The year 2024 started on a fabulous note with the much-awaited second part of the popular K-drama Gyeongseong Creature. Starring Park Seo-joon and Han So-hee in lead roles, the drama has been greenlit for a second season by the streaming platform Netflix. Apart from this period horror drama, there were several noteworthy K-dramas that kept fans busy. With the first quarter of the year behind us, here’s a look at some of the highest-rated, as per IMDb, Korean dramas. Binge on, if you haven’t already!
Queen of Tears
Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won team up for this highly captivating ongoing K-drama. The plot revolves around Baek Hyun-woo, a lawyer, and Hong Hae, a chaebol heiress, who get married under unfortunate circumstances. As the episodes progress, romance blooms between the two. However, family troubles keep drifting them apart. With the series undergoing an interesting plot twist (Song Joong-ki’s cameo), the anticipation is high over what happens next!
Where to watch: Netflix
Wonderful World
Exploring themes of guilt, grief, and redemption, this ongoing K-drama is yet another highlight of 2024. Starring Cha Eun-woo and Kim Nam-joo in lead roles, this thriller gets you hooked from the first scene. Eun Soo-hyun (Nam-joo) is a professor and writer whose life takes a tragic turn when her son is killed. When she gets no justice from the court, she embarks on a perilous journey of revenge. Helping her is the mysterious Kwon Seon-yul (Eun-woo), who harbours secrets of his own.
Where to watch: Disney+Hotstar
Marry My Husband
This endearing time-travel romance K-drama follows Kang Ji-won (Park Min-young), who is killed by her husband when she learns he is cheating on her with her best friend. Instead of dying, Ji-won wakes up in the year 2013, a year before she got married and her life turned into a living hell. The plot focuses on Ji-won's struggle to turn her faith around. Helping her in her mission is her boss Yoo Ji-hyuk (Na In-woo). The revenge-filled enticing narrative keeps you hooked till the very end.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
A Shop for Killers
Jeong Ji-an (Kim Hye-jun) is an orphan who lives with her eccentric uncle Jeong Jin-man (Lee Dong-wok). Jin-man runs a shopping mall but is actually a secret hide-out for assassins. When Ji-an grows up, she becomes the target of dangerous hitmen due to the legacy her uncle has left her. But, Ji-an is no damsel in distress and is quite skilled in gun usage. The action-packed plot revolves around Ji-an’s fight for survival.
Where to watch: Disney+Hotstar
Flex X Cop
Jin I-soo (Ahn Bo-hyun) is a reckless chaebol heir who craves excitement. While saving a friend he accidentally ends up killing a wanted criminal. To save their face, the police end up giving him a detective’s position. After facing initial ridicule from his teammates for being a rich heart, he wins them over with his intelligence and unique way of solving cases. I-soo’s life takes a turn when a peculiar case reveals a secret of his mother’s death. As he digs deeper into past events, he unearths shocking truths about his father and step-brother. The series makes for an interesting watch as every episode brings a new case that I-soo works on which is then juxtaposed against his personal life.
Where to watch: Disney+Hotstar
A Killer Paradox
Based on the webtoon of the same name, the plot revolves around Lee Tang (Choi Woo-shik) who, after accidentally killing a criminal, learns of a power he possesses – identifying evil people. He then turns into a vigilante of sorts by going on a killing spree to eliminate such individuals. Hot on his tail is Jang Nan-gam (Son Suk-ku) who will stop at nothing to get hold of Tang.
Where to watch: Netflix
Doctor Slump
Yeo Jeong-woo (Park Hyung-sik) and Nam Ha-neul (Park Shin-hye) are high school academic rivals always vying for the number one spot. However, Jeong-woo becomes a renowned plastic surgeon while Ha-neul struggles to make a place as a doctor. When a patient dies during surgery, Jeong-woo is forced to give up his clinic and move to another city to start afresh while fighting to clear his name. He ends up living as a tenant at Ha-neul’s house and working at the same hospital as her. They constantly bicker, trying to bring the other down, however, the Cupid strikes turning the enemies into lovers.
Where to watch: Netflix
Captivating the King
Yi In, King of Joseon, leads a miserable, lonely life, and is embroiled in political power struggles and royal court troubles. He then meets Kang Hee-soo (Shin Se-kyung), who enters the royal court but ends up falling in love with the King. The plot follows these star-crossed lovers, caught between love for each other and duty towards their respective people and goals.
Where to watch: Netflix
Wedding Impossible
Na A-jeong (Jeon Jong-seo) is a struggling actress who agrees to a contract marriage to an old friend and heir to a conglomerate, Lee Do-han. The aim of the marriage is to keep Do-han’s secret from being revealed to his family and the public. The only problem in their marriage is Do-han’s younger brother, Lee Ji-han (Moon Sang-min), who feels A-jeong isn’t right for his brother and leaves no chance to break off their wedding. What ensues is a comedy of errors with both A-jeong and Ji-han trying at loggerheads while trying to help Do-han in their own ways.
Where to watch: Viki Rakuten, Amazon Prime Video
