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

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

1.School 2013 (2012)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

2.Who Are You: School 2015 (2015)

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

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

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

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

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

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

You can watch the drama on KBS World Youtube Channel.

Watch the trailer here.

3.Dream High (2011)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the teaser here.

4.Reply 1997 (2012)

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

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

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

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

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

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

5.The Heirs (2013)

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

6.Class of Lies (2019)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

7.Sassy Go Go (2015)

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

8.Moments of 18 (2019)

Do you remember when you were 18 years old?

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

9.Best Mistake (2019)

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

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

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

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

Nonetheless, her posting creates some buzz in the school.

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

Watch the trailer here.

10.Hi! School: Love On (2014)

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

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

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

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

11.Extraordinary You (2019)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

12.Love Alarm (2019)

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

13.A-Teen (2018)

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

14.True Beauty (2020)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

15.A Love So Beautiful (2020)

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

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

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

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

1.She Was Pretty (2015)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

2.Fight My Way (2017)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

3.Doctors (2016)

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

4.Search: WWW (2019)

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

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

5.Be Melodramatic (2019)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

7.Second 20s (2015)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

8.Strongest Deliveryman (2017)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

9.Start-Up (2020)

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

10.Romance is a Bonus Book (2019)

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

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

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

1. Signal (2016)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

2. Tunnel (2017)

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

3. Cheo Yong (2014)

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

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

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

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

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

4. Sketch (2018)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

5. Abyss (2019)

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

6. He is Psychometric (2019)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

7. Train (2020)

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

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

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

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

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

8. Memorist (2020)

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

9. The Game: Towards Zero (2020)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

10. Times (2021)

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

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KajoPicks: 5 South Korean dramas for bookworms to watch

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

1.Romance is a Bonus Book (2019)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

2.Because This is My First Life (2017)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

3.When the Weather is Fine(2020)

KajoPicks: 5 South Korean dramas for bookworms to watch

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

4.Chicago Typewriter (2017)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

5.Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung (2019)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

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BTS and other K-pop artists who have visited Kota Kinabalu

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After the ninth episode of South Korean hit drama ‘Start-up’ aired last November, Kota Kinabalu went trending online.

While bragging about the view of the sunset from his family’s holiday homes, the character Cheol-san mentions the sunsets at Santorini and Kota Kinabalu.

The capital state of Sabah is not that foreign to South Koreans. During the pre-Covid days, Koreans made up the second largest international arrivals in Sabah, second to China, with almost 30,000 South Koreans recorded in 2019 according to Sabah Tourism Board.

However, do you know that K-pop boy band BTS was one of the many South Koreans who had arrived in Sabah?

Apart from Jay Park and Hyuna who had performed here before and IN2IT’s Isaac Voo who is a Sabahan, here are some K-pop artists who have already set foot in Kota Kinabalu:

1.BTS

Today, even non K-pop fans recognise the name ‘BTS’.

When the seven-member K-pop idol visited Kota Kinabalu back some time in May 2015, it was just about two years after they debuted.

If they were to arrive in Kota Kinabalu today, Sabahans (and most likely the rest of Malaysia) would definitely go crazy.

During their visit, the members stayed at Pacific Sutera Hotel and visited Lok Kawi Wildlife Park.

It wasn’t just fun and fames for BTS when they were in Kota Kinabalu as they came to shoot the BTS Summer Package 2015 (a photobook and vlog released in conjunction of their debut anniversary).

2.Hyeri from Girls’ Day

Remember in 2017 when George R.R. Martin tweeted a picture of himself and Quentin Tarantino enjoying a cruise down the Kuching Waterfront? By the time he posted the photo, they both had long left the city.

The same thing goes for Hyeri from K-pop girl group Girl’s Day in 2019. When she posted a photo of herself in a dark dress with palm trees in the background, Malaysian fans quickly recognised that it was taken somewhere near Kota Kinabalu City Mosque.

The mosque is partially surrounded by a human-made lagoon, giving it the nickname “The Floating Mosque”.

While Hyeri never confirmed if she was really in the city, she was most probably back in South Korea when she posted the photo.

BTS and other K-pop artists who have visited Kota Kinabalu
“The Floating Mosque” Credit: Pixabay.

3.Ailee

On Apr 6, 2015, K-pop solo artist Ailee posted a photo of herself with a group of friends having a good time by a poolside on Instagram.

A photo of a celebrity having fun by the pool, no big deal right?

The photo, nonetheless, drew attention from her Malaysian fans thanks to her caption, “#kotakinabalu, #poolside and #welovesun”

In another photo of herself in a black bikini, she used the hashtags #goodbye, #timetowork and #backinseoul.

Obviously, she stayed under the radar as she flew in and out of the city.

Have you ever spotted any K-pop artists in Kota Kinabalu before? Let us know in the comment box.

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

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

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

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

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

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

1.Scholar Who Walks the Night (2015)

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

2.Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

3.The Moon Embracing the Sun (2012)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer of the drama here.

4.Faith (2012)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

5.Mirror of the Witch (2016)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

6.Arang and the Magistrate (2012)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

7.The Night Watchman’s Journal (2014)

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

8.Gu Family Book (2013)

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

9.Kingdom (2019)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

10.Mr Queen (2020)

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

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10 YouTube channels if you love Korean street food

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Along with K-pop and K-dramas, South Korean food has garnered a huge following over the years.

While it has become a matter of course today to find South Korean food outside of South Korea, in its country of origin, you typically find street food at bunsikjap (snack bars), pojangmacha (street stalls) and traditional markets.

10 YouTube channels if you love Korean street food
Photo by Pixabay

If you are looking for gastronomic adventure for your eyes only, here are 10 channels focusing on Korean street food to subscribe to on YouTube:

1.ETTV

Almost all the Korean street food YouTube channels are just videos of food vendors preparing ingredients and cooking.

There are usually no captions or explanations of what is going on or notes on their recipes as they focus more on the ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response – it’s a thing) of the whole process.

In a world of information overload though, ASMR videos of Korean street food being prepared have garnered millions of views.

ETTV for instance, has at least 1.33 million subscribers.

Meanwhile, the channel’s most popular video has 28 million views.

The 4-minute and 33-second long video shows how a street vendor makes cheese egg bread.

It is a popular Korean street food gyeran bbang but with cheese on top.

ETTV also features other street foods such as Indian, Taiwanese and Thailand.

Watch the channel here.

2.MUKKEBI Street Food

It has been awhile since MUKKEBI Street Food last updated its channel but its ‘old’ content is still worth-watching.

With 286,000 subscribers, the channel features Korean street food such as sundae.

Sundae is a popular street food in both North and South Korea. For those who don’t know, sundae is actually blood sausage.

It is generally made of a mixture of meat, dangmyeon (glass noodles) and vegetables stuffed into steamed cow or pig’s intestines.

On top of that, MUKKEBI Street Food has a playlist featuring Malaysian food.

Here you can find Malaysian street food such as roti John, fried oyster omelette and good old Ramly burger.

Watch the channel here.

3.Yummyboy

Yummyboy joined YouTube on Dec 8, 2018 and now has collected 3.21 millions subscribers.

It’s most popular video, however, is a video of a Thai street vendor in Chiang Mai expertly stripping a coconut with a machete and opening it. So far that video has garnered 57 million views.

Meanwhile, the Korean street food videos are divided into different playlist according to their respective locations.

Altogether, there are at least 751 videos focusing on Korean street food alone.

Watch the channel here.

4.Soon Films

Claiming to be a food channel that introduces delicious street food, Soon Films now has 651,000 subscribers.

Apart from South Korea, Soon Films feature street food from Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, Malaysia and Taiwan.

For strawberry lovers, the channel has a whole playlist dedicated to street food made of strawberries.

Its most popular video shows how a chocolatier skillfully makes and packs chocolates in Bucheon, South Korea.

This video alone has 28 million viewers watching it.

Watch the channel here.

5.FoodieLand

This YouTube channel has food making videos from the streets of Jeolla, Busan, Daejoon, Gangwon, Gyeonggi and Incheon.

Besides, FoodieLand has the affinity to feature cheap street food and old lady vendors on its channel.

While the channel has just started making videos in 2020, the content looks promising.

Overall, it already gathered 153 million views.

Watch the channel here.

6.YumYum

Tteokbokki is a popular Korean street food made from rice cakes cooked with fish cakes, scallions and boiled eggs.

The most common seasoning is with spicy gochujang.

On the channel YumYum, there are plenty of videos featuring vendors cooking tteokbokki.

It even shows viewers the best teteokbokki shops in Seoul, Busan and Daegu cities to visit.

Apart from tteokbokki, YumYum’s other playlist of videos making toast, sundae, seafood and dessert.

Watch the channel here.

7.YummyYammy

With 471,000 subscribers, this Korean street food channel has already 141 million views since its inception in November, 2019.

It offers various types of ‘How do they make it’ videos, from trendy food like souffle pancake to the classic kimbap.

Similar to other YouTubers on this list, YummyYammy divides its videos according to location.

Hence, making it easy for viewers who are looking for what to eat in a particular city or province in South Korea.

Watch the channel here.

8.Food Kingdom

Besides showcasing how Korean street food is made, the Food Kingdom channel offers its 1.06 million subscribers what goes on behind the scenes in food factories.

How about a glimpse of the world’s largest handmade candy factory in Jeju island?

Or a Korean confectionery that mass produces desserts such as cream cakes, Swiss rolls and macaroons?

If you are fascinated with how food is made, this is definitely a channel for you.

Watch the channel here.

9.FoodStory

It is all about size and quantity for this Korean street food channel; the more the better.

FoodStory offers video content of people making food in huge quantities or larger than life utensils.

Have you seen a griddle the size of a pool table? Or 1000kg of strawberries made into cakes?

You can watch these videos on FoodStory.

Watch the channel here.

10.Healing Boy

Here is another Korean YouTuber who is rather new but has already gathered 4.2 million views in total.

His most viewed video already hitting 700,000 views and it features another famous Korean street food.

The video shows how pig feet are made and cooked before they reach its customers.

Watch the channel here.

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

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

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

1.The Chaser (2008)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

2.The Yellow Sea (2010)

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

3.The Suspect (2013)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

5.A Hard Day (2014)

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

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

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

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

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

6.Broken (2014)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

7.The Target (2010)

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

8.Midnight FM (2010)

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

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

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

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

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

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

9.Cold Eyes (2013)

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

10.No Mercy (2019)

How about a Korean action-thriller starring a woman?

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the trailer here.

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#KajoPicks: 10 South Korean legal dramas you must watch

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#KajoPicks: 10 South Korean legal dramas you must watch

If you enjoy a few doses of courtroom dramas, here are 10 Korean legal series for you to check out:

1.While You Were Sleeping (2017)

This South Korean legal drama has a dose of fantasy in it.

Hong-joo (Bae Suzy) lives with her single mother and helps her run a pork restaurant.

She looks like any other woman of her age working as a reporter, but Hong-Joo is haunted by seeing the future deaths of others in her dreams.

However, she does not know when the deaths will happen. She tries to stop her dreams from becoming reality.

Things took a different turn when Hong-joo dreams about the death of her own mother. Can she prevent it from happening?

Meanwhile, Jae-chan (Lee Jong-suk) is a rookie prosecutor. Jae-chan and his younger brother move to new house and they become neighbours with Hong-joo.

One thing leads to another, Jae-chan and police officer Han Woo-tak (Jung Hae-in) together with Hong-joo all have the ability to see the future through their dreams.

Putting aside the trio fantasy adventure, the drama also highlights the corruption and office politics which goes behind a prosecution office.

Watch the trailer here.

2.I Can Hear Your Voice (2013)

When Jang Hye-sung (Lee Bo-young) was in high school, she testified as a witness and her statement caused the murderer of Park Soo-ha’s father to be convicted and imprisoned.

Ten years later, she becomes an apathetic public defender who does her job only for the salary.

In the meantime, Soo-ha (Lee Jong-suk) gains the supernatural ability to read people’s minds by looking at their eyes after witnessing the murder of his father.

After meeting Hye-sung during the trial of his father’s murder, he develops a crush on her.

However, when he meets her again after ten years, Soo-ha finds her completely different from what he has expected.

Things turn deadly when the murderer is released from jail and now is holding grudges on both Hye-sung and Soo-ha for getting him convicted of murder.

In a previous article, we picked this drama one of our favourite ‘noona’ romance. The chemistry between Lee Jong-suk and Park Bo-young in this drama is undeniably compatible.

Originally set for 16 episodes, due to its successful ratings, the series was extended by two more episodes.

3.The Good Wife (2016)

By the title, you can tell that this is a Korean legal drama based on the famous American series The Good Wife starring Julianna Margulies.

The Korean remake of the drama has only 16 episodes and stars Jeon Do-yeon. The drama marked Do-yeon’s first comeback to the small screen after 11 years.

Her last role on television was in the famous 2005 Lovers In Prague.

Do-yeon’s return as it turned out worth the buzz as her performance as Kim Hye-kyung was impressive.

She plays the role of a housewife who is forced to return to her job as a lawyer after her husband is put behind bars.

There are differences between The Good Wife and its original plot in the American series. For example, the sex scandal scene has been shortened to accommodate the storyline into 16 episodes.

While the American series, Margulies’s character Alicia Florrick, works with her tech-savvy son to discover the truth together, the Korean version, Hye-kyung does not involve her children in the criminal cases.

If you enjoy the drama and scandal in the American The Good Wife, this Korean legal drama is definitely worth watching.

4.Suits (2018)

Here is another Korean legal drama based on an American television series.

It follows the story of a distinguished lawyer Choi Kang-seok who recruits a young man Go Yeon-woo. Yeon-woo has a retentive memory but not a law degree.

Kang-seok (Jang Dong-gun) is the equivalent of Harvey Spector in the American version while Yeon-woo (Park Hyung-sik) is the equivalent of Michael Ross.

The Korean equivalent of Jessica Pearson is Kang Ha-yeon (Jin Hee-kyung). Before Megan Markle became the Duchess of Sussex, she was known for her character Rachel Zone in Suits.

Her equivalent character is Kim Ji-na (Ko Sung-hee), a paralegal who is perfect in what she does.

Watch the trailer here.

5.Lawless Lawyer (2018)

Who doesn’t love a bad boy lawyer?

Lawless Lawyer (2018) is set in the fictional city of Kisung which is known to be lawless and corrupt.

The plot follows Bong Sang-pil, a former gangster who has a career change to become a lawyer. On top of using his skill and knowledge as a lawyer, he uses his fists and old gang connection to win a case.

Meanwhile, Ha Hae-yi is an idealist lawyer full of integrity but ends up being temporarily disbarred after after attacking a corrupt judge.

The villain of this story is Cha Moon-sook. She appears to be a caring, noble judge but it is all just a facade. Little the public knows, she orders murder to be carried out, conducts rigged trials and run a corrupt charity.

While fighting against Moon-sook, Sang-pil and Hae-yi falls in love with each other.

The drama is a commercial hit and became one of the most highly rated Korean dramas in cable television history.

It stars Lee Joon-gi, Seo Yea-ji, Lee Hye-young and Choi Min-soo.

Watch the trailer here.

6.Innocent Defendant (2017)

You are the top prosecutor at your office, then one day you wake up and find yourself on death row. What would you do?

Park Jung-woo (Ji Sung) is a prosecutor of the violent crimes investigative division who never loses a case. One day, he finds himself in a prison without any memory of what happen.

His hope lies in Seo Eun-hye (Kwon Yu-ri), a public defender who always lose her court case every single time.

Uhm Ki-joon plays the antagonist, a psychotic killer who kills his own twin brother.

The drama was a hit, all thanks to its plot and impressive performance by Ji Sung.

Watch the trailer here.

7.Ms Hammurabi (2018)

How about a Korean legal drama that was written by a real-life judge?

Ms Hammurabi is written by Moon Yoo-seok, the chief judge of Seoul Eastern District Court who also wrote the book version of this story.

It stars Go Ara, Kim Myung- soo and Sung Dong-il.

The drama circles around the life of judges and the various disputes that they have to settle.

While Moon is known for his novels, Ms. Hammurabi is his first script writing work.

Due to its new perspective on the role of a judge and its real-life depiction of people daily struggles, the series was well-received by Korean viewers.

Watch the trailer here.

8.Witch At Court (2017)

Ma Yi-deum (Jung Ryeo-won) is the ace prosecutor who walks a fine line between legal and illegal investigation.

Using personal attacks, evidence fabrication and inciting perjury, she goes all the way to win her case.

In the same time, she is hot-tempered. One day, she is assigned to the special task force for child sex crimes against women and children.

Joining her on the team is Yeo Jin-wook (Yoon Hyun-min), he is a newbie prosecutor who graduated from law school at the top of his class.

He does not like how Yi-deum carries her job. However after he learns about her painful past, Jin-wook comes forward to protect her.

Thanks to the chemistry of the two main leads, Ryeo-won and Hyun-min won the Best Couple Award in the 31st KBS Drama Awards.

Watch the trailer here.

9.Suspicious Partner (2017)

The Korean drama industry has a gift of throwing in an almost random serial killer in the middle of a seemingly normal storyline.

Suspicious Partner (2017) follows the story of prosecutor Noh Ji-wook (Ji Chang-wook) and prosecutor trainee Eun Bong-hee (Nam Ji-hyun).

Like most main characters in a K-drama world, Ji-wook has a tragic past in which his parents died in a fire.

Then the tragic past somehow get entangles with his present when he finds out. After love starts to blossom between Ji-wook and Bong-hee, Ji-wook learns that it was Bong-hee’s father who set the fire causing his parents’ death.

When the drama was aired, it was famous among the 20-49 demographic. So if you fall into this age group, you might enjoy this drama.

10.Diary of a Prosecutor (2019)

While Ms Hammurabi is written by a real judge, Diary of Prosecutor is based on the essay written by a real-life prosecutor Kim Woong.

Set in the fictional city of Jinyoung, it explores the competitiveness and over-working lives of prosecutors.

Lee Sung-jae plays the role of Jo Min-ho, the Chief of Jinyoung District Prosecutor’s Office Criminal Unit 2.

Unhappy that his team always comes in second when comes to work performance, he brings in a prosecutor from the city, Seoul with hope that it will raise his team’s results.

The prosecutor from Seoul is Cha Myung-joo (Jung Ryeo-won). Her working style is straight forward without spending any extra time on cases, hence her colleagues think she is to careless in her work.

However, the person that Myung-joo unhappy the most in the group is Lee Sun-kyun (Lee Sun-woong).

He was Myung-joo’s senior back in university but entered the prosecution one year later than her. The duo often fight in disagreement when comes to work.

The actual filming scene of the drama took place in a small city of Tongyeong with a population of 139, 869.

There, more than 150 members of the cast and crew actually stay during the five months of filming.

Watch the trailer for this Korean legal drama here.

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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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