A Complete List Of Webtoon-Based Dramas In Korea for 2021

Do you know what the popular Kdramas Itaewon Class, True Beauty, and Wonderful Rumors have in common?

They are all based on Korean webtoons!

The webtoon market in Korea is huge, and webtoons here are extremely popular.

In addition to the three webtoons we mentioned earlier, there are currently a number of webtoons that are being adapted into dramas.

We want to share with you which webtoon-based dramas are currently airing and those that will air soon!

Currently On Air

MY ROOMMATE IS A GUMIHO
간 떨어지는 동거

Genre: Comedy, romance

Webtoon author: Na

Webtoon platform: Naver Webtoon

Network: tvN

Synopsis: Shin Woo-Yeo (played by Jang Ki-Yong) is a smart and handsome professor.

He is also a 999 year old nine-tailed fox (gumiho). 

In order to become human, he collects the energy of humans in the form of beads.

Lee Dam (played by Hyeri) is a university student who accidentally swallows one of Shin Woo-Yeo’s beads.

In order to save Lee Dam’s life and for Shin Woo-Yeo to become human, these characters live together in the hopes of finding a solution.

Source: Instagram @na_jakka

This romantic comedy webtoon came out in 2017 and ran until 2021 on Naver.

This webtoon was very popular among women because the material was considered fresh and the character development throughout the series was strong.

Source: iQ.com

My Roomate is a Gumiho began airing on tvN on May 26^th.

In this drama, Jang Ki-Yong and Hyeri have great chemistry onscreen.

NEVERTHELESS
알고 있지만

Genre: Romance

Webtoon author: Jung Seo

Webtoon platform: Naver Webtoon

Network: JTBC, Netflix

Synopsis: Park Jae-Eon (played by Song Kang) is a university student studying art.

While he seems cheerful and friendly, he is actually indifferent to others and has no interest in having a romantic relationship.

Yoo Na-Bin (played by Han So-Hee) is an art student at the same university.

When Park Jae-Eon and Yoo Na-bin meet, both are surprised by the feelings they develop for each other.

After breaking up with her first love, Yoo Na-bin is unswayed by love.

When she meets Park Jae-Eon who is handsome, flirtatious, and full of secrets, as hard as she tries not to, she can’t help but feel attracted to him.

At first, readers even referred to Park Jae-Eon as “handsome trash,” but as the series went on they, too, couldn’t help but root for these two characters to end up together!

Song Kang and Han So-Hee are two of the most popular actors in Korea right now, and their popularity grows with every drama they star in.

Nevertheless began airing on June 19th and can be seen on JTBC and Netflix.

Episodes are uploaded on Netflix every week in real time, so if you want to check this series out, be sure watch it on Netflix!

IMITATION
이미테이션

Genre: Idol, music, romance

Webtoon author: Park Kyung-Ran

Webtoon platform: KakaoPage

Network: KBS

Summary: This series follows the growing pains of the main characters who are trying to make it as idols.

Imitation, which had a whopping 3 million readers, is the best-selling work of KakaoPage.

What’s interesting about this series is that as it’s airing on KBS, the actors are recording music, making music videos, and making guest appearances on variety shows like real idols.

This only adds to the fun of watching this drama.

If you are a fan of Kpop and Kdramas, then this is the perfect drama for you!

To Air Soon

YUMI'S CELLS
유미의 세포들

Genre: Romance, comedy, everyday life

Author: Lee Dong-Gun

Webtoon platform: Naver Webtoon

Network: tvN

Synopsis: Yu-Mi (played by Kim Go-Eun) is an ordinary single working woman.

She is not the best at expressing her feelings.

Yu-Mi has cells in her brain that represent different emotions such as love, rage, happiness, sadness, and heartache.

They work hard to help Yu-Mi deal with her feelings and life's daily challenges.

Through her work and her romantic relationship, Yu-Mi is able to grow as a person and find happiness in her daily life.

Yumi's Cells is a very popular webtoon in Korea.

It was first released in April 2015 and ran until the end of 2020.

It currently has more than 3 billion views, which is impressive!

What made this webtoon so popular was the way Yu-Mi expressed her feelings and actions via various cells (e.g., love cells, fashion cells, hunger cells, etc.).

Readers of all ages and walks of life could relate to Yu-Mi and her cells.

Kim Go-Eun, Ahn Bo-Hyun, and Park Jin Young have been cast in Yu-Mi's Cells, and it is expected to air later this year.

ALL OF US ARE DEAD
지금 우리 학교는

Genre: Zombie thriller, drama

Author: Joo Dong-Geun

Webtoon platform: Naver Webtoon

Network: Netflix

Synopsis: A group of high school students are trapped inside their school during a zombie virus outbreak.

The students desperately try to avoid becoming zombies and escape from their school to safety.

Known as the ultimate Korean zombie webtoon, All of Us Are Dead was first released in 2009 and ran until 2011.

Even though teenagers were not allowed to view this webtoon due to its graphic depiction of zombies, it still had a big readership.

Because I was a young student when this webtoon first came out, I didn't read All of Us Were Dead until I became an adult.

I found it to be eerie and entertaining.

All of Us Are Dead will be released on Netflix towards the end of this year.

Yoon Chan-Young and Park Ji-Hoo (pictured above) along with Cho Yi-Hyun and Park Solomon will star in this drama series.

If you are a fan of the zombie thriller genre, then All of Us Are Dead is a must for you!

HELLBOUND
지옥

Genre: Horror, thriller, fantasy, drama

Author: Yeon Sang-Ho, Choi Kyu-Seok

Webtoon platform: Naver Webtoon

Network: Netflix

Synopsis: In Hellbound, supernatural beings suddenly appear to condemn people to hell.

A new religious group led by Jung Jin-Soo (played by Yoo Ah-In) is interpreting these events as the will of the divine.

Hellbound is the intense story of how these people try to survive the chaos that ensues due to these supernatural events.

Hellbound will be directed by Yeon Sang-Ho, who is best known for his work in Train to Busan.

In addition to bringing the frightening and nerve-wracking visuals of this webtoon to life, Yeon Sang-Ho will explore the psychological aspects of the chaos that erupts between different areas of society such as the police, religion, and journalism.

Hellbound will be released via Netflix later this year. 

Yeon Sang-Ho and Choi Kyu-Seok, the co-author of Hellbound, are working together so that the series adaptation will stay true to the original webtoon.

I can't wait to see how this cast including Yoo Ah-In, Park Jung-Min, and Kim Hyun-Joo will bring this webtoon to life!

THE SOUND OF MAGIC
안나라수마나라

Genre: Romance, drama

Author: Ha Il-Kwon

Webtoon platform: Naver Webtoon

Network: Netflix

Synopsis: Yoon A-Yi (played by Choi Sung-Eun) is a high school student who has dreamed of becoming a magician since she was a child. 

In reality though, she has to work various part-time jobs to support her younger sister and herself.

One day, A-Yi meets a magician named Lee-Eul (played by Wook Ji-Chang) at an abandoned amusement park, and her life is changed forever.

The Sound of Magic is the story of A-Yi following her dreams.

The Sound of Magic was first released in 2010, and the webtoon ran until 2011.

It became very popular for its mysterious storyline and rich and beautiful artistry.

This webtoon is known for providing comfort to young readers who, like A-Yi, are forced to grow up quickly and face the harsh realities of life.

Choi Sung-Eun, Hwang In-Yeop, and Chang Ji-Wook will star in the drama adaptation of this webtoon.

The Sound of Magic will be directed by Kim Sung-Yoon who has directed other popular dramas such as Love in the Moonlight and Itaewon Class.

The release date of this drama has not yet been confirmed.

It is in production now, so we are hoping that it will be released in the next few months!

MOVING
무빙

Genre: Hero, action, supernatural

Author: Kang Pool

Webtoon platform: Daum Webtoon

Network: Disney+

Synopsis: Moving is the story of three high school students who have special abilities that they inherited from their parents.

These students try to hide their special powers from others while their parents desperately try to protect them from those who want to exploit them for their powers.

There are three parts that Moving will explore.

The first is the stories of the students with superpowers.

The second is the experiences of their parents when they were younger.

And the third and final part consists of stories from both the students and their parents in present-day.

Moving is a compelling story that features fantasy elements and deals with the growing pains of teenagers as well as the darker aspects of Korean history.

Jo In-sung, Han Hyo-Joo, Cha Tae-Hyun, and Ryu Seong-Ryong will star in this drama.

Moving will be released on Disney+.

D.P.
D.P 개의 날

Genre: Drama

Author: Kim Bo-Tong

Webtoon platform: Lezhin Comics

Network: Netflix

Synopsis: An Joon-Ho (played by Jung Hae-In) is a soldier.

He is calm and quiet and very much stuck in his ways.

Due to his tenacity, Joon-Ho is transferred to the D.P., or deserter pursuit, unit.

D.P. tells the story of this team of soldiers whose mission is to catch deserters.

The D.P. unit is responsible for tracking down and arresting deserters, or those who have abandoned their military service.

In the process of catching these deserters one by one, Joon-Ho and the other soldiers in his unit learn about the abuse that drove these people to flee from the military.

Jung Hae-In, Koo Kyo-Hwan, and Kim Sung-Kyun have been confirmed to star in this drama.

D.P. will be released through Netflix later this year.

If you are interested in learning more about the Korean military and the experiences of those who have served, then keep an eye out for D.P.

We hope you enjoyed learning about dramas based on webtoons that are currently airing or are set to air later this year.

If you would like to learn more about how to read Korean webtoons, please refer to our blog posting about various webtoon platforms in Korea.

Which drama are you most excited to watch? 

Which webtoon would you like to read before the drama adaptation is released?

Please let us know in the comments below.