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KajoPicks: 10 serial killers from Korean dramas who terrify us

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There is one thing you should know about serial killers in Korean dramas; they do not usually appear in thrillers or crime dramas.

Sometimes, they appear in romance or even comedy dramas.

Regardless of which genre they appear in, some of these serial killers from Korean dramas are terrifying to watch.

Here are 10 serial killers from Korean dramas who terrify us:

1. The Painter Killer in Born Again (2020)

The main theme of this drama is reincarnation; about three people who remain entangled in a love triangle and murder even after being reincarnated.

In the 1980s, Gong Ji-chul (Jang Ki-young) was a lone wolf living under a controlling father.

Meanwhile, Jung Ha-eun (Jin Se-yeon) and Cha Hyung-bin (Lee Soo-hyuk) are a couple very much in love with each other.

Ha-eun is the owner of a secondhand bookstore called ‘Old Future’ and Hyung-bin works as a detective.

While chasing the true perpetrator behind a string of murders, the three of them get caught in between the cases and eventually died.

30 years later, the three of them are reincarnated. Gong Ji-chul becomes Cheon Jong-bum, a medical student. Hae-eun is reborn as an archaeologist named Jung Sa-bin while Hyung-bin is a prosecutor named Kim Soo-hyuk.

What happens when the string of murders that took place in the 80s repeat themselves? Did the original killer die, get reincarnated and start murdering again? Was the real killer never caught in the first place? Or did the murderer find a protege to carry on the murderous torch?

As for the terrifying serial killer in this drama, the culprit kills in the name of ‘art’. He paints his victims after laying them down in their graves the way he wants.

While this serial killer is terrifying, what is more disgusting are his cult followers who love his ‘works’. They even have secret chat group to talk about their ‘fandom’.

This reminds of us serial killers such as Ted Bundy, Jeffery Dahmer and Aileen Wuornos who have secret online groups for fans on social media platforms such as Facebook.

Watch the trailer here.

2. The Genius Killer in Gap-dong (2014)

Speaking of real-life serial killers, here is a drama inspired by one.

Set in 1986 in fictional Iltan city, a young girl is found brutally murdered. Since then, a series of murders has been found committed in the area.

The police nicknamed the suspect “Gap-dong”. The authorities also mistakenly identify the killer, causing the wrong suspect to commit suicide to prove his innocence. His death inspires his son Moo-yeom to become a police officer to clear his father’s name.

Seventeen years later, a new victim shows up sharing a similar pattern with the victims of Gap-dong. Are they the works of Gap-dong or a copycat killer?

These cases were evoked by the Hwaseong serial murders, a series of rapes and murders that occurred in the rural city of Hwaseong in Geonggi Province between Sept 15, 1986 and Apr 3, 1991.

The victims – all women – were found bound, gagged raped, and strangled to death with their own clothes.

The cases remained unsolved for 30 years until Lee Choon-jae was identified as the suspect in 2019.

Watch the trailer here.

KajoPicks: 10 serial killers from Korean dramas who terrify us
Lee Joon in Gap-dong (2014)

3. The Psychopath Killer in Hello Monster (2015)

The drama circles around genius profiler Lee Hyun (Seo In-guk) who returns home to South Korea after receiving an anonymous email.

The email comes from a serial killer who purposely sends him clues about a series of murders targeting women with similar appearances.

Apparently, it is somehow related to Lee Hyun as his father was murdered and his brother disappeared.

The culprit behind the past is a teenage serial killer named Lee Joon-young, perfectly played by Do Kyung-so.

Working with him on these cases is Cha Ji-an (Jang Na-ra), a police officer whose father mysteriously disappeared together with Lee Joon-young.

This drama gained wide praise for its performance particularly Park Bo-gum’s performance.

4. The sexy CEO Killer in Voice Season 1 (2017)

While Kim Jae-wook’s portrayal in this drama is sexy and dangerous, it also took a toll on the actor’s mental and physical health.

He plays the role of Mo Tae-goo, a CEO by day, and a serial killer by night. Tae-goo not only enjoys killing people, but also flaunting the bodies of his victims.

In an interview, Jae-wook revealed “After shooting the gory scenes in which I had to torture and murder a person, I had breathing problems and I couldn’t stop shaking.” He also couldn’t bear to look himself in the mirror after shooting this drama.

This police procedural series centers around Kang Kwon-jo (Lee Ha-na) who works at an emergency 112 call center. Together with police detective Moo Jin-Hyuk (Jang Hyuk), the duo try to catch Tae-goo.

“Merciless” is the perfect word to describe Jae-wook’s portrayals of Tae-goo in the drama. Imagine a killer who treats his victim like a cat playing with a barely alive rat – that is how Tae-goo kills his victims.  

Watch the trailer here.

5. The manipulative killer in Voice Season 2 (2018)

Voice was so good that it was renewed for a second season. In the second season, Kwon Yul appears as Bang Je-soo who is a serial killer that goes around collecting body parts of his dead victims.

Using his intelligence, Je-soo manipulated others to kill too.

Overall, the drama sets record for the highest premiere rating of an OCN drama.

It also surpassed the first season’s ratings.

The drama has Lee Ha-na reprise her role as Kang Kwon-jo while Lee Jin-woo plays the role of a new team leader Do Kang-woo.

Watch the trailer here.

6. The Don’t-Act-Up Killer in When The Camellia Blooms (2019)

The main focus of this drama is Oh Dong-baek (Gong Hyo-jin), a single mother who moves to the fictional town of Ongsan and opens a bar named Camellia.

She captured the heart of a young, playful detective named Hwang Yong-sik (Kang Ha-neul).

In the same time, Kang Jong-ryul (Kim Ji-seok) who is the father of Dong-baek’s son is trying to win her back.

This seems to be a normal love triangle until it is interrupted by a serial killer targeting Dong-baek.

His signature move? Writing the word ‘Don’t Act Up’ on a wall to scare his victim.

Putting aside the dead bodies lying around in the drama, When the Camellia Blooms is one of funniest and highest rated dramas in 2019.

Watch the trailer here.

7. The bar code killer in A Girl Who Can See Smells (2015)

Adapted from the webtoon of the same title, this drama stars Park Yoo-chun, Shin Se-kyung, Min Nam-goong and Yoon Jin-seo.

When Choi Eun-seol (Shin Se-kyung) arrives home, she finds her parents murdered.

They are found with a bar code carved into their skin, all indicative of the work of the ‘bar code’ serial killer.

On the same night, Choi Moo-gak (Park Yoo-chun) is at the hospital visiting his younger sister. To his horror, he finds her dead with her throat slit.

How are these murders connected?

As for the title, it refers to Choi Eun-seol who wake up with the ability to see smells as visible colours and shapes after the deaths of her parents.

Using her unique ability, Eun-seol tries to find the bar code killer.

8. The serial killer who still kills after his death in Possessed (2019)

How committed are you to your job? Would you possess someone just to continue your ‘life’s work’ even after death?

The serial killer in Possessed (2019) is so committed to killing people that he even possessed others to kill after he died.

The story focuses on Kang Pil-sung (Song Sae-byeok), a police officer who was abandoned by his family.

Just like Pil-sung, Hong Seo-jung (Go Joon-hee) was also abandoned by her mother at a young age.

Besides their sad past, the duo also shares a supernatural ability. Seo-jung is able to read people’s minds and see ghosts while Pil-sung can see ghosts too.

Using their supernatural traits, they try to catch the serial killer who possessed others to kill.

9. The Evil Twin Killer in Innocent Defendant (2017)

First of all, all applause to Uhm Ki-joon who plays two complete characters in this legal drama. He takes up the role as Cha Sun-ho and Cha Min-ho, identical twins who are heads to a major company.

Min-ho is the evil one who suffered from abuse as a child and constantly being compared to his twin.

The end result is he becomes a psychopathic maniac who kills people without mercy.

Overall, the drama is about a prosecutor who is wrongly convicted for murder and now is on death row.

Despite his knowledge in laws and prosecution, Park Jung-woo (Ji Sung) is having a hard time proving his innocence because he is inconveniently suffering from amnesia.

The story continues as he struggles to clear his name and catch the real killer.

Watch the trailer here.

10. The Masked Kidnapper in Strong Woman Do Bong Soon (2017)

Althoufh this drama is not about a serial killer per se, the villain in this series is just pure creepy.

Strong Woman is inspired by a French folktale about Bluebeard and his seven wives, a wealthy man who has the habit of murdering his wives and the attempts of one wife to avoid the fate of her predecessors.

In this drama, Kim Jang-hyun (Jang Mi-kwan) is the psychotic kidnapper who keeps on targeting young women.

Mi-kwan revealed in an interview that he was inspired by Christian Bale in the movie American Psycho for his role as Jang-hyun.

After capturing a number of helpless women, Jang-hyun finally meets his match in Do Bong-soon (Park Bo-young) who was born with superhuman strength.  

Watch the trailer here.

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What is an Imoogi, the villain in K-drama Tale of Nine Tailed (2020)?

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Are you watching Tale of the Nine Tailed (2020) right now?

What is an Imoogi, the villain in K-drama Tale of Nine Tailed (2020)?
Tale of the Nine Tailed (2020)

The drama focuses on 100-year-old gumiho (nine-tailed fox) named Lee Yeon (Lee Dong-wook) who abdicated his position as the mountain spirit of Baekdudaegan for the reincarnation of his first love Ah-eum (Jo Bo-ah).

She was killed by Imoogi, a serpent beast in human form and Lee Yeon’s arch-nemesis.

This romance fantasy series is interesting to watch, especially if you love folklore and urban legends. It stars Lee Dong-wook, Jo Bo-ah and Kim Bum.

But first, what is an Imoogi? Is it as evil as it is depicted in Tale of Nine Tailed?

Imoogi, a Korean lesser dragon

According to Korean folk mythology, most dragons were originally imoogi or lesser dragons.

While other dragons are related to fire and destruction, the Korean dragon is associated with water and agriculture and can bring on rain and clouds.

It is said that imoogis resemble gigantic serpents. In some depictions, imoogi is depicted carrying a yeouijui in one of its claws.

Remember the Philosopher’s Stone in the Harry Potter series? A yeouiju is sort of like that.

Essentially, Korean mythology describes these imoogis as dragons in training. It will take them over a thousand years to become a true dragon. If (or when) they do catch a yeouijui falling from the sky, then they will become a full-fledged dragon.

Some legends say that the Korean Sun Goddess created imoogi from human girls. When they are born, the girl is marked on her shoulder with a dragon symbol. When the girl turns 17, she turns into an imoogi.

Legend of Kim Si-min and imoogi

While the battle is between a nine-tailed fox and imoogi in the drama, the fight is in fact between a soldier and the creature according to legend.

Kim Si-min was a soldier who fought during Imjin War or the Japanese Invasions of Korea (1592-1598).

When he was nine, his village was terrorised by a large imoogi that lived in a nearby cave. It often came out to frighten people and harm their livestock.

One day, Si-min decided to kill the imoogi. After reading a book about how a snake was caught using a mulberry bow and a sprouting arrow, Si-min had an idea.

At once, he gathered the local children and ran to the stream near the cave where the imoogi hid. They also placed a large stone to cover the entrance to the village.

Then, one of the children climbed a tree right next to the stream and the shadow of the child was reflected in the stream.

When the imoogi saw the reflection of the child in the stream, it came out from the cave. The moment its head popped out, Si-min shot it using the mulberry bow and a sprouting arrow that he brought.

The imoogi was killed and its blood turned the colour of the stream to red for days.

Imoogi’s power

It was believed that if a lake, pond or river had more than 2,500 fish, an imoogi would appear to become the king of all living creatures in that fresh water.

While a dragon was believed to have power to bring rain, typhoon and thunders, an imoogi, being the lesser dragon, could only bring clouds.

The good thing is that the spring water would not dry out if there was an imoogi living nearby.

Additionally, this mythical creature tended to be territorial. There were many cases of imoogis fighting each other over the rights of a lake.

Naturally, the stronger imoogis dominated the larger lakes with more fish while the weaker imoogis had to live in small ponds and rivers.

According to Lisa Graves in her book Mythical Beasts and Beings, there are theories that the imoogi could have actually been a titanoboa, a giant and thankfully, extinct snake that lived 58 million years ago.

Titanoboa was the longest and heaviest snake to ever exist.

However, the titanoboa was native to areas around South America and not Korea.

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KajoPicks: 10 classic Korean dramas you should watch

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If you are new to Korean dramas and you have no idea which drama to start with, we highly suggest watching the classics.

The obsession for Korean dramas would not be here today, if it were not for these series which introduce K-dramas to audience outside of South Korea.

You can say, these classic Korean dramas are responsible for the start of Korean wave which is the increase in global popularity of South Korean culture.

Here are 10 classic Korean dramas that somehow never gets old:

1.Full House (2004)

This classic Korean series is considered the romantic comedy genre in Korean drama.

Ji-eun, an aspiring scriptwriter, lives in a house called “Full House” built by her late father.

One day, her two best friends trick her into believing that she has won a free vacation.

While she is away, they sell her house. On the plane, she meets a famous actor named Young-jae.

They get acquainted during her vacation and when she returns, she discovers that her house has been sold to him.

Although they do not get along with each other due to their contrasting habits, they agree to live with each other.

At first, Ji-eun works as his maid in order to buy her house back.

However, they enter into a contract marriage as Young-jae wanted to make his crush, Kang Hye-won, jealous.

Rain, who plays the role of Young-jae, won the Best Actor Award at the KBS Drama Awards for this drama.

The main filming site of this drama, the Full House, was especially built for the series.

It cost approximately USD1 million to build. The house was a tourist attraction until it was torn down in April 2013 due to irreparable damage from a typhoon.

2.Coffee Prince (2007)

Who knew Gong Yoo in his pre-Goblin days? The current generation was introduced to Gong Yoo through Goblin or Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016) or Train to Busan (2016).

The older Korean drama fans still remember him and his 2000s hairstyle from Coffee Prince (2007).

He plays the role of Choi Han-kyul, who is the grandson of chairwoman Bang (Kim Young-ok) of Dong-in Foods. It is a company that has a thriving coffee business.

Acting like a stuck-up chaebol, he has never had a job and does not care for responsibility.

In the meantime, Go Eun-chan (Yoon Eun-hye) is a 24-year-old tomboy who is often mistaken for a guy.

Her father died when she was 16 years old and since then she has taken over as the breadwinner in her family.

When Han-kyul and Eun-chan meet, he, not knowing that she is a girl, decides to hire her to pretend to be his gay lover so that he can escape the blind dates arranged by his grandmother.

Wanting to prove himself, Han-kyul takes over a rundown old coffee shop, later renamed “Coffee Prince”.

To attract more female customers, he only hires good-looking male employees.

Eun-chan, desperate for money, continues to hide her gender to get a job at Coffee Prince.

Soon, Han-kyul starts to develop feelings for Eun-chan. Believing that Eun-chan is a man, Han-kyul starts to question his sexuality.

This series was remade in different countries including Thailand, Philippines and Malaysia.

In 2020, the cast of Coffee Prince returns to the cafe of their drama for a documentary called “My Dear Youth – Coffee Prince”.

3.Secret Garden (2010)

Taking a typical Cinderella story to a different twist, Secret Garden (2010) follows the love story between stuntwoman Gil Ra-im and CEO Kim Joo-won.

The pair are from two different worlds. One is a poor orphan and the other is a rich man with a secret phobia. As their worlds collide, Ra-im and Joo-won begin to understand each other’s lives.

And what better way to do that other than magically swapping with each other’s bodies?

The drama was purchased by numerous countries after its release including Peru and United States, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

4.Autumn in My Heart (2000)

If Full House is the pioneer of romantic comedy in Korean dramas, Autumn in My Heart is the pioneer of Korean melodramatic series.

It follows the story of two girls who share the same birthday, are raised in the same village and going to the same class.

One leads a happy life with loving parents and a brother. Her name is Eun-suh (Song Hye-Kyo).

Meanwhile, the other girl named Shin-ae (Han Chae-young) is raised by a single parent and is living in poverty.

One day, Eun-suh has a car accident and a blood test finds hat Eun-suh and Shin-ae were swapped at birth.

The girls are then returned to their biological families. Eun-suh’s brother Jun-suh (Song Seung-Heon) is especially saddened by this.

The two girls meet years later by twist of fate. What happens when Jun-suh sees his long lost ‘sister’ again?

The series has been broadcast in Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Sri Lanka and many more.

5.Winter Sonata (2002)

We cannot talk about classic Korean drama without mentioning Winter Sonata (2002).

The story begins with Joon-sang (Bae Yong-joon), who moves to a small town. There, he meets Yoo-Jin (Choi Ji-woo) in the local high school.

They fall in love, but Jun-Sang gets killed in a car accident.

Ten years later, Yoo-Jin meets a guy who looks just like her Jun-Sang.

Yoo-Jin has to choose between her current boyfriend and a person who reminds her of her dead sweetheart.

Winter Sonata is credited for improving the image of South Korea among the Japanese. It also sets fashion trends throughout East Asia.

6.Princess Hours (2006)

This classic Korean drama is also known for contributing to the Korean Wave.

In an alternate reality of 21st century South Korea, the country is ruled by a monarchy.

The crown prince, Lee Shin (Ju Ji-hoon) is a smug and insensitive high school kid.

After getting rejected by his girlfriend Min Hyo-rin (Song Ji-hyo), he decides to proceed with his arranged marriage to Shin Chae-kyeong (Yoon Eun-hye).

Though he was initially annoyed by her naivete and enthusiasm, he gradually begins to open his heart to her.

First of all, can you believe how young Running Man’s Song Ji-hyo in this drama? And Ju Ji-hoon’s acting definitely improves since this drama. His later performances in Along With the God series and Kingdom are just amazing.

7.Temptation of Wife (2008)

In this revenge drama, Jang Seo-hee plays Ku Eun-jae, a lady that was nearly killed by her husband Jung Kyo-bin (Byeon Woo-min).

Kyo-bin believes that Goo Eun-Jae did indeed die. However, he is astonished to meet this woman who looks identical to his former wife but with a completely different personality.

Despite the many controversies concerning the questionable plot, the series is one of the most viewed dramas to date.

The series eventually had two remakes by China and Philippines.

8.Stairway to Heaven (2003)

Han Jung-suh (Choi Ji-woo) and Cha Song-joo (Kwon Sang-woo) grew up together. They were always there for each other.

One day, Jung-suh’s father (Ha Jae-young) marries an actress named Tae Mi-ra (Lee Hui-hyang).

Mi-ra takes in her two children from a previous marriage, Tae-hwa (Lee Wan) and Yoo-ri (Kim Tae-hee).

Yoo-ri is envious of the life that Jung-suh leads and is determined to take everything away from her, including Song-joo.

Meanwhile, Tae-hwa (disturbingly) begins to develop feelings for his stepsister.

Five years later, Jung-suh gets into a car accident causing her to lose her memory. Song-joo is led to believe that she is dead.

Stairway to Heaven was so famous that some of its filming sites are now tourist attractions. This include the carousel where Song-joo and Jung-suh rode as children at Lotte World.

Like many of the classic Korean dramas on this list, Stairway to Heaven was remake in Philippine, Indonesia, Cambodia and Russia.

9.Lovers in Paris (2004)

Today, South Korean screenwriter Kim Eun-sook is known to be her works such as Descendants of the Sun (2016), Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2017) and The King: Eternal Monarch (2020).

Her work which catapulted her into a household name is actually Lovers in Paris (2004).

It follows the story of the chairman of GD Motors, Han Gi-ju (Park Shin-yang) who is a divorced man working in Paris.

He has a housekeeper named Kang Tae-young (Kim Jung-eun), who is a poor international student.

In the meantime, Han Gi-ju’s nephew, Yu Soo-hyeok (Lee Dong-geon) meets Tae-young by chance, and falls for her.

Tae-young ends up returning to Seoul, soon after, Gi-ju and Soo-hyeok also return to Seoul separately.

When they return, Tae-young asks Gi-ju for a job and in time, the two fall in love.

As the family secret involving Gi-ju and Soo-hyeok is disclosed, the relationship between Tae-young and Gi-ju is in crisis.

To this day, Lovers in Paris is one of the most highly rated Korean dramas of all time.

10.Dae Jang Geum (2003)

This is the only historical drama on this list and its based on a true story of Jang-geum.

She is the first female royal physician of the Josean Dynasty.

Despite her poor background in the male-dominated society, Jang-geum overcomes social and gender discrimination and becomes a royal cook.
From there, she works her way to become the physician in charge of the king.

Thanks to this drama, the Korean public renewed their interest in traditional Korean culture especially royal court cuisine and traditional medicine.

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How Korean dramas introduced the world to ‘chimaek’

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How Korean dramas introduced the world to ‘chimaek’
Photo by Unsplash.

If you are a K-drama fan, you must know about ‘chimaek’. It is a Korean slang word which mashes up chikin (fried chicken) and maekju (beer).

For Sarawakians, the last thing you would imagine to pair your beer with is fried chicken. However, South Korean have introduced the world that the pairing of Korean fried chicken and draft beer is actually a match made in heaven.

The history of ‘chimaek’

The origin story of ‘chimaek’ can be traced back to the time when South Koreans were introduced to fried chicken.

For that, the Koreans had to thank the Americans. It is believed that US troops during the Korean War stationed in South Korea introduced to the country the concept of frying chicken.

Before that, it was healthy food with the Koreans mainly cooking their chicken in broth and soup.

When cooking oil was introduced in South Korea in 1971, there was a rise of fried chicken consumption.

To chomp down the fried chicken, the Koreans opted for refreshing, cold beer. More stalls and restaurants started to sell beer alongside fried chicken.

While the world saw the rise of disco in the 70s, South Korea saw the birth of ‘chimaek’.

‘Chimaek’ from K-drama and beyond

The craze over ‘chimaek’ among Korean drama fans all started from the romantic comedy My Love from The Star.

Cheon Song-yi (Jun Ji-hyun), the heroine in the drama, casually commented, “A snowy day is just perfect for our chimaek time”.

From there, fans went nuts over the pairing of fried chicken and beer.

Striking while the iron is hot, Korea’s major fried chicken restaurant Pelicana opened its first restaurant in Guangzhou barely months after the airing of My Love from the Star.

Chinese consumers were reportedly waiting an average of three hours in front of a Korean-brand chicken shop just to have their chicken fix.

If you are not a Korean drama fan, you might not understand the fuss. It was a just a scene from a drama of a beautiful actress craving for fried chicken and beer.

These fans nonetheless, contributed to their country’s economy.

For instance, Xinhua reported that China’s poultry industry which was weakened after the H7N9 avian flu pandemic was revived in 2014 following the chimaek trend.

The rave over ‘chimaek’ back then also caught the attention of politicians.

During the annual China-South Korea business forum in 2015, South Korean the president Park Geun-hye noted that the Chinese taste for fried chicken and beer-stemming from the airing of Korean drama, was a sign of cultural and economic integration between the two countries.

Since My Love from the Star, other dramas such as Crash Landing on You and The King: Eternal Monarch also featured salivating chimaek session in their plots.

The obsession over chimaek

Unlike the American fried chicken, Korean fried chicken is fried twice. Hence, they are crispier.

Additionally, there are all kinds of different sauces and toppings of Korean fried chicken. Each Korean fried chicken food chain even has its own signature taste and flavour.

According to CNN Travel, chimaek fanatics call themselves “chideokhu”. It is a combination of the words “chicken” and “deokhu,” which means “maniac.”

Meanwhile, connoisseurs who can differentiate fried chicken between brands without consulting the delivery box are chimmeliers, a mishmash of “chimaek” and “sommelier.”

There is even a chicken-specific hallelujah: chillelujah!

It doesn’t matter if you are a Korean drama fan or not, if you love beer, a ‘chimaek’ session is definitely worth a try.

If you have given it a try, chillelujah!

How Korean dramas introduced the world to ‘chimaek’
Draft beer goes really well with these tender and crispy fried chicken.

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KajoPicks: 8 Korean dramas about second chance romance to watch

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One commonly seen theme in South Korean dramas is second chance romance. It is when a divorced couple gives their relationship a second chance and finding themselves falling in love all over again.

While in reality, most divorced couples do not rekindle their relationship. These South Korean dramas offers hope in second chance romance.

Here are our picks for 8 South Korean dramas about second chance romance you need to watch:

1.Alone in Love (2006)

Kicking off the list is a Korean series that won critically acclaim for its subtle and realistic portrayal of love, marriage and divorce.

Eun-ho (Son Ye-jin) and Dong-jin (Kam Woo-sung) meet one day at the bookstore where Dong-jin works.

Sparks fly between them and they immediately fall in love after a series of dates.

They eventually married but two years later are divorced.

Even so, the divorced couple still meet up for breakfast and have dinner on their wedding anniversary.

This makes them wonder if the fingering feelings they have are love. They both are too afraid to start over and even more afraid to get their hearts broken for the second time.

2.Go Back Couple (2017)

To all married couples out there, if you had the chance to go back in time, would you marry the same person all over again?

Go Back Couple or also known asConfession Couple explores the possibility of this question in which the two main characters have the opportunity to go back in time when they first met after their nasty divorce.

Based on the Naver Webtoon called Do it One More Time, the drama stars Son Ho-jun and Jang Na-ra.

Choi Ban-do (Ho-jun) and Ma Jin-joo (Jang Na-ra) are both 38 years old, married with a young son.

Their daily lives leave them both unhappy and exhausted. After a series of fights and argument, the couple decides to get a divorce.

On the day after their official divorce, they wake up to find themselves as 20 year old university students.

They then decide to make different choices than they did the first time around by firstly trying not to fall in love with each other.

While it has a tiny dose of fantasy in it, the drama successfully portrays the reality of some marriages.

The couple were head over heels with each other in the beginning of their marriage. They began to drift apart as they slowly not communicate with each other and taking each other for granted.

Anyway, how much changes could they make in their pasts that could impact on their futures? Or everything was meant to be in the first place?

Watch the trailer here.

3.Cunning Single Lady (2014)

Na Ae-ra (Lee Min-jung) grew up believing she was born to be only pretty and not smart.

While working at her family’s restaurant, she falls in love with Cha Jung-woo (Joo Sang-wook).
After her marriage to Jung-woo, she thought she finally achieved her dreams of becoming a housewife.

Suddenly Jung-woo announced that he wanted to quit his job and start his own company.

Although she disagrees with her husband’s decision, she still supports him with by taking odd jobs.

After suffering from the stress of being the sole breadwinner, Ae-ra divorces Jung-woo four years into their marriage.

Three years after their divorce, Jung-woo is now a wealthy CEO while Aera is still paying for the debt she took during their marriage.

Ae-ra takes up an intern job at her ex-husband’s company. Jung-woo believes that Ae-ra wants him back for his money but all she wants from his a belated apology.

Beside the classic old flame being fanned all over again, the drama also touches on the stigma a woman has to go through after a divorce. In one scene, Ae-ra is harassed and referred as ‘used good’ just because she is a divorcee.

4.Emergency Couple (2014)

This medical drama circles about divorced couple who rekindled their love when they become reunited years later as interns at the same hospital.

Oh Jin-hee (Song Ji-hyo), a dietitian falls in love and marries Oh Chang-min (Choi Jin-hyuk) despite his family’s opposition.

This results to Chang-min being cut off financially by his family after his marriage.

He also gives up his dream of becoming a doctor and becomes a pharmaceutical salesman instead.

The couple begins to fight constantly and eventually get a divorce.

Six years later, they both find themselves as interns at the same hospital where they will have to work in the emergency room together for three months.

Although it was initially set for 20 episodes, it was extended by one episode due to its popularity.

Watch the trailer here.

5.18 vs 29 (2005)

What happen if you ended up losing 11 years of your memories inconveniently on the day you supposed to file for divorce?

Park Sun-young plays Yoo Hye-chan a 29-year-old housewife who is unhappily married to a famous actor Kang Sang-young (Ryu Soo-young).

While on her way to court to file for divorce, a car accident drastically changes her life. It causes her to mentally revert to her 18-year-old self.

Sang-young wants to reconcile and tries to help her recover her memory. Meanwhile, Hye-chan finds herself falling in love with her husband all over again.

6.Can’t Lose (2011)

This Korean second chance romance drama is a remake of the 2008 Japanese drama The Sasaki Couple’s Merciless Battle.

It is circles around two bickering, married divorce lawyers who lash out on each other in and out of the courtroom.

The drama stars Choi Ji-woo, Yoon Sang-hyun and Kim Jung-tae.

7.Single Wife (2017)

When Ra-hee (Uhm Hyun-kyung) is about to marry Jae-min (Kwak Hee-sung), she finds out that her divorce with her ex-husband Min-hong (Sung Hyuk) has not been finalised by law.

Ra-hee tries to fix the hiccup so that she can marry again.

‘Conveniently’, Min-hong gets into an accident and develops amnesia, forgetting that he and Ra-hee are already divorced.

What would Ra-hee do now?

KajoPicks: 8 Korean dramas about second chance romance to watch

8.My Secret Hotel (2005)

Nam Sang-hyo (Yoo In-na) is the head of the wedding planning division of The Secret Hotel.

Everything seems go smoothly until she finds out her next client is Gu Hae-young (Jin Yi-han), her ex-husband.

Meanwhile, Sang-hyo has caught the eye of her boss Jo Sung-gyeom (Min Nam-koong Min), the hotel managing director who has all the female employees swooning.

To make things interesting between the former couple, a murder takes place in the hotel.

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KajoPicks: 10 juicy Korean dramas about adultery to watch

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Do you know that committing adultery was a crime up until a few years ago in South Korea?

This law was overturned in 2015 by South Korea’s Constitutional Court.

The court ruled that one’s sex life was private and it was the right of an individual ‘to pursue happiness’.

Before that, anyone who cheated on their spouse could be charged and if convicted, could spend up to two years in prison.

In Korean drama-land, having the main characters as cheaters or being cheated on is a juicy, salacious plot idea.

And viewers actually enjoy these blood-boiling dramas circling around adultery.

So here are KajoMag’s favourite Korean dramas about adultery that you should watch:

1.World of the Married (2020)

KajoPicks: 10 juicy Korean dramas about adultery to watch
Would you kill your spouse for committing adultery? Credits: Youtube

This list of dramas about adultery can never be complete without World of the Married (2020).

It created so much hype and invoked so much hatred that the actress who played as the mistress in the drama received hateful comments on her Instagram.

Some viewers could not even differentiate between reality and fantasy in this drama because that is how good the acting was.

Based on BBC One’s drama series Doctor Foster, it tells the story of a married couple whose betrayal leads to a back-and-forth revenge.

To date, it is the highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history.

The story focuses on Ji Sun-woo (Kim Hee-ae), a respected doctor and the associate director of a hospital.

She has been married to Lee Tae-oh (Park Hae-joon) for more than a decade.

Tae-oh works as a struggling film director who is feeling insecure and inferior for having a successful wife.

So what does an insecure man do? They got into affairs with much younger women who think highly of them.

Tae-oh’s mistress Han So-hee (Yeo Da-kyung) is the only child of rich parents and used to getting what she wants.

And of all the things she could have, she wants another woman’s husband.

While most viewers are drawn to the juicy revenge and scandalous plots of this drama, the story’s actual message the impact of divorce on children.

Watch the trailer here.

2.Secret Affair (2014)

Oh yes, you can tell this drama is about adultery and infidelity based on the title itself.

While Kim Hee-ae gets cheated on in World of the Married (2020), here is Secret Affair (2014) where she does all the cheating as Oh Hye-won.

At the age 40, she seems like a woman who is living a fulfilling life. She carries herself elegantly and full of sophistication as the director of planning for the Seohan Arts Foundation.

One day, she comes across Lee Sun-jae (Yoo Ah-in). A genius pianist, Sun-jae is 20 years Hye-won’s junior.

They begin a scandalous, passionate affair together which they have to keep as a secret no matter what.

3.VIP (2019)

Jung-sun (Jang Na-ra) comes from an affluent family and graduated from a prestigious university. She lands a high-level job at Sung Un Department Store without much difficulty.

Her work as the department store’s VIP management team is to serve their top one percent of customers who are special VIPs and VVIPs.

Her husband Park Seong-joon (Lee Sang-yoon) is her team leader at work.

One day, she receives an anonymous text telling her about Seong-joon’s adultery.

Jeong-soon begins to dig up the truth about her husband and ends up finding out more than she can bargain for.

Watch the trailer here.

4.Temptation of Wife (2008)

In this revenge thriller drama, the husband Jung Kyo-bin (Byeon Woo-min) is a world-class jackass.

He cheats on his wife Goo Eun-jae (Jang Seo-hee), divorces her, forces her to abort their baby and leaves her to die.

Eun-jae then suddenly makes a surprise comeback from the dead showing up with a complete different attitude, a mole and brand new identity as So-hee.

Due to this, the drama gained much criticism when nobody seemed to recognise Eun-jae just by virtue of a single mole on her cheek.

Ridiculous? Maybe. The drama, however, remains one of the most viewed dramas of all time. It even had two remakes in China and the Philippines.

5.I Have a Lover (2015)

Speaking of two people who look alike, I Have a Lover (2015) is about a pair of twins Hae-kang and Yong-ki (Kim Hyun-joo) who were separated 30 years ago.

Hae-kang is living her life as an ambitious and successful lawyer with her husband Choi Jin-eon (Ji Jin-hee).

After they lose their daughter, their marriage is pretty much loveless and dysfunctional.

Jin-eon goes on to start an affair with a younger girl Seol-ri (Park Han-byul). Later on, the couple divorces.

Hae-kang gets into a mysterious car accident and loses her memory. Baek-seok (Lee Kyu-han) mistaking Hae-kang as Yong-gi and saves her life.

From there, Hae-kang continues her life believing herself to be Yong-gi and falls in love with Bae-seok.

But what happen when her adulterous former husband shows up? Will she falls for him all over again?

6.My Wife’s Having An Affair This Week (2016)

Also known as Listen to Love, this Korean drama is based on the 2007 Japanese series by the same title.

What if you find you find out your wife is having an affair? Who do you turn to?

Hyun-woo (Lee Sun-kyun) fell in love with Soo-yeon (Song Ji-hyo) when they were in college.

After eight years of marriage, he thought he had the perfect family. His wife is beautiful and devoted to their son.

His world comes crashing down on him when he sees a hotel reservation message sent by a male stranger on Soo-yeon’s phone.

At first, he does not think much about it. However, Hyun-woo slowly start to realise that his wife is having an affair.

He starts to question everything in his life including how he is like as a husband and father. To seek advice, he begins to talk to strangers online to figure out how to save his marriage.

7.My Husband’s Woman (2007)

Before Kim Hee-ae played the dutiful wife in World of the Married (2020), she was the mistress Hwa-young in My Husband’s Woman (2007).

After graduating from college, she meets a Korean-American man whom she later marries. She then moved to the US to live with her husband.

Years of marriage, Hwa-young and her husband are unable to conceive. Later due to a failed business, her husband falls into deep depression and commits suicide.

After the loss of her husband Hwa-young returns to South Korea.

There, her best friend Ji-soo (Bae Chong-ok) helps her build a new life.

She also meets Joon-pyo (Kim Sang-joong), Ji-soo’s husband.

So how does Hwa-young repay her best-friend’s kindness after all she has done? She falls in love with Joon-pyo and starts an affair with him.

In the meantime, Ji-soo eventually finds out and the psychological warfare begins.

8.Misty (2018)

Twisted, intense and a very intriguing whodunnit storyline; Misty (2018) marks Kim Nam-joo’s return to the small screen after six years.

She plays the role of Go Hye-ran, an ambitious anchorwoman for the popular news show News 9.

One day, she needs to interview a famous golfer named Kevin. As it turns out, the man is her former lover.

The sexual tension between them is high and both of them have various rendezvous together. It should not been a problem if they both were not married.

Hye-ran’s husband is Kang Tae-wook (Ji Jin-hee), a public defender whom she married for his powerful family background.

Kevin is married to Hye-ran’s friend from school Eun-joo (Jeon Hye-jin). The affair turns deadly as Kevin is found dead and Hye-ran is the prime suspect.

For some unknown reason, Hye-ran’s estranged husband steps in to be her lawyer. Is it out of love and their marriage or is there something else going on?

The first four episodes are rated 19 by the Korea Communications Commission due to violence and sexual content so you know things are steamy in the beginning.

Watch the trailer here.

9.Woman of Dignity (2017)

What is worse than a woman who is proud of ruining someone else’s marriage? A mother who encourages her daughter to do so.

Woo Ah-jin (Kim Hee-sun) is an elegant and charismatic woman who marries into a rich family.

Thanks to her character and wisdom, she gains the favour of her father-in-law and a president of a multi-millionaire company.

Ah-jin is entrusted to find a caregiver for her father-in-law. She find Bok-ja (Kim Sun-ah) whom she thought was a simple woman from the village.

Things turn upside down in that household when Bok-ja manages to convince the president to transfer his money and company to her.

Making it worse for Ah-jin, she finds out her husband is cheating on her.

The story continues with Ah-jin trying to gain back her father-in-law’s wealth as well as making the unapologetic mistress and husband pay for their betrayals.

10.The Hymn of Death (2018)

Here is a Korean drama based on a real-life adultery.

Yun Sim-deok (1897-1926) is Korea’s first professional soprano. In 1921, she met Kim U-jin, an English literature student.

They both fell in love with each other but there are two problems, U-jin is married and divorce is out of the question.

Starring Lee Jong-suk and Shin Hye-sun, the drama is based on the real-life romance of U-jin and Sim-deok.

Since it is based on true story, viewers who know the story beforehand can already predict the ending.

Watch the trailer here.

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KajoPicks: 10 Korean thriller dramas from OCN you should watch

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Orion Cinema Network (OCN) is a movie channel on basic cable in South Korea. It is one of the cable channels in the country besides Joongang Tongyang Broadcasting Company (jTBC), Channel A and Total Variety Network (TvN).

Among Korean drama fans, OCN channel is known to air the best thriller dramas.

If you are looking for thriller dramas, here are 10 of them you should watch from OCN:

1.Voice (2017)

After his wife is murdered while he is at work, Moo Jin-hyuk (Jang Hyuk) is crippled with guilt. The successful detective’s life spirals out of control after her death.

In the meantime, Kang Kwon-joo (Lee Ha-na) is a driven rookie officer working at the emergency 112 call center.

While working there, a brutal murder takes place and her police father was the first to arrive. Unfortunately, her father is killed by the killer and Kwon-joo hears everything over the phone.

After the incident, she goes to the US to further her studies and returns to Korea as a voice profiler.

Together with Jin-hyuk, the duo go on a hunt for the serial killer who is responsible for the deaths of their loved ones.

All thanks to its popularity, OCN renewed the series for the second season in 2018 and the third season in 2019.

Watch the trailer here.

2.Tunnel (2017)

We listed this drama as one of our favourite Korean time-travel series as well as series inspired by the Hwaseong serial murders.

Starring Choi Jin-hyuk, Yoon Hyun-min and Lee Yoo-young, the drama first sets in 1986.

Park Gwang-ho is a successful detective assigned to a series of killings. One day, something mysterious happens when he passes through a tunnel while pursuing a suspect. He finds himself time-travelling 30 years into the future.

There he meet Kim Seon-jae, an elite but eccentric detective. As it turns out, the serial murders in the 80s continue to happen in the present.

The duo works with psychology professor Shin Jae-yi to solve these unsolved murders.

Watch the trailer here.

3.Missing Noir M (2015)

In this police procedural-thriller drama, Missing Noir M circles around the special missing persons task force.

This task force only takes 1 per cent of the toughest unsolved cases. Its leader Gil Soo-hyun (Kim Kang-woo) is a genius who worked for the FBI.

His partner is Oh Dae-young (Park Hee-soon), a senior detective with a strong sense of justice.

Soo-hyun goes by the book and is very analytical while Dae-young is the I-have-a-hunch kind of detective.

Can they put aside their different working styles and solve cases together?

Watch the trailer here.

4.Save Me (2017)

Based on the webtoon Out of the World by Jo Geum-san, this drama airs on OCN from Aug 5 to Sept 24 in 2017.

After her father’s business fails, Sang-mi and her family move from Seoul to the suburb of Muji County.

On the surface, there is peaceful church in the county. Behind closed doors, the church is the religious cult Goseonwon.

In their new school, Sang-mi’s brother Sang-jin is being bullied. Due to this, he commits suicide, leaving his family falling apart.

The cult leader then takes this chance to lure Sang-mi’s parents into Goseonwon.

Trapped by the cult, Sang-mi has nowhere to go and her parents are completely brainwashed.

Three years later, her classmate Han Sang-hwan, the son of the county chief who is now a law student, and his two friends Jung-hoon and Man-hee have a chance encounter with Sang-mi.

She whispers to them, “Save me.”

Watch the trailer here.

5.Trap (2019)

Kang Woo-hyun (Lee Seo-jin) is a respected anchor at a broadcasting station. He has a lovely family and his life seems perfect.

One day, he goes on a trip with his family and a tragic situation occurs.

Meanwhile, Ko Dong-kook (Sung Dong-il) is a veteran detective with uncanny instinct.

He takes Kang Woo-hyun’s case and starts to investigate about his family.

Watch the trailer here.

6.Hell is Other People (2019)

Yoon Jong-woo is a handsome writer who comes from the countryside. After landing a new job in a new city, he moves in room 303 at Eden Dormitory.

His next door neighbour in room 304 is Seo Moon-jo, a mysterious dentist.

At first, Jong-woo is willing to cope with the almost rundown place until he saves enough money to move out.

Then mysterious things start to happen around the dormitory, making him wanting to stay in order to investigate these occurrences.

Watch the trailer here.

7.Watcher (2019)

Fifteen years ago, a murder took place which turned the lives of three people upside down. Perhaps by fate (or Korean drama logic), these three people were brought together to search for answers.

Do Chi-Gwang (Han Suk-kyu) is an elite detective. But after awhile working in the force, he realises that all the important tasks are handed to the corrupt police. Hence, he decides to join the internal affairs investigation team.

In the meantime, Kim Young-koon (Seo Kang-joon) is another police officer who is affected by the murder case 15 years ago. At first glance, he seems to be uncaring and have a cold personality .

Actually, it is just a facade to hide himself and his struggle with the past. He too, joins Chi-gwang and his internal affairs investigation team.

The final member of the group is Han Tae-joo (Kim Hyun-joo). She used to be a prosecutor before quitting to become a lawyer. Together, they slowly begin to unravel what actually happened 15 years ago.

With 16 episodes, the drama manages to keep the suspense throughout the series. Many viewers praised it for being able to keep them in its grips until the very end.

Watcher (2019) is directed by Ahn Gil-ho who is known for his works Stranger (2017) and Memories of the Alhambra (2018).

Watch the trailer here.

8.The Lies Within (2019)

Dead body? Check. Missing person? Check. A conspiracy theory? Check. The Lies Within (2019) has all the above components which make the basics of a thriller drama.

It circles around Jo Tae-sik (Lee Min-ki), a detective who moved to a police station in a small country village.

Thinking that he could get away from the nasty crimes of big city, a dead body shows up in his area.

It belongs to Lawmaker Kim Seung-cheol. At first, his death looks like a car accident but his hunch tells Tae-sik there is more than meets the eye.

His suspicion grows when he finds out that Seung-cheol’s son in-law goes missing.

In the mean time Kim Seo-hui (Lee Yoo-young) is the youngest daughter of Seung-cheol. Together with Tae-sik, she aims to find out what happen to her father and missing husband.

Developed and produced by Studio Dragon for OCN, this thriller drama is based on a novel by Joo Won-gyu.

Watch the trailer here.

9.Bad Guys (2014)

This answers the question, what if the Suicide Squad was made up of a bunch of South Korean inmates.

Detective Oh Gu-tak (Kim Sang-joong) comes up with a brilliant plan; to use criminals to investigates and hunt down other criminals. Who know the minds of criminals than the criminals themselves right?

So he releases three convicts from jail to form his team.

Lee Jung-moon (Park Hae-jin) is a psychopath serial killer. Putting that aside, he is the youngest member of Mensa with an IQ of 165 and doctorate degrees in Math and Philosophy. (Of course.)

The second convict is a mob boss, Park Un-cheol (Ma Dong-seok).

Lastly, Jung Tae-soo (Jo Dong-hyuk) a professional killer who never been caught but suddenly turned himself in one day.

10.Tell Me What You Saw (2020)

KajoPicks: 10 Korean thriller dramas from OCN you should watch

Oh Hyun-jae (Jang Hyuk) was once a top criminal profiler. Everything crumbles around him when he loses his fiance in an explosion caused by a serial killer. The serial killer is never caught.

Since then, he gave up his career and live in seclusion.

Five years later, a new murder case happens using the same method as that serial killer.

This prompts Hyun-jae to return to his field in order to catch the killer. He is joined by Cha Soo-young (Soo-young), a rookie detective who has a photographic memory.

Produced by Studio Dragon, this drama is one of the high-rated series from OCN in 2020.

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KajoPicks: 10 South Korean dramas about reincarnation to watch

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Korean dramas love playing with the ideas ‘I will love you even in my next life’. With Buddhists accounting for 46 per cent of the South Korean population, the idea of reincarnation is not a foreign concept for the viewers there.

The idea of reincarnation in a Korean drama usually offers one common question, who was the character in their past life?

Here are 10 South Korean dramas about reincarnation you should watch:

1.Goblin (2016)

Kicking off the list is Goblin, a high-rated Korean drama written by Kim Eun-sook.

Kim Shin (Gong Yoo), is a decorated military general from the Goryeo Dynasty.

After all he has done for the country, he is framed as a traitor and killed by the young king.

Years after his death, he is cursed to be the immortal goblin as punishment for the kills he committed in the wars to protect his country.

The only way to put an end to his immortality is the Goblin’s bride. She is the only one who can see the sword in his body and pull it out to end his painful immortality.

In the meantime, Ji Eun-tak (Kim Go-eun) is a bubbly high school student who summons the goblin by chance.

Their story starts to unfold after the Goblin’s nephew Yoo Deok-hwa (Yook Sung-jae) leaves the Goblin’s house to a Grim Reaper (Lee Dong-wook) and the two end up living under the same roof.

Meanwhile, Eun-tak works as a part-timer for Sunny (Yoo In-na) who runs a chicken shop.

What are the connections among the four of them and how do their fates overlap?

The drama is entertaining to watch for those who want to escape from a reality for awhile.

2.Chicago Typewriter (2017)

Han Se-joo (Yoo Ah-in) is a famous writer who is in a slump struggling with writer’s block.

As he continues to struggle, he comes across a fan of his work, Jeon Seol (Im Soo-jung) and Yoo Jin-oh (Go Kyung-pyo), a mysterious ghost writer.

What the trio do not know is that they all have connections which date backs during the 1930s Japanese occupation of Korea.

Are there any reasons why they meet up again in this present life?

Watch the trailer here.

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

If a love story transcends 200 years in a Korean drama, there must be reincarnations in it. How about an obsession that lasts for two centuries? Must it take 200 years to accept the fact that your love is not accepted?

Jung Hae-ra (Shin Se-kyung) works for a travel agency but never travelled abroad herself. Her life was turned upside down, after the death of her parents and her family went bankrupt.

After reaching a breaking point of her life, she tries to kill herself. Then she remembers she ordered a wine-coloured coat she had ordered at Sharon’s Boutique as a child.

Due to her family’s sudden bankrupt, she never had the chance to pick the coat.

After picking up the coat from the mysterious owner, good things start to happen to her. Why?

Besides the love and immortality themes, the story touches on gentrification happening in Seoul.

Like any other big cities in the world, Seoul is struggling on embracing the new development and keeping the old in the same time.

Black Knight manages to highlight some of the problems and ways to work around gentrification.

Watch the trailer here.

4.Legend of the Blue Sea (2016)

This Korean drama about reincarnation is inspired by Korean folklore written by Joseon scholar Yu Mong-in. It tells the story about country magistrate Kim Dam-ryung who released mermaids into the ocean after they were caught by the fishermen.

The drama first sets sometime at 1598. A newly appointed governor Dam-ryung (Lee Min-ho) stays for a night at an inn run by Yang (Sung Dong-il).

That evening, Yang shows Dam-ryung a captured mermaid named Se-hwa (Gianna Jun). The mermaid is actually his childhood friend who saved him from drowning when he was a child.

Later that night, Dam-ryung releases her into the ocean.

In the same time, Dam-ryung has premonition that in the far future dangers will afflict on himself and Se-hwa.

Thus, he commissions a time capsule containing a portrait of himself with a message to his future reincarnation.

Fast forward in the present day, Joon-jae (also played by Lee Min-ho) is a smooth talking conman who swindles money from rich women.

Using the money from his scams, he escapes to Spain for a vacation. There, he meets a mysterious woman.

However, when he returns to Seoul, Joon-jae realises there are gaps in his memories.

What happen to him and who is the mysterious woman? Plus, will Dam-ryung get the message across to his future self?

5.Abyss (2019)

If you are reincarnated into someone else’s body immediately after being murdered, it is natural to find the murderer of your past body.

Go Se-yeon is a beautiful prosecutor and his friend Cha Min is an unattractive but a rich heir.

After their deaths in separate incidents, they are both revived into different bodies by an unknown being using an ‘Abyss’.

While Se-yeon takes on a plainer look than before, Cha Min is reincarnated into a very attractive looking person.

Together, they work to find out why did they reincarnated and the nature of their deaths.

Watch the trailer here.

6.49 Days (2011)

The concept behind this drama is inspired by Korean shamanism ‘bardo’ in which a soul usually wanders the earth for 49 days before moving on to the next life.

The drama focuses on Ji-hyun (Nam Gyu-ri), a pampered yet kind bride-to-be. She seems to have everything in life, parents who adore her, friends who admire her and fiance who loves her.

One day, she is caught in an accident. When she wakes up, she sees her own body being carted into an ambulance and nobody notices her existence except for a man on a bike.

He is the Scheduler (Jung Il-woo), a death reaper of sorts who takes souls to their final destinations.

The Scheduler tells Ji-hyun that if there are three people (besides her own family) who genuinely shed tears over her comatose condition, she can wake up from her coma.

She is so confident, thinking that her two best friends and fiance would definitely cry for her.

Little does she know that not everything seems like she thought it would be.

7.My Love from the Star (2014)

This is a love story between an alien and a celebrity. When an alien arrives in Korea during the Josean period, he falls for a young girl named Yi-hwa.

She dies while saving him, and the alien Do Min-joon (Kim Soo-hyun) waits for his time to return to his home planet.

During his 400 years of a lonely and isolated life, he meets a celebrity named Cheon Song-yi who looks exactly like Yi-hwa when she was younger.

Soon, Do Min-joon’s quiet, private world is shaken by Song-yi’s chaotic celebrity life as they slowly fall for each other.

Overall, the series turned out to be one of the most famous and influential Korean dramas of all time.

All of clothes, accessories and make-up products worn by Jun Ji-hyun were a craze among fashionista.

As Kim So-hyun’s character keeps on quoting from The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo, the book became top of the bestseller lists in Korean bookstores that year.

8.Mystic Pop Up Bar (2020)

Based on popular webtoon Twin Tops Bar by Bae Hye-soo, the drama stars Hwang Jung-eum, Yook Sung-jae and Choi Won-young.

It tells the story of Weol-ju who is the hot-tempered owner of Mystic Pop-up Bar. Her customers do not know that she is in fact of 500 years-old, cursed to settle the grudges of 100,000 souls in atonement for her sins.

One day, she meets Han Kang-bae who has the ability to make people confess the truth by making physical contact with them.

In order to get rid of this unique ability, he is willing to work for Weol-ju.

Who is Kang-bae in his past life and why his fate with Weol-ju is intertwined again in this present day?

Watch the trailer here.

9.Hotel Del Luna (2019)

KajoPicks: 10 South Korean dramas about reincarnation to watch

Speaking of an ill-tempered immortal woman in K-drama-land, one cannot not mention Jang Man-wol in Hotel Del Luna (2019).

Starring Lee Ji-eun and Yeo Jin-goo as the owner and manager of a hotel respectively, the drama is one of the highest rated Korean drama in cable television history.

It follows the story of a supernatural hotel which caters only to ghosts who have unfinished business in their past lives.

Moreover, the hotel serves as a stopover before they move on to the afterlife and get ready for reincarnation.

The owner, Jang Man-wol has been stuck to serve the hotel for the past 1000 years due to her past sins.

Hence, what happen when she comes across with the reincarnations of people she knew centuries ago?

10.Born Again (2020)

By the title of this drama, you already have a clue that it is a drama about reincarnation.

Honestly, the reincarnation method and concept in this drama is ridiculous. There is no head or tail on how it happened and why. Lovers are simply reincarnated and remember their past lives.

Putting these aside, the drama is entertaining to watch as it is full of suspense and thriller.

It is the 1980s and Detective Cha Hyung-bin (Lee Soo-hyuk) is in love with Ha-eun (Jin Se-yun), a bookshop owner suffering from heart disease.

At the same time, serial killer Gong Ji-chul (Jang Ki-yong) has also fallen in love with her.

One thing after another, their paths collide and three of them die. In the present time, the three of them are reincarnated.

And the murders commited in the 80s are happening all over again. Is it because Gong Ji-chul is reincarnated or was he not the real killer in the first place?

Watch the trailer here.

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KajoPicks: 10 South Korean revenge dramas you need to watch

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On KajoMag.com, we have covered Korean revenge movies so here are our favourite Korean revenge dramas you need to watch:

1.Doctor Prisoner (2019)

KajoPicks: 10 South Korean revenge dramas you need to watch

What would you do if you were fired unfairly from your job? Normal people would file a complaint with the labour department, but in this Korean revenge drama, the main character goes as far as applying for a job at the prison.

Doctor Prisoner (2019) centers around an ace doctor named Na Yi-je (Min Nam-gung) who works at a university hospital’s emergency care center.

However, his medical license gets suspended as a result of a medical malpractice incident which he did not cause.

He then gets his certificate as a medical internist and applies to work at a prison.

His plot is to cozy up to all the big-shots in the prison such as business tycoons, celebrities, sports stars to win allies.

Using his connections, he is planning to get revenge against the hospital that ousted him.

2.The Innocent Man (2012)

Song Joong-ki as Kang Ma-ru, is a smart but poor medical student who has to singlehandedly look after his little sister.

He was in love with Jae-hee (Park Si-yeon) who left him for a rich CEO, as she always dreamt of being rich. (Cuz, who doesn’t?)

Six years after Jae-hee leaves, he becomes an arrogant playboy who works as a bartender. Now, he is no longer the ‘innocent man’.

He then meets Seo Eun-gi (Moon Chae-won) as part of his revenge plan against Jae-hee.

Slowly, Ma-ru starts to care for her and eventually falls in love with her. In the end, can he really see through with his revenge onJae-hee?

3.Secret Love (2013)

How much do you love someone? Are you willing to sacrifice your future by going to prison for your boyfriend?

When Do-hoon (Bae Soo-bin) kills a woman in a hit-and-run accident, he asks his girlfriend Kang Yoo-jung (Hwang Jung-eum) to admit she was the one who drove.

Yoo-jung agrees and ends up in prison. Then Do-hoon dumps her when she is in prison.

In the meantime, Jo Min-hyuk (Ji Sung) is burning with revenge after the death of his girlfriend who was killed in the hit-and-run accident.

After realising the truth that Yoo-jung was not the one behind the wheel, Min-hyuk begins to help her making a fresh start in life.

4.Monster (2016)

When you lose all your family wealth, causing you to fall from being a rich, spoilt heir to blind beggar, it is natural for you to seek for revenge.

Born Lee Guk-cheol (Kang Ji-hwan), he was the heir to Sudo Hospital, until the deaths of his parents and aunt.

While he survived several murder attempts against him, he lost everything and became a beggar.

Blinded by the car accident that killed his parents, Guk-cheol’s sense of hearing is heightened to superhuman level, an ability he would continue to possess as an adult.

Years later, he undergoes surgery to cure his blindness and change his appearance.

He obtains a new identity – Kang Ki-tan, using it to take revenge on those responsible for his misfortune.

5.I Hear You Voice (2013)

KajoMag picked this drama as one of our favourite ‘noona’ drama since the main characters are in love with each other and six years apart.

Revenge-wise, it offers viewers a slice of thriller and suspense with a murderer running around trying to kill the main characters.

Lawyer Jang Hye-sung (Lee Bo-young) is a public defender who doesn’t care about her clients and only does her job for the salary.

When she was a teenager, she testified on the witness stand causing the murderer of Park Soo-ha’s father to be convicted and imprisoned.

Meanwhile, Soo-ha has the supernatural ability to read people’s minds by looking into their eyes. He gains it after witnessing his father killed.

Ten years later, the murderer has been released from prison. Now, he is getting revenge on Hye-sung and Soo-ha as well as their loved ones.

6.City Hunter (2011)

Dive South Korean officials plan a covert operation, codenamed “Operation Cleansweep”, to enter North Korea and kill several top members of the North’s high command.

Lee Jin-pyo (Kim Sang-joong) and Park Moo-yeol (Park Sang-min), two Presidential Security Service bodyguards and best friends organised a 21-man team for the mission.

The operation is successful, but as the troops swim out to return, the Navy submarine assigned for their extraction, snipers aboard the submarine open fire on them.

An already injured Moo-yeol sacrifices his life to save Jin-pyo. Jin-pyo then swims back to shore and returns to South Korea.

There he finds out that the assault team’s service and personal records have been erased.

Promising to avenge his fallen comrades, Jin-pyo kidnaps Mu-yeol’s infant son, and names him Lee Yoon-sung (Lee Min-ho).

He flees to the Golden Triangle to raise the child as his own and trains the boy intensively in combat.

Yoon-sung returns to South Korea to avenge his father’s killers.

7.Iris (2009)

Two elite National Security System (NSS) agents and best friends, Hyeong-jun (Lee Byung-hun) and Sa-woo (Jeong Jun-ho) both are in love with fellow agent Seung-hee (Kim Tae-hee).

However for the sake of his friend, Sa-Woo suppresses his feelings for Seung-Hee.

Hyeon-Jun is then sent off on a solo mission to Hungary.

In Hungary, Hyeon-jun accomplishes his mission but wounded while making his escape.

Shortly after that, he finds out that he was betrayed by his friend Sa-woo.

At that time, Seung-hee steps in to help Hyeon-jun escape, but a car explosion separates the two and both are misled to believe that the other person are dead.

Hyeon-jun is then saved by an unknown organisation and learns of the secret society “IRIS”.

One year later, Hyeon-jun returns to Korea to seek revenge. During this time, the two Koreas are set to reunify, while the group “IRIS” are intent on stopping the reunification.

Full of action and suspense, Iris (2009) is one of the most expensive Korean series ever make.

8.Golden Cross (2014)

Speaking of secret societies here is a drama about a secret society known as ‘Golden Cross’.

It secretly controls the Korean economy and marketplace using its deep connections and financial power.

In the midst of it, prosecutor Kang Do-yoon (Kim Kang-woo) gets entangled in the society when his sister is murdered and his father gets framed for it.

Due to this, Do-yoon is set to get his revenge against the powerful man behind the organisation, Seo Dong-ha (Jeong Bo-seok).

Things gets complicated when Seo happens to be the father of the woman he loves. So do you seek vengeance on your potential father in-law?

Watch the trailer here.

9.Defendant (2017)

How do you prove your innocence when you have amnesia? Park Jung-woo (Ji Sung) is a renowned prosecutor at the Seoul Central Prosecution Office.

One day, he wakes up in a prison cell and is told that he has killed his wife and that his daughter is currently missing.

To make things worse, he suffers from temporary amnesia not remembering what happened.

Can Jung-woo proves his innocence as well as find the real culprit behind it?

The drama also stars Um Ki-joon, Kwon Yu-ri, Oh Chang-seok and Uhm Hyun-kyung.

Watch the trailer here.

10.Pinocchio (2014)

This Korean revenge drama showcases how irresponsible media organisations could ruin families and affect public perception.

It also shows how the rich and powerful could control the media by deverting the public’s attention to juicy, but ultimately unimportant news.

After a misleading news report destroys his family, Ha-myung (Lee Jong-suk) begins to live a new life as Dal-po.

He hides his intelligence and past memories behind a facade.

After years of being a taxi driver, he decides to become a reporter to prove his family’s innocence.

However, not everybody is like him who takes the high ground in taking revenge. Some people who just take the violent and bloody way to seek vengeance.

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KajoPicks: 10 Korean series to watch if you love ‘chaebol’ dramas

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If you are not familiar with the term chaebol, in South Korea, it means a large industrial conglomerate which is run by a family.

In some cases, they have been criticised for itheir monopolistic behaviour such as favour controlling shareholders and government corruption.

Outside their high-rise offices, their antics have often made headlines around the world. The perfect example is the ‘nut rage’ incident.

It took place on Dec 5, 2014 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York city.

The daughter of Cho Yang-ho, the Korean Air chairman, Cho Hyun-ah was so unhappy that the flight attendant served nuts on a plate that she ordered the aircraft to return to the gate before takeoff.

Hyun-ah was also the airline’s vice president. In 2018, Hyun-ah’s younger sister Cho Hyun-min allegedly did a classic K-drama move by hurling a cup of water at the face of a manager of an advertising agency during a business meeting.

Meanwhile their brother, Cho Won-tae made headlines in 2005 for assaulting a 77-year-old woman in the street. She was reportedly scolding him over his reckless driving.

In another case of chaebol tantrum, there was a case of then 10-year-old daughter of Bang Jung-oh who is the president of the cable channel TV Chosun in 2018.

She was caught on camera verbally abusing her driver. Some of the things she said included, “You are crippled. You are crippled without arms, face, legs, ears and mouth”.

Another time, the daughter said, “Your parents raised you wrong. Your parents taught all of your family members wrong. Because they were too poor, they didn’t even take you to hospital or dental clinic.”

No wonder the Korean entertainment scene loves to depict lives of chaebol families in their dramas.

If you are into Korean series depiction of chaebol dramas; from sibling rivalry, inheritance dispute to good-old water-splashing scenes, here are ten series you should watch:

1.Elegant/Graceful Family (2019)

How rich is the chaebol family in this drama? They are so rich that they even have a funeral for their pet fish. If you don’t think that is not wild and juicy enough for you? There is a scene where a violinist is hired to play while standing barefoot in the ice so that she could “express her music better”.

Overall, this drama has it all when it comes to chaebol dramas. Secret love child? Mysterious murder case? Fighting over company shares? Check, check and check. Manipulation over the media, loveless marriage and embezzlement? It has them all.

The storyline circles around Mo Seok-hee (Im Soo-hyang), the only daughter of the MC Group.

After her mother was mysteriously murdered, she was forced to go to the US.

15 years later, she returns to South Korea vowing to find her mother’s killer.

Besides her own family, another thing that stands in her way is the TOP Team of MC Group. It is a team which manages the Mo family affair. Their job includes covering up illegal activities committed by the family.

It is fun to watch especially because the protagonist, Seok-hee is feisty and definitely not a damsel in distress.

2.Secret Garden (2010)

What happens when Cinderella and Prince Charming switch bodies? Written by Kim Eun-sook, in this modern-day Cinderella story, Gil Ra-im (Ha Ji-won) is a poor stuntwoman. Through a misunderstanding, she comes across Kim Joo-won (Hyun Bin), a high-end department store CEO.

As their fates continuously collide, they find themselves in a mysterious secret garden where they are offered mysterious drinks. (I guess they never heard about Snow White and what happens to her after accepting an apple from a stranger in the woods.)

Anyhoo, they take the drinks and wake up in each other’s bodies the next morning.

It is amusing and interesting to watch as they navigate their lives after the body swaps.

As expected when a rich boy falls in love with a poor girl, the boy’s family is not entirely happy with it. So expect scenes like “I’ll pay you to leave my son alone!” kind of thing.

This drama was so famous when it first came out it created ‘Hyun Bin Syndrome’. After recorded its highest viewership ratings of 35 per cent, Hyun Bin was seen everywhere through advertisement, from newspaper to television.

3.Boys over Flowers (2009)

This drama is based on manga series “Hana Yori Dango” by Yoko Kamio. Most people do not know that the original Japanese title “Hana Yori Dango” (Boys over flowers) is actually a pun on the Japanese old saying ‘Dumplings over flowers’.

It refers to people who attend Hanami (flower festival) who focus on the materialistic side of the event such as buying food instead of enjoying the flowers.

As for the drama, it is set at a school for the super famous, centering on a poor girl and the richest boy in campus.

Gu Jun-pyo (Lee Min-ho) is the leader of a group called F4, the most popular gang in school of four good looking, who also happen to be the richest, boys in school.

He is also the spoilt heir to a wealthy conglomerate Shinhwa who owns the school.

Meanwhile, Gu Hye-seon (Guem Jan-di) is the daughter of a dry cleaner who attend the Shinhwa High School on a scholarship.

Is it fun to watch? Yes. Is it realistic? Of course not! There is no way that your rich teenage boyfriend will whisk you away to a tropical island on a private jet along with your best friend and brand new wardrobe of outfits right? Commoners like us will never know.

4.Cheongdam-dong Alice (2012)

Don’t you hate it when you work hard so in life but in the end the day you get surpassed by someone who has less talent and does nothing but using their money and connections?

This drama follows Han Se-kyung (Moon Geun-young) who at first believes she can achieve anything in life with the belief that ‘hard work is my strength’.

After numerous job interviews, she finally gets hired by an apparel company. Although she is a talented designer, she is hired as an errand girl for the president’s wife. The wife turns out to be Se-kyung’s her high school classmate and rival Seo Yoon-joo (So Yi-hyun).

Believing that the only way for her to succeed is to marry rich, she embarks on a quest to become a “Cheongdam-dong daughter in-law”.

It is a term referring to young married women who live in that wealthy neighbourhood. Cheongdam-dong refers to Cheongdam neighbourhood in Gangnam, Seoul which is famous for its high-end fashion shops.

5.The Heirs (2013)

After starring as the heir of Korean conglomerate Shinhwa in Boys Over Flowers, Lee Min-ho becomes the wealthy heir of another chaebol called Jeguk Group in The Heirs.

Similarly, The Heirs is set in a high school populated by the privileged and rich. Then comes another poor girl Cha Eun-sang (Park Shin-hye) who is on scholarship to the school.

Choi Young-do (Kim Woo-bin), Kim Tan’s former best friend turned enemy begins bullying Eun-Sang just to irritate Tan. Thing gets hotter when Young-do also falls in love with Eun-sang.

Underneath the rich boy-poor girl romance storyline, the drama also addresses important issues such mental health among high school students, the impact of parents’ divorce on children and pressure from parents to achieve excellency in school.

6.Monster (2016)

What would a greedy person do to the only heir to a chaebol cooperation who happens to be blind? In a classic story of a Korean drama-land, you would try to kill him and take away his inheritance.

In Monster (2016) Lee Guk-cheol (Kang Ji-hwan) lost his wealth and inheritance to his greedy uncle.

From being a spoilt rich heir with an army of maids serving him, he become a poor, blind beggar overnight.

One day, he is given an opportunity to use a new identity, Kang Ki-tan. Using his new connection and identity, Guk-cheol slowly plans for his revenge and trying to earn back what is truly his in the first place.

With 50 episodes, brace yourself for a lot of corporate drama with buying and selling stock company just to gain control.

7.Crash Landing on You (2019)

KajoPicks: 10 Korean series to watch if you love 'chaebol' dramas

Not all chaebol heirs or heiress are incompetent, some (unfairly) beautiful, successful and intelligent like Yoon Se-ri (Son Ye-jin) in Crash Landing On You (2019).

While she is a chaebol heiress, she is also an illegitimate daughter to her wealthy father. Despite being the target of resentment from her stepmother, half-brothers and their wives, Se-ri run her own successful fashion company, Seri’s Choice.

She is also known for her publicity stunts that she pulled just to publicise her brand. During one of her stunt, she accidentally crash-landing in North Korea when paragliding.

With her family and company all assuming her to be dead, the most satisfying part is to watch their reactions when Se-ri returns to South Korea.

To date, it is the highest rate tvN drama and the third highest-rated South Korean TV drama in cable television history.

The drama also features Hyun Bin who charms viewers in his North Korean accent portraying a captain in the Korean People’s Army.

Watch the trailer here.

8.High Society (2015)

Jang Yoon-ha (Uee) is the youngest daughter of a chaebol family. Instead of living the life of a typical upper class, she takes part-time job in a supermarket to run away from her family problem.

It is also a chance for her to live a normal, ordinary life. While hiding her identity, she makes friends with poor girl Lee Ji-yi (Lim Ji-yeon) and dates Choi Joon-ki (Sung Joon).

Things change when her brother dies in a flight crash and friend as well as boyfriend find out her true identity. She finds herself joining the family business handling the cosmetic department. Meanwhile, Yoon-ha’s sister her sister who wanted to kick her out from the company.

When rich siblings fight, they don’t fight over the last piece of pizza or what to watch on TV, they fight over who owns the company.

9.My Fair Lady (2009)

Kang Hye-na (Yoon Eun-hye) is a rich heiress who lost her parents in a plane crash.

Due to her lonely upbringing while living under her strict grandfather, Hye-na becomes a self-centred and indifferent as an adult.

She finally meets her match when she comes across Seo Dang-chan (Yoon Sang-hyun), a former gigolo.

Ultimately, Hye-na’s life turns upside down when Dang-chan shows up at her home as her new household manager.

10.Secret Love (2013)

When a second-generation chaebol heir Jo Min-hyuk (Ji Sung) lost his girlfriend in a hit and run accident, he vows for revenge.

He believed that Kang Yoo-jung (Hwang Jung-eum) who was responsible for her girlfriend’s death.

Little does she know that Yoo-jung sacrifices her future by going to prison in place of her then-boyfriend Ahn Do-hoon (Bae Soo-bin).

Do-hoon is the jerk in the story, a prosecutor who is hungry for power.

The story circles around revenge, family dramas, and toxic relationships.

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