Th word “K-Drama” is no more foreign to us. We all have at least one friend in our group who is a hardcore fan of either K-Drama or K-Pop or even both.
The Hallyu wave in India bought not just K-pop but also opened the whole Korean culture to us through food, fashion, skin care routines and the whole entertainment industry.
It is not recently that we started to feed ourselves with k-content, it started even before we actually think. In the early 2000s, when the Bollywood movies were banned by separatists in the Indian state of Manipur, people gradually turned their attention towards Korean entertainment. Over the couple of years there is an active surge in the popularity of K culture in India, especially with the rise of the biggest boy band in the world – BTS. They amplified the popularity of K- culture, especially K-Pop and in turn K-Dramas since there are fans who wants to learn Korean language.
India had K-Drama audience even before this sudden surge of popularity gained by K-Pop. The recent studies believe the viewership of these dramas on streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime are likely to surpass that of the western web series in the coming years. From kids to adults, K-Dramas never fails to cater pure entertainment to all its viewers whether its with the beautiful chemistry between the main leads or the whole colorful emotions it showcases.
If you are new to K-Dramas and confused what to start with, here are ten most popular K-Dramas loved by fans all over the world which can definitely be a serotonin boost to you.
Boys Over Flowers (2009)
The high school romantic drama with actor Lee Min-ho as the main lead is a popular K-Drama. For many fans, this is the first ever K-Drama they watched. The story is about a girl, Geum Jan-Di, who joins an exclusive high school meant only for the rich elites, where she confronts the main bully gang of the school – F4, the richest boys and falls in love with one of them.
Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016)
Popularly known as ‘Goblin’, the drama ‘Guardian: The Lonely and Great God’ is the story of Kim Shin, 900 years old immortal goblin who finds a human bride, Ji Eun-Tak who only can break his curse of immortality by removing the massive sword stuck in his chest which is apparently visible to her only. “Stay With Me”, the Official Sound Track (OST) Music Video of Goblin is the first K-Drama OST to surpass 400 million views on YouTube.
The Legend of the Blue Sea (2016)
The drama starring Lee Min-ho and Jun Ji-Hyun is based on a very old Korean legend that tells the love story between a mermaid and Kim Ryung, a nobleman’s son from Joseon era. The story takes turns when they meet again in the present life time where she falls for Joon-Jae, a con man and reincarnation of Kim Ryung. This romance comedy is one of the best dramas of the Hallyu star, Lee Min-Ho.
Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon (2017)
“Strong Woman Do Bong Soon” is the story of a woman born with superhuman strength that is hereditary and has to hide her ability from public. The story gets interesting when she is hired as bodyguard by Ahn Min-Hyuk, the CEO of Ainsoft, a game developing company. The fun, cheerful and romantic love story of Bong-Soon and her Min Min is a must watch for all K-Drama fans out there.
The Heirs (2013)
When it comes to K-Dramas, the King is Lee-Minho. He is definitely the the king of Hallyu with his dramas being top in the charts. ‘The Heirs’ also known by the name ‘The Inheritors’ is a high school romance between Kim Tan, the heir of the ultra rich Jeguk Group played by Lee Min-Ho and Cha Eung Sa, the daughter of a poor house maid played by Park Shin-Hye. This is an emotional romantic drama portraying the troubles the young couple has to face being from two different social classes. However, their love story had a happy ending.
Crash Landing On You (2019)
The drama popularly known for the chemistry between the leads Son Ye-Jin and Hyun Bin is the story of Yoon Se-Ri, the heiress of a successful South-Korean conglomerate who lands in North-Korea accidentally while paragliding and fall in love with Ri Jeong-Hyeok ,an army officer who decides to help her. Watch how their love transcend the borders and they find their own unique, happy ending.
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo (2016)
The protagonist, Kim Bok-Joo, a promising female weightlifter who falls for Jung Joon-Hyung, a collegiate swimmer who happens to be her childhood friend is the plot of the drama. Rather than a typical teenage love story, ‘Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo’ is the tale of a group of college athletes who are fighting for their dreams, finding love in the process and growing every step of the way.
Its Okay To Not Be Okay (2020)
As the title suggests, this drama is for all those who think themselves ‘not okay’ and ‘it is okay’ to be ‘not okay’. When a man employed in psychiatric ward and a woman with an antisocial personality disorder finds love in each other, watch how everything else becomes okay.
Descendants of the Sun (2016)
An emotional love story between Shi Jin, a South Korean Special Forces Soldier and Mo Yeon, a beautiful cardiothoracic surgeon. Their relationship becomes short lived as their professions keep them apart. However, the drama has a satisfying end keeping the lovers together at the end.
True Beauty (2020)
Based on the popular webtoon ‘True Beauty’, the drama is about Im Ju-Gyeong, a high school girl whose life changes as she learns make-up techniques to escape the bullying from school as she was considered ‘ugly’. This is a high school triangle love story between Im Ju-Gyeong, Lee Suho – the studious and handsome guy of the school, and Han Seo-Joon – the popular bad boy of the school. Overall, the drama is a multifaceted story with main focus on the romance between the pairings.