13 Best Korean Dramas For Indian Viewers

From the time Zee Zindagi telecast Korean drama, Descendants of the Sun, a lot of people gained interest in K-dramas. The popularity of K-dramas has seen a rise in India and nobody could have been happier than me on witnessing this. I have mentioned this before that K-drama is my perfect option for escapism. I am glad that a lot of people are slowly discovering this medium of pure entertainment as I happily welcome Indian chingus (friends) to the K-drama fanatic family.

Since I am active on a lot of Korean drama fan groups, people often ask me for drama recommendations. Before recommending a drama I often ask for the genre the person enjoys the most and only then do I recommend them a drama. I personally enjoy rom-coms the most. The best part about Korean dramas is that no matter what genre it belongs to, it always has a little bit of romance in it which makes me a very happy viewer. I cannot take too much of romance at the same time but I do enjoy occasional romantic scenes. So, here is my list of Korean dramas that you must watch especially if you are a new to Korean dramas. I have divided the dramas according to their respective genres but trust me, pick any of these dramas and I am sure you will like it.

Romantic Comedy

Full House

Ever heard of the concept ‘contract marriage’? In dramaland, contract marriage is an arrangement for two people who hate each other, live under one roof only to fall in love with each other by the end of the contract. Lee Young Jae meets Han Ji Eun on a flight to China and dislikes her from the very first instance she speaks to him. However, due to circumstances they end up getting married to each other and have to fake their love to prove themselves as a real couple. Full House is considered as one of the classic Korean dramas. The drama is hilarious and perfect for someone who is new to Korean dramas.

Read the full drama details and review here.

You’re Beautiful

Go Mi Nyeo is a girl studying in a convent to become a nun. But she has to leave her life behind as she has to replace her twin brother in a boy band to save his career. She impersonates her brother Go Mi Nam and joins the boy band as him. Her journey is not smooth as the boy band leader, Hwang Tae Kyung despises Go Mi Nam and tries his best to get him out of the group.

This drama stars the uber hot Jang Keun Suk at his pouting best and the sweet Park Shin Hye as the cute boy Go Mi Nam. Do not miss this drama as it is funny and innocently romantic.

Read the full drama details and review here.

Coffee Prince

If you want to learn commonly used Korean terms, then watch Coffee Prince. This drama is very helpful in learning a little bit of Korean. Another classic Korean drama, it also deals with cross-dressing where Eun Chan pretends to be a boy to be able to work for Han Kyul’s coffee shop. Unaware of Eun Chan’s true gender, Han Kyul falls hard for him. Han Kyul is a Casanova and feels miserable when he realises that he has feelings for a boy and feels conflicted with his own emotions.

Read the full drama details and review here.

She Was Pretty

Kim Hye Jin was a pretty girl in her childhood. But her family suffers heavy losses and are forced to live a poor life. Harsh circumstances take a toll on Hye Jin’s beauty and she no longer looks like the princess she once did. Her childhood love, Ji Seong Joon returns to South Korea after studying abroad and looks for Hye Jin. Hye Jin too wants to meet him but sends her pretty friend instead, as she does not feel confident of her looks. She wants to avoid Seong Joon but ends up working for the company that is headed by Seong Joon. Seong Joon does not recognize Hye Jin and dislikes her clumsy nature. However, their frequent encounters at work eventually melts Seong Joon’s heart and he ends up falling for his first love all over again.

One of my personal favourites, this drama is highly entertaining and I warn you to start it only when you have enough time to finish it as you will not want to leave it.

Read the full drama details and review here.

Teenage Love

Boys Over Flowers

No ‘best Korean dramas’ list is complete without the most popular drama, Boys Over Flowers. BOF was a smashing hit that catapulted actor, Lee Min Ho’s career. The drama is about four rich boys who together form the group F4 notorious for bullying students in their school. The leader of the group and the richest boy in town, Gu Jun Pyo happens to fall for a feisty poor girl named Geum Jan Di who is in love with his fellow group member Ji Hoo. The drama looks spectacular because of is high production value and good-looking cast. This drama is the best drama to watch and I will keep recommending this drama till you don’t watch it. 😉

Read the full drama details and review here.

Read Boys Over Flowers Season 2 here.

Playful Kiss

Playful Kiss is a drama adaption of a Japanese manga named ‘Itazura Na Kiss’. The manga is so popular that there are several adaptations of it in different countries. I loved this drama so much that I saw not only its Korean version but also its Taiwanese, Japanese and animated version. I could not get enough of it and will still watch it if I can spare some time for it.

The drama is about a girl named Oh Ha Ni who is a slow learner and falls madly in love with school’s most intelligent boy, Baek Seung Jo. Seung Jo is rude and unfriendly and disses Ha Ni even after she starts living in his house with him and his family.  

Read the full drama details and review here.

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo

This drama concluded last year and I still get the feels each time I think of it. This drama is excruciatingly cute and awwdorable. It is about female weightlifter, Kim Bok Joo and her journey towards winning a medal at the Olympics. This teenage drama depicts love and friendship in the cutest way possible. This drama may feel slow initially but please hang on as it gets better with each episode.

Read the full drama details and review here.

 

Action

Healer

Those who know me well will watch the first ten minutes of this drama and know why I like it so much. 😀 😀 Healer is my favourite Korean actor, Ji Chang Wook’s breakthrough drama. I fell in love with Healer after the first episode itself. This drama is about Seo Jung Hoo who works as a ‘night courier’ under the code name ‘Healer’ to deliver stuff (mostly illegal) that normal couriers do not deliver. Healer is an action cum romance drama with some good performances and a painfully sweet love story.

Read the full drama details and review here.

Descendants of the Sun

2016’s biggest blockbuster, Descendants of the Sun is one of the best made Korean dramas. The drama deals with an odd love story between a doctor and an army officer. The drama has action, thrill, suspense, romance, bromance and just about everything that makes it perfect in every sense. One of the highest rated dramas on my site, I will strongly recommend this drama.  

Read the full drama details and review here.

 

Drama

The Lonely Shining Goblin

The epitome of perfection, Goblin will take your breath away with is sheer brilliance in every respect. Kim Shin commits a serious sin and is cursed to live the immortal life of a goblin till he finds a human bride who will help him lift the curse and die. There is nothing I found lacking in this drama as it was perfect for me in every sense. This is a MUST WATCH for every drama lover.

Read the full drama details and review here.

Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo

The only reason I watched this drama and would ask you to watch this drama is actor, Lee Jun Ki. This masked hero steals the show with his flawless performance. The drama is about a royal family where brothers fight each other to get the throne for themselves. Hae Soo, a time-traveller, enters the royal family from the future and tries to change the unfortunate fate that is to befall them. This drama tends to get a little slow in the later episodes but is still worth a watch.

Read the full drama details and review here.

Comedy

Jealousy Incarnate

HILARIOUS. Just one word to describe this amusing drama with some crazy characters. I have never laughed this hard while watching a drama before. Jealous Incarnate will kill you with its humour. After every episode, I used to have tears in my eyes because I would laugh that hard. This drama is about TV presenter Pyo Na Ri’s unrequited love for her senior Lee Hwa Shin who initially ignores her but chases her only after he learns about his friend’s interest in her. If you are looking for a drama to de-stress then watch this as it will help you forget everything that bothers you.

Read the full drama details and review here.

Personal Taste

Jeon Jin Ho is an architect who is looking for a new project to save his company. The only way to save his office is by bagging a big deal for which he has to share a house with Park Kae In, who he does not like. This drama deals with the forced cohabitation trope and the general tiffs that roommates have. The funny part here is that Kae In agrees to rent him a room because she thinks he is gay. His orientation puts her off guard and she treats Jin Ho like any of her female pals. If you liked Lee Min Ho in Boys Over Flowers then you will love him in this. He is good with comedy and so is his co-star Son Ye Jin. They make a perfect couple for this freakishly funny drama.

Read the full drama details and review here.

 

These are some of my favourite Korean dramas that I enjoyed watching the most. Do give these dramas a try and let me know if you liked any of them.

 

Image Courtesy: TvN, SBS, MBC, KBS

 

Also Read: