The Best K-Dramas for Newbies

Sub-genre: Mystery/Black Comedy/Satire
Currently the Korean drama with the record highest ratings, Sky Castle aired in 2018 and focuses on the lives of the rich housewives associated with a rich Hospital, living in a luxurious exclusive community and their determination to get their children into the top school in Korea. It is gripping and it looks at so many concepts, including the competitive nature of schooling in Korea, mental health, the importance of family, and how money, reputation and self-worth can change it all. Top of my list because it is so highly recommended. Be aware that although it is serious, it is also satire.

Sub-genre: Historical/Romance
One that I’m currently watching is Rookie Historian. Set in the Korean Joseon Dynasty, we follow the story of a free-spirited noble lady trying to gain her freedom in a society where women are objectified and very underestimated in their skills and potential. More interested in acquiring knowledge than finding a husband, we watch her journey in becoming one of the first female historians as well as her boding relationship with a Prince secretly working as a romance novelist, while the royal family and politicians around her are dealing with the politics of censorship and oppression in Korea.

Sub-genre: Supernatural/Crime
Another that I’m currently watching is Hotel del Luna. Definitely a cool supernatural show, the premise is about a hotel manager with a great reputation who is scouted by the owner of Hotel del Luna. Little does he know that the hotel is a hotel for ghosts who miss or lose their path to heaven. The new manager, Koo Chang-Sun must try to adjust to his new job as well as handle the hotel CEO, whose mysterious past cursed her to own and manage the hotel forever. So far, this is such a fun but sometimes scary show and I can’t wait to watch the next episode!

Sub-genre: Coming-Of-Age/Romantic Comedy
My ID is Gangnam Beauty is such a cute but also important K-Drama. Shining a light on the high beauty standard in Korean and its subsequent cultural pressure to look pretty, we meet Mirae. Mirae, after being bullied for her looks her whole childhood, undergoes a huge transformative surgery to look beautiful. As she begins college and her new life, she has to adapt to being someone who looks beautiful as well as to the people who realise that she got, the very much taboo act, of plastic surgery. Most of all, I loved that it looked at the beauty standard as a whole and questioned whether it’s even important to be beautiful or not and whether it’s all just a state of mind based on self-esteem.

Sub-genre: Political drama
This is a K-drama I haven’t watched yet but has garnered extremely positive reviews with an average of 8.1/10 on mydramalist.com. Described as a show with no romance and pure politics, Chief of Staff depicts the story of Korean politicians and their personal assistants as they try to climb up the political ladder. Reviewed as ‘an absolute depiction of how politics work’, if you enjoy political dramas like Designated Survivor and House of Cards, you’re sure to really enjoy this one too. I’m looking forward to watching it soon as well!