South Korea is taking the entertainment world by storm. Popular Korean Dramas like “Squid Game” have shown the unique charm that South Korean shows pose, even to an international audience.
With a diverse array of genres ranging from romance to action and horror, K-Dramas have only grown in worldwide acclaim since their initial debut in the early 1960s. Today, the wide variety of shows to choose from can make them difficult to approach as a new viewer.
RELATED: Best beginner-friendly anime shows to kickstart your new addiction
Despite the crowded selection of shows, there is definitely one for every specific taste. So tag along, as this list uncovers shows that you won’t want to miss.
All of Us Are Dead
“All of Us Are Dead” is a horror K-Drama that follows a group of high school students as they undergo the torment of a zombie virus outbreak at Hyosan High School. The story revolves around the premise of escaping their entrapment in the school while navigating love and loss.
The show depicts basic zombie tropes of survival but with an emphasis on friendship and societal issues. Instead of a stereotypical zombie show, this drama addresses themes of bullying, social hierarchy and coming-of-age, while each character tries their best not to get eaten alive.
As you watch each episode, you’ll find yourself growing attached to each character and possibly even relating to some of them as they face adolescent issues on a life or death scale.
Queen of Tears
“Queen of Tears” is a romantic comedy drama that centers around a seemingly-perfect married couple, Hong Hae-in and Baek Hyun-Woo, whose relationship is hanging on by a thread. The couple undergoes a marital crisis that begins to revive a lost love between the pair.
What starts as a romance story begins to manifest into something else entirely. While this tale is mainly focused on romantic love, it also touches on issues surrounding financial inequities, familial bonds and the downfalls of greed.
The show runs in a 16-episode format, with the usual 80-90 minute runtime that most K-Dramas use. Although this may seem like too long of a commitment, you might find that this show resonates with your own feelings surrounding love.
Alchemy of Souls
This historical fantasy takes place in the fictional country known as Daeho and follows a powerful warrior named Nak-Su. After a long battle, Nak-Su’s soul gets trapped in the weak body of a servant girl named Mu-deok because of a forbidden magic spell termed as “Alchemy of Souls.”
The narrative showcases themes of self-discovery and love as Nak-Su meets a young mage, Jang Uk, who is an heir to a noble family. The servant and heir both face antagonistic forces that vie to exploit Nak-Su’s unique abilities.
The show has a total of 30 episodes that are split into two parts. If you’re into historical fiction and fantasy, be prepared to take a trip into a spellbinding world unlike our own that may cause you to reflect upon your own journey in life.
The Glory
In this thriller-based K-Drama, “The Glory” tells the story of Moon Dong-eun, a young woman who was bullied to extremes that eventually led to her dropping out of school. Years later, the tale showcases Moon Dong-eun’s revenge when she gets a job as an elementary school teacher for the kid of one of her bullies.
Unlike many K-Dramas, this show is based on a true story and is strikingly brutal in how it explores topics surrounding human psychology and social issues. It does not shy away from themes of revenge and righting wrongs of those who perform unjust deeds.
If you’re a fan of more mature television, let this drama satisfy your hunger for a dark yet riveting storyline.
It’s Okay to Not Be Okay
“It’s Okay to Not Be Okay” portrays the complicated romance between Ko Mun-Yeong, an antisocial children’s book author, and Moon Gang-Tae, a selfless psych ward caretaker, as they become intertwined through past traumas.
The pair connect through Moon Sang-Tae, who is Gang-Tae’s autistic brother and happens to be a huge fan of Ko Mun-Yeong’s books. Through Mun-Yeong and Gang-Tae’s interactions, the audience is able to put themselves in each character’s shoes as they learn what it means to love and be loved.
The narrative reveals the significance of taking care of oneself as opposed to faking one’s own emotions to seem happy. As a caretaker who struggles with childhood trauma, Gang-Tae’s path from an overly caring brother to a self-realized individual exposes the dilemmas that plague fake happiness.
This show is for you if you enjoy deep-rooted plots about not only romance, but self-growth and learning to love yourself.
