The top Korean dramas everyone is streaming right now
PHOTO: Netflix
PUBLISHED ONMarch 21, 2020 8:00 AMByHidayah Idris
If you're working from home and are enjoying every moment of it, congrats. I'm working from home and I'm enjoying it. And part of the reason I enjoy this WFH arrangement is because I can use the time I've saved on commuting and putting on makeup to watch Korean dramas.
In fact, if I must say I've been pretty efficient about this - in the past month, I've finished watching five K-dramas and am currently watching three. Multi-tasking at its finest, aye?
And I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one using this opportunity to catch up on K-dramas.
But whether you're just starting to work from home and need your K-drama fix, or doesn't have that luxury but want to know what everyone else is watching, great news: Viu and Netflix have rounded up their most-streamed K-dramas in the past months so you can be in the know.
Read on so you know which ones to start streaming.
Kingdom Season 2
What it’s about: A prince has to figure out why a zombie pandemic is happening in his country, and how to control it, all while making sure he’s not killed by the forces that orchestrated the disease.
Why you should watch it: If you missed Season 1 of this show, don’t worry, it’s still on Netflix. Each season is only six episodes long and OMG, every episode is intense. If you’re into zombies, politics and royal treachery, this one will keep you on the edge of your seat. If you’re wondering how addictive this is, I finished watching all the episodes of Season 2 on Saturday, a day after it launched on Netflix.
Crash Landing On You
What it’s about: A rich heiress and business owner from South Korea who decided to try out her new product, a paraglide, ended up stranded in North Korea. She has to figure out how to get home while hiding from the authorities. Oh, she falls in love with a military captain so things get a lot more complicated.
Why you should watch it: This is not your typical love story. OK, to some extent, it is. But it also gives you a glimpse of what it’s like to live in North Korea (to be taken with a pinch of salt) and is basically proof that you can get away with anything if you have money… kinda.
Doctor John
What it’s about: A brilliant doctor who was imprisoned for allegedly euthanising a patient goes back to the medical world despite getting the cold shoulder from his colleagues.
Why you should watch it: If you like medical dramas, you’ll love this. The drama also touches on rare diseases and conditions, so you’ll feel smarter after watching it. And honestly, Ji Sung in a drama? Just watch it lah.
Hi Bye, Mama!
What it’s about: A woman who died while giving birth to her child gets a second chance at life (literally) when the powers above bring her back to life. But she has a mission to accomplish within 49 days if she wants to stay with her daughter.
Why you should watch it: It’s funny, touching and dramatic all at once. And it’ll remind you how important family is and how unpredictable life is. Please have your tissues ready because you really don’t know when a tearjerking moment might appear.
Itaewon Class
What it’s about: An ex-convict, whose father was killed in an accident, tries to put his life back together and follow in his father’s footsteps of opening a bar.
Why you should watch it: Honestly, you can’t go wrong with a Park Seo Joon drama. This drama will make you angry, but inspire you as you watch Park Sae-ro-yi working hard to turn his bar into a franchise and overtake a food company, whose CEO is linked to his father’s death.
The Secret Life of My Secretary
What it’s about: A director of a company develops face blindness after an accident and mistakes his secretary for an heiress. He falls in love with her and she hides the truth from him.
Why you should watch it: Like a rom-com that can make your heart flutter and ache? You’d love this. It reminds us a bit of What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim and She Was Pretty so if you enjoyed those, you’d love this too.
Hotel Del Luna
What it’s about: A hotelier (played by Yeo Jin Goo) suddenly finds himself recruited to work at a hotel for spirits who are on their way to the afterlife. There, he finds out how he is tied to the hotel.
Why you should watch it: The drama may be about ghosts, but save for a few scenes, it’s not scary at all. Rather, you might find yourself crying in every other episode as the spirits take you on their life journey, which make you treasure life all the more.
Dr Romantic 2
What it’s about: Despite its name, it’s not a love story. It follows the story of a top doctor who gives up everything to work in a small hospital following a traumatic incident. In this second season, he moves to another town and recruits doctors with troubled backgrounds.
Why you should watch it: If you still want to watch more medical dramas after Doctor John, catch the second season of Dr Romantic. Maybe start with season one if you haven’t watched that-you’ll see why it was renewed for a second season.
Her Private Life
What it’s about: An art curator for a museum leads a double life: off-duty, she’s the manager of a fan site for a K-pop idol/actor. Can she keep her private life a secret from the museum owner who doesn’t like fangirls and her new boss who seems to suspect she has something to hide?
Why you should watch it: If you’ve always been curious about what fan site managers actually do, you might get an inkling by watching this (of course, this is the glamourised version of the truth). Also, watch it to witness the chemistry between Park Min Young and Kim Jae Wook.
This article was first published in CLEO Singapore.