Korean Dramas You Can Watch Right Now

As the year comes to an end, December brings in the cold and bleak weather with it. Furthermore, many popular dramas of the Fall season have finished their run this month, including Start Up and Private Lives. 

So as we welcome 2021 (hopefully it's a better year...), let's look at some new drama that will make their debut in December.

We'll go over some small details about each drama, including the cast and the plot. But this is just to wet your palette and help you find things you might be interested in.

HOSPITAL PLAYLIST SEASON 2
슬기로운 의사생활

Cast: Cho Jung-Seok, Yoo Yeon-Seok, Jung Kyung-Ho, Kim Dae-Myung, Jeon Mi-Do

Premiere: June 17, 2021, Thursdays

Channel: tvN, Netflix

Hospital Playlist was one of the most popular dramas of 2020, so many fans will be happy to hear that it's back for a second season.

The first episode of the second season received a viewer rating of 10%, which is the highest for the first episode of any tvN drama. 

Stay tuned to continue to follow the events in the daily lives of these five best friends in this heartwarming drama.

POLICE ACADEMY
경찰수업

Cast: Cha Tae-hyun, Jin-young, Jung Soo-jung

Premiere: August 9, 2021, Mondays and Tuesdays

Channel: KBS

Yoo Dong-man (Cha Tae-hyun) plays a detective of 20 years who has been sent to the Police University to be a professor after a botched investigation. There, he meets Kang Sun-ho (Jin-young) and Oh Kang-hee (Jung Soo-jung). 

Sun-ho is a former hacker who fell in love with the intelligent Kang-hee during a judo match and followed her all the way to the Police University. There, they team up with Dong-man to work to uncover police corruption.

This drama's ratings are currently on the rise, so check it out!

AWAKEN
낮과밤

Cast: Namgung Min, Seol Hyun, Lee Chung-Ah, Yoon Sun-Woo

Premiere: November 30th, Mondays and Tuesdays

Channel: tvN

Awaken, starring Namgung Min and Seol Hyun, got a very eye-catching ratings record in the first two episodes, which bodes well for the rest of the drama's run. It held an average score of 5.4% in the metropolitan area.

It tells the story of a terrible serial homicide in South Korea. After receiving the report, Do Jung-Woo (Namgung Min) and Kong Hye-Won (Seol Hyun) were dispatched to investigate the grisly crime.

After that, a case begins to reveal itself reaching back more than 10 years.

The exciting plot has continued to increase the degree of discussion among fans. Some fans are even saying that it will be the new standard against which other crime dramas will be measured.

HUSH
허쉬

Cast: Hwang Jung-Min, Yoona

Premiere: December 11th, Fridays and Saturdays

Channel: JTBC

Girls’ Generation member Yoona returns to the small screen again after a few years. It also coincides with the end of her former group member Seohyun’s drama, Private Lives.

The fact that JTBC aired two dramas back-to-back featuring SNSD members really warmed fans hearts.

Hush, which will premiere on Friday, December 11th, is a story about journalists.

It chronicles the struggles of a journalist who faces difficult choices, such as silencing specific information for the sake of survival and ideals. Or, is he brave enough to report it and risk everything? 

Perhaps the chaos of today's society, including the professional ethics and conscience of the media, will resonate with the audience.

THE UNCANNY COUNTER
경이로운 소문 

Cast: Joe Byeong-Gyu, Yu Jun-Sang, Kim Se-Jeong, Yum Hye-Ran

Premiere: November 28th, Saturdays and Sundays

Channel: OCN, Netflix

The new drama, The Uncanny Counter, which was well received after it aired on Netflix, had a 2.7% rating for the first episode when it was broadcast on the OCN channel.

But the second episode jumped to 4.35% unprecedentedly! Even now, after the sixth episode has been broadcast, it has set a historical record, surpassing OCN's Voice to become the most viewed drama in OCN's history! 

It has been adapted from Daum’s most popular webtoon of the same name. It has an average score of 9.9 since it's first issue in 2018. The story follows a hungry ghost who lives forever and travels to the earth with an ulterior motive.

Discussions online have exploded and the show only continues to grow in popularity and support.

TRUE BEAUTY
여신강림

Cast: Mun Ka-Young, Cha Eun-Woo, Hwang In-Yeop, Park Yoo-Na

Premiere: December 9th, Wednesdays and Thursdays

Channel: tvN

Similar to the previous drama, True Beauty is also adapted from a webtoon, which can be found on Naver Webtoon. It was said a long time ago that it would be remade into a live-action drama, and it finally arrived at the end of this year. 

It has attracted a lot of attention due to its casting choices. Of course, with a drama about beautiful people, the cast is filled with tons of people who are easy on the eyes.

Fans of the comic are really looking forward to this one!

RUN ON
런 온

Cast: Im Si-Wan, Shin Se-Kyoung, Sooyoung, Kang Tae-Oh

Premiere: December 16th, Wednesdays and Thursdays

Channel: JTBC, Netflix

Im Si-Wan is back! Everyone who is talking about this drama can't help but mention the expected chemistry between him and his co-star, Shin Se-Kyung. Against the backdrop of the series, we can certainly expect fireworks on the screen.

Run On tells the story of a national track and field athlete who was born into the world of sports. After an unfortunate accident, he has to quit being an athlete and instead becomes a sports agent, Afterward, he met a woman working as a translator in a stroke of destiny. 

It feels like a fresh plot device. There aren't a lot of dramas that focus on the sports world!

CHEAT ON ME IF YOU CAN
바람피면 죽는다

Cast: Cho Yeo-Jeong, Go Joon, Kim Young-Dae, Yeon Woo

Premiere: December 2nd, Wednesdays and Thursdays

Channel: KBS

This drama is already underway. Although the title is terrible, the story is quite interesting and is sure to fit a lot of people's tastes.

Cheat On Me if You Can tells the story of Kang Yeo-Joo (played by Cho Yeo-Jeong), who is a successful crime novelist.

She spends her time thinking of wild and crazy ways to murder people in order to make her novels more interesting. Even her husband, who is a divorce lawyer, is aware that if he ever cheats on his wife, she would likely have a creative way to murder him prepared.

 But the drama is not about murder or about cheating. KBS's new drama is actually a "romantic comedy". I'm curious to see the way they balance it all. 

MR. QUEEN
철인왕후

Cast: Shin Hye-Sun, Kim Jung-Hyun

Premiere: December 12th, Saturdays and Sundays

Channel: tvN

Mr. Queen is a long-awaited drama that traverses between ancient and modern times. The modern Blue House chef's spirit has traveled to the Joseon era and possesses the body of the queen, Kim So-Young (played by Shin Hye-Sun). 

It’s interesting just to imagine. What would happen if a male soul possessed a conservative Joseon woman?

From the poster alone, we can all see that this will be a light-hearted comedy. So what kind of jokes will be available in the Joseon era? I can't wait to find out.

LOVESTRUCK IN THE CITY
도시남녀의 사랑법 

Cast: Ji Chang-Wook, Kim Ji-Won, Kim Min-Suk, So Yu-Jeon

Premiere: December 22nd, Tuesdays and Fridays

Channels: Kakao TV, Netflix

Lovestruck in the City was originally scheduled to be broadcast in early December, but has been postponed to December 22.

This is Ji Chang-Wook's second drama of 2020, the other being Backstreet Rookie. Since it is simultaneously being produced by Netflix, it should soon be on the platform all around the world.

When a modern man and woman meet at different points in time, how will their different mentalities affect their relationship?

Although there isn't much information yet available about the plot, we can rest easy knowing that the two main stars, Ji Chang-Wook and Kim Ji-Won, will have great chemistry and deliver stellar performances.

SWEET HOME
스위트홈

Cast: Song Kang, Lee Jin-Wook, Lee Si-Young, Lee Do-Hyun, Kim Nam-Hee

Premiere: December 18th

Channel: Netflix

After talking about it for a long time, the Netflix drama, Sweet Home, is finally about to air! 

According to media reports, the production cost of each episode is higher than some films. But with Lee Eung-Bok at the helm directing, it should definitely be worth it. He is responsible for Mr. Sunshine, Dokkaebi, and Descendents of the Sun.

The story follows Cha Hyun-Soo (Song Kang), who loses his entire family in one night.

After moving to a small apartment to live on his own, he finds that the outside world has undergone earth-shattering changes, and countless monsters have appeared.

He and his fellow tenants must fight against the hordes.

Each of these nine upcoming Korean dramas is quite attractive in terms of the themes they address and the cast they have assembled.

I don’t know which one I'm looking forward to the most. How about you?