Browse Tag

KajoPicks - Page 4

#KajoPicks: Mothers from Korean drama-land we love

Published on

This Mother’s Day, we are giving tributes to mothers who exist in Korean drama-land. These mothers have the advantage over real mothers by being able to say and do the right thing at the right time, creating some perfect heartwarming moments.

So here are mothers from 10 Korean dramas we love :

1.Jo Kang-ja (Kim Hee-sun) in Angry Mom (2015)

How far would you go to protect your child from bullying? Are you willing to go as far as disguising yourself as a high school student because that was Jo Kang-ja did in Angry Mom (2015).

Kang-ja (Kim Hee-sun) was once the most feared troublemaker at her high school.

However due to her unexpected pregnancy, she had to drop out of school to raise her child.

In the present day, Kang-ja is now a 34-year-old woman with a teenage daughter Oh Ah-ran (Kim Yoo-jung).

They do not have the perfect mother-daughter relationship but Kang-ja really loves her daughter, like any mothers out there.

One day, Ah-ran was admitted to the hospital due to extreme bullying. This leads Kang-ja to do something that most conventional mothers would never do.

She enrolls in the same high school as her daughter under the false identity ‘Jang Bang-wool’.

At first, Kang-ja wanted to teach the bullies a lesson. Instead, she comes across the darker, corrupted side of the school.

This high school drama offers a bit of ‘noona’ romance with one of the boys falling in love with Kang-ja.

Watch the trailer here.

2.Kang Soo-jin (Lee Bo-young) in Mother (2018)

Just because a woman gives birth, it does not mean she deserves to be called a mother, especially if she abuses her own child.

This drama let viewers define what is the meaning of being a ‘mother’.

Kang Soo-jin (Lee Bo-young) works as a temporary teacher at an elementary school.

She realises one of her students is a victim of domestic abuse.

Soo-jin decides to do the craziest thing; she kidnaps her student and raises her as her own.

This award-winning drama is a remake of a popular Japanese drama Mother (2010).

Watch the trailer here.

3.Kim Soo-hyun (Lee Bo-young) in God’s Gift: 14 Days (2014)

Speaking of Lee Bo-young, she plays the another role of a strong-willed mother Kim Soo-hyun in God’s Gift: 14 Days.

In the drama, she works as a successful TV writer for a current affairs program.

One day, her young daughter Han Saet-byul is kidnapped and murdered.

After her daughter’s death, she comes across a miracle; a chance to go back in time exactly two weeks before the event.

No mothers who have lost their children would pass this chance, Soo-hyun goes back in time to save her daughter.

Can she save Saet-byul before she dies all over again?

4.Oh Dong-baek (Gong Hyo-jin) in When the Camellia Blooms (2019)

Over the years, we have seen more and more Korean dramas exploring the idea of a single parent or divorcee finding love all over again.

This type of storyline is more relatable because you see, romance does not happen only between two single people with no past at all.

When the Camellia Blooms follows the story of Oh Dong-baek (Gong Hyo-jin), a single mother who moves to the fictional town of Ongsan.

There, she opens a bar named Camellia while raising her son Kang Pil-gu (Kim Kang-hoon).

Six years later, policeman Hwang Yong-sik (Kang Ha-neul) moves back to his hometown Ongsan.

He meets and falls for Dong-baek. Despite his own mother’s disapproval, Yong-sik continuously pursue Dong-baek and protect her son Pil-gu.

Not long after that, Dong-baek’s peaceful life in Ongsan is interrupted with the presence of a serial killer.

The worst part is the serial killer’s next target is none other than Dong-baek.

In the meantime, her love life gets complicated when her ex-boyfriend and the father of her child Kang Jong-ryul (Kim Ji-seok) shows up wanting her back.

When the Camellia Blooms (2019) was second highest rated drama in 2019 with many critics praised it for its realistic storyline and a nice blend of romantic-comedy and thriller.

Watch the trailer here.

5.Kang Hye-soo (Uee) in Marriage Contract (2016)

Speaking of single mother, here is another Korean drama about the struggle of being a single parent.

Kang Hye-soo is a single mother who is left to raise her daughter while paying off her late husband’s debts.

As if her life is not difficult enough, she is diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour.

When all things seem to be in despair, Hye-soo is given a rare opportunity.

Marry the son of a chaebol and donate part of her liver to his mother, in exchange for enough money for her daughter until she becomes an adult.

What would a dying mother do? Understandably, she agrees for the contract marriage.

However in a classic tale of Korean drama, Hye-soo and the rich man start to have feeling for each other.

Watch the trailer here.

6.Lee Soo-im (Lee Tae-ran) in Sky Castle (2018)

First of all, all of the mothers except for Lee Soo-im in Sky Castle are crazy or abnormal.

Other mothers in the drama would definitely put real life helicopter mums to shame.

Soo-im on the other hand, is the most humble of all the mothers in the complex called Sky Castle. It is where wealthy doctors and professors live.

Unlike other mothers, she is the only mother who is a stepmother. However, it does not make her less of a mother.

For example when her stepson Hwang Woo-joo wants to take a time off from studying, she understands and supports his decision.

Overall, the drama is actually mocking the competitiveness of South Korean education system and parents who dictate their children’s study.

Watch the trailer here.

7.Cha Yu-ri (Kim Tae-hee) in Hi Bye Mama (2020)

When a surgery goes wrong, Cha Yu-ri (Kim Tae-hee) dies unexpectedly.

That was five years ago, through a reincarnation project, she is offered a chance to become human again if she succeeds in going back to her place within 49 days.

However, her husband Cho Gang-hwa (Lee Kyu-hyung) has now remarried with Oh Min-jung (Go Bo-gyeol).

Nonetheless, Yu-ri’s real reason wanting to be incarnated is for the sake of her daughter Cho Seo-woo who grew up the last five years without her.

Sometimes being a mother is not just about what you want for your child but what is the best for your child.

Watch the trailer here.

8.Ma Jin-joo and Kim Mi-kyung in Go Back Couple (2017)

Let’s say you are given a chance to go back in time to spend time with your dead mother to whom you were unable to say your last goodbye.

The price for the chance is that you need to leave your own child in the present. Would you give up your child for your mother?

Ma Jin-joo (Jang Na-ra) wishes to go back in time before she met her ex-husband Choi Ban-do.

Somehow the wish comes true and both of them are transported back to their college days.

They are both delighted, thinking that they now can change their lives, including not getting married to each other.

Furthermore, Jin-joo now can spend more time with her mother Go Eun-sook (Kim Mi-kyung) before her demise.

The more time they spend in the past, however, the more Jin-joo and Ban-do miss their son.

In the meantime, a mother’s instinct tells Eun-sook that there is something going on with her daughter.

Go Back Couple (2017) is one of those dramas that will make you want to hug your mother a little tighter tonight.

Watch the trailer here.

9.Park Hee-nam and Han Ki-ae in The Heirs (2013)

Set in a high school populated by the privileged and super rich, The Heir (2013) circles around students as they are about to take over their families’ business empires.

There are two mothers in the drama that we love.

First is Park Hee-nam (Kim Mi-kyung) who is the female lead Cha Eun-sang (Park Shin-hye)’s mother.

Putting aside her disability as a mute, she is kind and always wants the best for her daughter.

Then we have Han Ki-ae (Kim Sung-ryung) who is the male lead Kim Tan (Lee Min-ho)’s mother.

Though she seems to be self-absorbed at first, she actually cares for her son and put her son’s happiness first.

The two mothers also have great comedic timing and an adorable relationship with each other in the series.

Watch the trailer here.

10.All the Mothers in Reply 1988 (2015)

Reply 1988 revolves around five friends and their families living in the same neighbourhood in Seoul.

It is the fourth highest rated drama in Korean cable television history to date.

Interestingly, all the mothers in the main cast used their real names in the drama. For example, Lee Ill-hwa plays the role of Lee Il-hwa, a mother who loves to cook a huge amount of food.

Meanwhile, Ra Mi-ran is Ra Mi-ran, a hot-tempered mother who is always anxious over her family.

Then, Kim Sun-young’s character also goes by her real name. She is a widow who tries her best to make up for their father’s absence.

Overall, the drama focuses more on the filial bond in family. It is one of the most recommended series to watch with your family.

Watch the trailer here.

You might be interested in

KajoPicks: 10 K-dramas based on real-life historical figures of the Joseon era

Published on

The Joseon dynasty was the last dynasty of Korea which lasted for about five centuries.

It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 until it was replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897.

The dynasty started after the fall of 500-year-old Goryeo dynasty. Yi was a Goryeo soldier who slowly rose through the ranks until he initiated a coup d’etat against King U of Goryeo.

He later killed King U and his son, who were then replaced by another royal – King Gongyang of Goryeo – on the throne.

Gongyang’s reign only lasted for three years. In 1392, Yi dethroned King Gongyang and exiled him.

Then Yi Seonggye put himself on the throne, using the name Taejo.

At first, Taejo wanted to continue to use the name Goryeo for his country and simply change the royal line of descent to his own.

However, his royal court convinced him to give a new name to the dynasty to signify a change in the country.

After much deliberation, Taejo declared the new kingdom as Joseon. It was a tribute to the ancient Korean state of Gojoseon.

With a dynasty that spanned over five centuries, Joseon was rich with historical figures.

Hence, it is no surprise that the Korean entertainment industry has taken much inspirations for their dramas from this period in history.

While some of these Korean historical dramas (or better known as saeguk) have taken more entertaining and fun approaches to retell the history of Joseon, other dramas tried to give justice to the original stories.

Fun or serious, these saeguk dramas are still entertaining to watch. So here are 10 K-dramas based on real-life historical figures of Joseon dynasty:

1.Warrior Baek Dong-soo (2011)

Baek Dong-soo (1743-1816) was a swordsman and martial artist.

He became a folk hero when his group protected King Jeongjo from numerous assassination attempts.

His story inspired Lee Jae-heon’s manhwa entitled “Honorable Baek Dong-soo”.

This comic was later adapted into Korean television series Warrior Baek Dong-soo.

In this drama, Dong-soo is played by Ji Chang-wook. He started as a carefree swordsman who later became a member of the royal guard.

The plot is set against the political struggles between different factions including those led by King Jeonjo, by the Qing ambassador to Joseon, by the Japanese swordsman and by the assassin’s guild.

Overall, the series showcases intense political intrigue with a tale of how a best friend can turn into an arch-nemesis.

Warrior Baek Dong-soo was a hit when it aired and Ji won the received a ‘New Star Award’ at the SBS Drama Awards for his role.

2.Dae Jang Geum (2003)

Today, Dae Jang Geum (2003) is still holds the honour of bein one of the tenth highest rated Korean dramas of all time.

Directed by Lee Byung-hoon who is known for his historical dramas, the series was later exported to 91 countries.

Based on the life of Lady Jang-geum, it tells the story of an orphaned kitchen cook who went to become the first royal female physician.

According to history, King Jungjong was so impressed with Jang-geum’s medical knowledge that he trusted her with the health of the royal family.

Jang-geum eventually became the third highest-ranking officer in the royal. Additionally, she was granted the use ‘Dae’ before her first name which means ‘great’ in Korean.

She was that impressive for a woman during her time (sometimes during 16th century) that some historians believed that she was just a fictional character.

However, we bet our money the historians who did not believe her existence are men.

Nonetheless, the series was praised for its highlights on Korean royal cuisines, traditional medicine and culture.

3.The King’s Doctor (2012)

Here is another saeguk drama directed by Lee Byung-hoon.

This time, it is based on the real-life historical figure Baek Gwang-hyeon (1625-1697).

He was just a low-class veterinarian specialised in treating horses.

Thanks to his knowledge and hardwork, Gwang-hyeon worked his way up to become the royal physician who is in charge of the king’s health.

The series marks actor Cho Seung-woo’s television debut, playing the role of Gwang-yeon.

Before this, Gwang-hyeon was know for his works in film and theatre.

4.Painter of the Wind (2008)

Shin Yun-bok (1758-1813) was a Korean painter of the Joseon dynasty. His paintings were considered erotic.

One of his paintings called ‘Scenery on Dano Day’ depicts a group of women entertainers bathing in a stream and two young monks spying on them in the background.

In a historical fiction novel by Korean author Lee Jung-myung, the story explores the possibility of Shin Yun-bok actually being a woman.

Yun-bok disguises herself as a boy to search for her father’s murderer.

She then meets Kim Hong-do, another real-life historical figure, who guides her into becoming a great artist.

The drama Painter of the Wind is based on Lee Jung-myung’s novel and the role of Yun-bok is portrayed by Moon Geun-young.

5.Goddess of Fire (2013)

Speaking of Moon Geun-young, she plays the role of Yoo Jung in Goddess of Fire (2013).

Her character is based on real-life historical figure Baek Pa-sun during the 16th century.

Pa-sun was renowned as the first female potter and porcelain artist in the Joseon Dynasty.

Her talent was so famous that she was among the Korean artisans captured and forcibly taken to Japan during the Japanese invasion in 1592.

In the drama, Jung falls in love with Prince Gwanghae.

She eventually needs to choose between love or her country.

Watch the trailer here.

6.Six Flying Dragons (2015)

six flying dragons joseon drama

The main characters of this historical drama are a mixture of real-life historical figures and fictional characters.

Among the six dragons, Lee Bang-won (Yoo Ah-in), Jeong Do-jeon (Kim Myung-min) and Lee Seong-gye (Cheon Ho-jin) are real-life historical figures.

Meanwhile, Boon Yi (Shin Se-kyun), Ddang-sae (Byun Yo-han) and Moo-hyul (Yoon Gyun-sang) are all fictional characters.

It follows the story of Lee Bang-won who helped his father King Taejo to establish the Joseon Dynasty.

He later became the third king of the Joseon dynasty known as King Taejong.

7.Jeong Do-jeon (2014)

25813 jeong do jeon

Another popular real-life historical figure during the Joseon Dynasty is Jeong Do-jeon (1342-1398).

He is known as one of the most powerful politicians and a close ally of King Taejo.

In this period drama, the story follows how Do-jeon help in founding the Joseon dynasty and the hardship he faced in the process.

Critics praised Jeong Do-jeon (2014) as one of the most ‘authentic and realistic’ Korean historical dramas in the new millennium.

So this drama is definitely worth your time to watch especially if you love history.

8.Saimdang, Memories of Colours (2017)

14 years after her successful portrayal of Jang Geum in Dae Jang Geum (2003), Lee Young-ae returns to small screen in Saimdang, Memories of Colours (2017).

In this series, Young-ae portrays real-life historical figure Shin Saimdang (1504-1551).

She was a popular artist, writer, calligraphist and poet.

The plot follows a Korean university art history lecturer Seo Ji-yoon also played by Lee Young-ae who discovers a long lost diary.

Through the diary, Ji-yoon uncovers the extraordinary life of Shin Saimdang and a mysterious ancient painting.

Saimdang’s birth home, Ojukheon is well-preserved to this day.

Watch the trailer here:

9.Queen for Seven Days (2017)

This historical drama follows the real-life story of a queen who only held the title for seven days. She has been known as the shortest time a person to have reigned as a queen in Korean history.

Queen Dangyeong (1487-1557) was the first queen consort of King Jungjong, the eleventh Joseon King.

In September 1506, she became Queen consort of Joseon only for seven days.

She was disposed and expelled from the palace because her own father led a coup against her husband.

The disposed queen continued to live in exile until she died childless in 1557.

In the fictional version of Queen Dangyeong, the king and queen still long for each other even after she was dethroned and abandoned.

Overall, the drama focuses on the struggle of a woman who was unwillingly thrown into the political royal court in the 16th century.

Watch the trailer here:

10.The Crowned Clown (2019)

Prince Gwanghae (1575-1641) was the fifteenth king of the Joseon dynasty. He is perhaps one of the most famous historical figures with fifteen appearances in films and television series.

Even though he is one of only two deposed kings who were not restored and given a temple name, Prince Gwanghae is now considered one of the wiser kings in Korean history.

Unfortunately during his reign, the king was a victim of conflicts between political factions.

The Crowned Clown (2019) is based on stories of many assassination attempts carried out to kill Gwanghae during his reign.

To avoid assassination, Gwanghae or better known as King Lee Hun (Yeo Jin-goo) hired a clown named Ha Sun (Yeo Jin-goo) who looks identical to the king.

While impersonating the king, the clown later proved himself that he is a wise king on his own merits.

The drama is a remake of the 2012 film Masquerade.

Watch the trailer here:

You might be interested in

KajoPicks: 5 Japanese silent vloggers you should watch on YouTube

Published on

If you are not familiar with silent vloggers, they are the ones who do not talk to the camera but communicate via subtitles.

They film themselves doing their normal daily activities such as cooking and cleaning.

Over the years, many silent vloggers have started to pop up on YouTube especially from South Korea and Japan.

While these Japanese silent vlogs are equally aesthetic and calming to watch like the Korean silent vlogs, there is one small difference.

The Japanese silent vlogs circle mainly around the life of salarywomen.

In Japan, a salaryman refers to a salaried Japanese white-collar worker who shows immense loyalty and commitment to the corporation where he works.

They are expected to work long hours and participate in after-work leisure activities such as drinking and singing karaoke.

Typically, these workers enter a company after college graduation and remain with the same company for the rest of their careers.

breakfast 1663295 1920

So here are five Japanese silent vloggers you should watch on YouTube:

1.Rhea Y.

This YouTube vlogger is not a Japanese citizen, but a Filipino who is now living in Japan.

She starts her video from vlogging her life living alone, to living with her husband and now being a housewife.

Her most popular video is ‘Day in the life of Salary Woman in Japan/Winter Time’.

This 22 minute and 28 second long video has 2.6 million views to date.

Besides her main channel, Rhea also runs another YouTube channel called RareRoom. In this channel, she shares her life managing her small online business, packing crafting and more.

Meanwhile, her husband just started his own YouTube channel James P. which features cooking videos.

Watch her video here.

2.Nami’s Life

Nami describes herself as just an office lady who lives alone in Tokyo without special skills or interesting hobbies.

Still, she managed to gather a massive 348,000 subscribers on her channel with 36 millions views to date.

Her silent vlogs circle around how she spends her time at home, everyday routine and how she spends her weekends.

10 years ago, we bet no one would ever thought that filming yourself living on your own would make you famous across the internet.

And the best part is, no one would recognise you on the street because you do not film your face.

3.Miku

Most of these silent vloggers might be amateur videographer but they are undeniably talented.

They have the knowledge of composition and storytelling when comes to producing a video.
Hence, it is not a surprise for Japanese silent vlogger such as Miku who already gathered 228,000 subscribers although she just started her YouTube channel in February 2020.

Imagine this; 3.7 million viewers have watched Miku’s 5-minute video of her morning routine.

Yes, 3.7 million people watched her putting her skincare and make up, eating cereal and packing her handbag for work.

Watch her video here.

4.Choki

Choki and Korean silent vlogger Nyangsoop seem to have a lot of similarities. Both have more than 600,000 subscribers on their channels.

Plus, they both divide their videos into playlist according to the four seasons; summer, winter, autumn and spring.

On top of that, Choki and Nyangsoop’s videos have them both cooking just like how you imagine a fairy tale character would cook; very calming to watch with a pet cat lounging around.

Lastly, the two vloggers seem to be the masters of hyge living and meditative type of videos.

For Choki, she shares many of her own recipes such as cinnamon rolls and Japanese milk bread.

5.Snow

Last but not least, we have a Japanese silent vlogger who is also a mother on this list.

Snow shares what a mother would usually do such as cooking, doing chores and cleaning except that she has thousands of viewers watching her.

Apart from showing her routine, this YouTuber also shares her cleaning tips and recipes.

Watch her video here.

You might be interested in

KajoPicks: 15 South Korean high school dramas you need to watch

Published on

Feel like indulging in some teen dramas? Here are 15 South Korean high school dramas to watch:

1.School 2013 (2012)

We cannot talk about Korean high school dramas without putting KBS’s School anthology series on the list.

So far, seven School drama series have premiered since 1999.

The series has been noted for launching the careers of many rookie actors who have become household names in the Korean entertainment industry today.

For instance, School 2013 (2012) was the launching point for actors Lee Jong-suk and Kim Woo-bin.

This edition was set at Seungri High School, apparently one of the worst-ranking schools out of the178 high schools in Seoul based on its academic scores.

The drama depicts the real-life issues faced by Korean high school students like bullying, school violence, mental health, suicides and private tutoring.

Watch the trailer here.

2.Who Are You: School 2015 (2015)

Here is another of our favourites from the School series, Who Are You: School 2015. We love it mainly because of Kim So-hyun’s impressive performance playing two different characters in the drama.

She plays the roles of Go Eun-byul and Lee Eun-bi, identical twins who were separated as children.

Eun-bi lives in an orphanage while her sister was adopted.

After intense bullying by her classmates, Eun-bi tries to commit suicide. Eun-byul coincidentally is there and rescues her sister.

She decides to switch places with her twin after she realises that Eun-bi has lost her memory. Eun-byul reasons that with this, Eun-bi can start a new life unknowingly as her twin.

Trouble starts when Eun-bi’s bully transfer to the same school and recognises her.

You can watch the drama on KBS World Youtube Channel.

Watch the trailer here.

3.Dream High (2011)

Imagine Disney’s High School Musical as a Korean drama series and almost all the leads are played by K-pop singers.

Starring miss A’s Bae Suzy, 2PM’s Ok Taecyeon, T-ara’s Ham Eun-jung, 2PM’s Jang Woo-young and IU, the drama was a hit when it was first broadcast.

The only non-Kpop idol among the cast is Kim So-hyun, who trained for three months for his role in the drama.

It follows of the story of six students of Kirin High School who dream of becoming K-pop idols.

Besides showcasing the difficult training and competition in making K-pop singers, the drama also highlights the dark side of Korean entertainment like sexual harassment.

The drama marks the acting debuts of Suzy and IU who later continued to take lead acting roles in Korean dramas.

Watch the teaser here.

4.Reply 1997 (2012)

Do you want a glimpse of Korean high school in the 1990s? Reply 1997 (2012) centers on six friends who lived in Busan.

The storyline goes back and forth between their past as 18-year-old high school students in 1997 and their present time as 33-year-olds at their high school reunion dinner in 2012.

The drama is praised for being well-researched since it was able to recreate the South Korea in the late 90s with accuracy.

Reply 1997 stars Jung Eun-ji, Seo In-guk, Hoya, Shin So-yul, Eun Ji-won and Lee Si-eon.

Since the drama is set in Busan, most of the cast members are from the region who can speak in the local Gyeongsang dialect.

The drama was a hit among South Koreans with the last episode recording the highest ratings at the time for a Korean cable drama.

5.The Heirs (2013)

While Reply 1997 offers viewers some realism, this Korean high school drama is the exact opposite.

Written by Kim Eun-sook, The Heirs (2013) is set in a high school which caters only to the rich and privileged.

It is a classic Cinderella story where rich boy Kim Tan (Lee Min-ho) falls in love with his housekeeper’s daughter Cha Eun-sang (Park Shin-hye).

Plus, a series set among the rich is not complete without some chaebol (Korean conglomerate) drama.

From family squabbles over inheritance to embezzlement charges, The Heirs (2013) is definitely a higher level of teen drama.

Watch the trailer here.

6.Class of Lies (2019)

How about watching a Korean high school with a dose of mystery?

Class of Lies (2019) follows the story of Gi Moo-hyeok (Yoon Kyun-sang) who goes undercover as a substitute teacher Gi Kang-jae after his lawyer’s license is suspended.

In order to regain his license, he is determined to solve the murder case of a female student which made him lose his license in the first place.

As Moo-hyeok continues to dig deeper into the case while undercover, he uncovers a secret society of privileged students that controls the students and also the teachers.

The secret club is called Veritas Club that aims to falsify awards and student records so that the members can enter prestigious universities. Perhaps Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin have heard of this club before?

Anyway, the drama is aired on OCN channel which is widely known for their thriller and mystery series selection.

Watch the trailer here.

7.Sassy Go Go (2015)

Kang Yeon-doo (Jung Eun-ji) is the leader of street dance club ‘Real King’. The members are students who come together because of their poor academic performance with Yeon-doo herself positioned at 196th out of the 200 students at her school.

Meanwhile, Kim Yeol (Lee Won-keun) is the highest ranking student and the president of Baek Ho, an elite club composed of students from the top fifth percentile in school. He is known for his intelligence and arrogance.

When the Real King and Baek Ho clubs are forced to create a cheerleading squad, both groups put aside their differences to work together.

Meanwhile, Kim Yeol slowly falls for Yeon-do despite their contrasting personalities and preferences.

Watch the trailer here.

8.Moments of 18 (2019)

Do you remember when you were 18 years old?

Choi Joon-woo (Ong Seong-wu) is forced to transfer to Cheonbong High School for a violation he did not commit.

As transfer student, he becomes a subject of ridicule and prejudice from his new classmates.

One of his classmates, Yoo Soo-bin (Kim Hyang-gi) is the top student of the class. She has a helicopter mother who dictates her every move.

Moments of 18 tells the story of teenagers discovering themselves while going through their daily lives as high school students.

Watch the trailer here.

9.Best Mistake (2019)

If you want to watch Korean high school drama but do not have the time, this is the series for you. Each episode only runs for 8 minutes.

Kim Yeon-do (Lee Eun-jae) wants to get rid of a boy who just won’t leave her alone.

In desperation, she posts a random photo of another boy claiming that he is her boyfriend.

Later, she finds out that the boy in the photo is Ji Hyun-ho (Kang Yoo), one of her classmates.

Nonetheless, her posting creates some buzz in the school.

It has simple storyline circling around high school romance and friendship.

Watch the trailer here.

10.Hi! School: Love On (2014)

This Korean high school drama stars Kim Sae-ron, Nam Woo-hyun and Lee Sung-yeol.

It is teen romance fantasy series about an angel who accidentally becomes human after unintentionally saving a male student in danger.

Since then, the angel whose name is Lee Seul-bi slowly learns how to be a human while studying in a high school.

You can watch this drama on KBS World TV on Youtube.

11.Extraordinary You (2019)

Speaking of high school fantasy drama, here is another one for you.

Extraordinary You (2019) is based on the webtoon “July Found by Chance” which was first published in January 2018.

Can you imagine finding out that the world you live in is a comic?

One day, Eun Dan-oh (Kim Hye-yoon) finds out that she is just an extra character in a Korean comic.

She realises that all of her actions are predetermined by the comic artist and she is destined to die because of her lifelong heart condition.

So, Dan-oh decides to fight back against the comic artist and write her own destiny.

Sooner or later, some of her classmates start to realise that the reality they live in is in fact inside a comic book.

What happen when Dan-oh goes against the comic artist? Will she able to change her reality and not die?

Overall, Extraordinary You is a fun and amusing drama suitable for lighthearted entertainment.

Watch the trailer here.

12.Love Alarm (2019)

Love Alarm (2019) made headlines for being the first Korean series confirmed for pick-up by Netflix.

It follows the story of a technology that enables users to discover love through an application that notifies whether someone within the range of a 10-meter radius has romantic feelings from for them.

With this kind of app, it is bound to be downloaded by teenagers.

So what happens when a group of high schoolers get carried away with the app?

Watch the trailer here.

13.A-Teen (2018)

In the recent years, Korean web dramas began to gain its popularity among viewers due to its short running time per episode.

One episode could last between eight minutes to half an hour, which is different from the usual Korean dramas which take about an hour.

PlayList Global is known to be one of the famous production companies for web dramas and viewers can easily watch their series on YouTube.

One of the series is A-Teen (2018) starring Shin Ye-eun, Lee Na-eun, Shin Seung-ho, Kim Dong-hee, Kim Su-hyun and Ryu Ui-hyun.

It follows the story of six students and how they deal with their high school years.

Watch the trailer here.

14.True Beauty (2020)

Korean high school drama

This Korean high school drama made a lot buzz when it came out especially because of the ‘Second Lead Drama’ phenomenon.

It is a term coined by K-drama fans when the second male lead character is more suitable with the female lead character compared to main male character.

In True Beauty (2020), both Lee Su-ho (Cha Eun-woo) and Han Seo-jun (Hwang In-youp) fall for Lim Ju-kyung (Moon Ga-young).

Ju-kyung has been constantly discriminated by her family and bullied by her peers due to being perceived as ugly.

Before she transfers to her new school, Ju-kyung masters the art of make up and transforms her look completely.

There in her new school, she is regarded as ‘goddess’ by her new classmates.

The drama is based on the Line Webtoon of the same name by Yaongyi.

Watch the trailer here.

15.A Love So Beautiful (2020)

This series is a Korean remake of a Chinese drama of the same name, which is based on a novel To Our Pure Little Beauty by Zhao Qianqian.

It centers around Sin Sol-i (So Joo-yeon), a cheerful girl who studies at Chun Ji High School.

She has a crush on her classmate and neighbour Cha Heon (Kim Yo-han).

While she repeatedly confesses her love to Cha Heon, he never expresses his feelings in return. The plot follows Sol-i and Cha Heon with their friends as they go through high school and eventually adulthood.

Watch the trailer here.

You might be interested in

10 hardworking female leads from K-dramas who will inspire you

Published on

Are you looking for some motivation to work? While some Korean dramas offer an escape from reality by telling stories of how a rich, handsome man comes and sweeps the girl of her feet, others give viewers a glimpse of reality in which the female leads work hard on their own. These damsels in distress do not need any rescuing because they pick themselves up no matter what.

If you are looking for Monday motivation, here are ten hardworking female leads from K-dramas to inspire you in a day’s work:

1.She Was Pretty (2015)

Kim Hye-jin (Hwang Jung-eum) is an intern in the administration section before being transferred to be a junior writer at a fashion magazine.

Here is the problem, Hye-jin knows nothing about fashion or writing. Nonetheless, she starts from the bottom and is willing to learn to do her job properly.

She slowly learns the ropes of fashion writing with the help of her colleagues.

Hye-jin grew up rich but after her family’s publishing company went bankrupt, her family lost their fortune.

Hence, she works hard to help her family’s financial situation. After saving a lot of money for her family, Hye-jin then focuses to achieve her own dream as a children’s book author.

This hardworking female lead shows that it is okay to postpone your dream for the sake of your family.

Realistically, most people are like Hye-jin who has to put food on their table first before they can even think about their own ambition.

But once you’ve reached your financial goal or are financially secured, it’s never too late to pursue your own dreams.

Watch the trailer here.

2.Fight My Way (2017)

Due to its realistic storyline and great performance, this drama was popular when it first aired.

The hardworking female lead in this drama is Choi Ae-ra (Kim Ji-won), a department store employee who dreams of becoming an announcer.

Together with her friends Ko Dong-man (Park Seo-jeon), Kim Joo-man (Ahn Jae-hong) and Baek Seol-hee (Song Ha-yoon), the gang faces the ups and downs of quarter-life crisis.

Fight for My Way is far from your usual glamorous K-drama as it is relatable and has true-to-life background stories.

The most relatable quote in the drama is when Ae-ra vents out her frustration in episode eight: “Even though we woke up earlier than others, even though we went to bed later than others, we never had time. We lived harder than anyone, but our resumes that doesn’t show anything pretends to reflect who I am. I’m angry, I’m frustrated.”

This line could not get any more relatable than this for those who are struggling to find a place in the society.

Overall, the plot highlights the competitive working environment among young adults today and the high unemployment rate in South Korea.

Watch the trailer here.

3.Doctors (2016)

Is there any hope for a delinquent to become a successful doctor? Apparently in this Korean medical drama, there is hope after all.

The hardworking female lead of Doctors (2016) Yoo Hye-jung (Park Shin-hye) works her way up to become a neurosurgeon.

She might have a juvenile record but it doesn’t stop Hye-jung to turn her life around.

Sometimes, you only need that one person to believe in you.

For Hye-jung, the people who trust her are her teacher Hong Ji-hong (Kim Rae-won) and her grandmother.

Watch the trailer here.

4.Search: WWW (2019)

Search: WWW (2019) features not one but three hardworking female characters.

It is a story of three women in their late 30s, Bae Ta-mi, Cha Hyeon and Song Ga-kyeong who work in top two competitive web portal companies.

The drama is considered a breath of fresh air as it highlights professional women striving for success as the main plot.

Meanwhile, the male characters in Search: WWW are the subplots of the story just like most female characters in other dramas.

These hardworking female characters are unapologetic when it comes to their careers as well as their love lives.

Watch the trailer here.

Hardworking female k drama

5.Be Melodramatic (2019)

This romantic comedy tells the story of three best friends Lim Jin-joo, Lee Eun-jung and Hwang Han-joo.

They are all in their 30s, each having her own struggles in love and career.

Lim Jin-joo (Chun Woo-hee) is a drama screenwriter who just got out from a long term relationship. She has unique personality who sometimes talks to a luxurious purse.

Meanwhile, Lee Eun-jung (Jeon Yeo-been) is a documentary director who runs her own one-woman company. After the death of her boyfriend, she suffers from PTSD and often imagines and talks with him.

The last member of the trio is Hwang Han-joo (Han Ji-eun) who works as the head of a marketing team for a drama production company. At home, she is a single mother who struggles to balance her work while raising a kid.

All three hardworking female characters having real-life struggles is something that some of us could relate to.

Watch the trailer here.

6.What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim (2018)

If you have been working hard for nine years under a difficult boss and you finally paid off your family’s debt, you have definitely earned a break.

For Kim Mi-so (Park Min-young), she does not even bat an eye when she turns in her resignation letter after all that hard work.

Her life as a secretary for the past nine years has revolved around her work and her boss. She even carries around a men’s handkerchief and lighter in her handbag just in case her boss needs it.

When Mi-so’s boss Lee Young-joon (Park Seo-joon) asks the reason for her resignation her answer might resonate with some viewers.

“I need to go find my life now. A life as not as someone’s secretary nor as a breadwinner, but life just as myself.”

Watch the trailer here.

7.Second 20s (2015)

Ha No-ra (Choi Ji-woo)’s dream to become a dancer was interrupted when she unexpectedly became pregnant at 19.

She then had to quit school and get married. For the next 20 years, No-ra spent her life being a housewife and mother.

At the age of 38, she finds herself on the brink of divorce. To make matter worse, No-ra is diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and given a six-month prognosis.

No-ra decides to go back to college again to the horror of her own son Kim Min-soo and his girlfriend Oh Hye-mi who becomes her new classmate.

Unbeknownst to No-ra, her estranged husband accepts a new job at the same university.

Well, do not wait until being diagnosed with cancer for you to achieve your dream like No-ra.

As cliched as it might sound, time and tide wait for no man.

8.Strongest Deliveryman (2017)

Have you heard of the term “Hell Joseon, Hell Chosun or Hell Korea?” It is a satirical South Korean term used to criticise the socioeconomic situation in the country.

The phrase is often used when complaining about unemployment among youths and the inability to escape from poverty despite being overworked.

In Strongest Deliveryman (2017), the hardworking female lead Lee Dan-ah (Chae Soo-bin) is doing everything she could to make money and escape from ‘Hell Joseon’.

She has no time for romance so she turns down all advances from men while working as a delivery woman.

However, Dan-ah did find love in the story in veteran deliveryman Choi Kang-soo (Go Kyung-pyo).

Equally hardworking as Dan-ah, Kang-soo eventually works his way up to become the CEO of his own delivery app company.

Watch the trailer here.

9.Start-Up (2020)

Speaking of opening up a company, here is a story of a woman who dreams to become a prolific entrepreneur.

Seo Dal-mi (Bae Suzy) is bright and ambitious ans wants to be Korea’s Steve Jobs. In order to do that, she takes a wide range of part-time jobs.

The drama sets in South Korea’s fictional Silicon Valley called Sandbox. It follows the story of Dal-mi and other aspiring entrepreneurs as they struggle to take their business off the ground.

Watch the trailer here.

10.Romance is a Bonus Book (2019)

One of the most hardworking female leads in K-dramaland is none other than Kang Dan-i (Lee Na-young).

After her husband cheats on her, she is left to take care of her daughter.

Not an easy task since Dan-i quit her job before her marriage and now no one wants to hire her.

She then gets a job at a publishing company as a temporary task support team member.

Despite the scepticism Dan-i faced from her superiors and colleagues being a former ‘housewife’, she proves them wrong by performing well in her job.

Watch the trailer here.

You might be interested in

#KajoPicks: 10 South Korean fantasy-crime dramas you need to watch

Published on

Your usual crime drama would be more thrilling if it has a dose of fantasy in it. So here are ten South Korean fantasy-crime dramas you need to watch:

1. Signal (2016)

Kicking off this list is a Korean fantasy crime drama which is inspired by real-life criminal cases in South Korea.

Signal is a police procedural fantasy series starring Lee Je-hoon, Kim Hye-soo and Cho Jin-woong.

It follows the story of criminal profiler Park Hae-young who picks up a mysterious walkie-talkie in 2015. The device allows him to communicate with Detective Lee Jae-han who is actually in 1989.

This unusual communication allows Hae-young and Jae-han not only solve crimes but prevent them from ever taking place.

The series was a hit when it premiered thanks to its storyline and performances.

Today, it remains as one of the highest-rated Korean dramas in cable television history.

Watch the trailer here.

2. Tunnel (2017)

Inspired by the infamous Hwaseong serial killer, this Korean fantasy-crime drama was a hit in China.

It follows the story of Park Gwang-ho who is a successful detective in 1986. His life turns upside down when he chases a suspect of a serial homicide case through a tunnel.

Gwang-ho finds himself time-travels 30 years into the future in 2016 where the serial killer is still killing.

In the present time, Gwang-ho need to work with his new partner Kim Seon-jae (Yoon Hyun-min) in order to catch the killer.

Watch the trailer here.

3. Cheo Yong (2014)

What better way to solve crimes other than with the help from ghosts?

Yoon Cheo-yong (Oh Ji-ho) is a police detective who can see and communicate with ghosts. When his family and partner are killed in a tragic accident, he lets his career go downhill. From an elite detective in the violent crimes unit, Cheo-yong become a lowly district cop over the next seven years.

One day, a ghost of a high school girl named Han Na-young (Jun Hyo-seong) keeps on haunting Cheo-yong. After much annoyance from Na-young, Cheo-yong begins to talk to the dead and people around him again.

With the help of his new partner Ha Sun-woo (Oh Ji-eun) and Na-young, he delves into solving criminal cases that no one can solve.

Of course, he is able to do that using his ability to communicate with ghosts.

4. Sketch (2018)

This Korean fantasy-crime drama follows a small-scale secret group under the National Police Agency called Nabi Project Team.

The group is named after the Arabic word ‘Nabi’ meaning prophet because there is one ‘prophet’ in the team.

Yoo Shi-hyun (Lee Sun-bin) is a detective who has the psychic ability to sketch out drawings of what will happen three days in the future.

When Detective Kang Dong-soo’s (Rain) fiancee is killed mysteriously, he works with Shi-hyun to catch the killer.

Apparently, their task is not easy since the culprit is a member of Republic Of Korea Army Special Warfare Command named Kim Do-jin (Lee Dong-gun).

Just like Dong-soo, Do-jin is driven by revenge, avenging for the death of his wife.

Watch the trailer here.

5. Abyss (2019)

If you died unjustly, it is a natural thing to do to find your cause of death once you are reincarnated.

Go Se-yeon is a beautiful prosecution lawyer and her friend Cha Min is an unattractive but rich chaebol.

One day, they both died in separate incidents and get reincarnated into bodies which reflect their souls.

Se-yeon takes on a plainer appearance compared to her previous life while Cha Min becomes very handsome and attractive.

The duo start to find out the reason behind their reincarnations and Se-yeon’s cause of death.

Watch the trailer here.

6. He is Psychometric (2019)

Have you ever doubted the acting abilities of K-pop idols? There are two K-pop idols starring in this Korean fantasy-crime drama and they really proved that they can act.

Park Jin-young is member of GOT7 and Kim Da-som was a former K-pop singer from the group Sistar.

Jin-young plays the role of Lee Ahn who acquires the power of psychometry after losing his parents in a fire.

He is able to read a person or an object’s past through physical contact. Lee Ahn is determined to use his ability to catch criminal.

Those who believed in his ability are his foster guardian/prosecutor Kang Sung-mo (Kim Kwon) and friend/detective Eun Ji-soo played by Da-som.

Like many of the dramas on this list, it has light-hearted and easygoing beginning before the story takes more on a serious tone.

So you might catch yourself laughing in the first few episodes before those laughter turn into tears later in the series.

Watch the trailer here.

7. Train (2020)

How far would you go to solve a crime? For detective Seo Do-won (Yoon Shi-yoon), he is willing to move between two parallel universes.

In universe ‘A’, Do-won is a hardworking detective who always get the job done. Everything changes when the woman he loves becomes a victim of a serial killer.

In pursue of the killer, he is now moving between universe ‘A’ and universe ‘B’.

The problem is in universe ‘B’, Do-won is a corrupted senior police inspector.

However, his deceased love is very much alive in this universe. Do-won is now on a mission to track down her killer in one universe while protecting her in another.

8. Memorist (2020)

Based on the webtoon of the same name by Jae Hoo, the Korean fantasy-crime dram stars Yoo Seung-ho, Lee Se-young and Jo Sung-ho.

When Dong Baek (Yoo Seung-ho) was a high school student, he suddenly gained a power to read a person’s memory by touching that person.

Fast forward to his adulthood, Dong Baek is now a police detective. He uses his power to catch criminals and solve cases.

He then encounters a series of mysterious murders. This time, he needs to team up with criminal profiler Han Sun-mi (Lee Se-young) to catch the serial killer.

Watch the trailer here.

9. The Game: Towards Zero (2020)

Korean fantasy crime drama

What would you do if you can foresee someone’s death?

Kim Tae-pyeong (Ok Taec-yeon) can foresee anyone’s death by looking into their eyes.

One day, a girl is kidnapped and it is suspected that the notorious Midnight Killer is behind it.

While Tae-pyeong helps with the police investigation, he comes across Detective Joon-young (Lee Yeon-hee).

Unlike others, she is the first person that he cannot foresee their death and there must be a reason behind it.

While they figuring it out, Tae-pyeong and Joon-young work together to catch the Midnight Killer.

Watch the trailer here.

10. Times (2021)

Here is another drama by OCN which is the channel to watch thriller, mystery Korean series.

This Korean fantasy-crime drama has a huge similarity with Signal (2016).

Instead of walkie-talkies, the two main characters from two different times can contact each other through phone calls.

Lee Jin-woo (Lee Seo-jin) and Seo Jung-in (Lee Joo-young) are both dedicated reporters. Jin-woo lives in 2015 and Jung-in in 2020.

One day, they realised they can call each other through phone. Using this special connection, they try to prevent the death of South Korea President Seo Ki-tae (Kim Young-chul), who happens to be Jung-in’s father.

Watch the trailer here.

You might be interested in

KajoPicks: 5 South Korean dramas for bookworms to watch

Published on

Calling all bookworms out there! If you love reading and K-dramas, here are five South Korean dramas about books for you to watch:

1.Romance is a Bonus Book (2019)

If you want to take a glimpse behind the Korean publishing industry, this is the K-drama for you.

This ‘noona’ romance drama follows the story of a 37-year-old divorced woman starting over with a new job at a publisher.

Kang Dan-i (Lee Na-young) is a former advertising copywriter. After her divorce, she has a hard time starting her career over due to a long break she took to focus on her marriage.

Dan-i later joins a publishing company as a temporary task team member. The publishing company’s editor-in-chief Cha Eun-ho (Lee Jong-suk) happens to be a long time friend of Dan-i who harbours romantic feelings towards her.

Besides giving the audience a glimpse of the work behind publishing a book, the series highlights the problems faced by ‘gyeongdanyeo’.

‘Gyeondanyeo’ is a Korean acronym for women who left their careers to get married or have children.

According to Korea Joong Ang Daily, these women who have difficulty getting rehired in South Korea experienced the same challenges as Dan-i.

Besides that, when they do get hired, gyeondanyeo tend to get paid lower than their previous earnings.

This series marks Lee Na-young’s return to small screen after nine years and Lee Jong-suk’s last drama before his military enlistment.

Watch the trailer here.

2.Because This is My First Life (2017)

Speaking of discrimination in South Korea, here is another drama which highlights the social issues faced by Korean women.

Assistant screenwriter Yoon Ji-ho (Jung So-min), is constantly under pressure to appease her family while pursuing her dream of becoming a successful writer.

She grows up getting sidelined by her patriarchal father who favours Ji-ho’s brother – Yoon Ji-suk – over her.

Due to this, Ji-ho ends up losing her apartment to her brother despite being the one paying for the deposit and maintenance.

She ends up being a housemate with IT employee and socially awkward Nam Se-hee (Lee Min-ki).

Like many writers, Ji-ho loves to read. In the drama, she always shares the content of her favourite books with her new housemate and her friends.

For bookworms, you might want to take note on the books she quotes in the drama. (Don’t worry, some of the Korean books mentioned are available in English translations.)

Watch the trailer here.

3.When the Weather is Fine(2020)

Korean drama about books

If you are a bookworm and love to write too, the main character of this drama has your dream job.

Im Eun-seob (Seo Kang-jun) ’s daily life comprises of drinking coffee in the morning, reading, writing on his blog while running a bookshop called ‘Goodnight Bookstore’ in a rural village of Gangwon Province.

The best part? He hardly has any walk-in customers and his profits come from online book sales. Basically, he has the dream job of an introvert who loves books.

On top of this, Eun-seob turns his bookstore into a book club meeting at night for the village residents to share their poems, book passages and stories.

Then, his life gets exciting for him when his former classmate and neighbour comes back to town.

Cellist Mok Hae-won (Park Min-young) quits her music teaching job in Seoul and decides to come home after getting tired of the city life.

She reconnects with her former classmates including Eun-seob. To earn some income, Hae-won takes a part-time job at Goodnight Bookstore.

Together, they start to heal from their past wounds and eventually fall in love with each other.

The drama is based on a book itself of the same name by Lee Do-woo.

Watch the trailer here.

4.Chicago Typewriter (2017)

Are you a writer having writer’s block? This is the drama for you.

On the outside, Han Se-joo (Yoo Ah-in) is a celebrity author with a large fan following.

Little do his fans know, but he is struggling from a severe writer’s block.

In the meantime, Jeon Seol (Im Soo-jung) is a veterinarian and fanatic of Se-joo. The duo is joined by Yoo Jin-oh (Go Kyung-pyo), a ghostwriter.

It seems that the three of them have nothing to do with each other at first. (PLOT TWIST) Actually, they are the reincarnations of three resistance fighters who lived during the 1930s Japanese occupation of Korea.

Se-joo in his past life fought against freedom of speech under Japanese rule as a writer and in his present life is fighting against himself to overcome his writer’s block.

For writers, this drama is inspiring as it poses the question, “Why do you write in the first place?”

Watch the trailer here.

5.Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung (2019)

Speaking of fighting for the freedom of speech, Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung follows the story of female historians in the early 19th century.

With the intent of planting spies in each chamber of the Royal Palace, four female historians including Goo Hae Ryung (Shin Se-kyung) are hired to record what is going in the palace.

Their job is to record what is going on everyday and the collection will be compiled into the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty.

However, these four historians suffer from discrimination from their colleagues.

While the characters in this drama are purely fictional, the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty is a real thing.

It is the annual records of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea which were kept from 1413 to 1865. During that time, professional historiographers were hired to collect documents and wrote daily accounts including state affairs, meteorological phenomena and among other things.

Overall, the drama emphasises on the importance of historians and history books. As what Hae-ryung said in the drama, “Even if you slash my throat, our brushes will not stop writing. If I die, another historian will take my place; if you kill that historian, another will take their place. Even if you kill every historian in this land, and take away all the paper and brushes, you won’t be able to stop us. From mouth to mouth, teacher to student, elder to child, history will be told. That is the power of truth.”

Watch the trailer here.

You might be interested in

#KajoPicks: Where to grab coffee-to-go in Kuching?

Published on

First of all, you can easily grab your coffee-to-go at any kopitiam (if you prefer good old local kopi) or even the typical choice of Starbucks. Plus, you can go visit any of Kuching’s dozens of cafes, but most of them are not open until late morning or noon.

So what do you do when you really need that quick dose of caffeine from a specialty coffee in the morning?

For KajoMag, here are our favourite places specifically to go and grab coffee-to-go in Kuching:

1.Black Bean Coffee & Tea

Where to grab to go coffee in Kuching 2

This list is not complete without a Kuching must-have for coffee lovers – Black Bean Coffee & Tea. It is known for our very own Sarawak Liberica which is one of the best coffee beans in the world.

Located at Ewe Hai Street, Black Bean Coffee & Tea opens at 9 in the morning – perfect timing for those looking for another cup of coffee after their early breakfast.

Looking for coffee beans to brew your own drinks at home? This is also the place for you. The staff is willing to help you select the perfect beans according to your taste.

If Kuching city centre is too far for you, they have another branch at Hock Seng Lee’s (HSL) new La Promenade Mall.

2.Tealive

Where to grab to go coffee in Kuching 1

You might think, “Why on earth is a bubble tea chain on this list?”

Honestly, the coffee range drink from this Malaysian boba chain is pretty underrated.

Their signature coffee, americano and latte drinks come hot or cold. Additionally, they offer seasonal promotions on their selected coffee beverages for only RM5 (without tax) from morning till 12pm daily.

However if you prefer Robusta or Liberica beans, this place is not for you. Tealive only offers 100 per cent Arabica beans.

3.Belalak Addicted Coffee

Where to grab to go coffee in Kuching 3

Have you heard of the Turkish way of brewing coffee? It is done by boiling very finely ground coffee.

Traditionally, the grounds left after drinking Turkish coffee are used to tell fortunes. The cup is commonly turned over the saucer to cool, and the patterns of the coffee grounds are used for fortune telling. For Potterheads out there, it is similar to tea-leaf reading or scrying in Harry Potter’s Divination class.

The best place you can find this type of brewing in Kuching is at Belalak Addicted Coffee, The Hills.

No, they don’t offer you fortune telling at Belalak Addicted Coffee. But they do offer a variety of coffee drinks with cute names.

Kopi Let is basically mocha, Kopi Pong is black coffee with palm sugar, Kopi Sus is latte and Kopi Kos is americano.

Besides these, they also offer non-caffeinated and ice-blended drinks.

You might be interested in

#KajoPicks: 10 South Korean historical fantasy dramas you should watch

Published on

The Korean term ‘saegeuk’ refers to historical dramas, including plays, films or television series.

Most ‘saeguk’ dramas, however, like many other period television series, are not always historically accurate.

While the characters may be inspired by real-life people, events are often romanticised or exaggerated to more spectacular effect.

More exciting reimaginings of history have seen a number of ‘saeguk’ dramas injected with a dose of fantasy.

If that is your cup of tea, here are 10 South Korean historical fantasy dramas you should watch:

1.Scholar Who Walks the Night (2015)

Kicking off the list is a Korean historical fantasy drama based on the webtoon Bameul Geotneun Sunbi by Jo Joo-hee and Han Seung-hee.

The story follows Jo Yang-sun (Lee Yoo-bi), a daughter of a noble family.

After her family falls into disgrace, she disguises herself as a man to sell books for a living.

While walking at night, Yang-sun comes across an attractive scholar. Little does she know that the handsome scholar Kim Sung-yeol (Lee Joon-gi) is actually a vampire.

The drama earned Joon-gi a ‘Top Ten Stars’ Award at the MBC Drama Awards.

Watch the trailer here.

2.Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016)

Goryeo dynasty

Based on the Chinese novel Bu Bu Jing Xin, this series is a time-travel romance drama.

During a total eclipse, Go Ha-jin (Lee Ji-eun) is somehow transported from the 21st-century to the Goryeo Dynasty.

She wakes in 941 in the body of Hae-soo, among the princes of the ruling Wang family during the reign of King Taejo. Historically, he was the founder of the Goryeo dynasty.

Ha-jin initially falls in love with the eighth Prince Wang Wook (Kang Ha-neul).

However, the rebellious fourth prince Wang So (Lee Joon-gi) slowly wins Ha-jin’s heart.

The drama circles around the politics and power struggle happening within the royal court.

Watch the trailer here.

3.The Moon Embracing the Sun (2012)

While most of the characters on this list are inspired by real life people, here is a story between a fictional king during the Joseon Dynasty and a shaman.

Adapted from the novel of the same name written by Jung Eun-gwol, the series won multiple awards including Drama of the Year.

Heo Yeon-woo (Han Ga-in) is destined to be the queen but the queen mother and the prime minister have their own plans.

Before her wedding to Crown Prince Lee Hwon (Kim Soo-hyun), Yeon-woo mysteriously dies.

The truth is she has lost her memory and becomes a shaman named Wol.

Eight years later, Wol returns to the palace and Lee Hwon is now king. Will both of them rekindle their relationship?

Watch the trailer of the drama here.

4.Faith (2012)

The king and queen of this Korean historical fantasy drama is based on real-life King Gongmin of Goryeo who married the Yuan princess, Noguk.

The Yuan dynasty (1271 to 1368) was a successor state to the Mongol Empire established by Kublai Khan.

The marriage between King Gongmin and Queen Noguk was a practice established by Kublai Khan where female members of the Yuan imperial clan were married to Goryeo princes in order to maintain Yuan hegemony on the Korean peninsula.

Unlike other arranged marriages between the two dynasties, Noguk’s marriage to Gongmin was a happy one.

In Faith (2012), King Gongmin (Ryu Deok-hwan) and Queen Noguk (Park Se-young) are attacked on their return to Goryeo. The queen ends up injured up during the attack

On the advice of his royal adviser, the king orders Captain of the Royal Guard Choi Young (Lee Min-ho) to pass through a mystical portal and find the so called heaven’s doctor.

As it turns out, the portal brings Choi Young to the future. He then kidnaps Yoo Eun-soo (Kim Hee-sun) a modern-day doctor from Seoul to treat the queen’s life.

One thing after another, Eun-soo is now stuck in the Goryeo dynasty unable to return to the present-day.

She eventually falls in love with the man who kidnapped her.

The drama marks Kim Hee-sun’s first TV appearance in five years after her marriage and childbirth.

5.Mirror of the Witch (2016)

Heo Jin (1546-1615) was a court physician during the reign of King Seonjo of the Joseon dynasty.

In this drama, Heo Jun (Yoon Si-yoon) is the illegitimate son of a slave and a rich master.

He falls in love with a forgotten, cursed princess who becomes a witch named Seo-ri (Kim Sae-ron). She is the daughter of Queen Sim.

Before she was born, Queen Shim (Jang Hee-jin) is unable to conceive so he seeks the help of a shaman.

The shaman used black magic to enable the queen to conceive. Queen Shim is finally pregnant with children but there is a price to pay; one of the twins is cursed.

After giving birth to Seo-ri and her twin brother Crown Prince Soonhwae (Yeo Hoe-hyun), the queen abandons the princess.

If you are into magic, curses and witchcraft, this Korean historical fantasy drama might be for you.

Watch the trailer here.

6.Arang and the Magistrate (2012)

According to Korean folklore, Arang was the daughter of a magistrate during the Joseon dynasty.

One day, her evil nanny schemed to have her servant – Baekga – rape her.

Arang managed to fight him off at first but Baekga stabbed her to death.

Her father, somehow believing that she had eloped and run away, resigned from his position in shame.

From then on, whenever a new magistrate took up the position, it was said that Arang’s ghost would appear before him seeking justice.

Eventually, nobody was willing to take the job out of fear.

Finally, a brave man named Yi Sang became the magistrate.

When Arang appeared before him, Yi Sang successfully avenged her and had Baekga executed for murder. Arang’s restless ghost could finally rest in peace.

Arang and the Magistrate (2012) follows this folktale, and follows Arang (Shin Min-ah) whose spirit is unable to rest until she finds out the cause of her death.

One day, she accidentally appears to a nobleman named Kim Eun-oh (Lee Joon-gi).

Conveniently for Arang, Eun-oh has the ability to see and hear ghosts. When she discovers this, Arang begs for Eun-oh’s help.

Overall, the drama was a success and became the most expensive drama to be sold to Japan by its airing channel MBC.

7.The Night Watchman’s Journal (2014)

This story follows the adventure of Prince Rin (Jung Il-woo), the legitimate heir to the throne. Chaos ensues in the palace after the king, his father, kills the queen while under a spell, and subsequently commits suicide.

When he gains the ability to see ghosts, Rin becomes one of the Night Watchmen. It is a group of soldiers, at the time of his father, in charge of fighting monsters and spirits.

In the meantime, Do-ha (Ko Sung-hee) is a shaman who is imbued with supernatural energy from Mount Baekdu. This gives her the power to communicate with nature.

Rin and Do-ha along with Kang Moo-seok, a swordsman who does not believe in the supernatural and Jo Sang-heon, the former captain of the Night Watchmen are now facing evil spirits while searching the truth behind the deaths of Rin’s parents.

While chasing ghosts and helping people, Rin learn how to become the people’s prince.

Watch the trailer here.

8.Gu Family Book (2013)

Here is a Korean historical fantasy drama with some martial art action for you to watch.

It follows the story of Choi Kang-chi (Lee Seung-gi), a half-man, a half-gumiho who longs to become fully human.

In order to do that, he needs to find a centuries-old book that contains the secret to becoming human.

While searching for the book, Kang-chi falls in love with Dam Yeo-wool (Bae Suzy). She is a skillful archer who works as a martial arts instructor at her father’s school.

The drama served as a breakout for actor Choi Jin-hyuk who later went on landing lead roles in dramas such as Emergency Couple (2014), Tunnel (2017), The Last Empress (2018) and Rugal (2020).

Watch the trailer here.

9.Kingdom (2019)

Korean historical fantasy drama e1619760519411

Now, how about a Korean historical fantasy drama with endless supply of zombies chasing the main characters?

Kingdom (2019) is set three years after the Japanese invasions of Korea during Joseon period.

There are two seasons so far. The first season follows the story of Crown Prince Lee Chang (Ju Ji-hoon) who investigates the spread of a mysterious plague. As it turns out, the suspicious plague is also a plot to threaten Lee Chang as the current heir to the throne.

Then the second season continues with Lee Chang trying to save his people from the spread of the plague which is now able to withstand colder temperatures.

The much anticipated special episode, Kingdom: Ashin of the North is set for release in 2021. It will focus on the supporting character Ashin which is played by Jun Ji-hyun.

The drama is straightforward horror, suspense and thriller story so there is no cheesy romance or melodrama scenes here.

Watch the trailer here.

10.Mr Queen (2020)

Jang Bong-hwan (Choi Jin-hyuk) is a normal guy who works as a chef at the Blue House (Korean version of the White House).

However, one day he finds himself in the body of Queen Cheorin (Shin Hye-sung).

According to history, Queen Cheorin (1837-1978) was a Queen consort of Korea married to Cheoljong of Joseon.

In the drama King Cheoljong (Kim Jung-hyun) is a puppet king used by Queen Dowager Sunwon (Bae Jong-ok).

Mr Queen (2020) is based on the original Chinese web drama Go Princess Go. To date, the series is the seventh highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history.

Watch the trailer here.

You might be interested in

#KajoPicks: 10 South Korean action-thriller movies you should watch

Published on

Here are just 10 of our favourite South Korean action-thriller movies:

Korean action thriller movie

1.The Chaser (2008)

Inspired by a real-life serial killer, this Korean action-thriller is a must on our list. Yoo Young-chul is a South Korean serial killer, sex offender and self-confessed cannibal.

He admitted to having killed 20 people, mostly prostitutes and wealthy old men.

In this movie, actor Ha Jung-woo is particular impressive in his role as psychopath killer Je Yeong-min who is loosely based on Young-chul.

The story circles around a disgraced police Eom Joong-ho (Kim Yoon-seok) who became a pimp. He notices his girls keep on disappearing. After some time, he realises that all of the missing girls shared the same last customer. And that customer is Yeong-min.

This fictional character and the real life killer Young-chul have a couple things in common.

For instance, they both target prostitutes. Secondly, they both use a hammer as the main murder weapon.

In Young-chul’s case, it was the pimps who started to feel suspicious when their girls failed to show up. And they all connected the disappearances to the same phone number. They then notified the police which eventually led to the capture of Young-chul.

In terms of action, the movie offers a handful of hitting, smashing, kicking and various other forms of physical assault while the thriller part, basically a cat and mouse game between Joong-ho and Yeong-min.

Overall, The Chaser (2008) was a successful movie, becoming the third most popular film in South Korea in 2008.

Watch the trailer here.

2.The Yellow Sea (2010)

Speaking of The Chaser (2008), the film is directed by Na Hong-jin.

As the director of The Yellow Sea (2010), Noh reunites with his two lead actors in The Chaser, Ha Jung-woo and Kim Yoon-seok.

However this time, their roles are reversed. In The Yellow Sea, Jung-woo plays the protagonist while Yoon-seok plays the antagonist.

It revolves around a cab driver who agrees to carry out a hit in exchange for getting his debts paid.

After the hit goes wrong, he is chased by both the police and the gangster who assigned him the job.

Watch the trailer here.

3.The Suspect (2013)

KajoMag listed this as one of our favourite Korean movies about North Korean espionage.

Ji Dong-chul (Gong Yoo) is the best field agent in North Korea. Suddenly, he is abandoned during a mission. Additionally, he finds out that his wife and daughter murdered.

Hunted and on the run, torn between grief and vengeance, he takes a job as a night driver for the CEO of a powerful corporation.

After one bad thingafter another, the CEO is brutally assassinated and Dong-chul is the main suspect.

Now, he is on the run again. Accused of murder and wanted for treason, Dong-chul begins to hunt for the truth.

Won Shin-yun, the director of The Suspect (2013) is a former stuntman before making his directorial debut through The Wig (2005). Hence, you can expect him pushing his actors through all kinds of stunts especially Gong Yoo in this movie.

Watch the trailer here.

4.The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil (2019)

What happens when a crime boss is targeted by a serial killer?

The most logical thing to do is to turn to the police. Even a gangster wants to stay alive right?

The story follows the gangster Jang Dong-soo (Ma Dong-seok) who barely survives a violent attack by an elusive serial killer.

He then forms an unlikely partnership with local detective Jung Tae-seok (Kim Moo-yul) to catch the sadistic killer known as ‘K’.

The movie reportedly based on real events from a decade ago. However, there is no clear mention which part of this story is true.

In 2019, Sylvester Stallone announced that he would be producing the remake of The Gangster, the Cop, The Devil. Will Ma Dong-seok be reprising his role?

Watch the trailer here.

5.A Hard Day (2014)

Are you having a bad day? We bet your day is not as bad as the one the main character of this movie is having.

A Hard Day (2014) follows the story of corrupt cop Detective Ko Gun-su (Lee Sun-kyun). In the middle of his mother’s funeral, Gun-su is told that his squad is being investigated by internal affairs for bribery.

He decides to walk out in the middle of the funeral. Later, Gun-su crashes into a homeless man who wanders onto the road, killing him.

Instead of reporting it, he hides the body in his trunk. Then, Gun-su returns to his mother’s funeral and does the ‘unthinkable’. He seals the body inside his mother’s coffin.

Little that he knows, somebody is watching and using that to blackmail him.

6.Broken (2014)

This Korean action-thriller film is a classic tale of revenge. It revolves around a father who becomes a fugitive while he hunts down his daughter’s rapists and killers.

Lee Sang-hyeon (Jung Jae-young) lives a quite life with his 15-year-old daughter Su-jin. His world turns upside down her after dead body is found in an abandoned bathhouse with evidence of sexual assault.

Since the investigation into his daughter’s case is not progressing as fast as he wants, he decides to take charge.

After receiving an anonymous text with information about the case, he goes to the address that was given to him.

There, he finds a man laughing as he watches a video of Su-jin’s rape.

In a fit of rage, Sang-hyeon accidentally kills the man and finds there is a second accomplice.

Now, the police is hunting him and Sang-hyeon is hunting the second accomplice.

Watch the trailer here.

7.The Target (2010)

In movies – whether they are produced in Korea or Hollywood – retired professional killers tend to be depicted like bears going into hibernation. Disturb them when they hibernate and you will be running for your life.

The Target follows ex-mercenary killer Yeo-hoon (Rye Seung-ryong) who is now leading a normal life.

That normalcy ends when he is framed for the death of a prominent CEO. Yeo-hoon manages to escape but winds up in a hospital.

After a doctor at the hospital whose name is Tae-joon (Lee Jin-wook) decides to help him, Tae-joon’s pregnant wife is kidnapped.

Now, the two men are on the hunt to rescue her and find out who is responsible behind the fiasco.

Watch the trailer here.

8.Midnight FM (2010)

This is the South Korean action-thriller film which earned actress Soo Ae her Best Actress award at the 31st Blue Dragon Film Awards for her performance.

She plays the role of Ko Sun-young, a popular television announcer and midnight DJ.

Sun-young decides to resign from her jobs and moved to the United States after her daughter Eun-soo requires heart surgery there.

On her last day of work, her sister Ah-young babysits Eun-soo at Sun-young apartment.

While she is on air, Sun-young receives a call from Han Dong-soo who claims to be her fan.

As it turns out, Dong-soo after hearing about Sun-young’s retirement, holds her family hostage and threaten her to use her final broadcast for his own agenda.

9.Cold Eyes (2013)

This Korean action-thriller film is a remake of 2007 Hong Kong film Eye in the Sky.

It follows a group of detectives from the surveillance team of a special crime unit who work together to take down a bank robbing organisation.

It stars Sol Kyung-gu, Jung Woo-sung, Han Hyo-joo, Jin Kyung and Lee Jun-ho.

One of the best parts of this film is the cameo of Hong Kong actor Simon Yam, the original cast of Eye in the Sky.

Watch the trailer here.

10.No Mercy (2019)

How about a Korean action-thriller starring a woman?

Former professional boxer/actress Lee Si-young is the perfect cast for In-ae. She is a female bodyguard who went to jail after stabbing out the eye of a politician.

(Don’t feel bad for the politician; he raped In-ae’s sister Eun-hye.)

While In-ae is in jail, Eun-hye is bullied at school and frequently raped.

Even after In-ae is released, Eun-hye does not tell her of what happened.

Then one day, Eun-hye is abducted by a group of human traffickers. When the police refuse to do anything, In-ae goes on a one woman hunt to rescue her sister.

Watch the trailer here.

You might be interested in

1 2 3 4 5 6 … 9