New year, new you…new K-dramas! While Netflix served us a fair share of ‘daebak’ shows to watch in 2022, we’re already looking forward to new content for 2023 that includes the highly anticipated returns of our favourite actors like Song Hye Kyo and Woo Do Hwan.
Mark your calendars and read on for our list of K-dramas to look forward to:
The Glory Part 2
While we’re old school and still can’t get used to dramas having more than one season, we won’t pass up the chance to see the stunning Song Hye Kyo, who is one of the top three beauty icons in South Korea along with Jun Ji Hyun and Kim Tae Hee. Plus, part 1 of this Netflix series ranked first in the Global Top 10 (Non-English) TV charts in the week and has been the talk of the town with its dramatic developments and passionate performances by the cast.
Penned by the eminent writer Kim Eun Sook (who was also behind the smash hit ‘Descendants of the Sun’, the show tells the story of a woman broken by school violence, and who has dedicated her life to a meticulous web of vengeance and those who are entangled in her plot. In this second instalment, watch the destruction of the perpetrators of school violence led by Yeon-jin (played by Lim Ji-yeon) as they fall, one by one, into the trap designed by Dong-eun (played by Song).
Release Date: March 2023
Bloodhounds
It seems that it was finally Woo Do Hwan’s time to shine after his perfect performance in a dual role in ‘The King: Eternal Monarch’ before he was, unfortunately, subject to mandatory military service. Based on a Naver webtoon of the same title, the series is directed and written by the director of ‘Midnight Runners’ and promises to showcase refreshing chemistry amongst the cast and a whole lot of action.
Fans can look forward to the 1.8m tall actor’s performance again as the perfect fit for a manhwa character in this series about two young people who step into the world of loan sharks in pursuit of money and get caught up in a web of much darker forces.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed for a view of his ‘chocolate abs’ onscreen *hehe*. Lee Sang-yi from Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha also stars as his opponent-turned-ally.
Release: Q2 2023
Black Knight
Not to be confused with the 2017 show ‘Black Knight: The Man Who Guards Me’, this show is yet another webtoon adaptation set in 2071, where people depend on respirator masks to breathe due to extreme air pollution. This is Kim Woo Bin’s first proper lead role since taking a prolonged break due to his cancer diagnosis even though he appeared in ‘Our Blues’ alongside his long-time girlfriend Shin Min-a.
Here, he plays 5-8, a legendary deliveryman who is unmatched by anyone, while Song Seung-heon of ‘Autumn in My Heart’ fame plays Ryu Seok, the sole heir to Chun-myung Group, which controls the world by capitalising on oxygen.
It promises an unconventional story in a world where only one percent of the human race has survived and strict social stratification has been established in the deserted lands of the Korean Peninsula.
Release: Q2 2023
A Time Called You
After his previous appearance in ‘Business Proposal’ which was a commercial success and a fan favourite, Ahn Hyo Seop is back with a time-slip romance where Jun-hee (played by Jeon Yeo Been of Vincenzo), missing her boyfriend who passed away a year ago, goes back in time to 1998 to meet Si-heon, who looks identical to her boyfriend.
Jeon also plays two characters that look the same but have completely opposite personalities, displaying her versatility and talent through her performance. It is a remake of ‘Someday or One Day’, a hit Taiwanese romance series which won ‘Best Television Series’ at the 55th Golden Bell Awards.
Release: Q2 2023
D.P. Season 2
Although South Korean heartthrob Jung Hae In is mainly known for capturing hearts in slow-moving romance dramas, he put up a top-tier performance last year in D.P., and bagged himself Top Excellence Award for an Actor in an OTT Series at the 2022 APAN Star Awards.
The series follows Jun-ho and Ho-yeol of the Deserter Pursuit unit in the Korean military as they encounter realities unknown to them until they chase after the deserters with various backstories. The highly anticipated second season of D.P. brings together the director Han Jun-hee and the same main cast members from the first season yet again, so audiences can look forward to their teamwork and rock-solid chemistry.
Release: Q3
Bonus: Gyeongseong Creature featuring Park Seo Joon and Han So Hee is also slated to air in the fourth quarter of the year!
Have fun joining us in being couch potatoes!
Image credit: Netflix, @____kimwoobin