Top 15 KDramas To Binge Watch Before 2020 Ends

Stuck at home and have nothing to do? Or staying in but you’ve finished your KDramas to binge watch list? Maybe it’s time for you to try a new genre! 

Korean Dramas have been increasingly become more popular in 2020 especially with the quarantine in place. And we don’t blame them, Kdramas have some very interesting storyline with some jaw-dropping plot twists. Not to mention the actors and actresses who take on as the main characters are beautiful and handsome which audiences just can’t help but have a crush on.

Now, we know you’re excited. So, from romantic comedies to fantasy. We’re here to give you 15 KDramas to binge watch while you’re stuck at home!

1. Descendants of the Sun

Top on our KDrama binge watch list is none other than a classic love story starring Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo. This KDrama is about two ex-lovers meeting again coincidentally after 8 months in a military base camp in Uruk where Yoo Shi-jin is deployed as the special forces captain and Dr. Kang Mo-yeon gets assigned to be a medical volunteer.

The swoon-worthy moments in this KDrama can let you feel butterflies in your stomach, and aside from that, intense action is also included. To let you in on a fun fact, the two main leads actually got married in 2017 after they filmed this drama back in 2016, but were later divorced in 2019.

2. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo

Time for a cute, rom-com KDramas To Binge Watch which talks about coming-of-age in the sports field, this was actually inspired by the story of the Olympic gold medalist, Jang Mi-ran.

Starred by Lee Sung Kyung and Nam Joo Hyuk, the plot revolves around Kim Bok Joo, a college weightlifting athlete, who develops feelings for Jung Joon-hyung’s brother. He teases her with it, but later finds out he’s got a crush on her.

Other than the adorable moments this drama has to offer, the reason this KDrama is popular with the youngsters because it talks about chasing your dreams and experiencing love in the process.

Kind of like the main leads on Descendants of the Sun, Lee Sung Kyung and Nam Joo Hyuk actually dated in real life and even showed their love on their Instagram accounts.

Sadly, they broke up mid-2017 and decided to go their separate ways. But, ‘till this day, NamLee shippers hold on to that small chance of them getting back together! 

3. Guardian: The Lonely and Great God

If you’re looking for a fantasy-romance drama, then this one’s definitely for you! The goblin, Kim Shin, possesses an immortal life, realizing that it’s more of a curse rather than a blessing. To undo the curse, he must marry the Goblin’s human bride, which later revealed to be Ji Eun-tak.

This KDrama popularly known as Goblin by the public and it was aired late 2016 to early 2017 but it still holds a special place in the hearts of KDrama lovers out there. Not to mention this drama has one of the best OSTs (official soundtracks), one of which is the crowd’s favorite, Stay With Me, that has over 200 million views on Youtube!

4. W: Two Worlds 

Another fantasy-romance genre to add to your KDramas To Binge Watch is W: Two Worlds! This KDrama is a mix of romance, comedy, fantasy, mystery and action that’s why you’re getting more than two worlds.

Oh Yeon-joo is a surgeon in the real world who gets teleported into the comic book her dad is working on where she meets Kang Chul, the main comic book character. It is a daring show despite the budding romance, which audiences will really love.

To this day, fans of the KDrama still ship these two actors together because of their overflowing chemistry on and offscreen!

5. Healer

5th on our list is an action-packed KDramas To Binge Watch that you absolutely cannot miss. We really can’t talk about action dramas without mentioning Ji Chang-wook who is one of the most-sought actors when it comes to the mystery-action genre.

Healer is a KDrama which focuses on spy Seo Jung-Hoo or the Healer and works together with Chae Young-shin and Kim Moon-ho as they unfold an investigation that they are interested in. Not only packed with action, the suspense and romance of this drama is something to be applauded for!

6. Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo

A KDrama binge-watch list wouldn’t be complete without a touch of the historical genre. Sageuk or historical dramas are KDramas that revolve around the history of Korea, and sometimes added with a touch of fantasy, romance or comedy.

The plots go way back into the Joseon dynasty and that’s why a lot of people watch Sageuks. A popular Sageuk is Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, much more known as Scarlet Heart, a 2016 KDrama that was based on the Chinese novel “Bu Bu Jing Xin” which revolves around Go Ha-jin, a girl from the 21st century as she goes back in time to the Goryeo dynasty where she is now Hae Soo and later on meets 8 royal princes.

From romance to action, this drama exceeded expectations for Sageuk fans. We wouldn’t want to spoil the fun on the KDrama, so here’s a light tip: you might need extra tissues when you’re half-way through.

7. Love in the Moonlight

Another Sageuk KDramas To Binge Watch has been added with a touch of romantic-comedy, Love in the Moonlight made its way to our list because of the butterfly flutters that were felt during the airing of the show. Hong Ra-on is a girl disguising as a man that counsels men on dating.

She later meets Crown Prince Hyo-myeong through a love letter she wrote for a client, and when she becomes an eunuch he still has no idea that Ra-on is a girl behind the man costume. For a quick TMI, this is the KDrama that led to the skyrocket fame of Park Bo-gum and Kim Yoo-jung, landing them various deals after the show was aired!

8. Kingdom

Before we move forward to other genres, we couldn’t pass on talking about Sageuk KDramas without mentioning this one. A notable KDrama, Kingdom is a Netflix original series which stars Ju Ji Hoon as Crown Prince Lee Chang.

This thriller Sageuk is a definite must-watch for those who love shows that give an adrenaline rush. Kingdom is about a zombie-like illness that spread throughout the country as they try to find a cure for it.

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The first season of the drama aired in 2019, and the following year its second season was added. Enthusiasts cannot wait for the 3rd extension of the drama which was rumored to be released by the first half of 2021.

So, before the 3rd season comes out, maybe it’s time for you to watch the first two seasons so you’re just in time during the binge-watching!

9. SKY Castle

Let’s move onto the newer KDramas of the generation! This satirical drama made headlines because of how it was realistic to the lives of the upper-class families in South Korea. The plot focuses on 4 families who have wealthy backgrounds, where the fathers are either doctors or lawyers, and the mothers live as housewives to take care of the children in preparation for taking the KSAT.

In South Korea, college education is vital that parents often go lengths just to send their children to after-school classes during the evening, and in some cases even hiring a private tutor to secure their spot in the university.

This is the first KDrama in the history of cable television to land an overall rating of 23%. Also, SKY from the title is actually the first letters of the top prestigious universities in South Korea, namely, Seoul National University, Korea University, and Yonsei University.

10. Hotel Del Luna

Another fantasy drama that made it on our KDrama binge watch list was a high-rated drama for the year 2019. Starring Lee Ji-eun, and Yoo Jin-goo, this drama tells the story of Jang Man-wol, the cursed lady that has lived a thousand years and is the owner of Hotel del Luna that only caters its services to ghosts.

Because of a deal made with his father, Koo Chan-sung, a hotelier, is forced to work in Hotel del Luna, and is the only human that can see the hotel’s beauty. The hotel’s true form isn’t visible during the day and only during special circumstances can humans see the hotel.

If you’re a fan of dramas with second leads that are lovable, then you might just need to watch this KDrama. A fun fact, the company that produced Hotel del Luna is making an American remake with Skydance!

11. Crash Landing On You

Next on our list is one of the romantic dramas that made our 2020 a heart-fluttering year. Crash Landing On You, starring Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin made fans swoon over their overflowing chemistry as they play the roles of Yoon se-ri, a South Korean socialite, who landed on the North Korean border after a paragliding accident where she meets Capt. Ri Jeong-hyeok, a North Korean army officer.

It was a hit KDrama for 2020 as they are the second drama in history to ever surpass 20% ratings in television. Also, a lot of fans are rooting for them in real life as they are both still single and almost in their 40s!

12. Itaewon Class

If you’re thinking of opening a business soon, then you might want to watch this KDramas To Binge Watch as it talks about reaching for your dreams and earning second chances in life. Park Saeroyi, played by none other than Park Seo-joon, is an ex-convict looking for a fresh start in life as he opens up a restaurant in Itaewon.

He plans to take revenge on the person behind his father’s death. This is when she is joined by Jo Yi-seo, a popular social media influencer, who works in Saeroyi’s restaurant as the manager. This is the KDrama that is perfect for all ages and you will definitely pick-up more than one lesson along the way!

13. It’s Okay to Not Be Okay

Where do we even begin with this KDrama? It’s Okay to Not be Okay is a drama which deals with mental health and neurodiversity. Go Moon-young, a children’s book writer, has been diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder ever since she was a kid.

She meets Moon Gang-tae, a psychiatric nurse and his brother, Moon Sang-tae who has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and also happens to be Moon-young’s fan. They are all dealt with problems due to traumatic experiences from their childhood.

Other than the plot and jaw-dropping plot twist this drama has to offer, another reason to watch this KDrama are the main leads, Seo Ye-ji and Kim Soo-hyun, who exhibited overflowing chemistry that automatically makes you ship them! Let’s also not forget the amazing performance of Oh Jung-se for pulling off an autistic character’s role that is very true to life.

Because of this KDrama, Kim Soo-hyun took home the Grand Prize Award for Actor of the Year, as well as Seo Ye-ji who bagged Best Artist Award and Actors Hot Issue Award during the Asian Artist Awards 2020.

14. Hospital Playlist

South Korea is also famous for their hospital KDramas, one of which is Hospital Playlist. Depicting the stories of medical professionals, the drama revolves around the friendship of 5 doctors who happened to enter the same medical school back in 1999 and now are working under the same hospital.

Aside from the medical aspects of the drama, they also highlight their friendship as bandmates as they continue to perform during their free time. Not only does this KDrama feature the lives of surgeons, but they also accentuate the hardships of nurses, interns, residents and even medical students. It’s a must-watch KDrama and Season 2 is coming right up for 2021, so you better don’t miss it!

15. Start-up

To end our KDramas To Binge Watch is one of the most recent KDramas for 2020 and has received recognition for having such high ratings during the pilot episodes. Start-up talks about businesses who struggle with finding investors and are later on invited to compete in the Hackathon.

When the company wins, they are now part of Sandbox, a program which helps start-up businesses to get funding and would help them grow as entrepreneurs. Seo Dal-mi enters this hackathon and teams up with Samsan Tech, a company founded by Nam Do-san, the person in her letters when she was a kid.

Aside from the business aspect of the KDrama, fans got a load of second lead syndrome which later led on to having separate teams of the two male characters for the female lead, Team Dosan or Team Jipyoeng. We wouldn’t want to spoil the drama, so a light hint would be you’re up to a rollercoaster ride of emotions as you watch. 

So, are you all set? Do you already know which KDrama are you planning to watch first? Have you set your eyes on KDrama that you’re ready to binge-watch? Great! We hope you got briefed in with what you’re going to get in a KDrama because it is going to be a bumpy trail! Happy binge-watching!