January 2022 was filled with exciting Korean Dramas announcing a promising year. These 20 new K-dramas feature captivating storylines and thrilling love stories, perfect to watch throughout the year.
FORECASTING LOVE AND WEATHER
This 16-episode K-drama is one of the most anticipated dramas of the upcoming month. It features popular Korean actors Park Min Young as Jin Ha Kyung and Song Kang as Lee Shi Woo.
The actress is known all around the world for her acting in the popular K-dramas "What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim ", "City Hunter", "Her Private Life" and many more.
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Song Kang has been gaining growing recognition these past two years for his roles in the Netflix series "Love Alarm", "Nevertheless" and "Sweet Home".
Set up in the Korea Meteorological Administration, this rom-com portrays the love story between Jin Ha Kyung, a diligent woman who likes to keep her professional and personal life separated, and Lee Shi Woo, her younger free-spirited co-worker.
A BUSINESS PROPOSAL
Based on the eponymous webtoon by HaeHwa, A Business Proposal stars Ahn Hyo-Seop as Kang Tae-Mu, Kim Se-Jeong as Shin Ha-Ri and Seoul In-Ah as Jin Young-Seo.
After Shin Ha-Ri finds out that her crush is in a relationship, she meets her friend, Young-Seo, to lift her mood.
Young-Seo, who is the daughter of a chaebol family, recently got set up on a blind date by her parents. She’s not fond of the idea, so she convinces Ha-Ri to go instead of her.
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When meeting «her» blind date, Ha-Ri is shocked to find out that her date is Kang Tae-mu, the CEO of the company where she works.
Tae-Mu is a workaholic that unwillingly agrees to go on a blind date to fulfill his grandfather’s wish of settling down. Tae-mu makes a promise to himself to marry whoever he meets at the blind date so that he won’t be disturbed from his work anymore.
The day after, Tae-mu proposes to Ha-Ri. Little does he know that she is not who she pretended to be, and worse, that she’s an employee of his company.
It will premiere on February 7th 2022 on SBS TV and will also be available on Netflix.
TWENTY-FIVE, TWENTY-ONE
Set in 1998, Twenty-Five, Twenty-One depicts the story of two young people that struggle fulfilling their dream due to the South Korean financial crisis. They first met at 22 and 18 years and eventually crossed paths again when they turned 25 and 21.
Baek Yi Jin, played by Nam Too-Hyuk, lost everything when his dad's business went bankrupt due to the crisis. Even though his life got tougher, he managed to continue studying while working part-time to follow his dream.
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Na Hee Do, played by Kim Tae-Ri, is a high school student that belongs to her school fencing team, recognized as one of the best in the country. Due to the country's economic status, her team gets disbanded.
Determined, she does not give up and works hard to become a member of the sabre fencing national team.
The 16-episode K-drama will premiere on February 12th 2022 on tVn and will also be available on Netflix.
GRID
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Grid is a sci-fi suspense drama that follows the quest of Management Department employees and a crime detective chasing after Ghost. In 1997, this mysterious Ghost saved humankind and then disappeared. It reappears again 24 years later but is now involved with a serial killer.
This drama features actor Seo Kang Joon as the main character and will premiere on February 16th 2022 on Disney +.
SPONSOR
February also comes with its share of darker K-dramas. Depicted as a new 'Penthouse', Sponsor will touch on subjects such as revenge, desires, success, love, and children. This 12-episode romance thriller follows the story of 4 protagonists that will do anything to reach their goals.
Despite his warm appearance, Lee Sun Woo, played by Lee Ji Hoon, is an ambitious photographer and editor in a magazine seeking revenge.
Park Da Som is a rising actress that will do anything for success. She is cold to others but she is struggling to protect her loved-son suffering from a rare disease.
Hyun Seung Hoon, Park Da Som’s husband, shares the same thirst for success.
Han Chae Rin, on her end, is the successful CEO of a cosmetic surgery clinic. Despite her achievements, she is always greedy for more.
This drama was originally planned to air in November 2021 but it will finally premiere on February 23rd 2022 on MBN.
CRAZY LOVE
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This K-drama depicts the crazy love story between Noh Go Jin, the top math instructor in the country, which pretends to have amnesia when he discovered he will be murdered, and his assistant, Lee Shin Ah, who pretends to be his fiancé when she learns that she’ll die soon.
This romantic comedy promises a sweet chemistry between Kim Jae Wook (as Noh Go Jin), returning to screen after two years, and Krystal (as Lee Shin Ah).
The 16-episode drama will start airing on February 21st on KBS.
JUVENILE JUSTICE
Juvenile Justice follows the story of Sim Eun Seok, an elite judge with a tough and cold personality. As she gets assigned to a juvenile court and works on complex cases, she has to deal with her aversion to minor offenders while staying true to her firm beliefs on justice and punishment.
The law drama reflects on how society is also responsible for juveniles’ acts.
It will be available on February 22th on Netflix.
MILITARY PROSECUTOR DOBERMAN
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This military K-drama depicts the story of Do Bae-man, played by Ahn Bo-hyun, who decided to be a military prosecutor for money and success and looks forward to retiring, and Cha Woo-in (Jo Bo-ah) that comes from a Chaebol family and became a military prosecutor for revenge. While working together to fight crimes in the military the two will get closer.
It will premiere on tVN on February 28th 2022.
SOUNDTRACK #1
With her praised performances in 'Nethertheless' or 'My Name', actress Han So-hee is one of the most memorable actresses of 2021. This year, she is back for her first K-drama of 2022, sharing the screen with Park Hyung Sik.
Soundtrack #1 depicts the relatable love story between two people that have been friends for more than 20 years, but after living together for 2 weeks, the line between love and friendship starts to blur.
Nothing has been confirmed yet, but the K-drama should air in March 2022 on Disney +.
TOMORROW
With a promising cast that includes actors Kim Hee-Seon, Ro Woon, Lee Soo-Hyuk and Yun Ji-On, Tomorrow is expected to be a hit in 2022.
It is based on the same-name webtoon by Llama. It tells the story of a recent college graduate, Choi Joon Woong, that can’t get a job. One day, he accidentally meets two angels of death that belong to a crisis management team.
Their objective is to save suicidal persons. As he has nothing else to do, he accepts to work with them, saving people’s lives.
It will premiere on March 25th on Korean channel MBC and will also be available on Netflix.
RED SINGLE HEART
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Red Single Heart tells the story of King Sunjong who ascended the throne due to a rebellion, and Lee Tae who becomes the King after him.
It will showcase the tense political confrontation between Lee Tae that believes any action is justifiable to achieve his goals and the First Vice-Premier Park Gye Won that strongly opposes that idea. Meanwhile, Yoo Jung, the daughter of a noble family, gets caught up in the court’s power struggles.
The 16-episode drama will start airing in April 2022.
MONEY HEIST KOREA - JOINT ECONOMIC AREA
Based on the award-winning Spanish drama “La Casa de Papel”, Money Heist Korea will follow a similar storyline but set in Korea. It depicts the story of a criminal genius, 'The Professor' who plans the biggest heist in recorded history helped by people with different backgrounds and abilities.
The cast will feature really popular actors such as Yoo Ji-tae (Healer, Mad Dog) as The Professor, Park Hae-soo (Squid Game) as Berlin, Jun Jong-Seo (The Call, Burning) as Tokyo while Lee Won-Jong, Kim Ji-hoon and Jang Yoon-ju will respectively play the roles of Moscow, Denver and Nairobi.
The official release date has not been announced yet but it will be available worldwide on Netflix.
THE SOUND OF MAGIC
Based on the Naver webtoon 'Annarasumanara', written by Kim Min Jeong and directed by Kim Seong-Yoon, The Sound of Magic is musical K-drama that will air in March 2022.
It tells the story of an high school girl Yoon Ah-Yi that had to grew up too quickly. Abandoned by her parents, she had to work park-time to support herself and her younger sister while continuing to study.
She wishes to grow as fast as possible to have a stable job but when she meets Lee Eul, a magician that wants to remain a child, her life starts to change.
The Korean drama will be released exclusively on Netflix.
BIG MOUTH
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In this drama, actor Lee Jong Suk put himself once more in the shoes of a lawyer to play Park Chang Ho.
Park Chang Ho is an underperforming lawyer with a win percentage of only 10%. As someone who talks grandiosely but never shows substance, he earned the nickname “Big Mouth”.
The lawyer eventually gets caught up in a murder case involving the upper class. To clear his name and protect his family, he and his wife dig deeper to uncover the hidden truth.
The official release date has not been confirmed yet.
LINK: EAT, LOVE, DIE
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A decade after sharing the screen for the K-drama 'The Reputable Family', actors Yeo Jin Goo and Moon Ga Young are reunited for this fantasy, mystery K-drama.
The story follows the journey of a man and woman who share the same emotions.
Eun Gye Hoon is a chef that sets up a restaurant in the town where her twin sister disappeared 20 years ago. For unknown reasons, he starts to feel the emotions of a random woman. Going through all of her joy, sorrow and pain.
This drama is scheduled to premiere in the first half of 2022 on tVN.
MONSTROUS
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This 6-episode mystery drama is about an archeologist who chases after bizarre cases and a mysterious possessed statue of the Buddha that brings curse to a village.
The star cast includes actors from popular K-drama like Vincenzo, D.P. or Doom At Your Service.
The premiere date has not been confirmed yet.
ISLAND
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Also based on a webtoon, Island depicts the story of Won Mi Ho, the daughter of a Chaebol family, that gets sent to Jeju Island as punishment for her mistakes.
On the island, she teaches ethics in a school. However, she will soon find out that the island is filled with evil spirits that try to destroy the human world. She will meet other individuals that join forces to live.
Based on Jeju folktales, Island will include idol and actor Cha Eun Woo and will premiere on OCN during the first half of 2022.
THE CHAEBOL’S YOUNGEST SON
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After Vincenzo, superstar Song Joong Ki returns to the screen for this Fantasy and Revenge drama.
After working ten years for the same company, Yoon Hyun-Woo is falsely accused of embezzlement, then murdered by the youngest son of the Chaebol family employing him. The next moment, he's reborn as their youngest son, with a thirst for revenge.
No official release date has been announced yet.
BLACK KNIGHT
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This drama takes place in 2071 when the world has been destroyed by polluted air and only 1% of the population has survived leading to a strict social stratification.
As people rarely leave their homes, and if they do they need to wear a heavy mask, delivery drivers, also called Knights, play a crucial role to meet people's needs. Black Knight focuses on the story of a legendary driver, 5-8, admired for his battle skills and a refugee, Sa-Wol, who dreams to become like him.
The cast will feature Kim Woo-Bin as 5-8, Kang You Seok as Sa-Wol and Esom as Seol-Ah, Sa-Wol’s sister.
The official release date has not been announced yet.
LOVE TO HATE YOU
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This rom-com series depicts the story of Yeo Mi-Ran, played by Kim Ok-Vin, a rookie attorney that previously worked in the entertainment industry. She does not want to have a romantic relationship and more than everything she hates losing to men.
Meanwhile, Nam Gang-Ho (Yoo Teo) is the top actor in South Korea thanks to his kindness, intelligence and attractive appearance. As Yeo Mi-Ran he is not really into romantic relationships. In fact, he does not trust women.
The two will fall into a love battle.
Which of this K-drama do you plan on seeing first? You might want to enjoy them with some of our delicious snacks!