Ji‑hyun). The series was a massive success in the Hallyu world, and it sparked beauty and fashion trends worldwide.
- Healer: The series tells about a star reporter Chae Young-shin/Oh Ji-an (Park Min-young) who seeks the help of a spy named Healer, Seo Jung-hu/Park Bong-soo (Ji Chang-wook) to help him to unveil dark truth behind the people who have been ruling for too long. It is not your regular rom-com drama but is a gripping and intense drama that will have you on the edge of your seat. Watch this series if you’re looking for good action, romance, and political drama!
- The Heirs: Also called, Inheritors, is set in the uber-rich families. The school drama stars Lee Min‑ho as Kim Tan and Park Shin-hye as Cha Eun-sang. Cha Eun-sang and her mother take up a live-in housekeeping job in Kim’s family. Despite the differences in their social status, Kim falls for Cha Eun-sang. Things get interesting when Kim is engaged to Yoo Rachel (Kim Ji-won) and Kim’s classmate Choi Young-do (Kim Woo-bin) falls for Cha Eun-sang. Later Kim is forced to choose between his responsibility of pursuing the family business or love.
- Boys Over Flowers: This fan-favorite series is famous worldwide. Read this somewhere “If you are a fan of Korean dramas, then Gu Jun‑pyo is your first love!” Well, that indeed is true. Geum Jan-Di (Ku Hye-sun), an intelligent girl, despite being poor, is transferred to an elite high school. There she crosses paths with four of the richest boys who rule the school and falls for one of them: Gu Jun‑pyo (Lee Min‑ho). Boys Over Flowers established the career of Lee Min Ho.
- Romance is a Bonus Book: This single mother drama is the epitome of romantic K-dramas. The series follows the life of a former advertising copywriter and a current unemployed divorcee, Kang Dan-i (Lee Na-young), and her long time friend Cha Eun-ho (Lee Jong-suk) who is 5 years younger than her. Cha Eun-Ho is editor-in-chief of a publishing house, things get complicated when Kang Dan-i after a several years gap in her work joins Cha Eun-Ho company. The duo starts acknowledging feelings for each other.
- Hotel Del-Luna: One of the most popular South Korean series – Hotel Del-Luna is a drama that muses life, death, and the afterlife. Jang Man-wol (Lee Ji-eun/IU) is a ghost who has been forced to remain on earth to run a hotel for recently deceased ghosts. She has been cursed to run the hotel as she made a crime that she can’t remember. Seemingly cold-hearted, her story is revealed bit by bit as she warms to the new human hotel manager Gu Chan-sung (Yeo Jin Goo). The love story is devastatingly woven into the story as it progresses.
- Goblin: Also called “Guardian: The lonely and great God”, Goblin is one of the highest-rated Korean TV series. This modern-day fairy tale is about a decorated military general from the Goryeo Dynasty, Kim Shin (Gong Yoo). He was framed as a traitor and killed by the king. He is then cursed to be immortal to see the pain of his loved ones dying. The curse on the Goblin can only be only lifted by Goblin’s bride. He is summoned by Ji Eun-Tak (Kim Go-eun), a young, optimistic high-school student and the love story between the two intertwines. Wait! There’s more: We have a handsome grim reaper, a leading lady who sees ghosts, and a chicken restaurant owner who was a queen in her past life.
- Love Alarm: This series is set in a high school, a world where people use an app called ‘Love Alarm’ to find romantic matches within the vicinity of a 10-meter radius. In this world, a popular kid named Hwang Sun-oh (Song Kang) develops feelings for an orphaned girl named Kim Jo-jo (Kim So-hyun). It is another love triangle as Lee Hye-yeong (Jung Ga-ram), Sun-oh’s best friend, who also starts liking Jo-jo. The series twists when societal expectations and stresses come along while using Love Alarms.
- Crash Landing on You: It is a story of a rich heiress and businesswoman, Yoon Se-ri (Son Ye-jin), from South Korea who while trying her new product, a paraglide, crash lands into North Korea. She has to figure out how to get back home while hiding from the North Korean authorities. But things get complicated when she falls in love with a military captain, Ri Jeong-hyeok (Hyun Bin). He protects her and the duo starts a love story despite political strife.
Personal recommendations:
- City Hunter
- Legend Of The Blue Sea
- The King: Eternal Monarch
- W
- Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo
Binge-watch these K-Dramas now!