Browse Tag

korean drama - Page 3

KajoPicks: 10 South Korean romantic melodramas to watch

Published on

It is easy to identify whether a South Korean drama belongs to the romantic melodrama category by looking at the official poster.

It would have the two main characters looking off in two different directions with somber and melancholy expressions.

A melodrama commonly features one sad event after another and the characters’ emotions are often exaggerated.

If this genre is your cup of tea, here are 10 South Korean romantic melodramas you need to watch:

1.Autumn in My Heart (2000)

A list of Korean melodramas to watch is incomplete without Autumn in My Heart (2000).

It is a story about two girls being switched at birth by mistake. One grows up to have a happy life with loving parents and a brother while the other by a single parent in poverty.

When the truth comes out after a traffic accident, the two girls are already in their teenage years.

Both parents decide to switch the girls back to their biological families.

After being separated for 10 years, the girls are reunited as adults.

What happens when the loving brother suddenly falls in love with the woman who was once raised as his sister?

Like any Korean melodramas, one of the main characters is struck with a deadly sickness and the never-ending conflicts begin.

This drama is a classic responsible for kicking off the careers of many big names in Korean entertainment we know now such as Song Hye-kyo, Moon Geun-young, Won Bin and Song Seung-heon.

2.That Winter, the Wind Blows (2013)

Korean romantic melodramas 9

Speaking of Song Hye-kyo, she plays the role of a blind heiress in the Korean romantic melodrama That Winter, the Wind Blows (2013).

It is based on the Japanese drama I Don’t Need Love, Summer (2002) which was also adapted into Korean film Love Me Not (2006).

The story is about Oh Soo (Jo In-sung), an orphan who becomes a gambler, conman and playboy.

His latest scam target is Oh Young (Song Hye-kyo), a blind heiress who lives alone.

Oh Soo pretends to be Oh Young’s long lost brother in order pay his debt.

The duo who thought that they were used to being alone, eventually find love and comfort in each other.

Watch the trailer here.

3.A Thousand Days’ Promise (2011)

Korean romantic melodramas 8

Lee Seo-yeon (Soo Ae) is having an affair with engaged architect Park Ji-hyung (Kim Rae-won).

After finding out that Ji-hyung has finalised his wedding date, Seo-yeon breaks up with him.

At the same time, Seo-yeon is diagnosed with early on-set Alzheimer’s.

When Ji-hyung finds out about it, he cancels his engagement two days before the wedding despite opposition from his parents.

Seo-yeon is reluctant to accept Ji-hyung back to her side but eventually caves in.

The drama continues with the couple trying to live the best of their lives while dealing with Seo-yeon’s illness.

4.Crazy Love (2013)

Korean romantic melodramas 7

Yoon Mi-so (Parjk Sun-young) is an orphan who is adopted at the age of 7.

As an adult, Mi-so finds love in a rich man named Lee Min-jae (Heo Tae-hee) and eventually marries him.

They have a daughter named Hae-ram. The only drawback in her almost perfect life is her mother in-law who always gives her a hard time.

Then, Han Na-young (Kim Youn-ju) comes into their lives, ruining Mi-so’s life.

After being divorced by Min-jae, Mi-so finds love again in Seo Kyung-soo (Go Se-won).

But there is a problem, Kyung-soo is stuck in an unhappy marriage.

Will they find happiness together in the end?

5.The Innocent Man (2012)

Korean romantic melodramas 2

Before Song Joong-ki played charismatic roles like in Descendant of the Sun and Vicenzo, he starred in a melodrama series The Innocent Man (2012).

His character Kang Ma-ru is a smart but poor medical student. His girlfriend Jae-hee dumps him for a rich CEO.

Six years later, he is no longer the nice guy but an arrogant bartender/gigolo.

Ma-ru decides to take revenge on his ex after his sister is rushed to the hospital because of Jae-hee.

In order to do so, he approaches rich heiress Eun-gi as part of his revenge plan.

While plotting for his revenge, Ma-ru finds himself falling in love with Eun-gi.

Watch the trailer here.

6.Come and Hug Me (2018)

Korean romantic melodramas 6

All Korean romantic melodramas have one thing in common; out of the world conflict between two lovers.

In this drama Yoon Na-moo (Jang Ki-yong) and Gil Nak-won (Jin Ki-joo) are any two young lovebirds out there.

Everything seems to be normal at first until Na-moo’s serial killer father kills Nak-won’s parents.

The two reunite again as adults with Na-moo now being a police detective and Nak-won suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after her parents’ deaths.

Watch the trailer here.

7.Beyond the Clouds (2014)

Korean romantic melodramas 5

Jung Se-ro (Yoon Kye-sang) is the son of a petty criminal and a conman.

Despite that, he still wants to live an honest life and enter the civil service.

Everything changes when a robbery takes place in a jewel exhibition.

His father dies and Se-ro himself is accused of murder of another man.

After spending five years in jail, Se-ro takes up a new identity and becomes a conman like his late father.

Then he meets Han Young-won (Han Ji-hye), a heiress who is still in love with her dead fiance.

After spending some time, they both fall in love with each other.

In a classic K-drama plot twist, the man Se-ro was accused of killing had been Young-won’s fiance.

Watch the trailer here.

8.Uncontrollably Fond (2016)

Korean romantic melodramas 4

Starring Kim Woo-bin and Bae Suzy, this Korean romantic melodrama follows two lovers from their teenage years into adulthood.

Shin Joon-young (Woo-bin) and No Eul (Suzy) were very much in love when they were young.

However, circumstances led them to go separate ways.

When they meet again as adults, both of them have changed. Joon-young is now a top celebrity while Noh Eul becomes a documentary producer.

Noh Eul is tasked to film Joon-young’s documentary and the former lovers are now forced to work together.

9.The Wind Blows (2019)

Korean romantic melodramas 3

Speaking about lovers’ reunion, here is a story of a second chance romance when a divorced couple rekindles their love.

Kwon Do-hoon (Kam Woo-sung) divorced his wife Lee Soo-jin (Kim Ha-neul) after he learned that he had Alzheimer’s.

Korean romantic melodramas sure love illnesses like Alzheimer’s.

Five years later, the couple reunites.

Soo-jin belatedly finds out the reason behind her divorce but this time, she decides to stay by Do-hoon’s side.

Watch the trailer here.

10.When My Love Blooms (2020)

Korean romantic melodramas 1

Han Jae-hyun (Yoo Ji-tae) is a man in his 40s. He is handsome, ambitious, and a successful man who works for vice-president of Hyung Sung Corporation.

In secret, he is plotting against the company for framing his father which led to his suicide.

One day, Jae-hyun comes across Yoon Ji-soo (Lee Bo-young) for the first time in many years.

She was his first love when they were still in university.

What changes would Ji-soo bring into Jae-hyun’s life now that they have reunited?

The drama also stars Park Jin-young and Jeon So-nee who play younger Jae-hyun and Ji-soo respectively.

Watch the trailer here.

You might be interested in

KajoPicks: 5 K-dramas set in Korea under Japanese rule to watch

Published on

In 1910, the Japanese empire formally annexed the Korean peninsula through the Japan-Korea Treaty of 1910.

Until the end of World War II in 1945, Korea was under Japanese rule which was administered by the Governor-General of Korea based in Keijo (now Seoul).

While Korea saw a growth in industrialisation and an improvement in infrastructure during this time, the country also suffered from exploitation of its people and marginalisation of Korean history and culture.

This part of history also inspired many films and dramas with their storyline set in Korea under Japanese rule:

If you are looking to watch a bit of history and plenty of entertainment, here are five K-dramas set in Korea under Japanese rule to watch:

1.Bridal Mask (2012)

During the Japanese occupation of Korea, local Koreans who worked for the Japanese were deemed as traitors by their fellow countrymen.

This drama shows how much these traitors were hated.

Set in the 1930s, Lee Kang-to (Joo Won) is a Korean who works with the Japanese police to capture Gaksital (Bridal Mask).

Gaksital is a masked vigilante who fights for Korea’s independence using his skills in traditional martial arts, taekkyeon.

What Kang-to does not know at first is that his estranged brother Lee Kang-san (Shin Hyun-joon) is the man behind Gaksital.

After Kang-to accidentally kills Kang-san, Kang-to decides to succeed his brother as Gaksital.

The drama is based on a popular Korean manhwa by Huh Young-man.

2.Inspiring Generation (2014)

Here is another drama set in Korea during Japanese rule which is based on a manhwa.

The manhwa Age of Feeling by Bang Hak-gi was published by Sports Seoul from June 1985 to June 1988.

Shin Jung -tae (Kim Hyun-joong)’s father died when a Japanese soldier shot him during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai.

Since then, he worked hard to become a street fighter in the back alleys of Shanghai.

Jung-tae later comes across a group of Korean freedom fighters who gather in Shanghai to fight for independence in their home country.

But why Shanghai? The Korean Provisional Government (KPG) or formally known as the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea was a partially recognised Korean government in-exile based in Shanghai, China.

Inspiring Generation was one of the more expensive series produced that year with the budget USD14 million.

It was filmed in a studio which was purposely-built to look like 1930s Shanghai.

3.Different Dreams (2019)

On Mar 1, 1919, over 1,000 demonstrations were held across different cities in Korea.

Attended by thousands of civilians and students, the event marks one of the first public displays of Korean resistance during the Japanese occupation of Korea.

Unfortunately, the event had a bloody ending with about 7,500 people killed, 16,000 others wounded and up to 46,000 arrested.

The drama Different Dreams (2019) was aired to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the March 1st Movement.

It follows the story of a group of freedom fighters with different ideologies but coming together with the same goal – to achieve independence for Korea.

One of the main characters Kim Won-bong (Yoo Ji-tae) is based on the real-life Korean anarchist and independence activist.

The director of Different Dreams, Yoon Sang-ho told The Korea Times that he wanted the second Eyes of Dawn, a classic hit drama which was aired between October 1991 and February 1992.

He stated, “That drama was a masterpiece that depicted the pains of Korea’s modern history. When I was young, the heart-touching drama captivated me so much that I thought I would like to do a project set in that period too.”

4.Mr Sunshine (2018)

If you are writing a fictional story based on a real-life past event, you have to be careful to avoid historical inaccuracies.

Take it from scriptwriter Kim Eun-sook, whose work Mr Sunshine (2018) received criticism for inaccurate portrayals of historical facts and being ‘pro-Japanese’.

Unlike other dramas which set in Korea under Japanese rule, this series depicts events that took place right before the annexation in the late 1800s to early 1900s.

It focuses on the work of the Righteous Army, who are real-life informal civilian militias that have appeared several times across Korean history, especially when the national armies were in need of assistance.

Moreover, the series features historical figures such as the last king of Joseon Emperor Gojong, Japanese politician Ito Hirobumi, Japanese diplomat Hayashi Gonsuke, American ambassador Horace Newton Allen and more.

To date, Mr Sunshine is the sixth highest ratings for cable television series and was the Drama of the Year at the 6th Apan Star Awards in 2018.

Watch the trailer here.

5.The Hymn of Death (2018)

Hymn of Death

Another Korean period drama based on true events, this one circles around a group of Korean students who furthered their studies in Japan.

Yun Sim-deok was the first Korean to study at the Tokyo Music School who later known as Korean first professional soprano singer.

While in Japan, she fell in love a fellow Korean student Kim U-jin who was studying English literature.

They both started a love affair as U-jin had a wife back in Korea.

The series follows the tragic romance between Sim-deok and U-jin.

It stars Lee Jong-suk and Shin Hye-sun who previously worked together in School 2013 (2013).

Watch the trailer here.

You might be interested in

5 Korean dramas that were criticised for their product placements (PPL)

Published on

When it is done right, product placements or PPL in South Korean dramas don’t hurt the storyline.

However when it is not, PPLs can annoy and make viewers lose interest in the drama.

This type of marketing move is like salt in a dish for any Korean drama. If you put too much salt in your cooking, you will find it salty. At the same time, you shouldn’t completely get rid of the salt because you need that flavour and sodium for your health.

The same thing goes for Korean dramas; a production company cannot produce a television series without the money coming in from product placements.

All the same, they cannot feature too many products in a drama that it feels like a 16-episode long advertisement.

With the rise in global popularity of Korean dramas, many companies are riding on the wave to promote their brands.

We are seeing more and more product placements from Subway sandwiches to Dyson vacuum in K-dramas nowadays compared to days of Winter Sonata.

And not all Korean drama fans are happy with this change.

So here are at least 5 Korean dramas that were criticised for its product placements (PPL):

1.Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016)

Widely known as Goblin among K-drama fans, this series follows Kim Shin (Gong Yoo) who is cursed to stay immortal forever.

Some of the products placed in the drama include Toreta Hydration Drink, Samsung Galaxy S7s, Baskin-Robbins, Kanu Coffee, Subway, Pure Love White Musk Perfume, Dal.Komm Coffee and Haru Yache Organic Daily Vegetables Yogurt.

The main reason the drama was slammed for its PPL is because it is just excessive.

The characters mainly drink only one beverage throughout the drama namely Toreta Hydration Drink.

When they go out to eat, they only go to Dal.Komm Coffee, Subway, Baskin-Robbins and BBQ Olive Chicken.

While the PPL scene in Goblin is deemed awkward and excessive, one cannot deny the power of advertising of the romantic fantasy drama.

It is that the estimated revenue for this drama is about 2 to 4 billion won (USD1.8 mil to USD3.6mil).

With increase in visitors at the various filming sites especially at Jumunjin Beach Breakwater, Gangneung city, Goblin is credited for boosting the local economy.

It also helped promote Korean author Kim In-yook whose poetry book The Physics of Love gained renewed attention after one of its verses was featured in the drama.

2.The King: Eternal Monarch (2020)

Korean romance fantasy drama

Written by the same scriptwriter as Goblin, Kim Eun-sook seemed to not know how to smoothly place PPL in her dramas especially The King: Eternal Monarch (2020).

It is understandable since it is a sci-fi drama which requires a lot of CGI, the series is backed up with estimated budget of 30 billion won (USD25.4 million).

To compensate that along with star-studded cast including Lee Min-ho and Kim Go-eun, The King: Eternal Monarch was heavily filled with advertisements.

Some of the products include food delivery app Yogiyo, bakery chain Paris Baguette, Georgia Coffee, BBQ Olive Chicken, Aston Martin, The Alley, jewellery line J.estina, Cheong Kwan Jang Red Ginseng Extract, Jongga Stir-fry Kimchi, Kahi Skincare, Cellreturn LED Mask, DParks Handphone Case and other sponsored items such as sunglasses and furniture.

It is not just the excessive product placements which stirred up the audience but also the cringey, unnecessary comments to promote these products in the middle on the storyline.

While the fans were unhappy, the companies behind these product placements were laughing their way to the bank.

BBQ Chicken for instance, reported the sale of 550,000 sets of its fried chicken in a month after its appearance on the series.

3.Memories of the Alhambra (2018)

A typical advertisement for beauty products is a scene of a woman getting ready for her work or a date.

Imagine this familiar scene but place it in a Korean drama then you have the reason why Memories of the Alhambra being critised.

After the main characters Yoo Jin-woo (Hyun Bin) and Jung Hee-joo (Park Shin-hye) confirmed their feelings for each other, they both go out for a date.

Then, a series of product placements take place in the drama.

When getting ready for a date, Hee-joo start to use various items such as shampoo, hair essence, lipstick and earrings, which are all paid advertising items.

The scene in which Hee-joo putting on the hair essence is practically a hair tutorial of how to use RYO Hair Loss Care Essence.

Nonetheless, other product placements in the drama can be considered smoothly incorporated into the plot.

Since the series is about augmented reality game, some of the advertised products appeared as game items in the story.

For instance, players need to purchase a Subway sandwich to boost their characters’ ‘health’ in the game.

4.True Beauty (2020)

“Is this a Chinese drama?” This was some of the criticism over the product placement in the drama True Beauty (2020) after its seventh episode was aired.

In that particular episode, the main character Lim Joo-kyung (Moon Ga-young) enjoys an instant hot pot from Zihaiguo, a Chinese brand.

The scene was heavily criticised because it was a blatant product placement without making any sense to the plot.

A high school student buys a Chinese product from a convenience store but the brand is not even available in any convenience stores in South Korea.

With other Chinese brands popping up on billboards every now and then throughout the drama, many Korean viewers were not happy with the heavy promotions on foreign companies.

5.Vincenzo (2021)

Korean product placements

Here is another Korean drama that came under fire for its product placements of Chinese products.

Just like the drama True Beauty, Vincenzo (2021) was under heat for featuring the brand Zhihaoguo but instead of instant hotpot, this time it was instant bibimbap.

Moreover, bibimbap is a Korean dish not a Chinese food.

The controversy even drew out Vincenzo’s lead actor Song Joong-ki to apologise for the scene.

On the other hand, Indonesian viewers were happy to see their home brand Kopiko seen in the drama.

It is estimated that it cost around 200 million won (RM740,000) to have your product being placed in A-list drama like Vincenzo.

You might be interested in

KajoPicks: 15 South Korean romance-fantasy dramas you must watch

Published on

One of the many reasons why South Korean drama series do well not just domestically but internationally is because they know what they are good at and they stick to it.

You don’t see Korean dramas doing a superhero storyline or comedy drama in front of a live audience.

The first Korean drama genre that broke through to international audiences was romance which is why we have plenty of romantic Korean series going around.

Today, we have so many types of Korean romance dramas out there. From romance between an older woman with a younger man to love stories set in an office or campus, Korean series have them all.

On top of that, Korean dramas take romance to another level of unreal-ism by giving viewers love stories between mortal and supernatural beings.

These Korean romance-fantasy dramas show how true love prevails even when you are not of the same entity or universe.

So here are KajoMag’s pick for 15 Korean romance-fantasy dramas you need to watch:

1.Secret Garden (2010)

Kicking off the list is Secret Garden (2010), a classic Cinderella story. A poor stunt woman with no family falls in love with a good-looking but arrogant CEO.

The fantasy part of the story is the two swap bodies after drinking a mysterious drink in a secret garden.

Gil Ra-im (Ha Ji-won) works as a stunt woman who lost her father when she was in high school.

Meanwhile, Kim Joo-won (Hyun Bin) is a strict and rational CEO of a high-end departmental story who is secretly suffering from claustrophobia.

After a series of misunderstandings, Ra-im constantly bumps into Joo-won.

Despite their differences, Joo-won finds himself constantly thinking about Ra-im.

He then decides to pursue Ra-im, all of this happening while they are swapping bodies, literally walking in each other shoes.

Even to this day, the drama remains one of the highest rated Korean series.

2.Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2017)

At first glance, the love story in this popular drama by Kim Eun-sook is bottom line disturbing.

The age difference between a thousand year-old deity and high school kid is huge.

But then again, even if the deity fell for a 100 year-old grandma, the age difference would still be huge.

Anyway, the story follows Kim Shin (Gong Yoo), a military general who is cursed to be an immortal goblin.

The only way to put an end to his immortality is the Goblin’s bride as she is the only who can see and pull out the sword and kill him.

His destined wife is Ji Eun-tak (Kim Go-eun), a plucky orphan and struggling high school student.

One day, Kim Shin’s nephew Yoo Deok-hwa (Yook Sung-jae) rents out his house without his knowledge to Grim Reaper (Lee Dong-wook).

Due to this, the Goblin and the Grim Reaper reluctantly become housemates.

Later, Eun-tak becomes homeless and join in the Goblin’s household.

At the same time, Eun-tak starts to work part time job at a chicken story run by Sunny (Yoo In-na).

As they spend more time together, Kim Shin, Grim Reaper, Eun-tak and Sunny never knew how deep the connection between them and how fate brought them together in the first place.

This Korean romance-fantasy series is currently the fifth highest rated drama in Korean cable television history.

Watch the trailer here.

3.Black Knight: The Man Who Guards Me (2017)

This drama follows the story of Moon Soo-ho (Kim Rae-won), a successful CEO who is still holding on to his first love.

His first love is Jung Hae-ra (Shin Se-kyung), a hardworking employee who works for a travel agency.

Both of them share two past stories together; one takes place in a current time and another happens two hundred years ago.

In the present time, Soo-ho is brought into Hae-ra’s home after the death of his parents.

They grow up like siblings but Soo-ho begins to have feelings for Hae-ra. They separate when Soo-ho goes oversea to study but he returns to Hae-ra as a successful CEO.

What both of them do not know is that they are the reincarnations of Lee Myung-so and his lover Boon-yi who died in the hands of Myung-so’s wife Choi Seo-rin (Seo Ji-hye).

Apart from that, the couple do not know that Seo-rin is cursed with immortality and still obsessed over her husband or now, the reincarnation of him.

Watch the trailer here.

4.My Girlfriend is Gumiho (2010)

This Korean romance-fantasy drama is old but gold. It follows the story of Cha Dae-woong (Lee Seung-gi), a college student who wants to be an action star.

He accidentally releases a gumiho (Shin Min-ah), a Korean mythological fox who was sealed in a painting.

Legend has it that gumiho takes men’s livers for food, causing Dae-woong to be afraid of the creature.

What he does not know is that the gumiho that he released has been wanting to turn into human for along time.

Gumiho takes advantage of Dae-woong’s fear to stay by his side.

As they spend more time with each other, love blossoms between the mortal man and gumiho.

5.The Bride of the Habaek (2017)

Based on the Korean manhwa Bride of the Water God by Yoon Mi-kyung, the series stars Shin Se-kyung, Nam Joo-hyuk, Lim Ju-hwan, Krystal Jung and Gong Myung.

The God of Water, Ha-baek (Nam Joo-hyuk) needs to come down to earth to retrieve the sacred stones in order for him to claim the throne of the Divine Realm.

To do so, he needs the help of So-ah (Shin Se-kyung), the descendant from a family fated to serve the gods for generations.

However, when Ha-baek arrives on earth, he loses his power and unable to convince So-ah that he is in fact a god.

So-ah, on her part treats him like a patient who is suffering from a mental illness.

While the storyline can be messy and confusing, the acting and performances by the cast is what makes this Korean romance-fantasy drama worth watching.

Bride of the Water God 22

Watch the trailer for this Korean romance-fantasy drama here.

6.About Time (2018)

What if one day you wake up and can see the life spans of other people ticking? Will you save them from their deaths or walk away ignoring them.

For aspiring musical actress Choi Michaela (Lee Sung-kyung), this gift has been a curse rather than a blessing.

The worst part is the fact she can see her own life span.

Everything changes for Michaela when she comes across Lee Do-ha (Lee Sang-yoon), a chaebol son and CEO.

Michaela realises her life clock whenever she is with Do-ha.

Obsessed with living longer on earth, Michaela does everything in order to stay by Do-ha that she even becomes his personal driver.

Soon enough, Michaela and Do-ha’s relationship turns in to a problem especially to Do-ha with his business and family.

Watch the trailer here.

7.Extraordinary You (2019)

Korean webtoon 6
Watch the trailer here.

Imagine, one day you discover that the world you have been living is not real and actually a fantasy world of a comic.

To make matters worse, you find out that your character will be killed off in the end of the comic.

Eun Dan-oh (Kim Hye-yoon) is a high school girl born into a wealthy family, but with a heart disease.

At first, she believes that everything in her life is perfect despite her illness. Then, her world collapses when she finds out that everyone in her life is just characters in a teen comic book entitled Secret.

Moreover, Dan-oh is just a supporting character in the comic and the author is planning to kill her character off in the end of the story.

Dan-oh is not the only who has such ‘awareness’ as a small group of people around her start to become ‘aware’ of their identities.

One of them is Number 13 (Rowoon), an extra character in the comic who does not even have a name.

After spending time together, Dan-ah names him Ha-ru.

Overall, this Korean romance-fantasy drama is light and entertaining with a good dose of suspense thrown into it.

8.My Love from the Star (2013)

How about a love story between an alien and a human being?

Do Min-joon (Kim Soo-hyun) is an alien who landed on Earth in 1609.

After saving a girl named Seo Yi-hwa from falling off a cliff, he misses his return journey to his home planet.

For the next four centuries, Min-joon roams around the Earth changing his identity every ten years as he never ages.

Meanwhile, Cheon Song-yi (Jun Ji-hyun) is a famous actress who happens to be Min-joon’s neighbour.

Later, Min-joon finds out that Song-yi at her young age resembles Yi-hwa, the girl he rescued 400 years ago.

The duo starts to spend time together after a series of incidents and mishaps. Song-yi eventually finds out Min-joon’s identity and he using his enhanced abilities of his vision, hearing and speed to help Song-yi in her troubles.

The drama marks Jun’s first comeback to the small screen after 14 years. It was definitely a notable comeback for her because she won the Grand Prize in Television at the 50th Baeksang Arts Awards for her role in the drama.

9.Legend of the Blue Sea (2016)

Written by the My Love from the Star’s screenwriter Park Ji-eun, this drama tells the story of a conman and a mermaid.

Perhaps because the drama stars two of the biggest Korean stars Jun Ji-hyun and Lee Min-ho, the series was one of the most popular ones in 2016.

It centers around Shim Cheong (Jun Ji-hyun), a mermaid who falls in love with a con artist named Heo Joon-jae (Lee Min-ho).

Their love story, however, starts from the Josean era but when they died almost Romeo and Juliet style, they are reincarnated in the 21st century.

Many of the key elements such as parallel time between the past and present as well as the romance between a human and a non-human are basically a recycled version of Park Ji-eun’s previous work My Love from the Star.

Even the same female lead actress Jun Ji-hyun switches her role from a human to a mermaid in this drama.

So if you love Jun’s performance and Park’s script writing style, this drama is definitely worth watching.

Watch the trailer here.

10.The King: Eternal Monarch (2020)

As if long distance relationship is not enough, imagine dating someone who is from another universe.

The series follows Emperor Lee Gon of Kingdom of Corea who accidentally comes across to another parallel universe where current South Korea exist.

In South Korea, the emperor who is without any identity comes across detective Jung Tae-eul (Kim Go-eun).

He recognises her from an identity card he obtained during his childhood when his father was assassinated.

The culprit is Lee Gon’s half-uncle, Lee Lim (Lee Jung-jin) who also finds his way to cross between the two universe.

Overall, the drama is an entertaining story of combining myth and science with amazing performance of a stellar cast.

Unfortunately, it was dampened by controversies over excessive use of product placement and historical inaccuracies.

Korean romance fantasy drama

Watch the trailer here.

11.W (2016)

Speaking of alternate universe, W centers on the clash between the real world and another that takes place inside a webtoon.

It follows the story of Kang Chul (Lee Jong-suk), the lead character of the popular webtoon W.

After being stabbed by a mysterious assailant, Kang Chul is rescued by Oh Yeon-joo (Han Hyo-joo).

What he doesn’t know is that Oh Yeon Joo comes from the real world and the daughter of the webtoon artist who created W.

The drama is directed by Jung Dae-yoon, who directed She was Pretty and writer Song Jae-jung who wrote Nine: Nine Time Travels and Queen In-hyun’s Man.

Watch the trailer here.

12.Queen In Hyun’s Man (2012)

Also securing a spot on this list is Queen In-hyun’s Man or Queen and I starring Ji Hyun-woo and Yoo In-na.

It follows the story of actress Choi Hee-jin (Yoo In-na) who falls in love with Kim Bung-do (Ji Hyun-woo).

Bung-do is a noble-born scholar from the year 1684 who finds himself time travels to 2012.

When the still-cut of the drama was released showing the two lead characters in front of Gwanghamun, the main gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace, it popularised the ‘Gwanghwamun Kiss’ trend.

The spot has become a famous backdrop for tourists to take photos.

13.Strong Girl Do Bong Soon (2017)

If you are looking for something cute and funny but creepy and thrilling in the same time, this is the Korean romance-fantasy drama for you.

Do Bong-soon (Park Bo-young) was born with superhuman strength, a trait inherited only by the women in her family.

Thanks to her strength, she gets a job as bodyguard to CEO of a gaming company Ahn Min-hyuk (Park Hyung-sik).

In the same time, a series of kidnapping cases targeting women happen in Bong-soon’s neighbourhood.

Bong-soon is determined to catch the culprit who targeted her best friend but managed to escape.

With help and training from Min-hyuk, Bong-soon slowly knows how to use and embrace her superhuman strength.

After it aired, the series became one of the highest rated Korean drama in cable television history.

Watch the trailer here.

14.Tomorrow, With You (2017)

This Korean romance-fantasy drama circles around Yoo So-joon (Lee Je-hoon), a successful CEO of a real estate company.

He has the ability to time travel whenever he takes the subway.

After going back and forth in time, he sees his future self living a sad and tormented life.

In order to change his future, he decides to marry Song Ma-rin (Shin Min-ah) thinking that it will bring him happiness.

There is one problem though, So-joon is not in love with Ma-rin. So how can a loveless marriage brings him happiness?

Watch the trailer here.

15.Tale of Nine-tailed (2020)

Tale of Nine Tailed

Imagine being so in love with someone that you are willing to live for a thousand years just to wait for your old flame to be reincarnated.

Is it love or obsession? In the K-drama world, it is nothing but true love.

Lee Yeon (Lee Dong-wook) is a gumiho (nine-tailed fox) and former mountain spirit of Baekdudaegan.

After the death of his lover Ah-eum in the hands of Imoogi, a lesser dragon in human form, Lee Yeon works for the Afterlife Immigration Office to eradicate supernatural beings that threaten the mortal world.

He is searching for the reincarnation of Ah-eum.

Finally after almost a thousand years of searching, Ah-eum is reincarnated as Nam Ji-ah, a 30-year-old TV producer.

Many of the characters in the drama are based on Korean mythological figures so those who love legends and myth should watch this Korean romance-fantasy drama.

Watch the trailer here.

You might be interested in

5 South Korean series that are remakes of BBC dramas to watch

Published on

Do you know that the first piece of television drama ever produced in Britain was screened by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in 1930?

The drama was an adaptation of the play The Man with the Flower in His Mouth by Italian playwright Luigi Pirandello.

Due to the primitive camera technology, only one figure could be shown on screen at a time.

In the end, it had only three characters who were filmed in a confined setting.

Since then, BBC dramas have progressed tremendously, producing series from science fiction to costume dramas.

Today, we can even find many remakes of BBC dramas including from South Korea.

Furthermore, the remakes of these series have been received well by the South Korean audience.

Here are five South Korean series that are remakes of BBC dramas to watch:

1.Less than Evil (2018)

If you loved Idris Elba in BBC drama Luther, this is the Korean remake of it.

Less than Evil (2018) is a crime-thriller drama centers around Woo Tae-suk (Shin Ha-kyun), a character based on Elba’s character John Luther.

Woo is a tough, justice-driven detective with the highest arrest rate.

In his pursue for justice, Woo comes across a psychopath named Eun Sun-jae (Lee Seol).

She is the Korean counterpart of Luther’s Alice Morgan played by British actress Ruth Wilson.

Watch the trailer here.

2.Mistress (2018)

Mistresses is a British drama that follows the lives of four friends and their illicit and complex relationships.

The drama has three remakes namely from South Korea, Japan and the United States.

The Korean remake of the series is entitled Mistress (2018).

It stars Han Ga-in, Shin Hyun-bin, Choi Hee-seo and Goo Jae-yee.

Han plays the role of Jang Se-yeon, a cafe shop owner and widow who lives alone with her daughter. Her husband died two years earlier but his body was never found.

Meanwhile, Kim Eun-soo (Shin Hyun-bin) is a psychiatrist who holds a secret. One day, his patient reveals that he wanted to kill his dead father’s mistress. Little that he knows, Eun-soo is the mistress.

The third member of the group of friends is Han Jung-won (Choi Hee-seo). She is a high school teacher who is stressed over her pregnancy issues.

Lastly, Da Hwa-young (Goo Jae-yee) is the carefree one of the group. She determines to live her live without a man while working as a secretary.

In the drama, everyone has a secret to hide or a past that keeps on haunting them.

Watch the trailer here

3.Life on Mars (2018)

When a science fiction story combined with a police procedural plot, here we have Life on Mars.

The original BBC drama features police officer Sam Tyler from the Greater Manchester Police (played by John Simm).

After being hit by a car in 2006, Tyler miraculously wakes up in 1973.

Meanwhile, the Korean remake features Han Tae-joo (Jung Kyung-ho). He is a modern-day forensics scientist who travels to 1988 after running into an accident.

He believes that he must solve a series of murder cases in order to go back to the present day.

Watch the trailer here

4.World of the Married (2020)

This blood-boiling, popular K-drama about adultery was originally based on BBC One’s series Doctor Foster written by Mike Bartlett.

It follows the story of Ji Sun-woo (Kim Hee-ae), a doctor who is married to an aspiring director Lee Tae-oh (Park Hae-joon).

Together with their son, Sun-woo believes that her family is prefect.

Her world collapses when she finds out that Tae-oh is having an affair with a younger woman.

Today, the series is the highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history.

Watch the trailer here

5.One Ordinary Day (2021)

Here is an upcoming Korean drama based on BBC series Criminal Justice that is scheduled to air in November 2021.

It follows the story of Kim Hyun-soo (Kim Soo-hyun) whose life turns upside down when he becomes a murder suspect.

And the only one who reaches out to help him is Shin Joong-had (Cha Seung-won).

He is a lawyer who barely passed the bar exam.

In the original BBC version, the story follows Ben Coulter (Ben Whishaw). He is a young man who is accused of murder after a drunken and drug-filled night out.

You might be interested in

KajoPicks: 10 Korean actresses you should subscribe to on YouTube

Published on

Today, the world of YouTube is no longer just a place for non-celebrities to be in front of the camera.

Even famous celebrities such as popular Korean actresses are opening up their YouTube channels to connect with their fans.

The advantage of having their own video platform is that they can have creative power on what to show.

They can promote their K-dramas or movies that they are starring in, become their own talk show hosts or just turn into vloggers.

If you are looking for more content to watch on YouTube, here are ten famous South Korean actresses you should subscribe to:

1.Park Min-young

Park Min-young is one of those Korean actresses who focuses mainly on drama series.

She has only one film under her belt, The Cat (2011) which is a horror story about claustrophobia and cats.

For Park’s appearances on the small screen, she is best known for City Hunter (2011), Queen for Seven Days (2017), What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim (2018) and When the Weather is Fine (2020).

She started YouTube channel Just Parkminyoung in June 2020.

Park’s video ‘What’s in my bag?’ has gathered at least 4.4 million views. I guess people are curious what is the content of a celebrity’s bag.

Subscribe to her channel here.

Korean actresses

2.Shin Se-kyung

With 1.24 million subscribers on YouTube, Shin Se-kyung uses her YouTube channel sjkuksee to give fans an insight of her personal life.

Her channel features mainly vlogs of her daily life when she is not acting. Moreover, Shin can be considered as one of those silent vloggers because she sometimes just inserts subtitles instead of talking to the camera directly.

She really shows that Korean actresses, although they are famous, are just normal human beings who cook and walk their dogs.

After her breakthrough in 2019, she has starred in dramas such as The Girl Who Sees Smells (2015), Six Flying Dragons (2015), The Bride of Habaek (2017) and The Black Knight: The Man Who Guards Me (2017).

Subscribe to her channel here.

3.Han Ye-seul

She is known for her roles in Couple or Trouble (2006), Birth of a Beauty (2014) and Penny Pinchers (2011).

However, Han Ye-seul last TV role is in controversial drama Big Issue (2019). Two episodes of the drama was broadcast with incomplete editing and visible production notes.

Today, Han seems to focus more on her YouTube channel instead.

She shares to her 818,000 subscribers her diet, recipe, closet and her favourite things.

Watch her channel here.

4.Jung So-min

You might have watched Jung So-min in Playful Kiss (2010), D-Day (2015), My Father is Strange (2017), Because This is My First Life (2017) and The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (2018).

But do you know she has a YouTube channel where she posts vlogs about her personal life?

Her channel ssomday circles around her life activities such as eating out, going to concert, hanging out with her friends and playing with her nephew.

Watch her vlogs here.

5.IU

As a singer and an actress, IU is making full use of her YouTube platform.

On top of releasing her music videos, IU or Lee Ji-eun uploads vlogs and behind the scene videos on to her channel.

Moreover, she recently started a playlist on her channel called IU’s Palette.

It features videos of IU interviewing famous celebrities namely Gong Yoo, Shinee, Loco and ITZY.

As a singer, IU is famous for her song such as Good Day, Palette which featured G-Dragon from Big Bang and Eight which featured and produced by BTS’s Suga.

Her acting skill is widely recognised through dramas like The Producers (2015), Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016) and Hotel Del Luna (2019).

Subscribe to her channel here.

6.Lee Yuri

Among South Korean actresses, Lee Yuri is widely known for her flexibility to carry both leading and villainous roles in dramas.

She received the nickname ‘Nation’s Villain’ after her role in Jang Bo-ri is Here! (2014).

Then her most recent drama Lie After Lie (2020) is one of the most highest rated dramas in Korean cable television.

Yet, her quirky and fun attitude as one of the cast members in Korean variety show Stars’ Top Recipe at Fun-Staurant made her gain a whole new fandom.

If you are not familiar with the show, it is the cooking show responsible for discovering the viral Dalgona coffee.

On the show, Lee is known for ‘Queen of Bulk’ or ‘Bulk Queen’ because she always cooks in huge bulks.

In fact, Lee even shows some of the behind scenes videos of the shows on her YouTube channel Leeyuri TV.

And guess what? Lee also sings cover songs on her YouTube channel.

Here is her channel.

7.Oh Yoon-ah

Speaking of Stars’ Top Recipe at Fun-Staurant, here is another Korean actress who made an impact through the show.
Oh Yoon-ah was featured on the show along with her son Song Min who has autism.

Her life as a single mother raising a child with autism has gained a lot of attention and support from the audience of the show.

The cooking show was also praised because it showcased both the beautiful and ugly sides of raising children with autism.

Oh continues to show glimpses of her life with Song Min through her YouTube channel, Oh YoonaTV.

This is her channel.

8.Yuri

Honestly, there are not many K-pop idols who have successfully made their transition from singers to actors.

But Yuri from Girl’s Generation is definitely one of those exceptional ones. Her roles in Fashion King (2012), Gogh, The Starry Night (2016), Innocent Defendant (2017) and Bossam: Steal the Fate (2021) are surely buzz-worthy.

She even invites her leading co-star in Bossam Jung Il-woo to feature in her YouTube channel.

Since both Yuri and Jung love to cook, the video is a cooking battle between the two actors.

Watch the video here.

9.Sooyoung

Here is another member of Girl’s Generation who is a famous actress and YouTuber.

Sooyoung has starred in Man in the Kitchen (2017), Tell Me What You Saw (2020), Run On (2021) and most recently So I Married the Anti-fan (2021),

She named her YouTube channel ‘the sootory’ and it is basically a vlog of her life and behind the scene footage.

Just like Yuri’s channel, you can find other members of Girls’ Generation in Sooyoung’s vlogs too.

Here is her vlog

10.Hyeri

K-pop singer Hyeri is best known for her leading role in drama Reply 1988 (2015) which was the highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history.

On her YouTube channel, she is just any other women in 20s who goes to work and hangs out with her friends.

However unlike other vloggers who film about their daily lives, Hyeri’s best friend is Rose from the famous girl group Blackpink.

Hence, it is no surprise the vlog of Hyeri having a dinner date with Rose has at least 7.9 million views to date.

Here comes the most interesting part; it is believed due to Blackpink’s company policy, the vlog does not even features Rose’s face and only her voice.

Watch the vlog here.

You might be interested in

KajoPicks: 10 Korean dramas that will remind you of your first love

Published on

There is something about first love that it has always been romanticised about in movies and dramas.

South Korean movie A Millionaire’s First Love (2006) for instance, is a story about how a millionaire gives up his inheritance for his dying first love.

At the same time, these fiction stories show that not everyone ends up with their first love.

Bollywood film Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003) tells the story of Naina Kapur (played by Preity Zinta) who falls in love for the first time with Aman Mathur (Shah Rukh Khan).

Sorry to spoil it to you but Naina ends up marrying her best friend, Rohit (Saif Ali Khan).

In reality, perhaps half of people out there carry a lot of baggage from their previous relationship when it comes to their new romances.

That being said, dramas and movies love to capture the warm, fuzzy feeling of being in relationship for the first time. From the first time holding hands to the first kiss, it is just the perfect plot buildup for any romance story.

If you are looking for Korean dramas about first love, here are 10 of them to watch:

1.My First First Love (2019)

The drama follows the story of Yun Tae-o (Ji Soo) who has been best friends with Han Song-yi (Jung Chae-yeon) since they were in elementary school.

Despite his growing feelings toward her, Tae-o pursues a relationship with another woman.

At the same time, Song-yi has feelings for her childhood best friend.

However, she develops a relationship with another man.

Things get messy and complicated when Song-yi moves into Tae-o’s house together with three other friends.

The five of them now must learn how to live in the same house while relying on each other during difficult time.

Watch the trailer here.

2.I’ll Go to You When the Weather is Nice (2020)

A man’s simple life running a bookstore and blogging in the rural area gets interrupted in a good way when his first love returns from the big city.

Hye-won (Park Min-young) gets tired of her life in Seoul and decides to move back to her hometown Bookhyun village.

There, she reconnects with her old classmates including Eun-seob (Seo Kang-joon).

Hye-won has never known that Eun-seob has been harbouring feelings toward her since high school.

As they spend time with each other, Hye-won slowly opens up with Eun-seob and subsequently falls in love.

Watch the trailer here.

3.Come & Hug Me (2018)

First love drama

Let’s say you meet this girl and fall in love with her. When the girl reciprocates your feelings, you feel that heaven must be on your side.

Suddenly, the same heavenly feeling turns to hell when your psychopathic serial killer father kills the girl’s parents, turning your first love into an orphan.

This dramatic turn of events could only happen in Korean dramas.

Do-jin (Jang Ki-yong) and Jae-yi (Jin Ki-joo) were high school sweethearts. Unfortunately, their romance was cut short when Do-jin’s father killed Jae-yi’s parents.

From there, they both went into their separate ways.

Fast forward to present time, Do-jin is now a police detective as his way to atone for his father’s cruel actions.

In the meantime, Jae-yi becomes an actress. Ever since her parents’ deaths, she suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.

What happen when Do-jin and Jae-yi reunite again? Will the old flame reignite?

Watch the trailer here.

4.She was Pretty (2015)

Growing up, Kim Hye-jin was the pretty girl from a rich family. Meanwhile, Ji Sung-joon was the unattractive, chubby boy with low self-esteem.

Sung-joon then moves to the US but Hye-jin and Sung-joon keep in touch as friends.

Even though they never actually confess their feelings, they both consider each other as their first loves.

After they became adults, Sung-joon moves back to South Korea. The two decide to meet again.

However, Sung-joon does not recognise Hye-jin. She has become ‘ugly’ by Korean standards with her curly hair and dark skin.

Sung-joon on the other hand grows up to be a handsome and successful editor.

After Sung-joon couldn’t recognise her, Hye-jin becomes despondent and ashamed. She instead asks her attractive best friend Ha-ri to be ‘Hye-jin’ in front of Sung-joon.

And you guess it, that is when the drama and conflicts begin.

Watch the trailer here.

5.Love Rain (2012)

The truth is, not everyone marries their first love and this drama shows it.

Set in the seventies and the present day, Love Rain (2012) is a love story which spans over two generations with Jang Keun-suk and Im Yoon-ah playing dual roles.

Seo In-ha and Kim Yoon-hee fall in love with each other during their university days in the seventies.

However, circumstances led the two to go their separate ways.

Fast forward to 2012, In-ha’s son Seo Joon coincidentally bumps into Yoon-hee’s daughter Jung Ha-na.

Despite their differences, the two gradually falls in love with each other.

Meanwhile, In-ha reunites with Yoon-hee and they decide to rekindle their old loves.

They announce that they are getting married, unaware that their children are dating each other.

6.When My Love Blooms (2020)

Speaking of reuniting with your first love, here is another K-drama based on this type of plot.

Han Jae-hyun and Yoon Ji-soo first met when they were still university students and fall in love with each other.

Twenty years later, the two reunite. Jae-hyun is now a successful businessman while Ji-soo is struggling with motherhood and putting food on the table.

Despite how much has changed in their lives, Jae-hyun and Ji-soo both realise that the feelings between them have not changed at all.

Watch the trailer here.

7.More Than Friends (2020)

At 18 years old, Woo-yeon (Shin Ye-eun) and her friend Lee Soo (Ong Seung-wu) are having the time of their lives.

They had dreams and ambitions as well as crushes on each other.

And they continue to fall in and out of love for each other for the next 10 years without having a proper chance to confess their feelings.

If you enjoyed American film When Harry Met Sally… (1989), you might love this drama.

Watch the trailer here.

8.My First Love (2018)

This romance fantasy Korean drama is based on the webtoon by the same title.

It follows the story of a man who cannot forget his first love.

When he is given the chance to return to 10 years in the past, he takes it in order to pursue his unrequited love.

The drama marks rock band CNBLUE bassist Lee Jung-shin’s first lead role in a drama.

If you are in need of a quick fix of K-drama, this one is for you because it has only 10 episodes.

9.Moments of 18 (2019)

A lot of things can happen when you are 18; school life, overbearing parents, great friends as well as first love.

The plot of Moments of 18 (2019) follows Choi Joon-woo who was forced to transfer to a new school as a punishment for something he did not commit.

In the new school, he becomes the subject of prejudice of his new classmates.

Thankfully, his school life improves when he becomes friend with Yoo Soo-bin (Kim Hyang-gi) who is the top student in class.

Soo-bin herself has her own issues with her life being controlled by her helicopter mother.

Besides the fuzzy feeling of first love, the drama is also a coming-of-age story of a group of high school students.

Watch the trailer here.

10.My ID is Gangnam Beauty (2018)

Raise your hand if you met your first love during your college days. Unlike dating as an adult where you have to juggle between working and your love life, dating in campus is more carefree.

During your college days, you have your boyfriend waiting for you after class or even better, taking the same class as you.

Based on the webtoon of the same name, this drama centers on the life of a college student Kang Mi-rae (Im Soo-hyang) who did plastic surgery after being bullied for her appearance.

Her plans did not go as well as she planned because after the surgery, she is ridiculed for her ‘artificial’ look and Mi-rae is still insecure of herself.

The one who helps her to regain her self-esteem is her classmate Do Kyung-seok (Cha Eun-woo) who happens to be her schoolmate in middle school.

Kyung-seok knows how Mi-rae looked before her surgery and it never changed the way he sees her.

This is because, miraculously, the male lead of this drama is unfazed by the superficial world so he never cares about physical appearances.

Watch the trailer here.

You might be interested in

#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

5 Korean libraries and bookstores from K-dramas to visit

Published on

Just because international traveling is impossible right now, doesn’t mean you cannot plan for the Covid-19 free future.

If you have been binging on Korean dramas during this pandemic, you might notice a commonly seen filming location is either the library or the bookstore.

Instead of a place for reading and to buy books, these libraries and bookstores are usually the meeting places for the characters. Sometimes, it is also a place for them to ‘accidentally’ bump into each other.

If South Korea is in your itinerary post Covid-19 pandemic, and you love reading, try to visit these five Korean libraries and bookstores.

Who knows? You can recreate the Korean drama scenes and capture them in photos for memories.

Here are five Korean libraries and bookstores from your favourite K-dramas that you might want to visit:

1.CGV Cine Library

This library is the shooting locations of Chicago Typewriter (2017), Black Knight (2017), You Drive Me Crazy! (2018), Are You Human? (2018), Find Me in Your Memory (2020) and Alice (2020).

In Korean drama-land, it is a place where press conferences take place such as Find Me in Your Memory and Chicago Typewriter.

Besides that, it is also a place to hold a talk such as in Black Knight (2017), this library was where Jang Baek-hee (Jang Mi-hee) gives her talk about her blog and in Are You Human? (2018) where scientist Oh Ro-ra (Kim Sung-ryoung) talks about artificial intelligence.

CGV Cine Library is the first cinema library and art house in South Korea. Located at Jung-gu, Seoul, it is known to have over 10,600 books on various movies.

2.Seoul Book Repository

The hotel in Korean drama Hotel del Luna (2019) is nothing like your normal hotel. It is where all dead people coming to terms with their unfinished business in their former lives.

One of them was a ghost who wanted to read all the books in the world. Surrounded with books, the ghost who seem to enjoy reading.

This particular scene is shot at Seoul Book Repository, the city’s first public secondhand bookstore.

The building is in fact an old warehouse that was used previously for storing Amway’s products.

There are about 120,000 secondhand books in the 1400 square-meter store. All the books are supplied by 25 secondhand bookstores from around Seoul city.

While in the drama the place is a place of refuge for the afterlife, in the real world Seoul Book Repository aims to provide small secondhand bookstores with an effective sales platform.

3.Uijeongbu Art Library

Do you know that there are different kinds of specialised libraries in South Korea? The Soriul Library for example, is specialised in musical instruments. Located in Osan city, the library has 20,000 books and 180 kinds of musical instruments.

Meanwhile, Yeokgok Library which is located in Bucheon, focuses on forest and environment. It offers visitors at least 21,000 books on nature alone.

Uijeongbu Art Library is South Korea’s first library that works as an art gallery as well. It was officially opened to public in December 2019.

In one of the episode of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (2020), the main characters Moon Gang-tae (Kim Soo-hyun), Sang-tae (Oh Jung-se) and Ko Mun-yeong (Seo Ye-jin) go to this library to research on children books.

4.Forest of Wisdom

What makes Forest of Wisdom an interesting place is that it is neither a library or bookshop.

Yes, it is home to over 200,000 books and has space for 100,000 more.

However, the books are not for sale or to be loaned out.

In fact, it is a place for people to read, have a cup of coffee, hold events such as classes and orchestra and film some Korean dramas.

There is a long list of K-dramas that were filmed here. The list include Record of Youth (2020), The World of the Married (2020), The King: Eternal Monarch (2020), She Was Pretty (2015), Search: WWW (2019) and many more.

Forest of Wisdom is located in Paju, a city dedicated especially for books.

5.Arc N Book

This unique cultural space is not just a bookstore but a lifestyle store.

Located in the basement of Buyong Eulji Building, Seoul, Arc N Book is famous for its ‘book tunnel’ display.

Imagine walking through a space with books above your head.

In the drama Start-Up (2020), it is where Seo Dal-mi (Bae Suzy) comes to pick up a book but ends up running into Nam Do-an (Nam Joo-hyuk) and his co-founders.

Other K-dramas that were filmed here were Run On (2020), Mother of Mine (2019) and Romance is a Bonus Book (2019).

Do you have other South Korean libraries to visit on your bucket list? Let us know in the comment box.

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

1 2 3 4 5 6