The South Korean drama scene has been dominated by thrillers recently. But if you enjoy a good love story, there’s also been an array of romantic shows that’s made their debut.
Whether you’re on the search for a rom-com that’ll have your sides aching from laughing, or a series that’ll tug at your heartstrings, here are all the best romantic K-dramas to have on your to-watch list.
This fictional period drama leans towards the darker side, telling the tale of forbidden love, deception and betrayal set in the fictional court of King Lee Tae.
Seeking to overcome a scheming vice minister as well as Korean nobility who have suppressed the house of Joseon for multiple generations, Lee Tae finds himself released from his constraints by an unexpected event. He then starts to carry out his plan to restore power to the court and become the leader he is convinced he was born to be.
As he inches toward his goals, a woman (Yoo Jung played by Kang Han Na) who captured his heart years before suddenly appears and threatens to derail everything he’s been working towards.
Now available on Disney+.
One of the most-watched K-drama series in 2022 so far, the romantic comedy is centre is based on the popular webtoon of the same name written by HaeHwa.
Posing as a friend, Shin Ha-ri (Kim Se-jeong) shows up to a blind date to scare him away. But plans go awry when he turns out to be her CEO, Kang Tae-Moo (Ahn Hyo-seop). Soon, Shin Ha-Ri receives a phone call from Kang Tae-Moo. He asks her to marry him.
The Cinderella storyline (they face pressure from his wealthy family and overcome it) and tropes are a little predictable, but it also weaves in a dose of realism, enough of an emotional narrative, visual effects, and lots of hilarious moments, which has made it such a hit.
Business Proposal is available on Netflix.
A coming-of-age drama, Twenty Five Twenty One follows Na Hee-Do (Kim Tae-Ri), a teen fencer with big ambitions in the 1990s. But with the Asian financial crisis looming overhead, her high school fencing team gets disbanded, she later joins the sabre fencing national team.
She then meets Back Yi-Jin (Nam Joo-hyuk), a hardworking young man trying to rebuild his life after the financial crisis caused his once-wealthy family to lose it all. While studying, he works part-time jobs like delivering newspapers, before becoming a sports reporter for a broadcasting network.
The story is centred around young love — while Yi-jin initially can’t stand Hee-do’s recklessness, he finds himself slowly drawn to her careless attitude.
Twenty Five Twenty One is now available on Netflix.
Supernatural events meet workplace romance with this romantic comedy.
After five years of intense pressure, a steady stream of all-nighters, and a series of nervous breakdowns, overachieving advertising executive Hong Ye-sul has had it with her domineering boss. Impossible to please and loathed by his underlings, the wildly successful Cha Min-hoo is the last person anyone would ever want to get romantically involved with.
But when a workplace accident triggers Yesul’s ability to see the future, she is confronted with the impossible – a picture of her and the most hated man in the company locked in a passionate embrace.
Kiss Sixth Sense is now on Disney+.
Rising star Song Kang and rom-com queen Park Min-Young strike up an unlikely romance in Forecasting Love And Weather, which delves into an office romance.
Park Min-Young plays Jin Ha-Kyung, an experienced forecaster at the Korea Meteorological Administration. After breaking up with her cheating fiance, she gets swept into a tempestuous romance with her bright-eyed subordinate at work, Lee Shi-Woo (Song Kang). Though seemingly poles apart in their personalities, just like the weather, love can be unpredictable.
In a press conference this year, the cast let us in on juicy details of the show.
Now on Netflix.
Wedding prep is never easy.
For one couple in their thirties, it is an uphill struggle and married couples will be sure to relate to this one. Lee Jin-wook plays Seo Joon Hyung, the smitten groom-to-be who’s happy to oblige his fiancee Kim Na-eun (Lee Yeon-hee), who’s affectionate but sharp.
From the meeting of their families to finding a house, the couple faces some realistic issues planning for their big day.
Now on Netflix with new episodes every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
This 16-episode love story is centred around two badminton athletes, more specifically, two mixed doubles partners who begin to fall in love with each other.
After a mysterious three-year hiatus from high-level badminton competitions, Park Taeyang (Park Ju Hyun) suddenly reappears, stepping onto the court with her mixed doubles partner Park Taejoon (Chae Jong Hyeop).
Opposites in almost every way, Taeyang is driven to reclaim her prestigious standing as a gold medal-level competitor, while Taejoon hates practicing and views badminton as just another job. Despite their differences, the pair proves to be a formidable force on the court, and as they continue training together, romance blossoms.
Now available on Disney+.
Hotel Del Luna and Beyond Evil‘s Yeo Jin-goo plays the role of famed chef Eun Gye-hoon. Nearly two decades after the disappearance of his twin sister, he returns to his hometown to uncover the truth in a village that holds secrets.
There, he unexpectedly falls in love with a mysterious woman, Da-hyun (Moon Ga-young) with a secret of her own. Torn between his romantic feelings for Da-hyun and a desire to find out what happened to his sister, Gye-hoon will be put through an emotional gauntlet to find out the truth behind both his unique ability and the woman he loves.
Expect romance, fantasy, mystery, and a village filled with secrets.
Kiss Sixth Sense airs on Disney+ on June 6, 2022.
South Korean girl band SNSD’s Seohyun appears in this fantasy romance flick adapted from a webtoon of the same name.
She plays Seul Bi, a “goddess of fortune” with the special ability to see the future of anyone she touches. Alongside her mother, who has the same powers, they are imprisoned and kept away by a wealthy family. However, she escapes, then crosses paths with fishmonger Gong Soo Kwang (Na In-woo), a poor and unlucky man who has accepted his unfortunate fate.
After meeting Seul Bi and an unpredicted incident, however, his life is transformed.
Jinxed At First airs on iQiyi in June 2022.
This lighthearted and hilarious remake of the US series Jane the Virgin is fronted by Lim Soo-hyang, who plays Woo-ri, a 30-year-old woman who took a vow of celibacy as a teenager. However, she accidentally gets artificially inseminated and pregnant at a fertility clinic.
And as with K-drama coincidences, the sperm donor happens to be the only man Woori has ever kissed, but who has forgotten about her. He’s also an aloof CEO of a cosmetics company. But there’s also another problem — Woori has a longstanding boyfriend, who’s ready to end their chaste relationship with a proposal.
Woori The Virgin is now on Viu.
Set in the Joseon Dynasty when alcohol was banned, the historical romance drama tells the story of Nam-young (Yoo Seung-ho), a strict enforcement officer who cracks down on alcohol sales, and Kang Ro-seo (Hyeri), the sole breadwinner of a debt-ridden noble family who earns a living through selling alcohol.
Their fateful encounter, followed by a thrilling chase, brings about a beautiful but also dangerous romance between the seemingly mismatched pair.
Moonshine is available on Viu.