Top 15 K-Dramas for Beginners in 2022
With K-Dramas having viewership from all around the world, K-pop stars like BTS, BLACKPINK, etc. gaining popularity globally, Korean movie ‘Parasite’ winning four Oscars, and even Korean skincare and products getting trendy, we can’t help but notice the Korean Wave or ‘Hallyu’.
So why and what’s up with all the hype about this Korean Wave?! To find out, start with some binge-worthy dramas. From fantasy, rom-com, action, thriller and period dramas, there are too many of them to choose from. To help out, here are some good suggestions for all the newbies.
The Heirs/The Inheritors (2013)
If you like the high school, rom-com genre, then this drama is for you. The story revolves around a group of rich students, who are soon to inherit their family business empires and a regular girl (Park Shin-hye) tries to survive that world. The male lead is a rich boy and he falls for that regular girl. It has love, betrayal, drama, rivalry, family conflict and Lee Min-Ho! I’m sure people who didn’t even watch K-Dramas, must have already heard about him.
Number of Episodes: 20
Goblin/Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016)
This fantasy drama tells the story of a modern day goblin (Gong-Yoo) who possesses immortality. To end his immortality he needs to find his human bride (Kim Go-eun). It has comedy, supernatural elements, romance and drama. The drama portrays their historical background as well. There are other characters too, like his sister and a handsome Grim Reaper (Lee Dong-Wook) whose only job is to tease the Goblin.
Number of Episodes: 16 + 3 specials
The K2 (2016)
This one has action, love, politics and revenge. The story tells about a bodyguard (Ji Chang-Wook) who protects a girl named Anna (Im Yoon-Ah), but at the same time he seeks revenge from someone. He soon falls in love with Anna who is actually the secret daughter of a presidential candidate. Now, watch the drama to know from whom & why does he wants revenge and will he be able to succeed in it!
Number of Episodes: 16
Legend of the Blue Sea (2016)
Another fantasy one! It’s a love story of a mermaid (Jun Ji-Hyun) who steps on land for the first time and meets a man (Lee Min-Ho) who is actually a con-artist. The drama simultaneously portrays their past lives too, which happens in the Joseon Dynasty. Watch this to find if the story of their past lives will repeat itself or not.
Number of Episodes: 20 + 1 special
Descendants of the Sun (2016)
The female lead (Song Hye-kyo) is a doctor and is even ready to save her enemies. But what if she falls in love with a soldier (Song Joong-ki) whose job is to kill his enemies to save the nation? Will their professions keep them apart or unite them? Watch it to figure it out! It has action, romance and drama.
Number of Episodes: 20 + 1 special
Kingdom (2019)
If you are not afraid and brave enough to watch zombies and horror series, try this one. The interesting thing is that it’s a period drama and is based in the Joseon Dynasty. And guess who is the zombie? The King. But soon a zombie apocalypse occurs in the whole Kingdom and Prince (Ju Ji-Hoon) has to find a way to save his people. You’ll get to learn about the typical Korean culture and history while watching this.
Number of Episodes: 12 + 1 special
Strong Girl Bong-soon (2017)
She is not an ordinary girl (Park Bo-young). She’s born with immense strength like superheroes and has the power to crush anyone easily. Thanks to her power, she gets the job of a bodyguard to protect a rich heir(Park Hyung-sik). And there’s a detective(Ji soo) who’s passionate about justice and helps Bong Soon. So yes, a love triangle. Who will she choose? It has romance, fantasy and loads of comedy! Although she catches and fights the culprits, the scenes are portrayed in a very comical & funny way. Watch this if you are in a mood to laugh!
Number of Episodes: 16 + 1 special
While You Were Sleeping (2017)
This one is a combination of legal drama and fantasy genre. The story is about three young adults (Bae Suzy, Lee Jong-Suk and Jung Hae-in) who get visions of terrible things that will happen in future. Together they try not to make their nightmares turn into reality! The genres are romance, fantasy, comedy, thriller and legal drama.
Number of Episodes: 16
Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth (2017)
You would probably know about this one, if you are a BTS fan. It’s a period drama which tells the story of an elite group of young warriors called ‘Hwarang’ in the kingdom of Sila. Watch them discover their passions, love and friendship.
Number of Episodes: 20
True Beauty (2020)
Another high-school one! It’s a rom-com story of a girl (Moon Ga-Young) who was bullied in her past because of her looks. So she starts wearing make-up and transforms herself. Then there is the most popular boy (Cha Eun-woo) of the school who actually has some hidden secrets. Apparently both of them get to know each other’s secrets. But there is a second male lead (Hwang In-yeop) too! Watch these young souls entangled in a love triangle and discover their passions!
Number of Episodes: 16
Memorist
It is a South Korean Crime mystery, the protagonist has the power to read people’s mind, he has credible talents to solve mysteries with perfect ease the situations turn when a series of serial murder takes place and brings a lot of suspense and anticipation in the show.
Kingdom S2
The TV series is based on the Web-comic “Burning hell Shinui Nara ” by Kim Eun-Hee and Yang kyung II. It is also in the list of the most anticipated Web series which 2020 was waiting for. A very interesting Web series which excites people who love to watch Zombie movies. It’s on the top list of every Korean drama best watch T.V series.
Crash Landing on You
The comedy drama – romance movie released on 14th December in the year 2019 is the highest-rated tvN drama and got sheer applause for becoming the third-largest rated South Korean drama TV drama in cable television history. It’s the story of fantasy love which happens between Yoon Se- ri, a South Korean heiress and Ri Jeong – hyeok, a member of the North Korean elite in the North Korean special police force. These two actors have immense popularity even before the drama sequence. They have amazing on-screen chemistry and have worked in super hit movies throughout the years. An unrealistic fantasy love story amazed a wide range of audience, making them want more of that magical chemistry.
It’s Okay to Not Be Okay
It is a 2020 South Korean romantic television series starring Kim Soo –hyun and Seo Ye-ji. It tells a story of two souls who emotionally confident each other in their life when they fall in love. Kim Soo-hyun as Moon Kang-tae, plays the character of an orphaned caretaker who works at a psychiatric ward blessed with amazing looks and interesting wit but he doesn’t believe in love.
Seo Ye-ji as Goo Moon Young plays the role of a popular children’s book author who suffers from an antisocial personality disorder and knows nothing about love. It’s not a typical romantic drama movie but an unusual one with the most loving ending.
Itaewon Class
The episodes of Itaewon Class have brought blast and are very popular on Netflix, the story comprises a group of friends powering the entire show with their most perfect role-play. Their energy makes one belief to go for dreams and not to sit back thinking of boundaries. It brings a change in the most played Korean drama’s TV. series. They believed themselves and hit the odds making the most successful Street Bar. A must watch which equally motivates and entertains audiences.
Final Words:
Entertainment is one very vital part of life that relaxes and goes best with one’s emotional wave of mood swings. With K pop, Korean drama is also spreading its roots and reaching the entire world with dynamic talents. Their stories have drama with amazing story plot, writers, scriptwriters with actors playing equal eminent roles to bring the best out of a subject. It’s a great experience to witness such great talents from the other side of the world and make a dull day happy.
