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Tatler Asia
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Tatler Asia
One and done: 10 intense and sad K-dramas you can only watch once
2. 'The World of the Married' (2020) Dr Ji Sun-woo (Kim Hee-ae) is the picture of satisfaction and composure, until she discovers her husband's (Park Hae-joon) affair and unleashes a tidal wave of ice-cold revenge. What follows is a masterclass in marital warfare, societal hypocrisy and emotional shrapnel. It's Shakespearean betrayal in stylish coats. This K-drama is beautifully made and the script was impeccable but it can be frustrating, especially with how realistic it is. Watch once, then go scream into a pillow. 3. 'Twenty-Five Twenty-One' (2022) In a love story set during Korea's financial crisis, Na Hee-do (Kim Tae-ri) is a fierce, foil-wielding teenager and Baek Yi-jin (Nam Joo-hyuk) is her charmingly broken older love interest turned journalist. Their chemistry is off the charts, but real life has other plans. It's exhilarating, nostalgic and ends with a goodbye that hurts like growing up. 4. 'Move to Heaven' (2021) Han Geu-ru (Tang Jun-sang) is a neurodivergent teen who, alongside his ex-con uncle (Lee Je-hoon), runs a trauma cleaning business that handles the belongings of the deceased. The premise is rather unique, as far as sad K-dramas are concerned. Each episode is a standalone lesson in grief and grace, with stories that sneak up on you and leave emotional bruises. Bring tissues and maybe hug your pet. 5. 'Uncontrollably Fond' (2016) Shin Joon-young (Kim Woo-bin) is an arrogant Hallyu star with a terminal illness and unresolved angst, while Noh Eul (Bae Suzy) is the documentary producer—and ex-love—tasked with filming his last months. What starts as a bitter reunion spirals into raw confessions, sobbing-in-the-rain scenes and one of K-drama's most soul-crushing finales. 6. 'Strangers from Hell' (2019) Yoon Jong-woo (Im Si-wan) is a naive country boy who moves to Seoul and rents a room in the creepiest goshiwon ever, while Seo Moon-jo (Lee Dong-wook) slithers in as the suspiciously too-friendly dentist next door. The descent into madness is slow and skin-crawling, with psychological horror that sticks to your ribs. It's genius—just don't watch it alone, or ever again. Don't miss: 12 intense K-drama thrillers that will keep you on the edge of your seat 7. 'Youth of May' (2021) Set during the Gwangju Uprising, Hwang Hee-tae (Lee Do-hyun) is a bright med student who falls in love with Kim Myung-hee (Go Min-si), a stoic nurse, against a backdrop of rising unrest. Their romance is tender, pure and ultimately doomed—and if you know your Korean history, you already know you're watching a ticking emotional time bomb. 8. 'Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo' (2016) IU as Hae-soo time-slips into the Goryeo dynasty and the hearts of several royal brothers—most dangerously, Wang So (Lee Joon-gi), the scarred and smouldering fourth prince. This tragic historical romance pulls no punches: it's dramatic, opulent and ends with a heartbreak so operatic, you'll find yourself mourning characters who died 1,000 years ago. 9. 'Flower of Evil' (2020) Baek Hee-sung (Lee Joon-gi) is a loving husband and doting father, but he might also be a serial killer. Cha Ji-won (Moon Chae-won) is his detective wife who begins to suspect the man she married. It's a domestic thriller laced with unnerving secrets and unexpected tenderness, and once you survive the emotional rollercoaster, you won't dare get back on. 10. 'Misaeng: Incomplete Life' (2014) Jang Geu-rae (Im Si-wan) goes from failed Go player to office grunt, navigating corporate politics with the help of his quietly heroic boss Oh Sang-shik (Lee Sung-min). It's so painfully accurate about office life, job insecurity and silent ambition that it feels like a documentary. Brilliant, yes. Therapeutic? Only if you've already quit your job.
Tatler Asia
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Tatler Asia
11 Korean dramas you loved—but didn't know were remakes
2. 'Boys Over Flowers' (2009) Based on: Hana Yori Dango (Japan); Meteor Garden (Taiwan) This show was the blueprint for every chaebol -bully-meets-spunky-poor-girl plotline we've seen since. Adapted from the wildly popular Japanese manga and following successful live-action versions in Taiwan and Japan, this is one of the earlier adapted Korean dramas that added its own glossy take on an already successful franchise, complete with dramatic violin music and gravity-defying hair. See more: 10 most endearing love triangles in K-dramas 3. 'The World of the Married' (2020) Based on: Doctor Foster (UK) Move over, polite passive aggression, this revenge thriller takes British restraint and douses it in makjang gasoline. The World of the Married reimagines the BBC's Doctor Foster with all the emotional chaos and simmering tension you'd expect from a hit K-drama. Adultery never looked so dramatic. Also read: 12 inspiring K-drama monologues that capture life perfectly 4. 'Rich Man' (2018) Based on: Rich Man, Poor Woman (Japan, 2012) A tech CEO (Suho) who can't recognise faces falls for a spunky job applicant (Ha Yeon-soo) who lies on her résumé. It's K-drama meet-cute 101, but the format first succeeded in Japan. This adaptation kept the quirky charm of the original but added a layer of K-pop polish, thanks to EXO's Suho's casting. Also read: 10 sweetest meet-cutes in K-drama history 5. 'Designated Survivor: 60 Days' (2019) Based on: Designated Survivor (USA) When the President is taken out in an attack, an unassuming environment minister is thrust into power. Sound familiar? This taut political drama is a Korean remake of the Kiefer Sutherland-led American show, but with a tighter runtime and more emotional heft. Oh, and less yelling. 6. 'To the Beautiful You' (2012) Based on: Hanazakari no Kimitachi e (Japan, manga by Hisaya Nakajo) Girl (Sulli) disguises herself as a boy to attend an all-male sports school and meet her high-jump idol (Minho). It's gender-bending chaos with a side of secondhand embarrassment. While the Japanese versions may have leaned more toward slapstick, the Korean adaptation gave us glossy visuals, swoonier moments and a very confused Minho. 7. 'Entourage' (2016) Based on: Entourage (USA) A Hollywood bromance gets a Gangnam makeover. Entourage Korea imported the behind-the-scenes glamour and chaos of the American original, but swapped the LA sun for Seoul's glittery nightlife. Despite the star-studded cast (which includes Cho Jin-woong and Seo Kang-joon), it didn't hit the same cultural note, but it remains an ambitious swing at cross-border adaptation. Don't miss: 10 most powerful chaebol families in K-dramas 8. 'Legal High' (2019) Based on: Legal High (Japan) Swoon-worthy Korean dramas aren't the only ones that borrow material. Snappy courtroom banter meets outlandish legal tactics in this remake of the Japanese legal comedy. Jin Goo's eccentric, win-at-all-costs lawyer Go Tae-rim brought a new flavour to the K-drama courtroom scene, even if the humour leaned more zany than subtle. 9. 'Secret Garden' (2010) Based on: The Prince and the Pauper and western body-swap tropes This one's not a direct remake, but it borrows heavily from body-swap stories like Freaky Friday or Big and even classics like The Prince and the Pauper . Interestingly, it doesn't borrow anything from Frances Hodgson Burnett. Instead, it answers what happens when a stuntwoman (Ha Ji-won) and a chaebol CEO (Hyun Bin) magically switch bodies. The result is gender-flipping hilarity and (eventual) romantic chemistry that still has fans swooning. 10. 'Little Women' (2022) Based on: Louisa May Alcott's Little Women (US) This isn't your grandmother's March sisters. In this bold Korean reimagining, the genteel charm of Louisa May Alcott's classic is replaced with mystery, money laundering and murder. Starring Kim Go-eun as Oh In-joo (our modern-day Jo March with a ledger), the series follows three sisters who grow up poor and suddenly find themselves entangled in a web of corporate corruption, privilege and powerful enemies. The series was marketed as a Korean adaptation, but it plays fast and loose with the details. While the bones of sisterhood and sacrifice remain, this Little Women doesn't politely sip tea—it gulps down intrigue by the glass. 11. 'A Time Called You' (2023) Based on: Some Day or One Day (Taiwan, 2019) The cult Taiwanese hit about time travel, identity and doomed love got a sleek Korean makeover in 2023, starring Jeon Yeo-been in a haunting dual role and Ahn Hyo-seop as the boy caught between timelines and tragedies. While the heart of the story remains—mysterious cassette tapes, parallel lives and impossible choices—the K-drama adaptation leans deeper into emotional gravity and visual polish. It's not just a remake; it's a tender reinvention of one of Asia's most cherished sci-fi romances. Also read: From 'Lovely Runner' to 'The Atypical Family': How these 5 Korean dramas explore the concept of time travel
South China Morning Post
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
When Life Gives You Tangerines' Park Hae-joon on how the K-drama made him a better husband
By Park Jin-hai Advertisement Park Hae-joon, once infamously known in South Korea as the 'nation's adulterer' for his portrayal of an unfaithful husband in the 2020 drama The World of the Married, is reclaiming his screen persona – this time as the 'nation's romantic lead'. In Netflix's acclaimed series When Life Gives You Tangerines, Park delivers a heartfelt performance as Yang Gwan-sik, a devoted husband and selfless family man. Park shared that he laughed and cried along with viewers while experiencing the story of When Life Gives You Tangerines , adding that portraying the devoted Gwan-sik proved to be more challenging than his previous role as an adulterous husband. Kim Hee-ae and Park in a still from The World of the Married. The actor's role in the series led to him becoming known in South Korea as the 'nation's adulterer'. Photo: Viu 'Portraying a shameless character committing adultery had a certain thrill and catharsis because it allowed me to act out something that I don't do in real life.
