From romance to reality: The Korean dramas everyone talked about this year

Korean dramas have become a global phenomenon and known for their emotional storytelling, strong performances and unique blend of genres.

From heartfelt romances to gripping thrillers and realistic slice of life stories, Korean dramas continue to captivate audiences by turning both extraordinary events and everyday lives into deeply engaging television.

Here is the list of top 5 Korean dramas:

Way Back Love

Way Back Love is a six-episode romance fantasy drama starring Kim Min-ha as Jeong Hee-wan, a 24-year-old art student who has been emotionally stuck since the tragic death of her first love, Kim Ram-woo (Gong Myung).

Four years later, Ram-woo appears as a Grim Reaper and tells her she will die in one week. The two spend seven days completing a bucket list designed to help Hee-wan regain her will to live.

Adapted from a webtoon, the series carefully balances grief and healing with Kim Min-ha delivering a deeply moving performance.

Squid Game Season 3

Squid Game Season 3 continues and largely concludes Seong Gi-hun’s story played by Lee Jung-jae.

While Gi-hun is no longer the ordinary man viewers once knew as the season stays true to the series’ core theme of exposing the cruelty and inequality of modern capitalism.

Dark, intense and emotionally heavy as the final chapter offers a bleak but meaningful ending that still leaves room for hope.

Resident Playbook

A spin off of Hospital Playlist, Resident Playbook follows four first year medical residents working in an understaffed obstetrics and gynecology department.

Go Youn-jung stars as Oh Yi-young, a junior doctor who returns to medicine mainly to pay off debt.

Alongside her fellow residents, the series delivers a warm, character driven medical drama that highlights friendship, growth, and real-life social issues such as Korea’s declining birthrate.

Tempest

Tempest is a political thriller with a strong romantic storyline, starring Jun Ji-hyun as Seo Mun-ju, a former diplomat investigating her husband’s assassination and Gang Dong-won as her bodyguard.

While the political plot can be complex but the drama shines through its mature chemistry, high stakes tension, and rare critical look at international politics, including a notable role by John Cho.

When Life Gives You Tangerines

When Life Gives You Tangerines is a sweeping generational drama following Ae-sun’s life from the 1960s to the present, played by IU and Moon So-ri.

Set largely on Jeju Island, the series explores family, love, hardship and resilience through ordinary lives and by focusing on realistic human experiences it delivers one of the most emotionally rich and memorable Korean dramas of the year.