The New Year has dawned on K-drama land, revealing a sizzling spread of South Korean dramas we can’t wait to devour. From true-story and webtoon adaptations to a lot of new Netflix Originals, here are 10 K-dramas to add to your watch list this 2022.
Ghost Doctor
Premiere: January 4 on tvN, Viu
Cast: Rain, Kim Bum
Rain (Jung Ji-hoon) makes a K-drama comeback, starring alongside Kim Bum in Ghost Doctor. In this fantasy medical drama, Rain plays the titular ghost doctor, genius yet arrogant. He possesses another doctor (Kim Bum) who benefits from his medical prowess.
Tracer
Premiere: January 7 on MBC, Wavve
Cast: Im Si-wan, Son Hyun-joo, Go Ah-sung, Park Yong-woo
Im Si-wan is the “Tracer” who endeavors to uncover tax crimes. As a team leader in the National Tax Service, he boldly goes head to head with large corporations in this exciting financial crime drama.
Through the Darkness
Premiere: January 14 on SBS, Viu
Cast: Kim Nam-gil, Jin Seon-kyu, Kim So-jin
Through the Darkness is a realistic crime K-drama inspired by a book by South Korea’s first criminal profiler Kwon Il-young. Kim Nam-gil plays a profiler who aims to blaze the trail into the minds of serial killers and crack unsolved murders.
Dr. Park’s Clinic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PecNH4LZfU
Premiere: January 14 on TVing
Cast: Lee Seo-jin, Ra Mi-ran
This medical K-drama graces the year with fun and comedy, featuring a bald doctor with a wife who relies more on TV shows for medical advice. Dr. Park’s Clinic revolves around the doctor’s comic undertaking to save his clinic.
All of Us Are Dead
Premiere: January 28 on Netflix
Cast: Park Solomon, Park Ji-hoo, Yoon Chan-young, Jo Ji-hyun
All of Us Are Dead is a much-awaited webtoon adaptation originally slated for 2021. Based on a 2009 thriller webtoon, this K-drama sees a troop of students forced to fight zombies trying to infiltrate their high school.
Monstrous
Premiere: First half (TVing)
Cast: Koo Kyo-hwan, Shin Hyun-bin, Kim Ji-young, Park Ho-san, Kwak Dong-yeon, Nam Da-reum
Monstrous is a rare archaeology K-drama, interwoven with the supernatural. Koo Kyo-hwan plays an archaeologist who finds himself digging for answers to a mysterious curse.
Our Blues
Premiere: Second half (Netflix)
Cast: Lee Byung-hun, Shin Min-a, Cha Seung-won, Han Ji-min, Kim Woo-bin
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha star Shin Min-a and Kim Woo-bin work together in a K-drama (with their own love interests) for the first time since they became a real-life couple! Our Blues is set in Jeju, revolving around people who find refuge and discover love on the island.
House of Paper (Money Heist)
Premiere: Second half (Netflix)
Cast: Yoo Ji-tae, Park Hae-soo, Jeon Jong-seo, Lee Won-jong
To many, Money Heist needs no introduction, and it’s soon crossing over to K-drama land with a Korean adaptation! It features a star-studded cast, headlined by Yoo Ji-tae as The Professor and Squid Game star Park Hae-soo as Berlin, among others.
Suriname
Premiere: 2022 (Netflix)
Cast: Ha Jung-woo, Hwang Jung-min, Park Hae-soo, Jo Woo-jin, Yoo Yeon-seok
Crime junkies will be well-satiated this year with another true-story K-drama, inspired by the real-life pursuit by the National Intelligence Service of a Korean drug lord infamous in Suriname, South America.
The Chaebol’s Youngest Son
Premiere: 2022 (JTBC)
Cast: Song Joong-ki, Shin Hyun-bin, Lee Sung-min, Kim Young-jae
Song Joong-ki makes a quick comeback after Vincenzo with this fantasy drama based on a web novel. He plays a conglomerate’s servant unjustly killed by the family and reawakens in the body of the chaebol’s youngest son.
Find K-drama-related experiences you can add to your bucket list on KKday!
*Featured image via Netflix, SBS, tvN
