Korean dramas contributed to the Hallyu Wave, which means Korean Wave in the Chinese term.
The term is used to describe Koreans expansion in its culture, which incorporates food, music, movies, and dramas.
The origins were established from K-drama and K-pop, which began in the 90's era. Through this Hallyu term, Korea gained its popularity and made its mark around the world.
Among the many factors of its breakthrough, two Korean dramas that were made known through the Hallyu wave are titled Swiri and Autumn in my Heart. These dramas are considered television series, which prolongs it to more than just a movie.
Now, in the 21st century, we can enjoy dramas more comfortably and conveniently with many various platforms. We are also able to watch these dramas with subtitles available in multiple languages.
With that being said, here are 6 dramas you should watch before 2021 ends:
Descendants Of The Sun
You must have heard of this Korean drama! It has made itself known not only to the locals but to people all across the world. The series was nominated for Best Korean Drama and received recognition internationally.
This drama was aired in 2016 on KBS2 for a duration of 19 episodes, including 3 special episodes, which highlights the shows never seen before moments, the production of the drama, and special scenes from the series.
The melodrama is centered around the romance between Yoo Si-jin, the captain of South Korea's Special Forces Unit, and Kang Mo-Yeon, a cardiothoracic surgeon.
Considering their first meet during an unfortunate event, Si-jin felt love at first sight when he crossed paths with Mo-Yeon in a hospital.
Their love story takes a turn when they realize their professions are an obstacle to their relationship.
Strong Girl Bong-Soon
If you are a fan of the supernatural, then this drama will fit your cup of tea. The drama was released in 2017 with 17 episodes. It is now added to Netflix's Korean drama list!
Strong Girl Bong-soon made it big after becoming the drama with the highest ratings in television history. It was also nominated for several awards and accomplished a total of three awards.
The series is led by a woman who inherited superpowers from the line of women in her family. As she is determined to create a video that highlights her as the main character, Do Bong-soon finds herself working as a bodyguard for a CEO of a gaming company.
The story takes a turn when she and Ahn Min-hyuk, the gaming company CEO, try to catch a kidnapping culprit. They soon find themselves developing feelings for each other, resulting in a series of romantic comedies and adventures!
Doom At Your Service
This fantastical drama was premiered on tVn early 2021. It has a total of 16 episodes with the lead as Park Bo-young, who plays Tak Do-Kyung, and Seo In-guk as Myul Mang.
The drama takes an emotional turn when Do-Kyung finds out she only has three months to live after being diagnosed with glioblastoma. On the same day, she finds out her boyfriend has a wife and is soon going to be a father, then she gets nagged by her superior and gets spied on by a stalker.
Having such unfortunate events, she then wishes that the world is doomed while a shooting star passes by. As the messenger between humans and gods, My Mang hears her wish and decides to grant it.
Risking everything she has, Do-Kyung signs a 100-day contract with My Mang to fulfill her wish to end the world.
My Roomate Is A Gumiho
Accumulated a total of 948 thousand viewership during its run. The romantic comedy was premiered on iQIYI worldwide and had a total of 16 episodes.
Gumiho is a nine-tailed fox that is from Korea's legendary folklore. The drama is based around an original webtoon series that shares the tale of a male Gumiho who is 999 years old that collects human energy in a bead to keep himself in the mortal form.
Jang Ki-Yong is a smart and handsome professor who is also a Gumiho determined to become human. He then meets Lee Dam, who is a university student that changed Ki-Yong's fate.
Lee Dam accidentally swallowed one of Ki-Yong's beads which led to them moving in with each other to figure out a solution together. Thus, the bead should not exist inside a human for more than a year, or it will break and cause death.
The duo battles the predicament to avoid the death of Lee Dam and the ability for Ki-yong to become human.
Hospital Playlist
As of now, this drama series consists of two seasons with 12 episodes each. The first season was released in 2020 and aired on tvN, following after each episode was then screened on Netflix in most English-speaking countries.
However, the second season aired in 2021 and reached the highest record for its premiere ratings in all of the network's history.
The series is about five doctors who attended the same medical school in 1999 and have become the best of friends until their 40s.
They share the same profession and remain friends with different personalities and personal lives even after many years.
It reveals their journey involving relationships, music, and of course, medicines.
So I Married The Anti-Fan
A romantic comedy series released in 2021 that is aired on Naver TV. The drama was also broadcast on global platforms Viki, iQIYI, and Amazon Prime Video in Japan.
The storyline was based on a novel that was transformed into a comic and now into a series. It was previously adapted into a Chinese film with a similar name.
Resulting in Geun-young's frustration from being fired as a magazine reporter. She forms a rally in front of Who-Joon's office, a K-pop star, as she assumed he was involved with her losing her job.
Geun-young became well-known for being an anti-fan and was invited to participate in a reality show where an idol and an anti-fan live together.
Who-Joon was also invited to the show and accepted the offer to regain his idol image, while on the other hand, Geun-young agreed to it as she required money.
After giving each other such a hard time on the show, they both began to catch feelings for each other.
Korean dramas play a massive role in the industry, creating a trend in modern society. As K-dramas offer many different kinds of genres, it is often enjoyed by people of all ages.
As these dramas are the talk of the town, it is essential to add these to your list of must-watched K-dramas (so you don't miss out on the gossips!)
Oh, and don't forget your snacks if you're going to binge-watch some K dramas!
