From zombies and otherworldly creatures to second leads stealing our hearts and more, 2019 was a fantastic year for K-Dramas. We fell in love with Captain Ri (and by proxy his men), felt the sometimes brutal reminders of our youth, and were rooting for the last ranked baseball team, The Dreams. Not to mention we got a real-life fairytale ending for the leads of “Crash Landing On You,” albeit only recently.
So whether you are new to K-Dramas, or a long-time fan, here are six must-watch K-Dramas from 2019.
Crash Landing On You
Yoon Se-ri (Son Ye-jin) is a successful businesswoman and her father’s choice to take over leadership of the family business, The Queen’s Group. After a paragliding mishap testing a new product, Se-ri finds herself across enemy lines in North Korea where she meets Captain Ri Jeong-hyeok (Hyun Bin). Captain Ri takes Se-ri into his home and enlists the help of his four officers to keep her safe while they figure out how to smuggle her back to South Korea safely.
Cast: Hyun Bin, Son Ye-jin, Seo Ji-hye, Kim Jung-hyun, and Kim Sun-young
Watch On: Netflix
Vagabond
Cha Dal-gun (Lee Seung-gi) works as an underrated stuntman, while simultaneously taking care of his orphaned nephew, Cha Hoon. While on set for a drama Dal-gun’s world is turned upside down when he sees a report of a plane crash killing over 200 people, the same plane his nephew was on. He teams up with Go Hae-ri (Bae Suzy) a covert operative for the National Intelligence Service to untangle a massive web of corruption.
Cast: Lee Seung-gi, Bae Suzy, Shin Sung-rok, Moon Jung-hee, and Baek Yoon-shik
Watch On: Netflix
Hotel Del Luna
Located in the heart of Seoul is the magnificent Hotel del Luna, a hotel for dead souls. The beautiful and ill-tempered CEO has spent the past thousand years bound to the hotel due to a crime she committed, but can’t remember. Things start to change when perfectionist Koo Chan-sung (Yeo Jin-goo) shows up. The new assistant manager is forced to manage the hotel because of a deal his father made with Man Wol years ago. As he puts the hotel’s disastrous finances in order and curbs Man Wol’s excessive spending, mysteries and secrets behind the hotel start to unravel.
Cast: IU, Yeo Jin-goo, Shin Jung-keun, Bae Hae-seon, P.O., and Lee Do-hyun
Watch On: Netflix and VIKI
Hot Stove League
Baek Seung-Soo (Namkoong Min) is the newly appointed general manager of Dreams, the worst professional baseball team in Korea. Despite having managed several championship-winning teams, he has zero experience with baseball. He enlists the help of operations manager Se Young (Park Eun Bin) and her colleague Han Jae-hee (Jo Byung-gyu) to revamp the Dreams into a championship team once and for all.
Cast: Namkoong Min, Park Eun Bin, Jo Byung-gyu, Oh Jung-se, and Son Jong-hak
Watch On: Netflix and VIKI
Kingdom
Crown Prince Lee Chang (Joo Ji Hoon) and his subordinates stumble across an unnatural plague sweeping the Joseon Dynasty. During their investigation rumors of the King’s death emerge, and as a result Chief State Councillor Cho Hak Joo (Ryu Seung-ryong), declares the Crown Prince a traitor. Now on the run, the Crown Prince and his guard, Moo Young (Kim Sang-ho), set out to find the last physician to treat his father and save his people from the spread of the plague.
Cast: Joo Ji Hoon, Ryu Seung-ryong, Bae Doo-na, Kim Sung-gyu, and Kim Sang-ho
Watch On: Netflix
Be Melodramatic
Im Jin Joo (Chun Woo-hee) is a unique and emotional drama writer. Lee Eun Jung (Jeon Yeo-been runs her own production company as a documentary director. Hwang Han Joo (Han Ji Eun) is a single mom who is the head of a marketing team for a drama production company struggling to find work-life balance. Despite their difficulties in life, love, and careers, these three 30-something-year-old best friends always find their way home to each other at the end of the day for support and solace.
Cast: Chun Woo-hee, Jeon Yeo-been, Han Ji Eun, Ahn Jae-hong, and Gong Myung
Watch On: VIKI
Which of these K-dramas is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!
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