The year 2024 saw the Korean drama industry go back to basics, with traditional cable TV offerings largely outshining bigger-budget streaming productions. There were a few notable exceptions, however, including the return of the biggest K-drama of all time. Here is our pick of the best Korean dramas of 2024, ranked from good to great. … Read more
Lead cast: Ju Ji-hoon, Park Bo-young, Kim Min-ha, Bae Sung-woo Kang Full, the celebrated webtoon author behind the small-screen superhero saga Moving, Disney+’s most successful foreign-language series to date, is back on the streaming service with Light Shop, another high-concept series based on one of his comic books. This series once again features a sprawling … Read more
Lead cast: Lim Ji-yeon, Choo Young-woo Latest Nielsen rating: 6.8 per cent In a country where appearance and status mean everything, sometimes the only way to get ahead is to pretend to be something or someone you’re not. It’s an idea that has produced several gripping screen stories, such as the rich drama Anna with … Read more
3/5 stars Lead cast: Gong Yoo, Seo Hyun-jin In Netflix’s new Korean romantic thriller The Trunk, nothing is quite as it seems: characters live in sleek and spacious homes and lead lives that project stability and affluence, but what lies beneath the surface? The show’s title refers to a baby-blue designer suitcase trimmed in bright … Read more
This article contains spoilers. 2.5/5 stars Lead cast: Ji Chang-wook, Jo Woo-jin, Ha Yoon-kyung, Bibi Following an explosive and exciting opening dive, the action-crime saga Gangnam B-Side has kept on digging into the seedy underbelly of the Seoul nightlife mecca it is named after. Gangnam B-Side | Official Trailer | Disney+ Singapore The story has … Read more
Lead cast: Yoo Yeon-seok, Chae Soo-bin Latest Nielsen rating: 4.7 per cent Yoo Yeon-seok (Hospital Playlist) and Chae Soo-bin (The Fabulous) become locked in a bizarre battle of wills over the phone in the melodramatic and ludicrous thriller When the Phone Rings. Based on Geon Eomul Nyeo’s web novel The Number You Have Dialed, which … Read more
Lead cast: Ju Ji-hoon, Jung Yu-mi Latest Nielsen rating: 6.45 per cent Ju Ji-hoon (Kingdom) and Jung Yu-mi (The School Nurse Files) go head to head in the school-set romantic comedy Love Your Enemy, playing the youngest generation of two feuding families. That may sound like Romeo and Juliet, but make no mistake, Ju’s Seok … Read more
In South Korea’s Chungcheong province lies a perfect replica of 1900s Seoul. Welcome to Sunshine Land, the latest K-drama theme park to cash in on K-culture tourism. Fans of K-pop mega group BTS have long flocked to the country to see sites associated with the boy band, from the dorms where they slept as artist … Read more
Stars of Netflix hits Squid Game and The Glory may come together to collaborate on a major romcom, while a period drama with a novel fantasy twist, a legal drama and a period office drama are also sending casting offers. Here’s the latest news from the Korean scene. 1. Petty Love Lee Jung-jae, who is … Read more
This article contains spoilers. 3/5 stars Lead cast: Kim So-yeon, Yeon Woo-jin, Kim Sung-ryung, Kim Sun-young, Lee Se-hee Final Nielsen rating: 8.58 per cent The 1990s-set comedy drama A Virtuous Business has had a playful approach to its subject matter, which revolves around the sales of lingerie and adult toys in Geumje, a fictional conservative … Read more
